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Upper Elementary Teacher Pedagogical Decision-Making In Title I English Language Arts Classrooms, Genevieve Skinner Prater
Upper Elementary Teacher Pedagogical Decision-Making In Title I English Language Arts Classrooms, Genevieve Skinner Prater
Dissertations
This study explored the pedagogical decision-making process for four English Language Arts teachers in upper elementary grades three through five in Title I schools in a state in the Rocky Mountain Mid-west. Characteristics of Title I schools vary, which might influence how teachers perceive pedagogy for English Language Arts content. This multiple case study sought to (a) determine the factors that influenced teachers’ pedagogical decisions when planning ELA instruction, (b) describe the implications of pedagogical decisions for the Title I upper elementary students, and (c) identify the challenges and opportunities of Title I upper elementary teachers’ pedagogical choices using interviews, …
Teachers “Write” Video--A Case Study On The Processes And Participants Of A Video Composition Professional Development Program: A Utah Context, Nathan Smith Jones
Teachers “Write” Video--A Case Study On The Processes And Participants Of A Video Composition Professional Development Program: A Utah Context, Nathan Smith Jones
Dissertations
In a media dominated world, where video composition (an integral media literacy pedagogy) has remained extremely limited in university teacher prep programs in states like Utah, this qualitative descriptive case study investigated the whys and hows of the processes, purposes, and marketing of an in-service Pedagogical Video Composition (PVC) teacher professional development program and the media literacy practices of the teachers it impacted. Participants were four staff members of Utah’s SHIFT Professional Development program, and four of its teacher participants The study’s data collection included artifacts, an observation, and (primarily) interviews during the first full school year of COVID-19 (Fall, …
Influences On Student Choice And Voice: Agency, Engagement, And Equity, Theresa L. Reali
Influences On Student Choice And Voice: Agency, Engagement, And Equity, Theresa L. Reali
Dissertations
Students at a suburban high school in the American Mountain West have been separated by race, linguistic ability, and socio-economic status for decades, and the research posits that the ways in which students have moved in cohorts throughout past decades has largely determined their academic pathways in high school. The researcher studied eight student perceptions of variable, heterogeneous grouping and democratic pedagogical practices on academic achievement, feelings of self-agency, and engagement in sophomore English Language Arts; two regular placement (non-advanced) sub-groups of Anglo and Latino/a students were included as student participants. Students were interviewed and observed during group work with …
Assigning Assessment Accommodations To English Learners: A Phenomenological Study, Heather May Villalobos Pavia
Assigning Assessment Accommodations To English Learners: A Phenomenological Study, Heather May Villalobos Pavia
Dissertations
The English learner (EL) student population has grown steadily for the past 20 years. During this time, the use of standardized assessments has increased as well. Teacher understanding of assessment accommodations that best support ELs is low, despite the research that shows the unreliability of standardized achievement tests that measure the academic achievement of ELs. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine how 10 teachers engage in the assessment accommodation selection process. Teachers were intentionally selected from intermediate elementary grades where the most native (primary/home) language accommodations are available on state assessments. Data were collected through surveys, …
Pedagogy Is Research: Investigating The Teacher-Researcher Identity And Pedagogy Of Teachers Who Completed An Action Research Project, Meagan Chelsea Brown Varona
Pedagogy Is Research: Investigating The Teacher-Researcher Identity And Pedagogy Of Teachers Who Completed An Action Research Project, Meagan Chelsea Brown Varona
Dissertations
This research study explored the development of a teacher-researcher identity and investigated the pedagogy of two teachers who completed an action research course. I sought to investigate the development of a teacher-researcher identity in connection to the utilization of critical responsiveness in order to address the stifling of teacher agency that has resulted from standardization and deprofessionalization of the teaching profession. Through braiding the theoretical frameworks of cultural-historical activity theory, pragmatism, and critical theory, I examined the development of a teacher-researcher identity and how it impacted the pedagogical judgments and decisions of teachers. This multiple case study required data collection …
Exploring Teacher And Student Experiences In A Nature-Based Mathematical Environment, Brian Holt Tucker
Exploring Teacher And Student Experiences In A Nature-Based Mathematical Environment, Brian Holt Tucker
Dissertations
This research study explored the experiences of this teacher-researcher and eight student-participants in a Montessori-inspired, nature-based mathematical environment. I utilized an action research study framework with a critical event narrative analysis to describe mine and my student-participants’ experiences throughout this study, using Uhrmacher et al.’s (2017) instructional arc as a guide. I restoried each participants’ lived and told stories as the curriculum seamlessly moved through the arc: intended to operational to received curriculum. The restoried narratives revolved around the identified critical events each participant experienced throughout the mathematical learning experience. The multiple restoried narratives required data collection that included observations, …
Becoming Ourselves: A Photo-Narrative Inquiry Into Mindfulness In The Teaching Lives Of Urban Educators, John Brian Miller
Becoming Ourselves: A Photo-Narrative Inquiry Into Mindfulness In The Teaching Lives Of Urban Educators, John Brian Miller
Dissertations
This dissertation explored how mindfulness shapes the way educators find meaning and coherence to their narrative selves amid the complex interlocking contexts in urban schools. Drawing on the theoretical lens of a narrative concept of self found in MacIntyre and others, I used a photo-narrative inquiry, observations, and interviews to collect data from the five participants in this study. I then constructed narrative vignettes that highlighted themes internal to each participant’s way of storying their teaching lives in urban schools through the lens of mindfulness. Analysis of participant stories leads to the conclusion that mindfulness is a grounding for self …
From Babysitting To Teaching—Latina Childcare Providers Acquiring Effective Teaching Strategies: A Grounded Theory Of Transformative Professional Development, Deborah Becker
Dissertations
Using theoretical sampling, focused on those who could best inform the theory, the participants in this study, all Latina women, consisted of two program Tías (Aunties), currently teaching and mentoring in the Abuelas Preparando a los Niños Para La Escuela [Grandmothers Preparing the Children for School], or APPLE program, and 14 past graduates. The only education the program graduates had before APPLE was in their home countries prior to immigrating to the United States. Beginning with a description of the type of care they provided to children before they participated in the APPLE program, the participants explained how the structure …
It’S Elementary: The Curricular Decision-Making And Instructional Practices Of Black Male Elementary Teachers., Ashlea Jean Campbell
It’S Elementary: The Curricular Decision-Making And Instructional Practices Of Black Male Elementary Teachers., Ashlea Jean Campbell
Dissertations
This study explored the curricular decision-making and instructional practices of four Black male elementary teachers in a large suburban school district. In order to capture the intersection of their racial and gender identity with their educational practices, the researcher utilized educational connoisseurship and criticism, a methodology that examines the nuances that exist in the curricular and pedagogical choices of teachers. Critical race theory provided a framework for addressing the nuance that exists while also challenging dominant ideology regarding Black male elementary teachers. In addition to interviews and observations, this study provided space for participants to contribute directly to the data …
Student And Teacher Relationships At Secondary Level, Christine Fisher
Student And Teacher Relationships At Secondary Level, Christine Fisher
Dissertations
Interpersonal relationships between teachers and students built within a learning context have a significant influence on the development of learners’ social and emotional life. Higher levels of engagement, attachment, and motivation are common among students who strongly connect with their teachers. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of care related to student-teacher connection from students’ experience. Noddings Theory of Care believes that caring associations are ontologically essential; thus, they play a great part in the development of student’s learning process. However, care can fail to realize the expected outcomes according to Noddings’ theory if it is misinterpreted as …
Faculty-Student Interaction And Impact On Well-Being In Higher Education, Cortney Elizabeth Holles
Faculty-Student Interaction And Impact On Well-Being In Higher Education, Cortney Elizabeth Holles
Dissertations
This educational criticism and action research study was conducted in the spring of 2020 to better understand the impact that faculty-student interaction has on the well-being of faculty and students. Classes moved to remote instruction halfway through the semester, prompting an additional research question on the impact of COVID-19 on faculty-student interaction and well-being. Data were collected at an engineering school from five faculty (4 participants and the researcher) and their students primarily through interviews, focus groups (with 16 student participants), and a student questionnaire (with 73 student respondents). Data analysis was structured with Uhrmacher, McConnell, and Flinders’ (2017) instructional …