Education Commons^™

This Is My Neighborhood: An Exploration Of Culturally Relevant Agency To Support High School Latinx Students In An Urban Career Academy, Edward C. Fletcher Jr., Victor M. Hernandez-Gantes, Chrystal Smith

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and strategies internal and external stakeholders used to support students in a career academy serving a predominately Latinx community. Within this case study, the principal of the school was Latinx, grew up within the same community as the school, and therefore shared the same culture as his students. Thus, we wondered how effective the principal would be in overcoming the cultural, political, and social barriers of students in the predominately Latinx school. We found the school leaders had a heightened awareness of organizational, cultural, and political complexities because of their …

Perceptions Of Maxine Smith Fellows On Barriers That Contribute To The Underrepresentation Of African Americans In Faculty And Administrative Positions At The Tennessee Board Of Regents, Sidney R. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are underrepresented in full-time faculty and administrative positions at Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions. This study examined the perceptions of 11 Maxine Smith Fellows on the underrepresentation at TBR institutions and provides recommendations that could assist in increasing representation of African Americans in full-time faculty and administrative positions.

A qualitative method was used for the study. Each participant was required to participate in a recorded SKYPE interview. The researcher transcribed the interviews and analyzed the data using coding to derive overarching themes that provided findings based upon the research questions.

Based upon the analysis of data, the …

High School Language Students' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Effective Teaching Practices: A Collective Case Study, Janet Lynn Lainé

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The influence of globalization on today’s society has propagated an increasing need for individuals who are able to communicate in languages other than English. However, while a large percentage of high school students recognize the importance of a second language (L2) for future jobs, only a very small percentage of students pursue advanced language study at universities, an aspect that may be due to disparate notions about effective foreign language teaching practices. The purpose of this collective instrumental case study was to understand the perceptions of effective language teaching practices for high school language students and teachers at two independent …

Dominant And Critical Mathematics: A Multi-Case Study Examining Mathematics Teachers’ Equitable Teaching Practices, Laura Zamudio

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of mathematics education, it is common for studies to use test scores to examine racial and socio-economic achievement gaps. The results of such studies have influenced mathematics teachers to address issues of equitable access and achievement as part of closing existing gaps (Gutiérrez & Ezekiel Dixon-Román, 2011). However, closing achievement gaps does not mean that equity has been addressed if marginalized students continue to express a cultural disconnect from the field of mathematics (Lubienski & Gutiérrez, 2008).

This qualitative multi-case study seeks to attend to these issues by exploring the understandings of equity and equitable teaching practices …

Undergraduate Education Students' Experiences In Online Cooperative Learning Activities: An Embedded Single-Case Study, Jennifer Lynette Ervin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic case study, which followed a single-case, embedded research design, was to understand undergraduate education students’ experiences in online cooperative learning environments. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s community of inquiry model, rooted in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of learning and Tinto’s student integration theory, were used to guide this study and describe the significance of fostering strong social, cognitive, and teaching presence within online learning environments. To further understand online educational environments the following central research question was posed: How do undergraduate education students describe their experiences with cooperative learning activities within an online education course in terms …

Serving The Less-Commonly-Trained Teacher: Perspectives From Arabic Instructors, Dustin De Felice, Amanda Lanier, Paula Winke

The Qualitative Report

As proficient speakers of less-commonly-taught languages seek to meet the demand for qualified instructors, they face a range of personal and professional challenges. In an effort to understand the perspectives of these instructors and their particular educational experiences and needs, we conducted a phenomenological case study of two aspiring Arabic teachers. Specifically, we sought insights into their lived experiences, their motivations for pursuing a graduate degree, their attempts to connect coursework with pedagogical practices, and their needs in terms of professional development. Our findings illuminate the intersecting objectives these instructors must achieve. They need to position themselves as qualified candidates …

A Student Research Manual: Helping Students Help Themselves Identifying And Addressing Challenges Facing Prospective Undergraduate Researchers, Landon Rohrer, Karen L. Sirum

Honors Projects

Undergraduate research does not only help equip STEM majors to be better researchers and employees but increases retention of students to graduate school in needed scientific fields. However, while resources are being produced for undergraduates like Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs), Centers for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS), and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), undergraduate involvement and awareness about these resources, and the value of undergraduate research in general, does not seem to be improving. Therefore, it would be valuable to figure out why undergraduates aren't autonomously seeking out undergraduate research during their studies. To investigate why, a two-part survey was …

“They Can Speak English, But They Don’T Want To Use It.” Teaching Contents Through English In A Bilingual School And Policy Recommendations, Amirul Mukminin, Siti Rahma Sari, Eddy Haryanto, Akhmad Habibi, Marzul Hidayat, Lenny Marzulina, Nurulanningsih Nurulanningsih, Ikhsan Ikhsan

The Qualitative Report

The growing need for English as a key to global communication, relations, and information, is noticeable in schools around the world. In response to these imperatives of global competitiveness, one of the private bilingual schools in Indonesia has adopted English as a medium of instruction (EMI). The aim of this study was to explore the implementation of English as a language of instruction in a bilingual school in teaching contents in one private bilingual school in Jambi City, Indonesia. The data were collected through demographic profiles, documents, and semi-structured in-depth interviews. The documents were used to find out the comprehensive …

Steam Education In Ontario, Canada: A Case Study On The Curriculum And Instructional Models Of Four K-8 Steam Programs, Marja G. Bertrand

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning and project-based learning are important educational initiatives in North America. However, it is important to consider whether current STEM educational practices are sufficient to prepare students for the world they are to live and work in. This prompts discussions about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) which is shifting educational paradigms towards art integration in STEM subjects. This study investigates the STEAM education reform movement in Canada to better understand the STEAM curriculum and instructional programs offered by non-profit organizations and publicly funded schools. This research study addresses the following major questions: …

The Practice Of Assessment Data Use In Student Affairs: The Need For An Expanded Conceptualization, Mark D. Manderino

Dissertations

Over the past three decades, student affairs assessment, as an organized functional area, has matured and established itself as an essential and expected component within higher education in the United States (Elkins, 2015; Ewell, 2002; Henning & Roberts, 2016). While professionals know that data use is part of the process of assessment (Banta & Blaich, 2010), there has not been sufficient evidence of what use of assessment looks like both in higher education and specifically student affairs, or how best practice strategies encourage assessment data use (Kinzie, Hutchings, Jankowski, 2015). There is a dearth of empirical evidence related to use …

Comprehensive Farm-To-School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of The Classroom, Cafeteria, And Community, Suzanna Elkin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Farm-to-school (FTS) programs are supported at federal, state, and local levels as a cross-sectoral intervention to curb rising levels of obesity, strengthen local food systems, and improve school climate and academic outcomes. Comprehensive FTS programming, according to the “3-C” approach embraced by leaders in the FTS movement, includes interventions in three domains: the cafeteria, classroom, and community. FTS programming in these domains may include procurement of local food; school gardens; and education related to food, agriculture, and nutrition. Existing research supports the comprehensive FTS approach, illustrating that multi-component programs with strategies that are integrated across these environments improve outcomes for …

Superintendents’ Work (Intensification) In A Shifting Policy Climate: Enacting A Student Discipline Strategy, Brenton Faubert, Cameron Hauseman

Education Publications

In this case narrative, senior superintendents reckon with the challenges of implementing a revised strategic policy for student discipline in an intensified work environment. Challenges include: (a) providing professional learning to familiarize leaders and educators with regulatory requirements; (b) a problematic trend of school and district leaders avoiding long-term suspensions; (c) the disproportionate number of minoritized students who are suspended/expelled; and (d) securing the resources needed to realize the punitive and preventative elements of the strategy. The case description is followed by three exercises— case framing, reflective practice, and action plan—that instructors can use in graduate-level courses and professional development …

Innovation In Higher Education: Three Sites In Haiti, Lucas Endicott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent decades have brought seismic changes to global higher education. Educational leaders labor to sharpen administration, funding, teaching and learning practices in response to an increasingly globalized and technological world. The possibilities that this changing landscape may provide are perhaps most exciting for those currently economically disadvantaged and historically underserved by higher education. The advent of a knowledge economy and the need to train hundreds and thousands of new students paired with technological developments may help correct inequalities in access and excellence in education. This study asks the question: What, however, is the lived reality on the ground? Are university …

Peer-Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio For Edad 845: Human Resource Management In Higher Education, Katherine Wesley

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This benchmark portfolio is the final product of a Peer Review of Teaching Project in which a required course in the Department of Educational Administration’s online Master of Arts degree was the focus. A single learning objective was focused upon and achieved through the thoughtful and purposeful “backward design” of the course, a cornerstone of the university’s peer review model. Students demonstrated the benefit of understanding and working within their unique talents via StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment, through multiple assignments and relative in-depth conversation with me, the instructor of the course and certified Gallup Strengths Coach. Ultimately, the “benefit” was further …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Daily 5 Literacy Routine: A Case Study, Kim Penland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even with extensive literacy research, routines, and policy modifications, many elementary students are not provided with the needed tools to develop independent literacy skills. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine what independent literacy behaviors are developing in first through fourth grade students to determine whether the Daily 5 framework is developing the desired independent literacy skills in those students. Based on Vygotsky's social development theory, the Daily 5 literacy routine teaches students five essential habits to develop independent literacy abilities across various grade levels. This qualitative study's research questions were developed to examine what independent …

Making Sense Of Place: A Case Study Of A Sensemaking In A Rural School-Community Partnership, Sarah J. Zuckerman

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Cross-sector, place-based, school-community partnerships seeking to improve educational and other outcomes at scale have experienced a resurgence in the United States. Rather than isolated eff orts, this new generation relies on scaling up models in networks, such as Strive Together. However, many of these models evolved in urban contexts, creating challenges for scaling up in rural areas with fewer organizations, limited resources, and lower population density. Using conceptions of sensemaking as precursor for collective action, this case study examines the strategies used by partnership leaders in a rural county to make sense of Strive and the local community. By iteratively …