Digital Commons Network^™

“Young, Gifted, And Black”: Understanding The Complex Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Students In Ap Classes At A Diverse Suburban High School, Jody Elliott-Schrimmer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and belonging for future students as schools continually work toward gender and racial equity in the AP classroom. In this Critical Race Theory (CRT) oriented study, I sought to understand the essence of the Black experience in predominantly White academic spaces through a phenomenological methodology. I analyzed the significant moments and …

Dismantling The Dichotomy: Latinx Identity And Assimilation In Early Childhood Education, Rocio J. Olvera

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of children in early childhood education (ECE) are Latinx. Drawing on ethnic identity, culture, and language, this thesis describes the dichotomy between adherences to one’s ethnic identity and assimilation into the dominant societal culture. This paper describes how assimilation harms students and provokes negative implications such as identity loss, confusion, and loss of cultural ties. Dismantling the dichotomy is possible through the power of language, culture, and strengthening teacher-parent relationships.

Threshold Concepts In Web Development: The Impact Of Education And Experience On The Perceptions Of Practitioners, Michael Lee Mick

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

The Threshold Concepts (TCs) framework posits characteristics of critical concepts that enable a learner to see things in a new and unforgettable way that allows the incorporation of cognitive approaches and skills needed by professionals in the discipline. All previous research has been qualitatively oriented toward discovery of candidate TCs, without, so far, quantitative studies of the candidate TCs recognition within the professional ranks. An underrepresented group in previous research is that of Web development professionals.

This proposal describes initial quantitative research utilizing the TCs framework in the Web development area to measure the perception of candidate TCs by professionals …

The Purpose Of Education: A Case Study On Accountability And Latina Teachers In A Midwest Charter Network, Alexandra Irma Cruz

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The struggle to provide all children with an equitable education remains one of the most concerning and significant social, political, and moral problems in our nation. Although neoliberal accountability reform efforts have been set in place to alleviate such gaps, inequalities persist and disproportionately affect historically marginalized groups. This dissertation in curriculum studies aims to understand the perspectives of Latina teachers, an underrepresented group both in teaching and in educational research, on the effects of neoliberal accountability measures. This qualitative, multisite instrumental case study was guided by the following research questions: 1) When thinking about education under the effects of …

Chasing The American Dream: Refugee Students And Care In U.S. High Schools, Yacoub Aljaffery

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to understand the essence of the experience of ESL refugee students who completed high school in United States public schools and who are currently in two-year or four-year colleges. All participants in this study came to the United States from refugee camps or countries neighboring their home countries due to war and violence in their home countries. A narrative inquiry approach was used, with semi-structure interviews to understand the refugees’ school lived experiences. Ten participants were interviewed, aged between 18 and 26. Seven participants were interviewed twice, and the other three were …

Education, Order, And The Specter Of Emancipation, Alex B. Cameron

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a theoretical meditation on the modern project of education. Situated in the broad field of critical studies in education, this work aims to consider the work of Hannah Arendt and Jacques Ranciere in context of the contemporary rationalities and technologies of schooling. By highlighting the modern promise of emancipation against the restraining ideologies and alienation of the world, this thesis proposes a revision and reemphasis on education’s possibilities for something radically different. The totalitarianism of the modern laboring society and the rise of technological power channel education’s aims to particular ends. The predominance of the market also …

The Impact Of Year-Round Education On Fifth Grade African American Reading Achievement Scores In An Urban Illinois School, Carolyn A. Merrill

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine the impact of the year-round education school calendar on the standardized test performance of fifth grade African American students, as measured by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) in reading. The ISAT reading scores from two year-round education (YRE) schools (School A and School B) were compared with two traditional calendar education (TCE) schools (School C and School D). The selection of schools was based on numerous factors in order to ensure that the year-round education schools and traditional calendar education schools were similar in socioeconomic status and in the …

Becoming: One Teacher’S Journey Into Social Justice Education, Elizabeth C. Fyffe

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic study examines how a first year teacher, self-identifying as a social justice educator, comes to understand the lived experience of becoming a professional. The purpose of the study was to explore the unique challenges, perspectives, and philosophical contradictions that present themselves in the daily life of a social justice educator in a public elementary school setting. Through self-reflective journaling five becomings were revealed to be intertwined in the process of developing as a social justice educator: becoming a classroom manager, becoming a content specialist, becoming an implementation virtuoso, becoming an assessment architect, and becoming a balanced educator. It …

Context And Process In International Teacher Recruitment: The Experiences Of Global Educators Outreach (Geo) Teachers From Africa In The U.S.A., Omar A. Kamara

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of three teachers recruited from African countries to teach in Chicago‘s public schools. The purpose of the study was to highlight the experiences of the teachers through the lens of changing global dynamics that make such international recruitment of teachers more likely than ever before. It was apparent through this research that the movement of the teachers from developing countries to the United States of America had professional, economic and social impact on the teachers, their families and their communities. Although the teachers interviewed were hopeful that the skills they are gaining could one day …

Immigrant Perspectives: Social Reproduction And The Future Of Second Generation Mexican-American And Chinese-American Immigrants, Carolyn Bruner-Opps

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Recent work done by Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut posits that future generations of Mexican Americans are not likely to improve on the poor socio-economic and cultural status inhibiting their success in the United States. While second generation Mexican American immigrants struggle to acculturate, both academically and economically, to their new homeland, other immigrant groups, such as Chinese Americans, are generally thriving. Through interviewing Chinese and Mexican parents of students at a Chicago elementary school, this study will examine the social and cultural capital of the two immigrant groups upon arrival to the Unites States, how these forms of capital …