Education Commons^™

Thinking Inside The Box — Graduate Students' Perspectives On Hindered Creativity: A Phenomenological Study, Michelle Nicole Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of adult graduate students who have had their creativity hindered in an educational context. The phenomenological method developed by Thomas and Pollio (2002) at the University of Tennessee was utilized to understand the essence of meaning and to gain an in-depth awareness into the experience of hindered creativity from an adult learner‟s perspective.

Participants in this study experienced having their creativity hindered in a variety of ways with a prolonged and multifaceted aftermath. The study was conducted with twelve adult graduate students from a state university. Utilizing phenomenology and …

When The Disability Is Not The Problem - Experiencing The Barriers To Web Accessibility: The Experiences Of Computer Users With Visual Disabilities Using The Internet, Harriette L. Spiegel

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences and perceptions of three computer users with visual disabilities as they accessed and reviewed Web pages on the Internet. Attention is focused on the use of the Internet by individuals with visual disabilities: blindness, low vision, and deaf/blindness.

Data were gathered through interviews and observation, during eight sessions with each participant. Data were qualitatively analyzed using an inductive process (Hatch, 2002). Data analysis revealed six categories of meaning: interactions with computer; personal characteristics, strategies to find solutions to barriers encountered; personal feeling and opinions; design features, and communication.

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A Case Study In Counselor Development: First Person Perspectives, Ellen Kay Carruth

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe in detail the process of counselor development during a training program in an academic setting. I described the development of one counselor in training in a descriptive case study, based on multiple sources of data and through the theoretical lenses of (a) the Integrated Developmental Model of Supervision (IDM; Stoltenberg, McNeil, & Delworth, 1998); (b) the Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986); and (c) Perry’s Scheme of Ethical and Intellectual Development (1999). Data were collected based on the (a) three overriding structures of the IDM (i.e., Motivation, Self and Other Awareness, …

Beatrice A. Wright: A Life History, Sheryl Lee Wurl

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the life history and influences of Beatrice A. Wright on rehabilitation psychology. The research had four purposes: (1) to record and transcribe recollections of Beatrice A. Wright, the person known as a Founder/Mother of Rehabilitation Psychology, about her life and her work; (2) to trace the development of her major conceptual notions; (3) to explore the interplay between her life and her times; and, (4) to assess the merits of her contributions to the fields of psychology and rehabilitation counseling, as well as to disability rights.

The data gathered for this life history included audio recordings of …

A Philosophical Investigation Of Maxine Greene’S Aesthetics Theory For K-12 Education, Karen L. Mcdonald-Currence

Doctoral Dissertations

Interaction with the world begins with each window we open or door we pass through. Potentially our interactions alter another’s perceptions. Examining this premise through a philosophical investigation, this dissertation clarifies my position, roles, and the affect on the lives of my students by applying Maxine Greene’s (1995) aesthetic theory. Due to personal experiences teaching in public and private schools, concerns for effective teacher preparation, and meaningful practice, my research began with the question: What does Maxine Greene’s aesthetics theory offer K-12 education and educational reform? Theoretical underpinnings for this thesis were cultural studies, critical pedagogy, care theory, social justice …

The Effects Of Patient Education On The Recidivism Rate And Length Of Stay Of Clients With Schizophrenia, Mary Charlynne Parson

Doctoral Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a complicated, serious mental illness that affects about 1% of the population. In addition to the behavioral issues they must contend with, the patients often have other problems including medical illness, substance abuse, noncompliance with treatment and medications, and those involving basic skills. The cost of treating this disabled population is very high, but patient education could be a cost-effective intervention to break the “revolving door” phenomenon of recidivism and rehospitalization. This study examined the readmission rate (recidivism), length of stay, and the intervals between admissions for 279 male and 183 female patients with chronic schizophrenia who either …

Social Foundations In Teacher Preparation Programs In The United States: Changes In Roles And Responsibilities From The 1970s To The Present, Melinda M. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

To counteract the relative isolation and increasing de-valuation of the social foundations of education within teacher preparation programs in colleges of education in the United States, the purpose of this study was to contextualize the multi-faceted professional lives of educators who teach within this interdisciplinary academic field. Using a qualitative methodology encompassing elements of Delphi technique and grounded theory, current assessments of their employment in higher education settings included analysis of present conditions and changes they have experienced throughout the courses of their professorial careers. A comprehensive examination of the present circumstances of the foundations of education included a critique …

The Impact Of No Child Left Behind (Nclb) On Parent Involvement In Selected East Tennessee Title I Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Elton F. Frerichs Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

To the teacher the prospect of the participation of parents in the educational process carries a wide range of emotions. From satisfaction to fear and loathing, the novice teacher to the teacher nearing retirement never seems to be totally satisfied with the product. The parent sees the child not quite being taught to the high expectations they desire, and the teacher sees a student that was not at a level where he should have been when he/she first received them.

This study focused on the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on parent involvement in selected East …

Conditions Surrounding Four Mexican Females’ Quest For A Higher Education In A Southeastern United States Community, Sharon L. Hixon

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study collection followed 4 self-identified college-bound Mexican immigrants as they moved from their senior year of high school through their first semester of college. The purpose of this study was to learn about the young women’s aspirations and expectations and how their aspirations and expectations were or were not in harmony with the actuality of their lives.

To meet this goal, the researcher interviewed the female participants three times. These interviews took place in high school and the first semester of college. The researcher began each interview with a predetermined list of questions, and added additional questions …

Utilizing Experiential Collaboration To Enhance Facilitation Skills, Nancy Surrett Headlee

Doctoral Dissertations

Collaborative learning has the potential to produce changes in perspectives in an ever-changing world; experiential learning has the potential to contribute to creating a collaborative environment. Both of these processes utilize effective facilitation. This action research study examined the experiences of a training group for which I served as the facilitator and explored the question, “How do participants in a group for which I serve as a facilitator of collaborative learning within an experiential learning framework describe their experience?” Additionally, the study examined the question, “How do the research participants’ experiences inform my professional practice of facilitation of collaborative learning?" …

Agency Of Novice Pre-Service Secondary Science Teachers And The Influences On Their Planning Decisions, Andrea Wentworth Henrie

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined six novice pre-service secondary science teachers’ lesson planning processes when designing instruction while enrolled in a spring education course prior to their student teaching. Six novice pre-service secondary science teachers enrolled in an education course during the spring semester prior to their student teaching. During the course, participants were introduced to the lesson planning software, Tennessee’s Next Generation Tools for Teaching Standards-Based Science, version 1.4 (Jordan & Audet, 2007). This software provides resources, sample lesson plans, and links lesson planning with four science reform documents, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993, …

"This Butterfly Coming Out Of Its Cocoon": A Phenomenological Investigation Of Significant Weight Loss, Melissa N. Medeson

Doctoral Dissertations

The current epidemic of obesity has caught the attention of the entire nation as the social, economic, and personal consequences of being overweight or obese affect everyone from politicians to insurance companies, employers to health care providers and health and medical industries across the country (National Institutes of Health, 2000). In response, the physical aspects of weight loss have been examined in great detail. However, the psychological, emotional and social factors that are an integral part of the process are often neglected. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of significant weight loss. Utilizing the phenomenological …

Daily Routines In Prekindergarten, Shari Robinson Lillestolen

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain a better understanding of daily routines in a prekindergarten setting. The study was conducted in a Tennessee prekindergarten in a pod-style classroom. Participants were nine adults (teachers and paraprofessionals) and 47 preschool children. Naturalistic qualitative methods of observation and participant interviews provided the data for interpretative analysis (Hatch, 2002). Knowledge of activities and participant perspectives was gained that was instrumental to understanding the more generic case of daily routines in early childhood settings. Factors found to be influential to routine design and enactment were the setting, teacher power and philosophical …

Imagining The Fields: A Sociology Of Sport Management And Sociology Of Sport, Adam Love

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationship between sport management and sociology of sport, with a specific focus on connections between the fields. To accomplish this purpose, I completed three distinct “projects”: (a) a historical project aimed at exploring key influences on the development of the fields, (b) a social network project aimed at exploring the structure of the coauthorship network in the fields, and (c) an interpretive project aimed at considering the qualities that define research in sport management and sociology of sport. Ultimately, it seems that scholars have a significant amount of flexibility in terms …

Individuals With Age-Related Vision Loss: Experiences Of Learning To Use Assistive Technology, Patricia Frances Duffley-Renow

Doctoral Dissertations

Vision and hearing loss are senescent changes that occur during the aging process. Assistive technology is available that can assist individuals with adapting to this new life world. Technology can be expensive and research has indicated a 24% abandonment rate. Studies have indicated successful implementation of devices have occurred when individuals have a choice in device selection and training.

The purpose of this existential phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of adults with age-related vision loss who learned to use assistive technology. A purposive sample was recruited from a Blinded Veterans Association located in Kentucky. The sample was comprised …

Walking In Their Shoes: Parents' Journeys Through Early Childhood Special Education Transitions, Lucanne Marie Kachmarik

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of parents as they transitioned their children from an early intervention program to an early childhood special education program. This study was conducted in a rural area of Virginia and participants included thirty parents from several school divisions. Four primary themes were derived through individual interviews and focus groups, and included: parents received information and services from programs; parents experienced barriers (lack of knowledge and experience with schools, differences in programs and services, communication issues among parties, dealing with own emotions, and fears for children); parents …