Digital Commons Network^™

Getting To Denver: Instructor Participation In The Design Of Writing Program Assessment Technologies, Soha Fransis Turfler

English Language and Literature ETDs

This dissertation presents a framework for writing instructor participation in the design of writing program assessment technologies. I base this framework on a case study into the participation of 16 non-tenure track (NTT) and graduate teaching assistant (GTA) writing instructors in the design of a final portfolio assignment prompt for the first-year composition (FYC) program at the University of New Mexico (UNM). I specifically question how Writing Program Administrators (WPAs) and assessment designers can address the needs, interests, and values of writing instructors in the design of writing program assessment technologies, including the important need for agency and professional autonomy. …

Study To Work, Or Work To Study? An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of International Students' Internship Experiences In The United States, Ivet S. Rosev

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This is a phenomenological qualitative research study that explores the essence of the international student experience while studying at a Master’s or Ph.D. level in the U.S. This study examined two main concepts: work experience and cultural transformation. The work experience component explores the professional development and acculturation process for international graduate students and the cultural transformation element aims to understand the cultural differences, self-identity, and transformative aspect from the participants’ experiences abroad.

Using purposeful sampling and a transcendental research design, twelve international students (five pursuing a Master’s degree and seven pursuing a Ph.D.) were interviewed in a chronologically structured …

Academic Resilience In An Academic Setting: A Case Study Of The Unm German Summer School, John Reinert

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This dissertation is a historical case study that focused on the founding and continuation of the GSSch to define the term, academic resilience and to determine how the GSSch had impacted academic resilience. I examined qualitative data from interviews alongside research published during the founding (i.e. mid-1970s) and continuation (i.e. 1975-2020) of the GSSch. I used the research to examine how the actions of the leadership fit within the social and political climates of their time. This dissertation has gone above and beyond expectations by not only defining the term, academic resilience but also by providing authentic examples of both …

Evaluation Of Unm's Parental Leave Policy, Julia Fulghum, Karlyn A. Edwards, Charlie Christian, Steven Verney, Lisa A. Marchiondo, Teagan Mullins

ADVANCE Reports

Experiences with UNM’s parental leave policy C215 have been evaluated using the ADVANCE 2018 Main Campus Faculty Climate Survey, a series of junior faculty interviews, and concerns brought to the ADVANCE leadership. Key findings are:

• Women and STEM faculty are more hesitant to use family-leave policies, and perceive greater disadvantage in using them than men and non-STEM faculty
• Sharing of information about, and implementation of, parental leave varies significantly between units
• The attitude of the department chair and senior faculty strongly influence the experience of faculty who use parental leave
• Appropriately implemented, the parental leave policy contributes to faculty recruitment …

Teachers’ Perspectives Of The Observation Process Within The Evaluation, Christine E. Lenhart

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

One of the largest challenges for administrators is to create and implement teacher evaluation systems that help improve teaching and student learning. As policymakers and administrators have worked throughout the United States to develop and implement new teacher evaluation systems, teacher involvement in developing those teacher evaluation systems has been limited. Specifically, the evaluation process and the tools used in a state in the southwestern part of the United States to evaluate teachers do not incorporate teachers’ perspectives, yet they directly impact teacher standing, ability to receive tenure status, and, in some cases, their salary.

The purpose of this research …

Non-Traditional Hispanic Women Students In Post-Secondary Education, Melanie C. Zollner

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Today, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority in the United States. As a minority-majority Hispanic state, it is imperative that New Mexico addresses the needs of this population, particularly education, as it creates opportunities for growth. Historically, the Hispanic population experienced limited access to education, which impacted their access to income and occupation, making them expendable.

Throughout history, women have faced inequality. In the United States, women had to overcome several obstacles to have access to education and be allowed to enroll in post-secondary education (Hagedorn, Womack, Vogt, Westebbe, & Kealing, 2002). It must be noted that the …

How Schools Create Healthy Testing Cultures And How Principals Use Standardized Test Data To Become Leaders Of Learning, Holly A. Gurule

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Standardized tests are not new to the field of education. The problem with them seems to lie in the ways these tests are now being used as criteria for various high-stakes decisions such as teachers’ evaluations, school grades, school sanctions, and even graduation from high school with a diploma. With so many different uses for standardized tests, it is easy to see how our perception of them has become skewed.

This bounded case study of a small elementary school in a large urban district centered on shifting the focus away from looking at standardized tests as a negative, as mere …

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Readiness For Teaching In A 1:1 Classroom, Laura Jeffery

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

With the emergence of digital technology as a primary means to communicate and learn, it is imperative that educators become proficient in utilizing 21^stcentury digital tools and apps. However, research has shown that preservice teachers' levels of readiness for teaching in 1:1 classrooms are not sufficient. Preservice teachers need to increase their proficiency with technology, both hardware and software, in order to maximize student achievement and prepare their future students for a wide array of post-secondary options.

This study examined the perceptions that preservice teachers held regarding their readiness to step into 1:1 classrooms upon completion of their …

School And Community Expectations In A Small, Rural, Northern New Mexico School, Mónica J. Martínez-Archuleta

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

School leaders find themselves in constant reflection of their academic ranking in a time of national reform. With the No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act, expectations around school and student performance are created to compare against national standards. Rural communities have undergone significant social and economic changes due to the decline of family farms, accompanied by people leaving and closing of businesses all which have dramatic effects on rural schools (Petrin, et. al. 2014). With increased attention on academic achievement at the state and federal level, it is imperative that we understand how rural schools address …

Acknowledging The Genealogical: A Deleuzian Hermeneutics Of Narrated Identity, Dietger S. De Maeseneer

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The purpose of this paper is to express the vast scope of identity literature into a practical hermeneutical framework through which to interpret both my personal identity claims and experiences and those of five individuals in New Mexico. Furthermore, it investigates the impact of such framework on educational leadership. Referring back to the work Deleuze and Guattarri (1987), I explore identity ontologically through the three lines (the line of flight, the molecular line, and the molar line) and place these within a horizontally interpreted concentric circle diagram. The line of flight symbolizes the immanent characterized by pure difference and Ideas, …

Teacher Perceptions Of Environmental Science In Rural Northwestern New Mexico Public Schools, Marie Quiahuitl Julienne

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

In this study, I explored what teachers perceive as the factors that impact their teaching of environmental science in rural secondary level schools in northwestern New Mexico. I adapted Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems model, based on four environmental subsystem levels (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem), as the conceptual framework to address the major research question of this study, and developed 18 interview questions to explore teachers’ perceptions of factors that influence their teaching of environmental science. I investigated the perspectives science teachers have about environmental science topics and the influences they perceive that affect how they teach environmental science, and …

Exploring The Variability In Institutional Characteristics Related To Meeting Various National Stem Baccalaureate Agendas, Tim Schroeder

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions are said to drive the American economy, provide access to the middle class for underrepresented minorities, and bolster national security. Since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, American STEM educators have been under pressure to improve STEM educational outcomes. In order to respond to these pressures, education policy makers must understand the relationship between institutional characteristics and STEM outcomes. In this study, I articulate three specific national STEM agendas, and then I explore the relationship between these agendas and the institutional characteristics of America’s four-year colleges and universities.

Utilizing data from the U.S. …

Playing Sports In College: Understanding The Factors That Influence The College Choice Process For High School Student-Athletes, Lauren Holzberg

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The college athletic recruiting process at times can be overwhelming, confusing, and intimidating. It is my hope that Playing Sports in College: Understanding the Factors that Influence the College Choice Process for High School Student-Athletes will alleviate some of the questions associated with the recruiting process and allow prospective student-athletes to pursue their college student-athlete dreams by offering simple advice, some basic ground rules, and plenty of inspiration.

This book is a go-to guide for the numerous questions that arise during the recruiting process and can be used when a student-athlete begins the recruiting process and it can be referred …

Race, Disability And The Possibilities Of Radical Agency: Toward A Political Philosophy Of Decolonial Critical Hermeneutics In Latinx Discrit, Alexis C. Padilla

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The present dissertation is a non-empirical methodology project grounded in political philosophy. As a practical exercise, it bridges knowledge workers (e.g., educators, action researchers and other engaged scholars) with activists to explore the situated emancipation possibilities of radical agency at the intersection of blindness and Latinidad. It does so in line with DisCrit and other bodies of literature within critical disability studies, works centered on trans-Latinidades and border-crossing, intersectional decoloniality theorizing, critical hermeneutics, critical race theory and blackness/ whiteness studies. It interrogates performative and movement building spaces for teaching and learning that foster radical exteriority trajectories of decolonial solidarity and …

What Factors Influence Catholic Parents’ Choice Of School(S) For Their Child(Ren)?, Andrea R. Aiello

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

In 1965, the American Catholic school system had 5.66 million students, 13,296 schools and educated nearly 13% of all school-aged children. Fifty years later, Catholic school enrollments had fallen to approximately 1.93 million and a total of 6,250 schools, while more than 17% of the students enrolled in Catholic schools identified as non-Catholic. Although there appear to be several positive points of difference for selecting Catholic schools, nevertheless families are making other choices. In this exploratory study, I endeavored to understand the demographic characteristics, attitudes toward education as well as more general motivations of American Catholic parents, with a special …

Utilizing Family Talents To Promote Self-Advocacy For Family Members With A Disability, Jorden Morales

Shared Knowledge Conference

In this poster presentation I will present a project I completed with my family to make an inclusive environment for my daughter. Together we completed interviews, adapted books and calendars, read literary text about kids with disabilities, and discussed what least restrictive environment means and what it looks like. Through this presentation I will share how family members each have a unique trait and unique talents which can be utilized to support each other in leadership, self-advocacy, and improve quality of life. I will then share a literature review on the research to better support families when creating an inclusive …

Drop In Or Drop Out: A Case Study On The Effects Of Academic Track Placement, And Levels Of Student Skill And Will, On Successful Ninth-Grade Completion, Channell M. Wilson-Segura

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The ninth grade is a transition year from middle school to high school where many students struggle to successfully navigate a new environment, new teachers and peers, new academic and behavioral expectations, and the concept of graduation requirements. This qualitative study examined the effects of academic track placement, and student levels of skill and will, on successful ninth-grade completion in one New Mexico Title I high school. It also provided insight into their perceptions of the success factors and challenges that they felt impacted their ability to successfully promote to the tenth-grade, and thus, remain on-track for graduation.

This study …

American Indian Student Motivation At A Tribal College, Rebecca L. Izzo

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between motivational characteristics of American Indian college students attending a tribal college. The Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) was utilized to identify motivational constructs. The literature in general continues to portray American Indian students as the lowest academically achieving subgroup as well as having a lack of persistence and high dropout rate in higher education. This study identified areas that support motivation to attend college, which then can be shared with the tribal college to develop programs and innovations to recruit and sustain American Indian students in education, as well as …

The Pedagogical Impacts Of The Common Core State Standards On Elementary Mathematics Teachers Of The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Nathan E. Harrison

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This study explored the intersection of the Common Core State Standards and the field of Deaf Education, specifically the impact of the Common Core on the pedagogy of elementary mathematics teachers of the deaf. Pedagogy was defined as the union of the philosophy and methodology of teaching a teacher uses.

This study made use of an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, which included a phase of quantitative data collection through a survey of elementary mathematics teachers in Deaf Schools in Common Core states and a phase of qualitative data collection through interviews with a sub-sample of participants from the …

A Case Study Of The Characteristics For Successful First Time Passing Of The National Physical Therapy Exam In The University Of New Mexico Doctor Of Physical Therapy 2012-2017 Cohorts, Beth-Anne Moody Jones

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Abstract

A Case Study of the Characteristics for Successful First Time Passing of

the National Physical Therapy Exam in

The University of New Mexico Doctor of Physical Therapy 2012-2017 Cohorts

Name:

Beth Moody Jones

Degrees:

B.S., Physical Therapy, University of Vermont, 1982

M.S., Orthopedic Physcial Therapy,Old Dominion University, 1994

D.P.T., A.T.Still University of Health Sciences, 2004

Ed.D., University of New Mexico, 2018

Not passing the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) has significant consequences. If a student does not pass the NPTE on the first attempt they can retake the examination, however a student may only take the examination a maximum …

A Baby Boomer’S Journey On The Path To Gender Equity, Sheri Williams

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

This personal poem chronicles a baby boomer’s journey on the path to gender equity and access. The poem recounts events that shaped the author’s positionally as a woman and educator. The journey starts with early life experiences, narrates events in the author’s schooling and career, and springs forward to a more just and hopeful future. Readers are invited to pen their own past, present, and future journey by considering how their lives have been influenced by the intersections of age, gender, class, race, political belief, culture, history and other subjectivities.

Re-Thinking Apprenticeship In Art Education, Kelly Nicole Denisson

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Many students face isolation and meaningless experiences in their day-to-day routine in schools. The increasing focus on standardized tests and academic performance reinforces competition and extrinsic rewards for learning. This diminishes opportunities for creative thought, development of communities, and genuine meaningful connection to content, leaving students feeling disconnected to learning and their peers. Art education has long been an outlet in which to collaborate, embrace diversity, and transform throughout the learning process. This study uses the Arita Tradition of Porcelain, its instructional practices, community of practice, and studio classroom environment as a model for apprenticeship in art education. Participant experiences …

Causality: A Comparative Study Of A Current Causality Model To That Of Synchronized Analysis Model (Sam) In A Rural Elementary School, Matthew L. Williams

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The field of K-12 education has undergone an ever increasing strain to improve student and school performance in the last few decades. Many schools have failed to improve despite the attention they have been given.

The purpose of this study is to compare an elementary school’s current model of causality to the Synchronized Analysis Model (SAM) and Kaizen’s five why’s in determining low school performance. Using a qualitative instrumental case study design, surveys, interviews, and a focus group as the method of inquiry, nine employees were surveyed, four teachers and a principal were interviewed, and three leaders participated in a …

And So The Pendulum Swings: Senior Student Affairs Officers Balancing Implementation Of Federal Campus Safety Mandates At Small Colleges, Kimberly J. Blea

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Issues of campus safety are being addressed on campuses nationwide because of the requirements set forth by the Clery Act, Title IX, and the Campus Sexual Assault Violence Elimination Act. The purpose of this qualitative study was to deeply understand experiences of senior student affairs officers (SSAO) at small colleges and universities who have implemented federal campus safety mandates. Their experiences, offered insight into how SSAOs used these experiences to inform their own professional growth, and contribute to the student affairs profession. I utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach and conducted multiple semi-structured interviews with three SSAOs at small colleges and …

Cooperating Teachers' Experiences Mentoring Preservice Teachers, David H. Lewis

Special Education ETDs

Abstract

Recent literature was reviewed to locate articles with perspectives and attitudes of cooperating teachers who work with preservice teachers at school sites in coordination with institutions that have teacher preparation programs in general and/or special education. The results showed an emphasis in reporting the external aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as the daily activities, and little was reported about the internal aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as personal experience and rationale for working a preservice teacher into a classroom. This led to the research question “What do cooperating teachers report as their experiences while mentoring …

For The Greater Good: A Decade Of K-12 Education Philanthropy In New Mexico, Amy Jane Ballard

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

In an increasingly complex landscape of education practitioners, goals and funding models, the need for a comprehensive understanding of the role of private foundations in public school philanthropy is more crucial now than ever. This dissertation examines the evolving role of foundations in supporting education in the United States, as a prelude to an in-depth examination of school-focused education philanthropy in New Mexico. New Mexico’s education reform environment and national education reform themes from 2000-2012 provide a structure to consider three questions: 1) Who have been the major donors to and recipients of school-focused philanthropy in New Mexico?; 2) What …

So Do Values: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Quality Matters, Paul G. Nagy Iii

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

In the first part of the 21^st century, community colleges in the U.S. have embraced exclusively online coursework as a major part of their curriculum. Yet students at community colleges face a variety of impediments--including socioeconomic and cultural barriers--to their success in online coursework, and research at community colleges has revealed that success in those online courses has varied widely for the diverse student populations of those colleges. Such selective success of students lends itself to inquiry regarding why online learning has become such a prominent educational arrangement at community colleges. A review of the history and policy context …

Effective And Ineffective Clinical Teaching And Instruction In Dental Hygiene School, Vicki Gianopoulos Pizanis

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Introduction

Educators who teach in a clinical setting, primarily in healthcare fields, while having knowledge of the subject, having skills in what is taught, and having experience in the field, often have little-to-no training in teaching. This results in instructional practices being based upon intuition and experience. Becoming aware of how qualities and characteristics of clinical instructors affect adult learners’ educational experience through evidence-based research, and using its implications, would help promote more effective instruction and ultimately improve student learning.

Methodology

A mixed methods study using Grounded Theory and Critical Incidence technique was conducted to study junior student, senior student …

English Language Learners In Title I Programs In New Mexico Public Schools, Gabriel C. Baca

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and subsequent reauthorizations require the United States Department of Education to distribute funding to states that ultimately goes to local school districts for the purpose of improving the academic achievement of disadvantaged students, including English Language Learners (ELLs). In New Mexico, 64% of public school students participate in Title I programs, and 16% of all New Mexico students are ELLs. However, no studies to date have explored how New Mexico public school districts are implementing Title I with respect to English Language Learners. Therefore, …

The Relationships Between The Process Of Acculturation Of Teachers And Beliefs About Student Learning, Gabriella Blakey

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

One of the most challenging aspects of being a school leader is the struggle to get the school staff to embark on school improvement initiatives. The culture of the school can be a powerful driver in or a resister to our ability to move a school forward to increase student learning. New teachers struggle to understand the culture of the school along with the unwritten norms, values, and customs. As they observe the school culture, beginning teachers try to understand their individual power and role in the school culture. A teachers belief in students can help students enhance their chances …