Digital Commons Network^™

Is There Something Schools Can Learn From Black Churches?, Samantha Marie Smith

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and gain meaning of the experiences of families with school aged children and why they trust and value Black churches versus the school education system and if there is anything that schools can learn from roles that Black churches play in families’ lives. The research was guided by the following questions: (1) How do Black churches build relationships with families, consistently and effectively engage children, and teach children? (2) How do schools build relationships with families, consistently and effectively engage children, and teach children? (3) Is there anything that schools can …

Teachers' Perceptions Of High-Quality Instructional Materials In Tennessee Urban Elementary Schools, Christa D. Stewart

Ed.D. Dissertations

Urban schools faced challenges that included limited resources, diverse student populations, and varying levels of student preparedness. I designed this study to better understand the perceptions of urban elementary teachers regarding their perceptions related to the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. For this study, I used a qualitative, interpretive method and collected data through questionnaires and interviews from urban elementary teachers in Tennessee. 24 participants provided data for this research. Due to a gap in existing research related to high-quality instructional materials implementation and support, especially at the foundational elementary level, the purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to …

Layered Redactions: An Arts Based Research And Self Study Handbook For Art Teachers Navigating Professional Learning Communities, Audrea M. Danenhauer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This self-study contributes to the field of art education by examining the tensions and possibilities within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) through an arts-based lens. Framed as both a love letter and a palimpsestic work, this thesis reimagines professional development as a layered, living practice, rooted in collective care and criticality. Using collage as both method and metaphor, the study interweaves Freire’s dialogic praxis, bell hooks’ radical tenderness, and the marginalia of a weathered PLC handbook—redacted, annotated, and reassembled with lived experience. Through deliberate redaction and reassembly, the research intentionally disrupts the normative invisibility of whiteness in educational structures, making visible …

A Study Of Urban High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Multicultural Education, Clifford D. Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated urban high school teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education and how those perceptions related to instructional practices. Guided by culturally responsive pedagogy, the study addressed the persistent achievement gap among minority students and the limited integration of multicultural education in U.S. public schools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education and examine their connection to teaching practices and cultural background. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed with a sample of 331 urban high school teachers. Findings indicated that the majority of participants held positive views toward multicultural education, recognizing its role …

Perceptions Of Healthcare Students And Educators On Ai And Ar In Immersive Learning: A Phenomenological Study Of Empathy And Self-Efficacy Development In Palliative And End Of Life Care, Thomas Joseph Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As healthcare education evolves to address emotionally complex scenarios such as palliative and end-of-life care, there is an increasing need to integrate both technical and emotional competencies into training. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR)-enhanced immersive simulations shape healthcare students' empathy and self-efficacy. Grounded in Rogers' Client-Centered Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the research investigated the lived experiences of healthcare students and educators who participated in emotionally realistic simulations using AI-driven manikins and auditory AR features. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a hybrid inductive-deductive coding framework, incorporating in-vivo …

Empowering Writers: Integrating Digital Prewriting Tools In The Research Writing Process, Heather A. Rundo

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This practitioner article explores the integration of digital prewriting tools, specifically MindMeister and VoiceThread, in a high school sophomore honors English class during a research writing unit. The author, a classroom teacher, discusses the challenges students face in research writing and seeks to enhance their confidence and organization skills. Drawing insights from student and teacher perspectives on writing strengths and weaknesses, the article delves into the significance of prewriting as a fundamental component of the writing process.

Cultivating Identity, Workforce Readiness, And Heutagogical Lifelong Learning: The Case For Student-Trained Ai Agents In Postsecondary Education, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

The accelerated integration of human-centered artificial intelligence and human-computer intelligent interaction (HCII) into postsecondary education has inaugurated a paradigm shift in how learners develop cognitive, socio emotional, and professional competencies. This article argues that requiring students to iteratively build and refine custom AI agents—digital “clones” or GPTs trained on their evolving beliefs, knowledge, values, and interests addresses three pressing challenges facing contemporary higher education. First, the process of self-modeling via agent training compels deep self-reflection, fostering socio-economic development and identity formation during the critical neurodevelopmental period that extends into the mid-twenties. Second, as industry trends increasingly prioritize the creation of …

The Psychological Constructs Of International Graduate Students Transitioning To A University In America: A Thematic Analysis, Umadevi Ramesh

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation employed a qualitative analysis methodology to explore the experiences of first-time international graduate students during their transition to university, focusing on initial adjustment, perceived support, perceived discrimination, and mental well-being. Previous studies about international student experience have mainly focused on undergraduate students. Furthermore, few have examined the initial transition period to university and factors involved in both positively and negatively impacting students’ adjustment process as well as overall psychological well-being. Nine participants qualified for inclusion in the present study and participated in semi-structured interviews, which the researcher analyzed using a thematic analysis framework. Participants expressed a strong need …

Participatory Community Archiving To Preserve And Sustain North Georgia Appalachia’S Language, Literacy Practices, And Histories, Leah Panther Dr., Lindsey Walker, Presley Dyer, Tyler Osborn, Kerri Abernathy

Georgia Library Quarterly

This case study presents Swappin’ Stories, a community-based archiving event that serves as a model for public and participatory archiving. The event aimed to address gaps and misrepresentations of southern Appalachia by gathering the voices, artifacts, and stories of Towns County residents. By centering local narratives, it sought to foster a sense of community identity and offer an authentic portrayal of North Georgia, distinct from the narratives shaped by popular media and political figures. This case highlights the potential of community-driven archives to reclaim and reshape regional histories.

Empathetic Differentiated Instruction In Deaf Education: Examining Influencing Factors And Experienced Educator Practices, Laura A. Blackburn

STEMPS Master's Level Projects and Papers

This mixed-methods study investigated how experienced K–12 deaf educators implement empathetic, differentiated instruction (EDI) to support the academic and linguistic needs of deaf students who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their language of learning. Guided by Tracey and Baaki’s instructional design empathy model and grounded in constructivism, the study explored how teachers navigated the tension between standardized, English (sound-based) curriculum demands and the need to make instructional decisions aligned with signed language modalities and responsive to students’ real-time learning needs.

A custom electronic survey was distributed to a national sample of experienced educators, with 19 respondents completing Likert-scale items, …

Characterization Of Undergraduate Biology Instructors’ Goals And Strategies For Implementing Quantitative Reasoning, Anum Khushal

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Quantitative reasoning (QR) is the application of mathematics and statistics to real-life and scientific contexts. It is essential for understanding complex biological phenomena and analyzing large datasets in both academic and professional settings. In response to the growing demand for QR skills, biology educators and researchers have engaged in curricular reforms and education research. This qualitative study explores how undergraduate biology instructors integrate QR into their teaching using a framework informed by pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and QR. The study involved 21 biology faculty from various U.S. institutions who intentionally incorporated QR in their instruction. Data was collected through semi-structured …

Examining The Correlation Between Special Education Eligibility And Socioeconomic Status In Rural Minnesota Public Schools, Lisa Schlosser

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and Special Education identification in rural Minnesota schools, focusing on Specific Learning Disabilities and Other Health Disabilities, to determine whether students from lower-income backgrounds are disproportionately identified for Special Education services. Data were collected from five rural Minnesota public schools, analyzing student-level demographic and eligibility data from the 2022–2023 school year. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and ratio calculations assessed the relationship between SES, indicated by free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, and Special Education identification rates. The results revealed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.84) between students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch and …

“They’Re All Our Students!” Using Data-Based Individualization To Increase Reading Performance For Students With Disabilities In The Resource Setting, Jennifer J. Hill

All Dissertations

Students with Disabilities (SWDs) are not making progress in reading, and this is a problem that occurs across the nation. The National Assessment of Educational Progress scores showed that students without disabilities are increasing in reading growth, while SWDs showed a decrease in reading (Stevens et al., 2024; Vaughn & Wanzek, 2014). On average, SWDs are about three years behind their peers in reading (Gilmour et al., 2015). All students, including those with disabilities, need to learn how to read because it leads to success in academics and future careers as an adult (Sullivan et al., 2016). If SWDs do …

Non-Efl World Language Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences With Generative Ai Tools, Georgia Konstantinou

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory quantitative research study explored the perceptions and experiences of non-English as a Foreign Language (non-EFL) world language teachers who were members of online communities of practice regarding their use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in their teaching practices. Many research studies began to explore the impact of GenAI tools in various educational settings, and some studies even investigated the perceptions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, but research studies exploring the perceptions of non-EFL world language teachers regarding the use of GenAI tools inside and outside of the classroom remain limited. This study addressed this …

Open Educational Resources In Elder Refugee Esl Contexts: Instructor And Administrator Perspectives, Alison Elliott

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Open Educational Resources (OER) offer a promising solution to educational disparities through their free, adaptable, and shareable nature, fostering collaboration and innovation in pedagogy. While OER, alongside Open Educational Practices (OEP), has seen a vibrant and growing integration within K-16 foreign language contexts, its application within adult English as a Second Language (ESL) education remains significantly under-researched. Adult ESL contexts, especially those serving refugees, present unique challenges: learners have experienced trauma, interrupted education, and have urgent practical English needs, while adult educators contend with inconsistent training, demanding part-time workloads, and a fragmented professional ecosystem that limits professional development and research …

The Need For Succession Planning In The Non-Profit Sector Through The Lens Of The Black Church: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Lydia E. Hylton

Education Doctoral

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the critical need for succession planning within the non-profit sector, focusing on the Black Church as a case study. Through in-depth interviews with church leaders, this research uncovered the challenges and best practices in leadership transitions. The study provided insights into how effective succession planning can ensure organizational sustainability, preserve cultural heritage, and maintain community trust. By understanding the lived experiences of Black church leaders, this research aims to offer practical recommendations that can be applied across the non-profit sector, promoting resilience and continuity in leadership.

The Marginalization Of Black Students And The Burnout Of Black Teachers, Jasmine N. Wilson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Black students' language and culture should matter inside the classroom, but the K-12 education system perpetuates racist ideologies that otherwise stifle and shame Black students and their identities. There is a disproportion between the number of White teachers and Black students in minority-serving K-12 institutions, and this racial mismatch severely influences Black students’ academic success. In addition to the racial mismatch between White teachers and Black students, K-12 institutions foster a prejudiced learning environment that condemns African American English speakers. There is an abundance of research that suggests that Black teachers, Black culture, and Black English are of the utmost …

Educational Attainment Patterns Among Mena Adults: A Comparative Study Of Native- And Foreign-Born Groups In The Us, Michael Okyere

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines educational attainment patterns among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) adults in the United States, focusing on how nativity status, residential patterns, and gender shape these outcomes. Drawing on segmented assimilation and spatial assimilation theories, I analyze data from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey using ordered logistic regression models. Results indicate that educational attainment varies by gender, with MENA women consistently achieving higher education levels than men across all nativity groups, though this advantage varies considerably in magnitude between native-born and foreign-born subgroups. Residence in ethnic enclaves demonstrates a strong negative association with educational attainment among foreign-born …

Conceptions Of Climate Change Skepticism: A Phenomenographic Investigation On Perspectives From Climate Scientists And Climate Activists, Candace L. Penrod

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study addresses how climate change denial is understood by climate scientists and climate activists. This research also investigates what communication strategies addressing climate change denial are used by climate scientists and climate activists. Phenomenography was selected as a methodology to address the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this inquiry. Pre-recorded data from interviews with six climate scientists and six climate activists living in the Intermountain West were used as the data source. Interview transcripts were read, marked, and coded to identify how climate scientists and climate activists understood climate change denial. Five conceptions of climate change skepticism were identified …

Authentic Digital Writing Parameters In College Composition: Design, Implementation, And Assessment Of A Culture Jam, Mary Ellen Greenwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As technology reshapes communication, college classrooms must adapt to prepare students for writing in a quickly changing world. This dissertation investigates how authentic writing—writing that feels meaningful, relevant, and tied to real-world purposes—can enhance student motivation, confidence, and writing skills in college composition courses.

The study introduces a multimodal assignment called a Culture Jam, where five participants critiqued and remixed media messages, such as advertisements or social media posts, to create their own critical digital compositions. Over three weeks, participants created their Culture Jams, shared feedback with peers, and reflected on their experiences. This project focused on five key elements …

Dialogic Instruction: Teachers Can Have Their Cake, And Eat It, Too, Rebecca L. Lee

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Dialogic instruction is a talk-intensive approach to learning and teaching that is student-centered and discussion-based, promoting collaboration and academically productive conversations. Recently, educators across the country have increased the amount of time spent preparing students for standardized assessments, which often reduces teaching and learning to test preparation. While this tension suggests that teachers must choose between good teaching or good test scores, dialogic instruction is a promising practice that can enhance students’ reading comprehension outcomes while centering student choice and valuing student voice. Research shows dialogic instruction is most effective when teachers a) co-create a conducive classroom climate, b) incorporate …

Reimagining Positionality In Curriculum: Unlocking Consciousness Beyond Hegemonic Boundaries, Haniyeh Kheirkhah Abkenari

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This paper examines the interplay between hegemonic systems, curriculum, and individual consciousness in diverse life contexts. It underscores the need for critical thinking skills and self-examination to challenge hegemonic ideologies embedded within curriculum materials. The paper emphasizes the potential for curriculum to shape and influence consciousness, yet it also highlights the autonomy of consciousness to critically engage with curriculum content. Positionality and identity are explored, illustrating how they impact an individual's social role and their ability to promote social justice.

Through the Currere as a autoethnography research method, the paper offers a comprehensive reflection on the author's experiences as an …

Reflection And Reimagination As Resistance: Towards Humanizing Critical Writing Pedagogy, Grace Y. Kang, Sonia M. Kline

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Given the pressures, demands, and standardization teachers face in our sociopolitically charged times, teachers need opportunities to reflect and reimagine their instruction. Drawing on critical and related scholarship, we conceptualize critical humanizing writing pedagogy. We share our instructional moves as teacher educators for enacting humanizing writing pedagogy in a graduate course and supporting teachers to enact humanizing writing pedagogy in their K-12 classrooms. Specifically, we show how a graduate student and practicing teacher found ways to shift toward critical orientations as she navigated her school’s curriculum and state standards. We argue that sociocultural and critical lenses provide powerful tools for …

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For Writing Instruction: Best-Practices And Insights Into Self-Efficacy, Lindsey Wiggins

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Many pre-service teachers (PSTs) report feeling under-prepared to teach writing, a challenge often linked to limited attention to writing instruction in teacher preparation programs (TPPs). While writing methods courses offer opportunities to build PSTs’ self-efficacy and pedagogical skill, questions remain about how to best structure these experiences and measure their impact. This three-article dissertation examines how PSTs develop self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction during teacher preparation and how those beliefs relate to instructional practices.

In Study I, I conducted a systematic literature review to examine how researchers measure the effects of effective writing and writing instruction interventions with elementary …

Reflections Of Linguistic Experiences In A Borderland: Influences On Cultural Identity And Teacher Praxis, Iliana Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

This Autoethnographic dissertation uses autohistoria-teoria to critically analyze my lived curriculum as a Mexican-born raised in the borderland of the Rio Grande Valley. This research aims to understand the influence of my linguistic experiences on my cultural identity and teaching praxis within the same context. Drawing from Anzaldua’s (1987) concept of Borderlands as a contextual lens and Raciolinguistics as a theoretical framework, I examine and reflect on key linguistic experiences that have perpetuated colonizing linguistic practices rather than fostered linguistic diversity. Additionally, Culturally Linguistic Sustaining Pedagogy serves as a framework to critically analyze my teaching praxis in relation to my …

Barriers To Hispanic Post-Secondary Education In Science Fields, Luis Slayton

Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to examine whether external barriers could be identified and are present throughout a Hispanic individual's educational life. The beliefs of the Hispanic community regarding education and the nature of acquiring an education could be relevant to the factors that impede the completion of high school. A survey approach was chosen as the methodology for the study due to the confidential nature of a questionnaire. Human nature tends to be more honest when not asked personal questions face-to-face. Additionally, there is potential to generalize attributes from a small sample to a larger population, allowing inferences about the identified …

Deaf Faculty Members’ Experiences In Higher Education Institutions, Stephanie Proctor Horvath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deaf faculty members bring diverse perspectives to higher education, yet their experiences remain underexplored in academic research. The critical first year of teaching can shape their career experiences, revealing both opportunities for growth and systemic barriers. The purpose of this study was to understand deaf faculty members’ experiences, focusing on their transition into academic roles, the accommodations provided in their workplaces, and the challenges they faced. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological design, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 15 Deaf faculty members, whose teaching experience ranges from 1 to 30 years. In the reflexive thematic analysis and AI-coding of this data, …

Language Brokering Conditions The Indirect Association Between Mexican‐Origin Adolescents’ Academic Discrimination And Educational Expectations, Su Yeong Kim, Yayu Du, Chantal Alvarado, Wei Xiang Sim, Wen Wen, Tianlu Zhang, Jingyi Shen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mexican‐origin adolescents, a significant portion of the US Latino population, often experience a decline in educational expectations from early to late adolescence. Contextual factors such as academic discrimination and language brokering for parents may contribute to this decline. This study investigates the indirect effect of academic discrimination experienced in middle school on educational expectations in young adulthood through high school grades and engagement, and the moderating role of language brokering experiences in these relations. Data were collected from 604 Mexican‐origin adolescents across four waves from 2012 to 2023. Academic discrimination experiences in middle school were negatively associated with school grades …

Designing Multilingual (Maker) Spaces: Exploring The Intersections Of Play, Posthumanism, And Pre-Kindergarten, Victoria G. Pennington

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explore the posthuman play literacies of multilingual makerspaces with four-year-olds, emphasizing the need for such a study while situating my arguments within the existing literature and outlining my methodological approach. Chapter One critiques the public 4-year-old kindergarten systems, arguing institutionalized cultural and linguistic ideologies restrict multilingual learners’ (MLs) opportunities for meaning-making. I draw on the raciolinguistic perspective (Flores & Rosa, 2015) and its intersection with a posthumanist paradigm (Braidotti, 2013), framing my research questions as lines of inquiry to guide the study. Key posthumanist literacies concepts are defined, highlighting the entanglement of literacies, discourses, materials, and …

More Than Numbers: Interrogating The Instructional Capacity Of Middle School Mathematics Teachers, Yashica R. Latimer

All Dissertations

This study examines how middle school mathematics teachers conceptualize and enact culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT) within a district-supported professional learning initiative. Guided by the CRMT framework developed by Aguirre and Zavala (2013), the research explores how instructional decision-making intersects with equity-focused pedagogy.

Two central questions inform the study: (1) How do middle school mathematics teachers interpret and apply CRMT principles in their classroom practice? (2) What specific instructional strategies do teachers use to integrate cultural responsiveness into their instruction?

Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, data were collected from three teachers participating in a professional learning group called MORE …