“Like A Whole Thing”: Dialogic Sensemaking In One Sixth Grade Classroom, Catherine Bienkowski

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study used a constructivist approach to better understand how students in one sixth grade classroom participate in dialogic discussions while making sense of texts. Participants in the study attended a suburban, public, high-performing middle school in Pennsylvania. Drawing on Sociocultural Learning Theory and Transactional Reading Theory, the researcher observed one English Language Arts class. Nine students participated in five reading events over a period of two months. Data collection, informed by linguistic ethnographic methods, included audio recordings, transcriptions of reading events, fieldnotes, and transcriptions of one on one and small group interviews. In Vivo coding of the interview …

Student Affairs Professionals’ Experiences Supporting Students Through A Grief Loss: A Qualitative Study, Lenora Mitchell

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examined the experiences of student affairs administration-prepared (SAAP) professionals’ application of knowledge and skills to interact with grieving students and the ways in which their respective SAAP programs prepared them for this work. This study examined (a) the experiences of SAAP professionals supporting a student navigating grief loss at one case study institution and (b) reflections on the application of skills and knowledge gained from their education preparation programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three full-time SAAP professionals at a single institution, and a comparative analysis of their educational preparation curriculum was conducted. Participants were asked to …

Service-Learning Curricula In Eastern Pennsylvania’S K-12 Schools: Educational Decision-Makers’ Experiences Through A Critical Lens, Megan Jerabek

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This research examines the experiences of K-12 curricular decision-makers in their consideration of service-learning curricula within their schools and districts. Recent evidence indicates service-learning offerings have decreased in K-12 schools in the last decade (The Education Commission on the States), and this research utilizes qualitative inquiry and a critical theory framework to understand this phenomenon via the lived experiences of educators with service-learning and the conditions at play that impact its inclusion and exclusion from schools. The findings consider the similarities and contradictions educators face, the policies and experiences that frame their perspectives of service-learning, and its accessibility within their …

Animating Faith Development: The Experience Of Student Affairs Professionals At U.S. Catholic Colleges & Universities, Sarah Williamson

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Faith is a form of social identity encompassing an individual’s religious and spiritual beliefs that aid them in making meaning in their lives (Fowler, 1981; Patton et al., 2016). While many secular institutions have reduced or removed learning about faith, Catholic higher education is an environment that integrates faith development into its work with students (Clark, 2001; Astin & Oseguera, 2004; Estanek, 2008). However, limited research exists on faith development in practice by early to mid-career student affairs professionals within Catholic higher education (James & Estanek, 2012). This qualitative study explored student affairs professionals' personal faith development experiences and their …

Student Loans, Persistence, And Well-Being: The Need To Support Single Mothers In College: A Qualitative Study, Kimberly Lemon

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of adult learner single mothers in college. Specifically, this research sought to understand how student loan debt informs their ability to persist and their well-being. In addition, the study examined the supports single mothers in college receive and the support they need to persist to degree attainment. Using a narrative inquiry design, semi structured interviews were conducted with 2 participants from a mid-sized public university in the northeast of the United States. Participants recounted their experiences throughout their undergraduate and graduate education. Participants spoke of the difficulties faced while enrolled in classes and …

Liberatory Language Instruction: A Dusselian Self-Study, Renee Burgos

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This is a qualitative self-study conducted in the tradition of practitioner inquiry that examines the pedagogics of an English language development (ELD) classroom. Different from pedagogy, pedagogics is the face-to-face encounter of Sameness and Otherness in systems or institutions characterized by power imbalances, as theorized by Argentinian liberatory philosopher, Enrique Dussel. More specifically, liberatory pedagogics, as conceptualized by Dussel in the arena of education, is characterized by an analectic between teacher and student in which, from a position outside of the dominant paradigm, the dynamic of Sameness and Otherness is observed, evaluated, and reimagined so as not to reproduce sameness …

Successful Admissions In A Time Of Great Uncertainty: A Case Study Of Employees' Perceptions Of Employee Well-Being And Emotional Intelligence, Sarah Freed

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative embedded single-case study explores admissions employees’ perceptions of departmental success and individual employee well-being, including the role emotional intelligence has on these outcomes, through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s Four Frame Model (1984). This study is necessary because of the turbulent higher education landscape and because social factors contributing to this turbulence are expected to stay the same. More specifically, this study is situated in a thriving Office of First-Year Admissions at an institution within a public university system in a rural setting experiencing an unstable organizational landscape. I interviewed sixteen employees in a successful mid-size public …

Educating The Whole Child: Using A Holistic Education Approach And Mindfulness In The Classroom, Julie Strittmatter

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Throughout this thesis I will outline how the current school system creates considerable gaps in developing happy, healthy, and fulfilled individuals. Since I believe the purpose of a democratic education is to help all people reach some level of self-actualization, I will explore how schools can and should tend to the basic needs of children as a foundation for their learning experience. By investigating the purpose of schools and the purpose of educators, I will argue the importance of taking education beyond the world of academics to tend to the physical, emotional, and social bodies of all students and the …

Transformative Social Emotional Learning: A Call To Heal The Effects Of Racial Trauma On Identity And Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Trostle

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Growing up I was never a child that loved school. I fell in love with learning in environments that did not look or feel like classrooms. And in 2005 I learned that I had a passion for learning about pedagogy. I entered the classroom again this time as a teacher, ready to engage students in learning. What I was offered was curriculum and learning standards that left little room for experiences. Despite my efforts, and after a decade of experience, I was still baffled by the resistance to learning.

I wanted to understand this because I saw that education—when you …

Linguistically Diverse Writers And The Shaping Of A Scholarly Ethos: Rhetorical Listening As A Strategy In Composition Pedagogy, Ashlynn T. Rader

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis project advocates for a more inclusive approach to writing instruction, challenging traditional pedagogical practices that have historically excluded marginalized groups from fully participating in academic discourse. This project highlights the ways that Aristotelian interpretations of ethos continue to inform and shape contemporary writing pedagogy, despite their potential outdatedness in the context of the 21st-century composition classroom. By examining the Conference of College Composition and Communication's policy resolution entitled Students' Right to Their Own Language, this project recognizes the presence of linguistically diverse writers and their historical, ongoing struggle for academic legitimacy. Furthermore, this project proposes rhetorical listening …

Critical Latino Studies: Combatting The (Mis)Education Of Latino Students In U.S. Public Schools, Heidi Kern

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I will explore the historical undervaluing and miseducation of Latino youth in U.S. public schools using a lens of decolonial theory to combat the systems of oppression that continue to affect our Latino youth today. First, I explain what experiences brought me to this concern and provide a clear theoretical framework to explain my philosophy of education. I also articulate key concepts from decolonial scholars and educational activists that inform my own work on the educational experiences of Latino students. In Chapter Three, I provide a historical review of how a public school system rooted in colonialism …

Does Encouraging Use Of Self-Testing In An Introductory Psychology Course Increase Effective Study Behaviors?, James Koppenhofer

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Students continue to use ineffective study strategies in classroom settings. Research suggests the efficacy of student study strategies may be enhanced by learning encouragement interventions. The present study implements a flashcard-oriented learning encouragement intervention in an applied setting and measures its effectiveness through a one-group pretest-posttest design which was used with three surveys. Undergraduates were recruited from two sections of an Introductory Psychology course (n=89) and all students received the learning encouragement intervention. Results indicated that the intervention increased flashcard use, and exam performance was correlated with flashcard use when measured immediately after the intervention. After the intervention …

Empowering Teacher Leaders: The Role Of Research In Changing Teacher Leaders' Sense Of Themselves As Professionals, Joshua W. Reid, Allison B. Hardee, Brett A. Criswell, Melody Elrod, Steven B. Berryhill Jr., Gregory T. Rushton

Secondary Education Faculty Publications

Teacher leaders often have to navigate implicit leadership structures within their schools and often move between communities as part of their roles. This study explores how a Noyce Master Teaching Fellow program fostered a sense of empowerment within teacher leaders. The program provided opportunities for the teacher leaders to become legitimate participants in a research community in addition to supporting the transfer of new meanings, practices, and identities to their teaching community of practice. Drawing upon frameworks of border crossing and communities of practice, we highlight mechanisms by which teacher leaders become empowered and cross the boundaries between research and …

Resisting Neoliberal Policy And The Intensification Of Racial Capitalism Through Fostering Critical Awareness: A Series Of Educational Workshops To Occur Within Social Justice Unions, Chloe Polentes

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This is a master’s thesis that focuses on neoliberal policy within the education system. In this thesis I prove that neoliberal policy intensifies the current overarching framework of racial capitalism. I explore central elements of neoliberalism and racial capitalism to bridge understanding of how the two are intertwined with the goal of providing the reader an understanding of how neoliberal policy is detrimental. After an introduction to my thematic concern, an in-depth analysis of theoretical frameworks that helped shaped my understanding of my concern, and a historical and literature review focused on central elements of my concerns, I propose of …

Grades Do Not Define You: Mindfulness-Based Intervention Effects On College Students' Self-Efficacy, Health, And Wellbeing, Jayla Godfrey

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Abstract

This thesis explores the punitive grading norms and lack of support from institutions and how it effects college students. More specifically, how it effects college students’ self-efficacy, self-esteem, health, and wellbeing. Through the lens of critical action research this thesis investigates the experiences of stakeholders and will integrate research and methods that have been supported by seasoned scholars. In this thesis, a two-part program focusing on imposter syndrome, fear of failure, grades, mindfulness, and improving student’s self-efficacy and wellbeing is proposed. The leadership of this programmatic intervention relies on the facilitator and focuses on mindfulness-based interventions and group discussions. …

An Evaluation Of Student Government: Diminishing The Disconnect Between Student Government Organizations And Their Constituencies, Elizabeth Roberts

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Student Government Organizations (SGOs) exist to serve and represent the student body. However, SGOs often face issues that lead to a disconnect between them and their constituency. The issues that can lead to a disconnect include responsibilities and purpose, representation and voter turnout, lack of knowledge and transparency, relationship to administration, and internal issues such as bias and mistreatment, transition, and personal outcomes. This thesis proposes an intervention of a yearly Student Government Evaluation where student government organizations are evaluated by the student body and their members and then create an action plan based on the results. The aim of …

The Sadie Alexander Project: A Professional Development Mandate For Student Affairs Professionals, Lauren Sealy

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I address the lack of professional development and the absence of resources provided for student affairs professionals. By utilizing critical action research, I propose an intervention of creating a professional development mandate for all student affairs professionals called the Sadie Alexander Project. The Sadie Alexander Project uses holistic and collaborative division efforts with a focus on supporting and advocating for student affairs professionals. The proposed intervention also promotes continuous education initiatives for student affairs professionals and ensuring that institutions have up-to-date resources for students in need. I emphasize the importance of evaluating employee satisfaction and highlight the …

Yoga, Stress, And College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Lori Klein

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students have experienced exponential increases in stress and mental health concerns that continued to rise during the global coronavirus pandemic. Yoga is a popular, well-regarded method for improving psychological wellbeing, and this study explored how students’ perceived stress improved during a semester-long introductory yoga course upon returning to in-person instruction after a period of remote learning as a result of coronavirus restrictions. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to first measure perceived stress scores and then compare this data to student-reports of wellbeing. College students (n = 121) enrolled in 8 sections of Yoga 1 completed …

Career Longevity In Student Affairs: Implications For New Professionals From A Qualitative Study, Diane R. D'Arcangelo

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Over the past several decades, the retention of new professionals in student affairs has been a concern. Many newcomers leave the profession before completing five years in the field. This qualitative study explored factors contributing to career longevity in student affairs professionals through semi-structured interviews. I interviewed eight participants working at Mid-Atlantic University for more than five years. The semi-structured interviews were set up with a dual focus. The first half of the interview focused on the participants' experience as new professionals, followed by questions that explored their perspectives on supervising new professionals. Seasoned professionals who remained in the field …

Collaborating In Crisis: A Case Study On The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Program Providers, Arlene Charles

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Utilizing a mixed methods approach, this case study explores the level of resiliency demonstrated by Georgia Pre-kindergarten providers while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic based on surveys, interviews, and a review of publicly available information. Quantitative methods were used to identify the cases and to further assess organizational resiliency based on fiscal and enrollment indicators. Case study methodology was utilized to compare two Georgia Pre-kindergarten providers with different business types within two counties with vastly different socioeconomic poverty. Although the programs have access to similar resources, the non-profit entity was better prepared to continue serving students than the for-profit entity. The …

The Pandemic Dilemma: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Student-Centered Science Education In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer Slavick

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to determine how student-centered instruction shifted and what dilemmas teachers experienced in enacting science instruction as they worked through the COVID-19 pandemic. A modified Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test was used to examine teachers’ perceived instruction during the Fall of 2019, Fall of 2020, and Fall of 2021. Scores on this modified checklist were compared to determine differences in instruction year-to-year, across grade-bands, and to find trends in instruction concerning student demographics. Interviews were conducted with a subset of teachers in the study to learn more about the dilemmas they faced as their attempted science …

Communicating Effectively: An Exploration Of Communication Methods Between Parents And Teachers With Mixed Methods, Melanie Solano

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study explored the communication preferences of parents and teachers through traditional and new technology-based communication modes. Parents (n = 34) and teachers (n = 6) were selected from a public elementary school in the northeastern United States. Participants were administered Likert-type scales on the perceived connectedness of communication modes, as well as the Parental Academic Support Scale, Importance of Supportive Behaviors Scale, and Satisfaction of Communication Tools Scale. The survey contained four open-ended questions on home-school communication preferences. Survey results indicated that parents (M = 17.61, SD = 4.14) and teachers (M = 18.33, SD = …

United States Leadership And Collaborative Actions Challenges Sars Covid-19, Omar Aldabagh

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

The Coronavirus known as the COVID-19 pandemic has set people at massive risk with all different dimensions of dilemmas and issues; The United States has put efforts to control the virus's spread by focusing on a strategy to reduce the impact. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between public policy and public health. However, the current data have shown the U.S. is continuing to struggle to respond to the pandemic. This study aims to analyze the role of leadership behavior, disaster preparedness and response programs, and collective actions toward COVID-19 in crisis response. This virus's nature includes treatment …

Perceptions And Use Of Digital Technology By Educators Who Support Students With Disabilities In Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Tammy Thompson-Cooke

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this explanatory, sequential, mixed-method study was to examine the perceptions and use of digital technology by educators supporting the needs of students with disabilities attending K-12 classrooms and any correlation between the assistive technology (AT) knowledge, skills, and needs of K-12 educators within Pennsylvania. Technology has become ubiquitous and has emerged in schools as a means for students to interact with academic content. The provision of 1:1 devices was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created opportunities for educators to discover innovative features that made learning more accessible to all students. Results indicated educators recognized AT as …

Intermediate Elementary Teachers’ Perception And Use Of A Learning Management System In Supporting Effective Teaching And Learning: A Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Southmayd

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Teachers in K-12 public schools have found themselves immersed in educational technology amidst a global pandemic that has shifted the landscape of instructional delivery. This study targeted intermediate elementary (3-5) teachers’ acceptance of an LMS as a central hub for student learning. While there is a volume of research to support the efficacy of an LMS at the secondary level and in higher education, there is minimal research to show its value-added in supporting intermediate learners at the elementary level. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study inquired to capture teachers’ perceptions and use of an LMS to support student learning. …

Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Middle School Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loralynne Yost

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This collective case study used a mixed methods approach to examine how Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) manifest in the middle school classroom. This study is important due to the trauma students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher participants had district training in trauma-informed practices prior to this study.

Teacher participants took an initial survey to capture their conceptualization and perceived usage of the TIEP in the classroom. Teachers then used TIEP in their classrooms for two weeks. Teachers kept a checklist of which of the TIEP they used each day and commented on the context for the use of the …

Improving Perceptions Of On-Campus Activism: Preparing Student Affairs Professionals To Support Student Activists, Kathryn Melvin

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis explores the perception of student activism at institutions of higher education and proposes a starting point to begin to change it. Increasing numbers of students are involved in on-campus activism but the typical perception remains negative despite its benefits. Using a transformative philosophy of education as a framework, I argue that activism is an undervalued form of student leadership and activists’ desire to push for change is integral to both their development and that of the institution where they attend. Through reviewing historical literature of past campus movements, the roles of student affairs professionals, and the dynamics at …

Transformational Learning Through A Success Coaching Graduate Assistantship Experience: A Qualitative Case Study, Rita Patel Eng

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study examines the impact that graduate assistantships in Success Coaching had on graduate students’ professional practice as they entered their respective employment areas as entry-level professionals. I interviewed a total of 11 participants who were now entry-level working professionals in their respective fields of study, and who had completed at least one semester as a master’s degree graduate assistant in a Success Coaching Center. The qualitative semi-structured interviews focused on graduate student skills, transformational learning, and growth (self-authorship). Participants identified skills that made their transition into the workforce smoother, shared their challenges, and shed light on the transformational growth …

The Impacts Of Learning 2 Breathe On Rumination, Adessa Flack

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined the impact of Learning2Breathe (L2B), a mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed for use with adolescents on rumination. The program was applied to rumination in college-age men and women. Our experiment utilized a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students that were placed in either the experimental or control group. Data was collected pretest and posttest through a variety of measures including the Rumination Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) which consisted of a rumination and reflection subscale, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). A two-way mixed ANOVA design was used to analyze data. There was no …

Ecological Development Of Purpose Among Graduating College Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Alexis Mccarthy

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This mixed methods study explored ecological purpose development among graduating college students at a large, public university in the Mid-Atlantic, focusing on the influence of college and familial contexts. Using Bronfenbrenner and Morris’ (2007) Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model as a framework, I undertook an explanatory sequential design (Creswell & Plano Clark 2017), assigning more weight to qualitative results (quan à QUAL). I collected quantitative survey data from 110 graduating students a college of liberal arts (consisting of Art and Design, Communication and Media, English, History, Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Theatre and Dance, and Women’s and Gender Studies majors) and then purposefully …