Education Commons^™

Transitioning Into Adulthood: Exploring The Educational Trajectories Among Undocumented Latinos, Michelle G. Parisot

Theses and Dissertations

The following qualitative study used semi-structured qualitative interviews to investigate the educational trajectories of five undocumented Latinos who were either in the process of transitioning into a college program or had recently enrolled in a college program. An initial interview was conducted with each of the participants followed by a follow-up interview about 3-months after the initial interview was conducted. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach was used to carry out this research study. Therefore, collaboration with participants and key community members was essential throughout the entire research process. A research team was created to perform thorough data analysis and …

Critical Affects: Laughter As Inquiry In First-Year Writing Courses, Nicholas James Learned

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CRITICAL AFFECTS: LAUGHTER AS INQUIRY IN FIRST-YEAR WRITING COURSES

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Nicholas J. Learned

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2015

Under the Supervision of Professor Dennis Lynch

In this dissertation, I work to rethink our current approaches to teaching critical thinking and writing in attempt to collapse the distance between the critical/rhetorical methods we teach in Rhetoric and Composition and the ways students interact rhetorically in their everyday lives. I am prompted to this line of inquiry by a problem I note in both theory and practice: the critical methods we teach in our writing courses rarely translate to real-world behaviors, …

Islands In The Making: National Investment And The Cultural Imagination In Taiwan, Krista-Lee Meghan Malone

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnography looks closely at the Taiwanese company UrIsland, makers of Talking Island (TI) - an MMORPG to teach children English - in order to illuminate the increasingly important meeting point between technology, education, and games. At the level of national economic policy, companies like UrIsland have been at the focal point of the Taiwanese government’s hopes for their tech industry. With TI, UrIsland intended to create a revolution in ESL education. Despite compulsory ESL classes many Taiwanese struggle with English, and educational experts claim that the classes stress reading and writing too much, leaving many people’s listening and speaking …

Perceived Climate In Urban Schools: An Examination Of Risk-Taking Behavior And Self-Reported Beliefs Regarding Educational Attainment, Caitlin Elizabeth Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between school climate and the outcomes of risk-taking behaviors and self-reported beliefs regarding educational attainment. A school climate survey was administered to students attending an urban high school, and three perceptions of school climate were measured: Teacher-student relationships, safety, and attitude toward the school environment. Students also completed measures of self-reported risk-taking behaviors and beliefs regarding educational attainment. A total of 456 students were included in the current sample. Preliminary analyses indicated that a higher GPA was significantly associated with lower risk-taking behaviors, and also with self-reported beliefs regarding better …

Making Mathematics Memorable, Meaningful, And Fun: Activities To Enhance Precalculus, Nat White

Theses and Dissertations

To master material, students need to make it their own. As teachers, we should structure their interactions with mathematics in ways that are memorable, meaningful, and fun. One way to do this is to provide activities that stretch beyond the textbook and lead students to think and talk to one another about mathematics. This thesis contains a set of activities designed to enhance a precalculus course, along with solutions and feedback on each activity.

Enacting Place: A Comparative Case Study, Anna Grosch

Theses and Dissertations

As a community-based art educator, I advocate for an arts-based educational environment that embraces postmodern tenets and encourages individuals to reflect on self and society in relation to the places in which they dwell and learn. This thesis is a dialogue on emplaced community-based art education. Issues of urban education, social justice, and critical pedagogy are considered in relation to participants’ enactments of place within two distinct community-based educational settings. In order to investigate the connections between a culture of place, place-based education, and the community-based programs of each site, the role of art and artifacts was carefully considered in …

Effects Of Visualization On Algorithm Comprehension, Matthew Mulvey

Theses and Dissertations

Computer science students are expected to learn and apply a variety of core algorithms which are an essential part of the field. Any one of these algorithms by itself is not necessarily extremely complex, but remembering the large variety of algorithms and the differences between them is challenging. To address this challenge, we present a novel algorithm visualization tool designed to enhance students understanding of Dijkstra’s algorithm by allowing them to discover the rules of the algorithm for themselves. It is hoped that a deeper understanding of the algorithm will help students correctly select, adapt and apply the appropriate algorithm …

Importance Of Medical Informatics In Medical Students' Curricula In Saudi Arabia, Jwaher Abdullah Almulhem

Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this research project is to determine the importance of Medical Informatics (MI) course inclusion in the curriculum studied by medical students in Saudi Arabia. The healthcare environment has changed dramatically since last few decades. It has become an information- intensive environment and has shifted its focus on technological applications. As a result of such a shift in focus, efforts should be made that future healthcare professionals be prepared for such an environment through MI. This research project aims to determine the acceptance of MI applications by medical students. The study will compare the acceptability of MI …

Examining Whether School Finances And Academic Achievement Predict The Quality Of Reading Intervention Implementation In Response-To-Intervention, Joshua Anderw Looser

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how financial capacity and reading achievement contribute to the implementation of high-quality reading interventions in the context of RtI. As a secondary research interest, the relationship between reading achievement and intervention intensity was examined. Financial capacity was operationalized in terms of per-pupil expenditure, while achievement was examined based on performance on the state standardized test. The quality of reading interventions was defined by four indicators: 1) evidence-based reading interventions, 2) psychometrically sound progress monitoring, 3) treatment integrity measures, and 4) interventionist training. Data regarding these four indicators and intervention intensity were obtained …

Materiality, Craft, Identity, And Embodiment: Reworking Digital Writing Pedagogy, Kristin Prins

Theses and Dissertations

Too often in Rhetoric and Composition, multimodal writing (an expansive practice of opening up the media and modes with which writers might work) is reduced to digital writing. “Reworking Digital Writing” argues that the opportunities and insights of digital writing should encourage us to turn our attention to all kinds of nondigital materials that have not traditionally been considered part of composing—including the materials that are already familiar to crafters and do-it-yourselfers (DIYers). Further, I argue that the material, technical, rhetorical, economic, and social dimensions of DIY craft provide a coherent framework for teaching multimodal writing in ways that encourage …

Teaching Discomfort: Students' And Teachers' Descriptions Of Discomfort In First-Year Writing Classes, Andrew G. Anastasia

Theses and Dissertations

“Teaching Discomfort: Students’ and Teachers’ Descriptions of Discomfort in First-Year Writing Classes” uses qualitative research in first-year composition classes to argue that the experiences of first-year writing students and teachers complicate composition’s paradoxical reliance upon and avoidance of psychological discomfort in composition classrooms. Students’ and teachers’ values regarding critical inquiry evince a complex link between the potential for discomfort to generate knowledge and unintended emotional consequences that are further complicated by long histories of the value of reason over emotion. Students’ perspectives, in particular, and the challenges they pose, can help the field rethink the role and value of discomfort …

Thinking Systemically: A Study Of Course Communication And Social Processes In Face-To-Face And Online Courses, Tanya Joosten

Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, research that has examined online courses compared course modes, online and face-to-face (f2f). Studies tend to examine the two modes to determine whether online courses are as effective as online courses by comparing student outcomes, such as student learning and satisfaction. Seldom has research examined how the course communication in online and f2f courses impact student outcomes. Moreover, there is little examination of the relationship between the design of the course and the relationship with social processes, in particular, communication. In this study, t-tests indicated that there were no significant differences between antecedents (technological familiarity and instructional characteristics) and …

Ways In Which Teachers Structure Reading Instruction For Bilingual Students With Disabilities: A Case Study Analysis, Nikki Phyllis Logan

Theses and Dissertations

In partial fulfillment of candidacy for Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, this research study uses a single case study design to answer the question, How do teachers structure reading instruction for bilingual students with disabilities in urban elementary settings? Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory and critical race theory guided the study design and data analysis of interviews, observations, and documents to determine that teachers of bilingual students with disabilities experience unique challenges. Findings of the study include the topics of disability blindfolding; disjointed delivery; improper instruction due to assessment and progress monitoring; spatial implications; definitions impact instruction; and teachers’ …

Teaching Sighted Students To Read Braille Visually, Brittany C. Putnam

Theses and Dissertations

For many visually impaired children in public schools, braille instruction is not an educational priority included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). This issue is likely the result of a lack of accessible and effective braille training for regular and special education teachers. Prior studies have assessed the efficacy of computer software to teach sighted individuals braille-to-print relations. Although the results from these studies are promising, there are several limitations that should be addressed. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research by developing and testing a computer-based program to teach visual contracted braille to sighted individuals. We …

Changing Student Demographics And Suburban School Leadership, Dana Elizabeth Monogue

Theses and Dissertations

Principals and superintendents serving in four suburban school districts in Wisconsin experiencing significant increases in the numbers of students who identify as Hispanic or African American were studied to identify how these leaders were working to meet the needs of all learners in increasingly diverse public school contexts. This study aimed to answer three primary research questions: What resources, supports and strategies are employed by principals in suburban school districts experiencing significant demographic changes related specifically to increases in the number of students who identify as African American or Hispanic that helped them be successful in their roles? What do …

Pedagogy And Materials For Teaching Piano To Children In China And The United States, Linxi Yang

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study compared the pedagogical teaching practices and piano materials used by five Chinese and two U.S. piano teachers. The teacher interviews were conducted in China and the United States based on semi-structured questions and then transcribed, translated as needed and interpreted for common themes. Interviews revealed details about specific pedagogical practices that are different based on the age of piano students, individual teacher ideas about selection of materials, and the impact of developing relationships and motivation for students. The piano materials revealed a lack of different material in the books published in the United States and China. The …

Old Ideas In New Skins: Examining Discourses Of Diversity On The Websites Of 10 Urban-Serving Universities, Simone Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Deficit discourse, the idea that minorities "lack" intellectually, runs through current ideas about diversity in higher education. Diversity is viewed as a policy that helps the deficient. Recent litigation about diversity, Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), embodied the alignment of deficit and diversity. This study examined portrayals, visual and textual, of diversity on the websites of ten urban-serving universities, using a method of critical discourse analysis and a lens of critical race theory, to uncover the ways they defined diversity and if notions of deficit were attached. This study also addressed the ways these universities, a part of the …

Using Differential Item Functioning To Test For Inter-Rater Reliability In Constructed Response Items, Tamara Beth Miller

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

USING DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING TO TEST FOR INTER-RATER RELIABILITY IN CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE ITEMS

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Tamara B. Miller

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2015

Under the Supervision of Professor Cindy M. Walker

This study used empirical and simulated data to compare and contrast traditional measures of inter-rater reliability to a novel measure of inter-rater scoring differences in constructed response items. The purpose of this research was to investigate an alternative measure of inter-rater differences, based in modern test theory, that does not require a fully crossed design for its calculation. The proposed, novel measure of inter-rater differences utilizes methods that are …

"Everything Remains Uncertain": Theorizing Parents' Communication About Uncertainty, Hope, And Hopelessness While Managing Complex Pediatric Chronic Conditions, Katherine Ann Rafferty

Theses and Dissertations

Navigating a child’s chronic illness and treatment is particularly challenging for parents and parental surrogates. These experiences may add to parents’ feelings of uncertainty. During this time, many parents report the need to be the “bearer of hope” for their child, regardless of the challenges that may prevent this from being possible. Researchers studying hope and uncertainty have acknowledged that these two concepts co-exist during the parental caregiver experience and effected by external factors (e.g., medical information or conversations with other people); however, a dearth of research remains about parents’ meanings and interactions that influence their social constructions of uncertainty, …

Forgotten Feminine Foundations: Content Analysis Of Secondary World History Textbooks' Inclusion Of Female Agency In The Rise Of Judaism, Christianity, And Islam, Erica M. Southworth

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated women’s agency in the emergence accounts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in nine twenty-first century United States’ world history textbooks through a feminist lens. The collected data were analyzed via critical discourse analysis and content analysis to determine if traditional patterns of female marginalization in content and imagery existed. The quantitative and qualitative findings in both text and imagery indicated that all textbooks in this sample supported a traditional content structure on both an individual and collective whole basis. This study then concluded that these gender-imbalanced accounts of world religions may serve as an avenue in which …

How Does Youth Participatory Eco-Justice Action Research (Ypear) Affect The Development Of Environmental Literacy In Urban High School Students?, Joella L. Zocher

Theses and Dissertations

The field of environmental education (EE) has the aim of producing an environmentally literate citizenry that is not only aware of environmental problems, but motivated to work towards their solution (Stapp, 1969). However, much of the U.S. EE curricular focus has been on understanding the biophysical environment with rural populations, with little discussion about the environmental problems created by the dominant Western cultural norms (Kenis, & Mathijs, 2012; Malone, 2006; Prakash,1995). This study suggests in order to truly develop environmentally literate citizens who will work to change the oppressive habits of our dominant culture, people must be willing to enter …

Becoming "A Good Wife, A Good Mother, And A Good Woman": The Experiences Of Six Non-Literate Rural Ghanaian Women, Mary Assumpta Ayikue

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of women's literacy is prominent, current issue throughout the world. In the villages of Ghana, west Africa, most women have not experienced a basic elementary education. Although Ghana has free and compulsory education, several factors influence a woman's ability to pursue formal educational learning. According to the 2008 statistics of UNICEF (2011), regarding the literacy rate of adult women in Ghana (females age 15 and above), 59.30% remain illiterate while the rate of illiterate men (males 15 age and above) is 19.4%. Most households in the rural areas of Ghana do not recognize the importance of literacy education …