Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Joy In Lifelong Learning: An Introduction To Planning For Learning Disabilities In Museum Education, Elaine L. Davis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

For over a century, the role of museums as learning institutions has been considered alongside that of schools. However, special education practices are rarely adapted for museum education, requiring educators in museum contexts to undertake extra work to accommodate those with learning disabilities. This thesis used Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Textual Analysis to review pedagogical white papers and academic research on museum programs aimed at neurodivergent audiences. The findings were used to create a professional development guide for museum educators at a range of different types of museums.

Integrating Positive Psychology And Spirituality To Foster Meaning And Well-Being In Older Adults, Crystal Morris

Adultspan Journal

This perspective article explores the integration of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and spirituality in therapy to foster meaning and well-being in older adults. It highlights exercises such as the positive introduction, positive legacy, character strengths, mindfulness, mindful-based yoga, and a manifestation prayer journaling. The interventions presented are tools to support older adults that may experience depression, difficult life transitions, and the search for renewed meaning. Therapists who integrate PPIs and spirituality into therapy can promote a holistic, non-pathological approach to treatment.

The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study Of Digital Capital, Work Selection, And Outcomes In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tracie King

Dissertations

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers' work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society.

Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills …

Elevating Educators: The Role Of Sponsorship In Fostering Teacher Engagement, Recognition, And Retention, Justin Mitchell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Teacher burnout and attrition have become pressing concerns in education, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The demands on educators have increased, yet systemic supports have often remained stagnant, leading to disengagement and decreased participation in extracurricular activities. This study examined the role of teacher sponsorship of extracurricular activities in fostering teacher engagement, recognition, and retention within a rural Title I middle school. Using an improvement science framework, this research explored how teachers’ involvement in extracurricular activities impacts their connection to the school community and whether targeted interventions such as professional learning communities and recognition initiatives can enhance teacher participation and …

Adults’ Remembered Stories Of Early-Grades Reading Groups: A Narrative Inquiry, Cari Brooks

All Dissertations

This study examined literacy narratives composed by participants aged 18 to 71 to learn how they remembered, described, and constructed stories about their experiences in ability-based reading groups when they were children learning to read in public schools. The purpose of this study was to add voices and perspectives to a decades-long debate over the varied impacts of using ability-based reading groups that separate children by skill level, particularly with regard to connections to learner academic and literacy self-perception and the perpetuation of systemic social inequity. The study was grounded in a critical pedagogy theoretical foundation and employed a narrative …

How A Garden Hoe Changed My Literacy Life: A Story Of Teaching, Coaching, And Becoming, Kelsey J. Walker

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

In this dissertation, I explore how personal practical experiences teaching reading intervention impacted my own understanding of the role of a secondary literacy coach. Drawing on the concepts of dialogism and adult learning theory, I leveraged learning conversations to grow my own body of knowledge. The methodology of this study was done using narrative inquiry and autoethnography. This methodological blend allowed me to closely study myself as the primary participant with a unique positionality as a scholarly practitioner. I unpack the complexities, contradictions, and tensions of my lived experience through stories and vignettes set in a rural midwestern public school …

James Baldwin's Classroom And What He Can Teach Educators About Queer Representation, Matthew Callahan

Honors College Theses

This is an extended analysis of James Baldwin's "A Talk to Teachers" about how to bring representation into the classroom. I use Baldwin's other essays and fiction along with educational research to look into the way Baldwin understands education and the importance of bringing healthy queer representation into the classroom. I provide both theoretical observations along with practical implications of what this means for educators in the classroom and what they can do to help all their students feel seen, represented, and welcome in the classroom.

The Effects Of No Child Left Behind On Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Chosen Profession, Menley Clayton

Honors Theses

Since the enactment of NCLB (2001), it has been the source of major controversy. And although it was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, its impact is still apparent. NCLB’s intention was to ensure that all students in the United States had equal access to a high-quality education, regardless of race, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status (Mills, 2008). To achieve this goal, the Act introduced new requirements surrounding teachers, testing, and school improvement. These requirements have led to, among other things, teacher dissatisfaction. To identify the sources and level of dissatisfaction, a survey was distributed to teachers …

Constructing The Cold War: Cold War Ideologies And Narrative Frameworks In The American Pageant, Madeira P. Davis

Honors Theses

Anti-communism functioned not merely as a foreign policy stance but as a distinctly American ideology that helped define national identity, creating a moral logic—a binary opposition between capitalism and communism—that remains deeply embedded in political culture. This thesis investigates the critical role of American history textbooks, specifically the influential The American Pageant, in transmitting these enduring ideological frameworks to successive generations of students. The study asks: How do specific narratives in Cold War-era textbooks frame political ideologies and influence students’ perceptions of politics and foreign policy, and how do these narratives persist to shape political behavior and reinforce ideas about …

The Global Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of International Student Experiences In A Reimagined Intercultural Communication Course, Crystal Bock Thiessen

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the experiences of multilingual international student participants who took part in a semester-long intercultural communication course that was purposefully designed and implemented with half enrollment each of domestic and international students at a Midwestern American university. Despite university efforts towards internationalization, they often fall short of the meaningful engagement needed truly promote intercultural and mutual understanding. International and domestic students share classroom and other spaces on campus, yet they remain overwhelmingly disconnected from one another. Using phenomenology and Baker’s (2011) model of Intercultural Awareness, this study analyzed the international students’ experience in this course to learn more …

Hands On Archiving: Aid In Reorganizing The San Bernardino County Museum Archive Room And Archival Material, Ezequiel Vera

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper documents the process and details of the History Archives Inventory Project at the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM). Most of the work of this project is done in-person and will include photographic evidence of the project, a written portion that will explain the process of the project, and secondary literature that will help explain the process of the project and its corresponding decision making. The History Archives Inventory Project is a multiple year-long project; this paper will be limited to my time working on the project while completing my Master of Arts in History at CSUSB. My time …

A Pipeline To Prison Or A Pathway To Promise? The Inequities Fueling The School To Prison Pipeline, Ranishia Lachelle Bailey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This systematic review proposal would investigate the school-to-prison pipeline and examine the role of pedagogical interventions in mitigating youth involvement in the justice system. By analyzing existing literature, this proposal would study and explore how school system biases, educational frameworks, and systemic factors contribute to the perpetuation of this pipeline, with a specific focus on how educational policies and disciplinary practices impact at-risk youth. The review aims to identify effective interventions that can disrupt this cycle, including restorative justice practices, trauma-informed education, positive behavioral interventions, and culturally responsive teaching. A comprehensive search strategy should be employed across various academic databases, …

Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Professional Development And Its Relevance To Student Achievement, Gabriel A. Orosco Dr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As Ethnic Studies becomes a graduation requirement across all public schools in California, the importance of Ethnic Studies professional development cannot be understated. This is a tumultuous time in our world today. Multiple world conflicts are happening today, and many governments are facing challenges to their very existence. Ethnic Studies programs and classes challenge dominant narratives and close the opportunity gaps for historically marginalized communities.

This study examines the impact of Ethnic Studies (ES) professional development on student achievement within California’s public high schools, where ES has been mandated as a graduation requirement through Assembly Bill 101. The research emphasizes …

"I Never Really Saw Anybody That Looked Like Me In A Book": A Positioning Theory Analysis Of Preservice Teachers' Critical Reflections., Melissa Lee Zipper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand how preservice teachers develop their criticality within a semester long undergraduate course focused on children’s literature. This study addresses a well-documented practical knowledge gap in education research: although preservice teachers claim to understand the importance of a culturally relevant and sustaining curriculum, they do not know how to effectuate that curriculum when it comes to their future classrooms. Using Positioning Theory as a theoretical lens and an analytical tool, the study explores how preservice teachers position themselves in relation to developing their criticality through participation in a course curriculum purposefully …

A Theoretical Model Of Participatory Team Science Training, Angela E. Jordan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

BACKGROUND: Teams have long been used to address major scientific and societal problems, and interdisciplinary teams are understood to be the best approach to complex systems-based problems like climate change. Engaged research collaborations incorporating community members as equal partners in research projects are recognized as both a means of advancing equity and justice in research, and also of improving the success of research translation by developing solutions with community use-value. The science of team science (TS) and community-engaged research (CEnR) have emerged as scholarly disciplines, with attempts to define competencies, skills, functioning, and success. A growing body of literature in …

Am I Woke Enough To Serve In Healthcare: A Secondary Analysis Of Pre-Health Students’ Personal And Professional Growth By Engaging In Cultural Competency Assessments, Harolynn Williams

All Dissertations

Healthcare providers must be equipped to serve an increasingly diverse population, yet cultural competence remains underemphasized in undergraduate pre-health education. This study explored how embedded cultural competency training influences undergraduate pre-health students’ perceptions of personal and professional growth. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the research incorporated intercultural assessments, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and the Global Competence Certificate (GCC), along with qualitative reflections from students enrolled in three versions of a cultural competence course: a year-long course, a semester-long course, and a short-term study abroad immersion six-week course. Findings revealed that students demonstrated measurable growth in cultural awareness, knowledge, communication, …

"Integrating The Seven Stages Of Conocimiento With Nahuatl And Ralámuri Wisdom In Kosmic Feminism: My Creative Writer Identity.", Hilda Yaneth Sotelo Dr

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

This paper explores the intersection of Kosmic Feminism and the seven stages of conocimiento as outlined by Gloria Anzaldúa, integrating Indigenous wisdom from Nahuatl and Ralámuri traditions. It examines how decolonial thought, feminist theory, and creative writing can be transformative tools for personal and communal healing. Drawing on personal experiences rooted in the borderlands of Ciudad Juárez-El Paso and Rarámuri heritage, the author blends Anzaldúa’s framework of conocimiento with Indigenous perspectives to offer a critique of patriarchal systems and a vision of holistic, cosmic resistance. The seven stages of conocimiento—awakening (El Arrebato), liminality (La Nepantla), commitment (El Compromiso), healing (La …

Academic Freedom In Interpreter Education: Teaching Communication Access In A Culture Of Censorship, Dawn M. Wessling, Mark A. Halley, Brendan Stern

Journal of Interpretation

Abstract

The primary function of signed language interpreters and translators is to foster inclusion and equity by ensuring effective communication access for deaf individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds in public spaces. The effectiveness of interpreter education depends on the freedom of expression, thought, and behavior. This paper explores the impacts of illiberal legislation on American Sign Language/English interpreter education in Florida. Specifically, we describe how the illiberal attacks on academic freedom that preclude Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and curricula, such as Florida’s SB266/HB999 (2023) and SB2525/HB7 (2022), present unprecedented challenges for interpreter and translator educators. In conclusion, we …

Using Social Emotional Learning To Connect Social Awareness And Classic Literature, Erin Anderson

Honors Projects

The following case study explores how social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching strategies enhance seventh-grade students’ engagement with classic literature during English Language Arts (ELA) class. Using S.E. Hinton’s classic novella The Outsiders as a foundation for this research, this study examines whether SEL-based lesson plans help adolescents make deeper connections between literature and their own lives. Two groups of students were compared in the study: one group received traditional, comprehension-based instruction, while the other participated in SEL-based assessments, encouraging perspective-taking and personal reflection. This study utilizes qualitative assessments like character analysis, reflection, and surveys to affirm that students who are exposed …

Intimacy Versus Isolation In Adults With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities: An Educational Video-Series For Caregivers, Aubrey Lynn Brinkley

Student Capstone Papers

Caregivers of care-recipients with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) do not have sufficient resources to assist their care-recipients with the adult developmental stage of intimacy versus isolation. This capstone considers the occupational and developmental impacts that growing individuals with IDD face, namely the developmental stages including healthy relationships, sexual safety, and intimacy. The literature review covers the scientific, statistical, and historical importance of this developmental milestone. Varied opinions and needs that surround the subject of intimacy and healthy relationships for adults with IDD were considered. Sexual abuse statistics were highlighted. A multitude of feedback from organizations, personal caregivers, scientists, psychologists, …