Digital Commons Network^™

Indoctrination In Education: Offering An Alternative Conception, Barbara A. Peterson

Doctoral Dissertations

Peace Education courses, as well as others that teach marginalized values and beliefs (e.g., race relations, queer studies, and feminist studies) are particularly vulnerable to the charge of indoctrination. This allegation is political rather than scholarly and it is not clear what precisely teachers of such subjects are being accused of doing or trying to do. However, the charge is powerful enough to prevent such courses from being offered at public schools and universities and to remove them when they are already part of the curriculum. To provide teachers and schools the confidence to take on these marginalized and controversial …

How Spanish -Speaking Parents Understand Kindergarten And Support Their Children's Education Within The Context Of A School, Phyllis Barton Schlichter

Doctoral Dissertations

The intention of this study was to examine the experiences of nine Spanish-speaking families in a public kindergarten setting during the 2005-2006 school year to understand how individual agency of parents, access to a community's practices and events, and the resulting interrelationship, shape parent understanding of and participation in school practices and events and ultimately impact student achievement outcomes. In a nation that is becoming increasingly diverse, the Hispanic population is the largest minority group in the country. There are more than two million English-language learners in the U.S. K-3 classrooms with Spanish accounting for almost 80% of the non-English …

Investigating The Effects Of Integrated Systematic Decoding, Spelling And Communication Instruction For Students With Complex Communication Needs, Gretchen Hanser

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of an integrated decoding, spelling and communication intervention on literacy and communication outcomes for students with complex communication needs (CCN). The current study was done with three students with CCN, all of whom used a particular augmentative communication device. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline across subject design, and a descriptive case study design, the study tested the hypothesis that integrated instruction would lead to improvements in decoding, spelling and, communication using an AAC device. The intervention provided integrated, systematic and explicit instruction through scripted lessons that taught students to …

Teaching Toward Understanding: Feminist Rhetorical Theories And Pedagogies In The College Composition Classroom, Alison A. Knoblauch

Doctoral Dissertations

While recognizing the value of traditional argument, many teacher-scholars have begun to challenge the primacy of antagonistic debate in college classrooms. In "Teaching Toward Understanding: Feminist Rhetorical Theories and Pedagogies in the College Composition Classroom," I maintain that the inclusion of invitational rhetoric, embodied rhetoric, and rhetorical listening as classroom content, coupled with the translation of these theories into pedagogical practice, can both challenge and expand current approaches to the teaching of writing and rhetoric. Furthermore, by offering alternatives to antagonistic debate, these rhetorical theories encourage productive and ethical forms of discourse, promoting more successful cross-cultural communication both in the …

Where The Inchoate Seeks Form: Autobiographical Curriculum Inquiry In Women's Rowing, Jennie Anne Marshall

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1976, four years after the Title IX act was passed by the Federal Government, a group of female rowers at Yale University attempted to reveal the university's discriminatory practices toward their team. On March 3, 1976, team captain, Chris Ernst, secured an appointment with the assistant athletic director Joni Barnett. Members of the Yale Women's Crew filed silently into the athletic director's office wearing sweats that said "Yale Women's Crew," then stripped to the waist, revealing the words "Title IX" written on their bare chests and backs. Chris Ernst read a 300-word statement (New York Times, 3/4/76) while a …

The Relationship Between The Public Institute Of Higher Education And The Student: Philosophical Issues Raised By Current Alcohol Consumption Policies, Sarah B. Drucker

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis focuses on current issues in public institutes of higher education (IHE) regarding policy and enforcement of alcohol consumption regulations for students. The unique nature of higher education in which some of the students are not of legal drinking age and some are, and the residential aspect of many public IHEs compounds the issue of policy development and enforcement. The challenge of developing a coherent approach to drinking is viewed through the two lenses of law and philosophy. Specifically, how has the legal relationship between public IHE and student developed and how can selected philosophical inquiries inform such alcohol …

A Model For Integrating Collaborative Life-Story Writing Into Counselor Training Programs, Jennifer Schroeder Andrews

Master's Theses and Capstones

Given the fundamental role of narrative deconstruction and reconstruction of client stories within the counseling profession, this thesis proposes creation of an elective course for counselor trainees based upon activities constructing personal experience narratives collaboratively in student dyads and in groups. The course was developed to facilitate three elements of professional and personal development: increased application of knowledge---specifically, knowledge of core counseling theories and tenets, social constructivism and narrative construction; interpersonal and relational skills; and judgment and maturity.

A review of the literature related to existing standards and precedents in counselor training, and the relationship to and use of collaborative …

The Effect Of An Experiential, Adventure Based "Anti-Bullying Initiative" On Levels Of Resilience: A Mixed Methods Study, Jesse Beightol

Master's Theses and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of an experiential, adventure based program on levels of resilience. Specifically, a mixed methods, quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of an Anti-Bullying Initiative on students self reported Goals and Aspirations, Problem Solving, Empathy, and Self Efficacy traits. Quantitative data was gathered using the Anti-Bullying Initiative Survey and converged with results from focus groups, interviews, and program observations to assess both program outcomes and processes. Results indicated that this adventure education program did affect levels of resilience in the individual students as well as their school and home …

Communication/Educational Programs For Students With Angelman Syndrome In Inclusive Classrooms: A Look At Best Practices, Tibbany N. Black

Master's Theses and Capstones

This project examined the communication and overall education programs of 36 students with Angelman Syndrome (AS) whom are being educated in both inclusive and segregated classrooms. The purposes of the this study are to: (1) compile a list of best practices regarding the communication and educational instruction of children with Angelman Syndrome and more generally, children with significant disabilities, (2) to validate these practices with an expert panel, and (3) to socially validate these practices with the subjects' parents. An exhaustive review of the current literature in the areas of inclusive education, Angelman Syndrome Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and …

Exploring Decision Making By Occupational Therapists In A School Setting, Jason J. Backes

Master's Theses and Capstones

Occupational therapists working in schools make many decisions regarding evaluation and services to support a student's special education. Six school-based occupational therapists from the Midwest shared, through interviews, how they chose assessment methods and tools for a particular student and how their evaluation findings were used to make service delivery decisions for that student. This group of therapists addressed team members' concerns, focusing on how sensory processing, handwriting, and functional skills influence a student's schoolwork performance. Their decisions regarding assessments were determined by the needs of the student and the questions raised by the educational team. Their evaluation information contributed …

Deaf People In A Hearing World: A Qualitative Study Of Cultural Identity Issues, Brianna J. Daisy

Master's Theses and Capstones

The primary goal of this study was to determine the potential factors that influence the process of cultural identity development for deaf people in a predominantly hearing world. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological research design in an effort to capture the essence of the experience of growing up deaf and the meaning each participant made of his experiences as they related to his life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five male participants ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-30s. The interviews were transcribed and thoroughly analyzed to pull out common themes and ideas, leading to the conclusion that the …

Psychoeducational And Therapeutic Group Counseling For Central American Female Immigrants, Amy Dolores Deutsch

Master's Theses and Capstones

There is a significant and increasing amount of Latinos immigrating to the United States. They face many challenges in successfully adapting to life in this country. These challenges are several and include cultural differences, premigration and migration trauma, economic hardship, lack of facility with the language, and attitudes of United States citizens toward immigrants. The needs of Latino immigrants are unique, and the costs of not addressing these needs are likely to be significant. As the United States becomes increasingly more racially and culturally diverse, it is encumbent upon those in the helping professions to prepare to serve a radically …

Community Literacy As Seen Through The Eyes Of Families, Linda Graham

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study is a series of interviews conducted with three families participating in a family literacy program in rural NH. These families were asked a series of questions about their participation in community literacy events and supports to reach a synthesis of what families do that is inherently strong.

Readings from across the literature on early childhood education, literacy and poverty and families were supported by the interviews. It is in the cross referencing that strengths were identified and weaknesses documented.

Strengths were seen in friendships, storytelling, book exchanges and the use of outdoors. Weaknesses were seen in access to …