Education Commons^™

Making Way: A Methods Experiment With Arts-Based Embodied Postformal Autoethnography To Prepare For Research-As-Community Building With A Diverse Urban Elementary School, Kelly Elizabeth Bare

Theses & Dissertations

Using autoethnographic, arts-based, and embodied methods, this postformal dissertation study establishes the first of a two-part research-as-community-building template designed with racially and socioeconomically diverse school communities in mind. Imagined as a double helix in an echo of human DNA, it describes an arts-based, embodied self-study (Helix 1) as a prerequisite for later study of community (Helix 2, not yet complete) typified by mindful engagement across socially constructed lines of difference and attention to the potential building blocks of collaborative leadership across those same lines. As a prerequisite to community work, I explored my lifetime encounters with others of difference (Chang, …

Closing The Gap Between Theory And Practice To Promote Equity In Stem: Coaching Teachers With Udl Strategies To Empower Students, Debbie Langone

Theses & Dissertations

U.S. schools have witnessed educational reforms that have shifted science curriculum and pedagogy within classrooms. Yet, all these reforms have failed to reduce the racial and gender gaps in STEM fields. In 2016, New York State implemented the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) to address these gaps. Problems remain, however, with the NYSSLS standards. The NYSSLS do not offer teachers pedagogical practices with regards to implementation. Students are expected to engage in practices as they emulate scientists, without any direction for teachers to support students through these practices, and they exemplify a deficit mindset by placing the blame …

Navigating Whiteness: A Critical Autoethnography Of The Lived Experience Of A Black Female Administrator In The Predominantly White Spaces Of Higher Education, Sheila Miranda Russell

Theses & Dissertations

This critical autoethnographic study explored my multifaceted journey of being Black and female in administration within a predominantly white higher education institution. I drew upon personal narratives and reflections from 25 years of experience in higher education. This study explored the intricate intersections of race, gender, and power dynamics that have shaped my navigation of self and belonging. Furthermore, the study is framed in a Black feminist theoretical approach, acknowledging how the interconnectedness of being Black and female can intersect to shape individual experiences within systems of power and privilege. I used a six-step thematic analysis combined with a systematic …

Attitudes About Inclusivity Among Preservice Educators: A Mixed Methods Approach, Kathleen M. Quinn

Theses & Dissertations

In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) became the first enacted policy that led the fight against ableism, providing students with disabilities the right to public education. In 2004, this policy became known as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which included these major components supporting the policy of inclusion: Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), Individual Education Plans (IEP), and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). This study highlights how teacher preparation programs are pivotal in preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusion. The data for this study was collected and analyzed based on quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with …

Elementary English Language Learners' Perceptions Of Teacher Care In The Classroom, Carol Boodram-Wright

Theses & Dissertations

English Language Learners (ELLs) experience care in the classroom based on prior experiences, teacher and student relationships, academic support, health support, and safety. The purpose of this study was to understand how ELLs experience care in the classroom with their classroom teacher as described by six ELL participants. A positive teacher-student relationship rooted in care, comfort, safety, and trust enhanced ELLs' engagement with their classroom teacher. The findings of this qualitative narrative study revealed that unconditional support and individualized quality time contributed to ELLs’ well-being in the classroom. Interpretations of care from the ELLs’ narratives depicted how experiences in the …

Family Caregivers: From Invisible To Visible Within The Healthcare Continuum, Tara Anglim

Theses & Dissertations

As the United States' aging population rapidly grows, the prevalence of adults with chronic illness or disabilities who require intermittent or long-term caregiving from family members also increases. Despite the prevalence of caregiving, the role of the family caregiver is a label that lacks a clear description, definition, or societal understanding. The inability to identify family caregivers creates negative ramifications, including diminished recognition and support throughout the healthcare continuum. Drawing from caregiver identity theory, this qualitative phenomenological study aimed to describe the experiences of family caregivers to promote a deeper understanding of how they became aware of their caregiver identity …

A Narrative Case Study: The Role Of Culturally Responsive Mentorship To Navigate, Empower, And Level The Playing Field For Black And Brown Students In Higher Education, Chotsani Williams West

Theses & Dissertations

As the rate of enrollment increases for Black and Brown students in U.S. colleges and universities, in part, due to innovative and strategic recruitment and enrollment efforts to attract them, research shows that students of color benefit from intentional and strength-based college support services to ensure that they can thrive and persist toward graduation. In this narrative case study, I explored the perceived experiences of Black and Brown alumni who were participants in a mentoring program at a predominantly White institution (PWI). In-depth interviews with 20 alumni chronicled their lived experiences and perceptions as they navigated the PWI with the …

"She Didn't Know How To Work With Black Kids" Exploring How Adolescent Black Girls In Private, Predominantly White Institutions Perceive Their White Teachers' Ability To Affirm And Uplift Their Intersectional Identities, Florence Marie Phophete-Barbour

Theses & Dissertations

Black girls in predominantly White educational institutions (PWIs) are often viewed as less than or categorized as aggressive by their White teachers and peers, and such negative attitudes can lead to sub-par academic outcomes and low self-esteem. My study endeavored to understand the lived experiences of 10 Black adolescent girls ages 13-19 who have attended private PWIs in Nassau County, NY. Using a narrative inquiry approach, I conducted semi-structured interviews, educational mapping exercises, and focus groups to collect data on the girls' academic journey. The findings revealed that Black girls in PWI believe that school culture and structures matter, and …

Is Gifted Education And Its Program A Brand?, Farzana Begum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The education system has been under constant construction. What will make our students successful has driven education to make a number of changes, and therefore, over the years, the importance of differentiation evolved, mandating the education system to acknowledge that education should not be standardized and that all students learn and retain knowledge differently. As a result, a number of classroom environments and programs have been established to cater to these differences. One example of this is the establishment of the Gifted and Talented Program or Gifted Education in the education system.

Gifted Education provides identified students with a stimulating …

Sheltered Instruction For Newcomer Multilingual Learners Through A Multicultural And Assimilation Lens: Administrators, Teachers, And Students’ Perceptions In A Middle-Level Education Setting, Victoria Rae Seelinger

Theses & Dissertations

Administrators and teachers are tasked with the opportunity to implement bilingual programs to accommodate the growing population of multilingual learners, or MLs. There is a debate in the field about the most appropriate structure for bilingual programs. Sheltered Instruction (SI) is a way to “shelter” MLs from the anxiety of regular academic courses by separating MLs from their native English-speaking peers until they are ready and proficient enough to join mainstream classes. While the SI classroom is beneficial academically, the program’s separate structure, culture, and climate could have negative implications for students’ socialization and sense of belonging. The purpose of …

I Do, You Do, We Do: Co-Teachers’ Perspectives Of Self-Determination For Students With Dis/Abilities, Jenna Theofield

Theses & Dissertations

Self-determination plays a vital role in the educational journey of students with a dis/ability. However, opportunities to cultivate self-determining skills for elementary students with dis/abilities in an inclusive co-taught classroom are limited. This can be attributed to the intersectionality of ableism and ageism, two oppressive societal constructs that elementary coteachers may consciously or subconsciously hold. Since the inception of educating students with dis/abilities in their least restrictive environments, co-teaching classrooms have been deemed as the most appropriate setting for many students considering the continuum of special education services. The purpose of this study was to examine how elementary co-teaching teams …

Understanding The Qualities Of An Effective Fieldwork Experience And How It Relates To Pre-Service Teachers' Feelings Of Self-Efficacy And Preparedness, Renata Olczak Filipowicz

Theses & Dissertations

The effectiveness of teacher-preparation programs to produce high-quality teachers has been an issue of concern for a long time. Teachers play a significant role in shaping students’ academic achievement and social-emotional growth. Therefore, it is critical to focus on how teacher education programs, especially the field placement component, develop and support new educators. This explanatory mixed-methods study used a theoretical framework of Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977) and Pierre Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital Theory (1986) to examine the qualities of an effective practical residency experience and how it relates to preservice teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy and preparedness for teaching diverse students …

Teaching And Learning That Takes Place In A Diverse English Classroom Through The Use Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Sharon A. Dungee

Theses & Dissertations

As the demographics of the United States continue to diversify, teachers must implement culturally responsive instruction in their classrooms to reach all students. This qualitative case study used the theoretical framework of Ladson-Billings’ culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) to examine how a White, Advanced Placement English teacher selected class literature, how her class of mostly 12th-grade students of color (one White student) responded to the book Native Son by Richard Wright, how the students saw themselves in the characters, and how they expressed their feelings during class discussions and assignments. The data collection was composed of teacher interviews, interview transcripts, classroom …

A Case Study Of Parentschool Relationships: How Spanish-Speaking Latino Parents Of Elementary Multilingual Learners Perceive Parental Involvement In Schools, Ingrid Corpuz

Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how Spanish-speaking Latino parents of multilingual learners (MLs) perceived their participation in the school community and their role in the educational process of their children. It explored several factors that can influence the involvement of Spanish-speaking parents in their children's education. Social capital, cultural capital, and social learning theories guided this study to provide a deeper understanding of the parental involvement of Spanishspeaking Latino parents in schools. Ten participating parents shared their experiences and described their view of parental involvement in their children’s school. This study concluded that Spanish-speaking Latino parents displayed characteristics of highly involved parents, …

Mi Familia Es Mi Fuerza, Yvonne Borkowski

Theses & Dissertations

Latinx parents have been unfairly blamed for their child’s negative educational outcomes due to how they choose to be involved in their child’s education. School expectations of parent involvement typically follow the Epstein Model, which is aligned with traditional, White, middle-class involvement such as fundraising and bake sales. Meanwhile, Latinx, low-income parents often perceive their involvement as shaping their child’s behavior at home and teaching them about moral values. This qualitative case study examines how five Latinx parents in a predominantly Latinx school district on Long Island defined school-based and home-based parent involvement, advocated for their children, as well as …

Seeing The World Through Their Eyes: The Impact Of Place Attachment On Teachers' Understanding Of Worldviews, Kathleen Murray

Theses & Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, Long Island, New York, has seen an increase in linguistic and racial diversity within its schools. The growth in linguistic diversity has brought with it an increase in English language learners (ELLs), representing almost a 50% increase since 2012. As the ELL population has grown, so has the achievement gap between ELLs and their non-ELL peers. The current teaching staff on Long Island does not match the diversity of its student population. Prior research has shown that the cultural mismatch between the teachers and students is one contributing factor to the aforementioned achievement gap. In …

Passing The Camel Through The Eye Of The Needle: Documenting A Culture Of Teacher Praxis At An Affluent Catholic High School, Nicholas S. Vasiliades

Theses & Dissertations

There is a dearth of research concerning critical communities of learning in affluent Catholic high schools. This ethnography captured a culture of praxis developed through the process of five educators team-teaching an interdisciplinary AP Seminar course at St. Aurelia’s Catholic High School on Long Island, New York, from September 2021 to February 2022, with a particular emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching as an authentic avenue for the implementation of social justice education. Observations, one-to-one interviews, focus group discussions, peer-observations, and journals were recorded and coded to explore the facets of the team culture engaged in this collaborative endeavor. A culture …

Toward A Transdisciplinary Model Of Social Justice In Academic Librarianship: Promoting Critical Awareness Within Advocates And Privileged Allies, Judith L. Brink Drescher

Theses & Dissertations

Academic libraries are largely comprised of White, middle-aged females, and as part of the overall diversity crisis within higher education, grapple with issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, and ableism. This mixed-methods study uses an original theoretical framework of critical transcendence, based on the philosophies of Carl Jung and Paulo Freire, to examine what triggers and/or preconditions lead some academic librarians to reflect upon and interrogate their worldview to become actively engaged as advocates and social justice allies (SJAs). An online survey was conducted that obtained data from a sample of 113 academic librarians regarding their interest and commitment toward …

A Case Study Examining High-Achieving Black And Latinx Students’ Reasons For Using Or Not Using Academic Support Services, Nafeeza Uddin-Schmidt

Theses & Dissertations

Black and Latinx students are completing college at lower rates compared to White and Asian students. Many studies have documented the role of academic support services in helping students successfully complete college. Yet, many of the support services are built into students’ course schedules during freshman year to help transition to college. During the sophomore year, many of those supports are no longer built in, and students must seek them out themselves. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the reasons high-achieving Black and Latinx students opt in or opt out of using academic support services …

Perceptions Of Secondary Music Educators On The Transition To, And First Years Of The Every Student Succeeds Act, Thomas Rizzuto

Theses & Dissertations

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 has the potential to be important for American music education. Unlike its predecessor, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), ESSA mentions music by name as one of the components of a “well-rounded education,” rather than including it under the arts. However, there is much that is unknown about ESSA and how it pertains to music education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to better understand the perceptions of music educators on the transition to and the first years of ESSA. The primary source of data included 18 semi-structured interviews with secondary …

Decolonizing My Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Autoethnographic Study, Nadia Khan-Roopnarine

Theses & Dissertations

American schooling is a colonized construct that seeks to maintain white patriarchal hegemony (Battiste, 2013). As a critical educator whose personal epistemologies are shaped by Indo-Caribbean feminism and Coolie feminism, I continually grapple with a large bureaucratic system that thrives on the perpetual dehumanization of teachers, families, and students. The sudden shift to remote learning surfaced the particular cognitive dissonance I navigate, both within myself and in my professional spaces, as I work to decolonize my classroom spaces while inadvertently perpetuating them.

As a high school English teacher serving a population of exclusively BIPOC students in a small urban school, …

Understanding The Homesick Experience Through The Narratives Of First-Year College Residential Students, Talita Santos Ferrara

Theses & Dissertations

Homesickness is a complex phenomenon that operates on a spectrum and impacts individuals' psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning. Sufferers experience a preoccupation of home and a strong desire to return home. In higher education, homesickness among first-year students has been linked to a higher risk of dropping out of school, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and a lack of satisfaction with the overall college experience. Through the lens of belongingness theory, this phenomenological study examined the essence of the homesick experience among first-time undergraduate college students living in the residence halls of a private Catholic college in the Northeast. The …

Women In The Superintendency: A Phenomenological Study Of Women Superintendents’ Perceptions Of Social Capital, Victoria Catalano

Theses & Dissertations

Public schools are faced with a shortage of women superintendents in the United States. Although women dominate the teaching profession and outnumber men in educational leadership and doctoral programs in education, there is a disproportionate number of men compared to women leading the nation’s public schools. Using feminist theory and social capital theory, this qualitative phenomenological study examined how nine women superintendents perceived gender-based obstacles, as well as the support of social capital during their ascent to the superintendency. The findings revealed that women in the study faced sex-role stereotyping and gender bias from men and women as they aspired …

‘Let Them Be Who They Are’: Discovering Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Oppressive Normativity And Their Practice Of Celebrating Neurodiversity, Caitlin Sweetapple

Theses & Dissertations

Autistic students are faced with ableism and oppressive practices daily in their school environments. Special educators can mitigate this problem by celebrating the neurodiversity of the students in their classroom. Utilizing a critical disability theory lens, I conducted an instrumental case study through observations and interviews with six special education teachers at a special education school. The research objective was to understand how special education teachers approach oppressive normativity in their classroom and adapt their practice for neurodiverse learners. The findings revealed that special education teachers who work strictly with neurodiverse learners do not perceive oppressive normativity in their classroom …

Professional Development For Veteran Teachers: Let Them Speak!, Livia M. Gama Fagundes

Theses & Dissertations

Professional development is designed to enhance teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and their professional growth. However, veteran teachers have divergent professional learning needs that must be addressed to positively impact the effectiveness of the professional development they attend. This research study emphasizes the importance of care practices and how veteran teachers want to be heard and included in the planning of the professional development they attend. This study also highlights the importance of positive relationships between school administrators and veteran teachers and how this leads to learning conditions that better serve the professional learning needs of veteran teachers. The purpose of this …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Academic Momism: Perceptions Of Female College Faculty’S Role Expectations In High-Stakes Stem Courses, Donna Cempa-Danziger

Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study looked at how female faculty in higher education who teach high-stakes courses may experience a role of academic momism (AM) and how they negotiate their roles and responses within a patriarchal system. Gender bias and prescriptive stereotyping of women as communal may lead female STEM instructors to be perceived more as “academic mothers” (Bernard, 1964) rather than respected academicians. Within higher education institutions, students often perceive their female professors as more concerned about their emotional well-being, nurturing, service oriented, and less academic when compared to male faculty members. The demanding nature of high-stakes courses in STEM-oriented …

“Who We Are On Paper”: Celebrating Writing Identity And Diversity With High School Seniors In A Dialogic Ela Classroom, Karen Larson Buechner

Theses & Dissertations

Grounded in theory that views language and writing as inextricable from the social event within which it occurs, the purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore how the dialogue produced within the context of a detracked English Language Arts (ELA) classroom contributed to students’ perceptions of their writing identity. The class consisted of a racially, socioeconomically, and academically diverse group of 12th-grade students enrolled in a suburban, public high school. Findings illustrated that writing identity was enacted through multiple iterations of literacy processes embedded in a curriculum that was culturally responsive and implemented through dialogic methods. The analysis of …

A Meaningful Paradox Of Color-Blind Racism And Racial Literacy: Understanding The Phenomena Of White Women Teachers Educating Students Of Color, Alaisa Rigoni Grudzinski

Theses & Dissertations

Recognizing school resegregation and the demographic imperative as systemic problems impacting the educational outcomes of students of Color, this study examined the role of White women teachers’ racial views within the sociocultural context of teaching and learning. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore how 15 high school teachers described their lived experiences as educators of Latinx, Black, and Asian students in a racially diverse, public high school on Long Island, New York. This qualitative study was conceptualized through combining the theoretical lens of critical whiteness studies and critical pedagogy utilizing a qualitative phenomenological methodology for data collection, with …

Toward An Understanding Of Student Agency Within Institutional Dis/Ableism: A Critical Phenomenological Study, Shalinie Sarju

Theses & Dissertations

Students classified with dis/abilities and situated in segregated special classes learn in a system of compulsory able-bodiedness. Peripheralized school high students in special classes experience marginalization and oppression leading to poor academic and postschool outcomes. This critical phenomenological study sought to investigate the lived agentic experiences of high school students classified with dis/abilities and placed in a special class for educational instruction during distance learning and in-person school. To gain deeper insight into students as actors in their learning environment, it was necessary to examine the forms of capital that students harnessed toward their agency. Five high school students in …

Co-Creating A Culture Of Belonging Through The Relational Co-Teaching Framework: A Critical, Transformative Auto|Ethnography, Elizabeth L. Stein

Theses & Dissertations

This critical, transformative auto|ethnography highlights power relations and culture as it documents my four-month collaborative journey with co-teachers and their students in their fifthgrade suburban school in Northeastern New York. This study describes how Ms. K., a general educator, and Ms. D, a special educator, negotiated power and reimagined a culture of belonging through the shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-teachers’ interactions were analyzed on macro, meso, and micro levels with data sources, including transcripts from cogenerative dialogues and semi-structured interviews, written reflections through student journaling, researcher’s journal, and other artifacts. A theoretical bricolage guided my …