College of Education and Human Development

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1920/2812

This collection contains ETD documents from the College of Education and Human Development.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 553

Belonging from the Perspective of One School-Aged Child with an Intellectual and Developmental Disability
(2023) Raines, Alexandra; Francis, Grace
The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of belonging from the perspective of Cora, a school-aged child with an intellectual disability and significant support needs. Multiple data sources, including interviews, observations, field notes, and visual aids were coded and analyzed. Findings from the study illuminated how Cora’s microsystem influenced her sense of belonging in the school, her neighborhood, and her community.
A Delphi Study on Expert Instructional Designers' Decision-Making
(2023) Kwende, Maurine; Dabbagh, Nada
Instructional designers make numerous decisions daily to perform their job, for example, what authoring tool to use, what model or strategy to use, and what design process to use to develop learning solutions. Decision-making is important in the field of instructional design. The literature revealed many factors or variables instructional designers rely on for decision-making including past experience, instructional design models, theories, context or situation, subject matter experts (SMEs), intuition, peers, employer demands, budget, time, and media. The literature also revealed challenges or barriers to decision-making, mainly budget, time, and employer demands. Despite these factors and barriers identified from the research literature, it is still not clear how instructional design decisions are made. There is no clear process for how expert instructional designers make decisions in the workplace. Using the Delphi method, this research sought to examine expert instructional designers’ consensus on the list of factors or variables that instructional designers use for decision-making in the workplace and the challenges that expert instructional designers experienced when making instructional design decisions. This study also sought to understand what expert instructional designers propose as a process to guide instructional design decision-making. The findings from the three rounds of iterative questionnaires validated the research findings and also indicated the most important factors instructional designers relied on for decision-making. An artificial intelligence intervention is proposed as a guide and a model to support design decision-making in the workplace.
Exploring Language Assessment Literacy of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) University Instructors in Vietnam: A Mixed-Methods Study
(2023) Tu, Thuy Thi Minh; King-Sears, Margaret E; Wong, Shelley D
The study aimed to elicit information from Vietnamese EFL university instructors about their knowledge and skills regarding the principles, theory, and practices of language assessment by means of revision and validation of the Language Assessment Literacy–Revised Vietnam (LAL-RV), which was previously developed by Kremmel and Harding (2020). A content validation study by expert review was performed and the LAL-RV was pilot tested. Drawing from a sample of 140 Vietnamese EFL university instructors, the study adopted a concurrent mixed-methods design in the form of a web-based survey. Psychometric properties of the LAL-RV were established by using exploratory factor analysis with principal axis extraction and oblique rotation.The analysis resulted in the removal of 32 of 71 initial items, leaving a two-component solution that explained 64.04% of the variance. Component one, knowledge of language assessment, was measured by 25 items, and component two, practical skills in language assessment, by another 14 items. High internal consistency was found for each subscale with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .96 to .98, indicating that the final 39-item LAL-RV was valid and reliable to measure LAL for the particular group of Vietnamese EFL university instructors. The results indicated that LAL for Vietnamese EFL university instructors consisted of two major components—language assessment knowledge and practical skills in language assessment, and that they had a moderate level of LAL (M = 3.08/5.00, SD = .79), corresponding to the functional level within Pill and Harding’s (2013) proposed literacy continuum. At this level of LAL, Vietnamese EFL university instructors might not be professionally ready to perform assessment tasks effectively. Additionally, Vietnamese EFL university instructors’ perspectives were sought concerning areas where they needed to improve their language assessment knowledge and skills. Principles of language assessment and different types of assessment were identified as the most critical areas of language assessment knowledge. The most needed language assessment skills included writing test tasks and items, designing classroom-based assessments, evaluating language tests, and interpreting/analyzing standardized test scores. The study results could inform the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and university administrators about essential language assessment topics to include in English-language teacher education curricula as well as in professional development training agendas. Continuous professional development in language assessment based on Vietnamese EFL instructors’ feedback in the field will raise their levels of efficacy and support student achievement.
Professional Taleworlds: In-Service Teachers Use of Small Stories as Participation in Knowledge Construction and Critical Reflection of the Sociopolitical Contexts of Education
(2023) Brusseau, Rebecca; Holincheck, Nancy; Dodman, Stephanie
This dissertation study takes up a narrative approach, grounded in both critical and feminist pedagogies, to explore how in-service teachers use small stories to participate in knowledge construction and critical reflection on issues of the sociopolitical contexts of education. Further, this study sits at an intersection of teacher learning and culturally sustaining/revitalizing pedagogies, centering teachers as transformative intellectuals by examining in-service teachers’ small stories as a pathway to enacting de/colonizing pedagogies within teacher education.Small story is a narrative approach placing epistemological and analytical emphasis on the stories told in everyday conversational interactions, which are often fragmentary, unpolished, and less coherent than the “big stories” elicited via narrative interviews. The conversational data for this study were drawn from a graduate course designed to support teachers in thinking about the sociopolitical contexts of education. Twelve in-service teachers meeting in four small groups participated in weekly online, synchronous dialogue sessions as part of a course requirement. Learnings from the study suggest that teachers tell a range of small story genres for a variety of purposes. Some genres are congruent with story types described in the literature, while other genres seem to be distinct to the teaching profession. Learnings also suggest that small stories can function as learning spaces for teachers in which they engage in non-linear and communal reflection processes. The data further suggest that small stories, as pedagogical tools, offer a view of teacher learning and perspective transformation that occurs on a micro timescale and in deictic contexts.
An Examination of Preservice Teachers' Course Experiences as They Develop Knowledge of Language and Literacy Development and Instruction for Children Who Bring Diversity to the Early Childhood Classroom
(2023) Geiger, Erin; Kidd, Julie K
A qualitative, exploratory approach was utilized to examine the course experiences of 18 early childhood education PSTs enrolled in a three-credit undergraduate language and literacy methods course. Eight of these participants were enrolled in the course during the Fall 2019 semester while 10 participants were enrolled during the Fall 2020 semester, which was the first full semester of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was informed by sociocultural theory and relied on four primary data sources: (a) an initial background questionnaire, (b) class session written reflections, (c) a reading and writing experiences lesson plan, and (d) reflective writing. After the conclusion of the semester, nine participants agreed to engage in an optional in-depth semi-structured interview. Through analysis of the data, four themes emerged. Theme 1 examined the early language and literacy experiences that contribute to the unique funds of knowledge that PSTs recognized within themselves related to language and literacy. Theme 2 identified the specific course experiences that PSTs identified as influencing their learning. Theme 3 considered how PSTs applied their knowledge of language acquisition and literacy development and instruction in the design and implementation of read aloud lesson plans. Theme 4 explored experiences of living and learning during the first full semester of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings will support teacher educators as they develop course and programmatic experiences to support the development of PSTs into culturally responsive, intentional early childhood educators.
Improving Body Composition Analysis in Collegiate Athletes
(2023) Magee, Meghan Kailey; Jones, Margaret T
Body composition is a critical metric used by practitioners to establish athlete health, training goals, nutrition plans, and performance potential. Two common laboratory methods of body composition assessment include air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). DXA is the gold standard method as it utilizes a 3-compartment model, enabling practitioners and researchers to obtain lean mass, fat mass, and bone mass. However, due to cost and state-by-state regulations regarding who can operate DXA, many programs may not find it feasible. ADP is a more cost effective and simpler method of measuring body composition. It has been shown to be a valid and reliable alternative to DXA. As a result, practitioners and researchers may find ADP more feasible than DXA. However, ADP is unable to measure bone mineral density (BMD) and conflicting evidence has been reported regarding its validity in an athletic population. Inaccuracies in body composition measurements may lead to inappropriate nutrition and training programs, which may cause an athlete to gain or lose unnecessary fat mass or fat free mass, respectively. This inappropriate change in body composition may lead to musculoskeletal injuries and hinder athletic performance. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to improve upon the utility of ADP use in an athletic population through, 1) understanding how body composition values derived from ADP may influence BMD, 2) evaluating the influence of individual characteristics upon the difference in percent body fat (%BF) between ADP and DXA, and 3) developing a two- compartment model estimation equation to obtain more accurate %BF results from ADP in an athletic population.
The Development and Validation of the Prosocial Goals in Online Learning Instrument for Middle School Students
(2023) McLeod, Kimberly Beth; Kitsantas, Anastasia
Prosocial behaviors (e.g., sharing, helping) are important for adolescents’ academic and social-emotional wellbeing and can be predicted by students’ adoption of prosocial goals. Due to the recent uptick in experiences with learning online for adolescents, understanding what prosocial behaviors look like for students within this context, as well as identifying students who do or do not have goals to exhibit these prosocial behaviors, have increased in importance. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measure, the Prosocial Goals in Online Learning Instrument (P-GOLI), which could be used to determine whether a student has prosocial goals when they are engaged in learning online. Phase 1 (Development and Validation) included the initial development of P-GOLI items based on a review of the literature, expert reviews (n = 3), cognitive interviews (n = 5), and a pilot test (n = 18). In Phase 2 (Continued Validation), the instrument was administered to a larger sample of the population (N = 123), along with others instruments to support construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted and the P-GOLI was found to have three factors: Interactive, Reflective, and Problem-Solving prosocial goals when learning online. Implications, limitations, and next steps for the P-GOLI and this novel construct are described.
Are We Socializing Them for Success? An Analysis of New Full-Time Community College Faculty Needs
(2023) Bholat, Saleha; Schrum, Kelly
This dissertation explored the experiences of 16 new full-time community college faculty as they learned to understand and meet their work expectations. Informed by the literature on the preparation of future faculty and the dimensions of full-time community college faculty work, this qualitative study narrowed in on the experiences of new faculty at one multi-campus community college on the east coast of the United States. Purposive sampling was used to identify new full-time faculty at the community college. Once identified, interested participants engaged in an individual interview, a qualitative survey, and a focus group as part of the data collection. Additionally, documents pertaining to faculty evaluation procedures and metrics were collected and analyzed. Using thematic analysis, a picture of how new faculty come to know their faculty role responsibilities and the professional development they need to fulfill those responsibilities emerged. The findings from this study indicate that new faculty come to their roles with existing expectations, seek out interpretations from institutional members, and discover latent work expectations. Additionally, the findings also demonstrate the ways in which new faculty actively participate in shaping their work expectations. The implications for community college faculty, leaders, and scholars are discussed in the final chapter of this dissertation.
Teachers’ Pedagogical Visual Literacy Skills in Elementary Science
(2023) Colandene, Michele Marie; Holincheck, Nancy
The complexity of science visual literacy education calls for a better understanding of elementary teacher visual literacy practices. Teachers play a key role in developing students’ visual fluency through the visual literacy skills they develop in their pedagogical practices. Addressing these gaps in the research, this dissertation focused on the identification of elementary teachers' pedagogical science visual literacy skills and the practices associated with levels of pedagogical science visual literacy. A phenomenographic multiple case study design was used to understand the pedagogical science visual literacy skills of (n = 6) experienced elementary teachers. Data was collected through two interviews and lesson simulation. Half of the teachers in the study used scaffolded practices to support student development of application-based skills with science representations. However, three of the elementary teachers in this study engaged students in mostly knowledge-based skills of remembering and comprehension. Despite years of experience, these teachers did not support student understanding of science visuals. Several of the teachers discussed the importance of design features in visuals, but these teachers did not translate design information to the students they teach. Teacher practices that promoted visual thinking on the part of students, focused on learning science visuals through critical visual literacy and a socio-scientific lens. The findings of this study support the development of a framework for understanding pedagogical science visual literacy.
A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER’S WILLINGNESS TO STAY IN THE “HARDEST POSITION TO FILL”
(2023) Lynch , Jillian E; Regan, Kelley
This qualitative study examined perceptions of current special education teachers in one large school district outside a major metropolitan area and their willingness to stay in the field of special education. The number of fully certified special education teachers in U.S. schools has reached an all-time low. Special education teachers are more likely to leave the field within their first 3 years of teaching than ever before. An extensive literature review showed that there are three main reasons why special education teachers leave the profession: mental health/burnout, lack of induction, and role ambiguity. The purpose of this study was to explore why teachers chose to stay. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 special education teachers in elementary schools across one school district, of whom nine were veterans (10+ years of teaching) and 10 were novices (1-3 years of teaching), to determine how these educators made meaning of their own retention and how workplace relationships played a role in their retention. Three themes around teacher retention were deduced: a personal connection to education, support from administration, and relationships were found to be teachers’ most influential reasons for staying in the field of special education. Future research and implications for practice and research were suggested. Attrition rates have yet to subside, and this study provided a qualitative approach to understanding both novice and veteran teachers’ sensemaking for remaining in the field.
Emergent Digital Equity: Exploring Educators’ Perspectives and Applications in Learning Technologies and Multicultural Education
(2023) Godlewski-Faltynski, Laura L.; Holincheck, Nancy
This dissertation is a multiple-case study that examines educators’ perspectives and applications in learning technologies, multicultural education, and how they intersect to support digital equity. Technology is evolving and has become essential in a learning environment (e.g., Graham et al., 2019; Gronseth et al., 2020; Howard et al., 2018). As classrooms in the United Stated become increasingly more diverse, there is a need to understand how educators are applying equity and technology together (e.g., Burbules et al., 2020; Dolan, 2016; Gorski, 2009; U.S. Department of Education, 2020). Digital equity is an equity-centered approach that seeks to improve students’ access to learning technologies, and advance classroom practices, curriculum applications, and educator beliefs with the intent to resolve the digital divide and prepare students to succeed in a technology-driven society. There has been little empirical research on multicultural education, learning technologies, digital equity, and the relationships between them. Four current educators participated in interviews on how they view and incorporate multicultural education, learning technologies, and digital equity. Key findings include: (1) digital equity was defined and applied as equal access to resources, (2) learning technologies and multicultural education were viewed separate from digital equity, (3) the relationship between learning technologies and multicultural education was challenging to describe, and (4) learning technologies and multicultural education intersected, but not with the purpose to support digital equity. The data indicate that digital equity is emerging as it is partially implemented in the classroom, and there is a need to modernize and expand professionally learning experiences (PLEs) as educators require more support and guidance to transform their knowledge and skills in multicultural education, learning technologies, and digital equity.
A Mixed Method Study of Educators Aiming To Increase Equity In Gifted Education Through A K-6 Talent Development Program
(2023) Carson, Theresa; Hunter, Seth B.
AbstractA MIXED METHOD STUDY OF EDUCATORS AIMING TO INCREASE EQUITY IN GIFTED EDUCATION THROUGH A K-6 TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Theresa M. Carson Ph.D.Dissertation Director: Dr. Seth B. Hunter For almost a century, gifted programs throughout the United States have been criticized for their lack of equity. Underrepresented groups in gifted and other advanced academic programs are ethnically, culturally, linguistically, economically diverse (ECLED) students. To address this issue, some school systems throughout the United States have turned to talent development (TD) programs; initiatives that seek out targeted learners who exhibit advanced academic potential and nurture that potential. This mixed method study explores the outcomes of a TD intervention at one school district’s Title I schools from the teachers' perspectives. The results indicate the Young Scholars (YS) talent development model can be an effective remedy for underrepresentation. However, this closing of the “opportunity gap” for diverse learners did not necessarily equate to more ECLED students being formally identified as gifted. Keywords: underrepresentation, gifted, talent development, Young Scholars
Exploring Intercultural Competence of South Korean English Language Teachers for North Korean Refugee Students
(2023) Yoon, Hyejin; Fox, Rebecca K.
The objective of this research is to gain a deeper insight into the cultural awareness and intercultural competence (IC) of South Korean (SK) English Language (EL) teachers for North Korean refugee (NKR) students. This study employs a qualitative methodology to explore two research questions: how the SK EL teachers of NKR students perceive culture, and how they understand and practice IC. Six teachers from four private alternative schools volunteered to participate in the study. The data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews, artifacts, documents, and researcher memos. Seven principal themes emerged from the overall data: 1) Culture is multidimensional and complex, 2) Culture plays a variety of roles in our lives, 3) Differences and similarities between cultures result in various emotions, 4) Defining IC, 5) Showing diversity in attitudes towards other cultures, 6) Showing understanding of IC in diverse ways, 7) Initiating diverse actions of IC, each of which was also comprised of several sub-themes. The first three themes address the first research question, which sought to first understand teachers’ perceptions of culture. The last four broad themes that emerged from the teacher data serve to respond to the second research question, which sought to understand more about how the teachers defined, perceived and/or practiced IC. Five conclusions have emerged from the findings: 1) SK teachers showed their IC as being curious about and having a favorable regard for other cultures, 2) SK teachers expressed IC as understanding of positionality and cultural imbalance, 3) First-hand experience fosters the development of IC, 4) Reflection and action come together in developing IC, 5) SK teachers expressed their IC as flexibility and understanding with regard to cultural ambiguities. In line with the conclusions, this study highlights the need for teachers, school leaders, and education policy makers to consider the importance of IC development across contexts in SK. This study suggests a number of implications emerging from the findings that are relevant to policy, practice, and future research initiatives.
Socially-Just Disability Resources: An Approach to Access and Equity in Higher Education
(2023) Strimel, Morgan; Nagro, Sarah A
The increasingly pervasive special education teacher shortage has become a crisis in the United States, warranting immediate attention to minimize negative impacts on students with disabilities. More specifically, all efforts to mitigate the shortage by strengthening the special education teacher pipeline should be explored. One population of teacher candidates, teacher candidates with disabilities, would benefit from increased efforts from the teacher education field, as they consistently cite negative and inaccessible preparation experiences that hinder their ability to complete preparation programs necessary for teacher licensure. As a result, this dissertation will (a) investigate the experiences of teacher candidates with disabilities in teacher preparation programs through a systematic review of the literature from 2008 to 2022, and (b) explore an emergent professional paradigm in higher education disability resources as a potential means to enhancing access and equity in the experiences of teacher candidates with disabilities through a qualitative case study of one higher education disability resource center. Together, this dissertation aims to first present a key leverage point to stemming the shortage of special educators through attracting, preparing, and retaining educators with disabilities, and second, assess an approach for higher education disability resource professionals to lead the charge in enhancing the experiences of disabled teacher candidates. Implications for both higher education disability resources and special education teacher preparation programs will be presented.
The National Emergence of Newcomer Schools: Their Growth, Characteristics, and Outcomes
(2023) Davis, Elizabeth; Steinberg, Matthew
This empirical study examines the growth and characteristics of newcomer schools, as well as the associations between newcomer school characteristics and student outcomes. Newcomer schools are specialized schools for children newly arrived in the U.S. with limited English language proficiency and often interrupted education. To conduct this study, I constructed a school-by-year dataset for school years 1986-2018 that incorporates student demographics, student outcomes, school characteristics and quality indicators, district resources and demographics, and migration data. The dataset is comprised of data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), the U.S. Census, and New York City Department of Education data. The dataset includes approximately 80,000-100,000 schools per year and over 400 variables. Analysis draws upon contexts of reception theory to examine the classroom, school, and district level contexts and conditions of newcomer schools and the ways that these contribute to the educational outcomes of newcomer students. Findings show that newcomer schools have spread from mostly coastal, urban areas to locations throughout the country, and serve a diverse range of students. Newcomer schools tend to have greater financial resources and smaller support staff to student ratios than non-newcomer schools, but are more likely to employ less experienced educators, offer fewer rigorous courses, and have higher rates of student absenteeism than non-newcomer schools. Still, attendance at a newcomer school is associated with positive effects in Algebra I and English standardized exams. Findings from this study can inform policy and practice to better allocate resources to meet the needs of shifting demographics and to meet the educational needs of English Learners (ELs) by building responsive contexts of reception. Findings can also support the improvement of educational equity among newcomer schools and between newcomer schools and non-newcomer schools. Furthermore, this study informs future research through the identification of additional data collection needs to strengthen understanding of the effect of newcomer schools on newcomer education.
Reconceptualizing Narrative Absorption as Reading Engagement: A Validation Study
(2022) Ives, Samantha T.; Buehl, Michelle M.; Parsons, Seth A.
The current study’s purpose was to validate a revised Story World Absorption Scale (SWAS; Kuijpers et al., 2014) as a measure of habitual adolescent reading engagement. This approach to measuring reading engagement reflects the multidimensionality and theoretical alignment that is currently missing from the reading engagement literature. Furthermore, the revised SWAS assessed students’ habitual and recreational reading of narrative texts. This is a novel approach because, despite empirical evidence that the frequency of reading fiction and/or narrative texts has a unique positive relationship with narrative and informational reading comprehension (Duncan et al., 2016; Mar & Rain, 2015), education research studies rarely focus on students’ recreational reading of narrative texts. After revising the original SWAS to make it appropriate for an adolescent audience and reorient it as a habitual/trait measure instead of a situated/state measure, I conducted cognitive interviews, an exploratory factor analysis, and correlational analyses to gather validity evidence. Through American Educational Research Association (AERA) et al.’s (2014) validity framework, I evaluated this evidence for validity based on response processes, internal structure, and relations with other variables. The revised SWAS included the same dimensions as the original SWAS, specifically attention, emotional engagement, mental imagery, and transportation. Results showed support for the interpretation of the revised SWAS total score and its subscales’ scores as indicators of adolescent reading engagement. This measure can and should be used in future research to investigate and understand adolescents’ narrative reading engagement.
"They Can't Keep Us From Talking": Understanding Community College Professional Staff as Grassroots Leaders
(2022) Bogdewiecz, Sarah; Lester, Jaime
The purpose of this study is to add to the documentation of grassroots change efforts present at community colleges from the perspectives of professional staff grassroots leaders. Professional staff have largely been absent from scholarly discussions of professional identity, leadership, and change processes, yet represent over half of the higher education workforce. Through a single-site qualitative case study with 17 community college professional staff grassroots leaders, this study explored how professional staff understand their professional selves in relation to the grassroots change process; their understanding of the opportunities and challenges within that process; and the actions they took to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate challenges toward creating status-quo change at their community college. Findings indicate that grassroots leaders' understanding of their overall institutional climate towards change impacted how they viewed themselves, the range of possibilities for change, and influenced the actions they took when attempting to accomplish it. Their workplace identity as members of the professional staff shaped their relationships with institutional structures at the college as well as the range of tactics employed to capitalize on the opportunities for change as well as to mitigate challenges toward their change-based work. This study’s results can be used to inform future institutional practices to further support both professional staff as leaders and grassroots change efforts more broadly on community college campuses.
“A FAMILY TREE CAN BEND, BUT IT CAN NEVER BE BROKEN”: TEACHERS AFFECTED BY CIVIL WAR UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL COHESION IN POST-CONFLICT LIBERIA
(2022) Vonhm, Mainlehwon Ebenezer; Baily, Supriya
Social cohesion is increasingly upheld by scholars and practitioners in the field of conflict resolution and peacebuilding as a necessary condition to achieve sustainable peace following violent conflict. What social cohesion means in a non-Western post-conflict society is, however, unclear. Especially lacking is a deeper understanding of social cohesion between/amongst victims and former perpetrators in post-conflict society, such as Liberia. Today, social cohesion is widely conceptualized in Western nations as social inclusion, similarity, or equality to address societal problems associated with globalization, migration, or marginalization. In conflict-affected settings, by contrast, social cohesion is conceived as encounters, participation, or collaboration to address problems associated with social division or mistrust. These two genres of conceptualizing primarily focus on the causes of conflict (i.e., disparities) that give rise to inequalities and that is understandable given the context in which they were developed. The critical question, however, is whether utilizing such conceptualizations of social cohesion to a non-Western post-conflict society is adequate to rebuild cohesiveness amongst adversaries after a civil conflict. To answer this question, this study adopted a qualitative case study centered on secondary school teachers who suffered (i.e., physical tortured, relatives killed, etc.) during the Liberian civil war to uncover how they learn to live in communities where former perpetrators also reside, so as to gain deeper understanding of social cohesion following brutal conflict. This study found that all the participants drew upon their cultural practices which is clustered around three major themes—forgiveness, ritual dining, and mutual care—to learn to live in communities where former perpetrators also dwell. This study asserts that these cultural practices combine to form a holistic process and provided insights for a deeper understanding of social cohesion after violent conflict which can best be represented by a concept, I termed a shared kinship culture. Hence, this study concludes that the current conceptualizations and theories of social cohesion are insufficient to explain how social cohesion is understood in a non-Western post-conflict society, like Liberia, because they tend to ignore the specific contexts, social realities, and rich repository of local knowledge and cultural practices in such areas.
“YOU JUST KNOW IT WHEN YOU FEEL IT”: A PARTICIPATORY INQUIRY EXPLORING INCLUSION
(2022) Reed, Alexandra Selkirk; Francis, Grace L
This research study explored the concept of inclusion at the postsecondary education program (PSE) setting through the perspectives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through a qualitative inquiry. Specifically, this study focused on defining inclusive experiences and making recommendations for increased inclusion of individuals with IDD in college settings. The study used qualitative methodology through a collaborative and participatory design to understand inclusion from the perspectives of eight individuals with IDD who participated in a PSE program. Through qualitative conversations and thematic data analyses, the research group developed six key themes to support the definition of inclusion as well as three recommendations for choice to increase inclusive experiences at college. Last, this study included a critical self-inquiry in response to research procedures. This response provided a reflection on the efforts made to confront the traditional research cycle to increase inclusive practices within research alongside individuals with IDD, and reflected on challenges related to power dynamics, acquiescence, and ableism. Implications for practice and future research are reported.
Hybrid Identities Under Construction: Outcomes of a Collaborative University-Based Course Revision Project
(2022) Lague, Michelle; Zenkov, Kristien
In this dissertation, I examine three perspectives on a collaborative action research project centered on revising the “Foundations of Education” course in George Mason University’s Secondary Education (SEED) program for students seeking a Master of Education degree and/or initial teacher licensure. This course revision project was conducted over a four month period in the spring and summer of 2022, including the teaching and evaluation of the pilot course during the Summer 2022 semester. Guided by a third space theoretical framework focused on spaces for and implications of collaboration between teachers and university staff, each of these articles focuses on the notion of a ‘hybrid identity.’ This includes the identity(ies) of a course (Foundations of Education) situated at the theory/practice divide; of a teacher participant balancing his insecurities as an early-career teacher with new opportunities in the university; and of my own uncertain, hybrid identity as a former teacher, sometimes teacher educator, and almost academic.

Browse

Recent Submissions