Digital Commons Network^™

Virtually Speaking: How Digital Storytelling Can Facilitate Organizational Learning, Matthew Millitello, Francisco Guajardo

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

Digital storytelling can be used as a tool in participatory action research. An organization developed to enhance teaching and learning in high schools used this method as a way to collect narratives from the rural community it served. The staff and students who participated in digital storytelling became researchers focused on the personal narrative. Digital storytelling was used to give voice to community members and also to explain policy initiatives that directly affected the community. Digital storytelling was a way for the organization to engage its members in a way that would benefit all stakeholders.

The School And Society: Secondary School Social Studies Education From 1945-1970, Kevin John Owens

Honors Papers

This thesis explores the ways in which changes to citizenship are tied to changes in the secondary school social studies curriculum from 1945 through 1970. During this time, social and political changes forced alterations to the meaning of citizenship. Schools must inherently educate for the future, and are a good measure of what a society views as the values and skills most necessary for the future. As a central inculcator of common values, the social studies class reflected these changes more so than any other school subject.

Internalized Oppression: Latino Narratives On Educational Experience, Carolina Avalos

Master's Theses

A qualitative study investigated the lived experiences and impact of internalized oppression within educational contexts. Six Latino-identified people--ages 22-38--who are current or former college students were interviewed about their early and adult educational experiences. A constant comparative methodology was used to identify commonalities found in participant narratives. Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed to organize data into themes. Emergent themes included: (a) identity formation, (b) experience of racial micro-aggression in school, and (c) the value of acquiring an occupation being valued higher, in the household, than educational attainment. Findings provided insight into participant experiences with internalized oppression and educational …

The Role Of A Facilitated Online Workspace Component Of A Community Of Practice: Knowledge Building And Value Creation For Nasa, Bradford Thomas Davey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of an online workspace component of a community in the work of a community of practice. Much has been studied revealing the importance of communities of practice to organizations, project success, and knowledge management and some of these same successes hold true for virtual communities of practice. Study participants were 75 Education and Public Outreach community members of NASA's Science Mission Directorate Earth Forum. In this mixed methods study, online workspace metrics were used to track participation and a survey completed by 21 members was used to quantify participation. For …

Toward A Theory Of Interdisciplinarity: An Example Of Conceptual Integration/Blending In Teaching And Learning In Russian And East European Language-Based Area Studies, Anna Pleshakova, Kathleen M. Quinlan

Russian Language Journal

Most of problems in everyday and professional life are interdisciplinary, though most of our academic scholarship is contained within disciplines. To understand and solve such interdisciplinary problems, we must cross disciplinary boundaries. Yet, “the need to identify a method or/and logic of interdisciplinarity has, however, proven to be much easier to proclaim than to meet.”

Academic Rigor For All: A Review Of Literature, Gabriel Reich, Volkan Sevim, Amanda Turner

MERC Publications

In this literature review, we will attempt to address the issue of academic rigor in several ways. First, we will review federal and Virginia policy documents that discuss academic rigor, and the research reports that influenced these documents. We will then attempt to articulate a clear definition of academic rigor that applies across academic contexts. This definition draws on the work of educational psychologists, sociologists, and scholars of teaching and learning. Finally we will review the research literature on rigorous classroom practice in two disciplines, history and mathematics.

Login To Learn: A Content Analysis Of Southeast Asian Policies On Technology And Education, Laura D. Pasley

Master's Theses

In the following thesis, using Aucoin's (2011) theoretical framework, I juxtapose the discourses neoliberalism and humanitarian "access" as they relate to describing the potential outcomes of ICT adoption in education. Through a content analysis, I sought to answer the research question: To what extent have the discourses of neoliberalism and "access" used in regional ASEAN policies influenced ICT policymaking at the national level of its member states? The findings demonstrated a slight difference between ICT policies published prior to the 2011 ASEAN policy, but those published "after" were all also published in 2011 which may point to forces outside of …

Through The Viewfinder: Reflecting On The Collection And Analysis Of Classroom Video Data, Angela Fitzgerald, Mark Hackling, Vaille Dawson

Research outputs 2013

The possibilities inherent in the collection and use of video footage point to an important innovation for classroom research. Unfortunately, researchers often experience uncertainty about incorporating video into their methodological approach as it can present a potential minefield of operational, technical, and ethical issues that require consideration and negotiation. Nevertheless, with the increased emphasis on the use of digital technologies, the timing is right to engage in more in-depth discussions about the role of video data in education research. In contributing to this discussion, this article unpacks several issues connected to the use of video technology as a tool for …

Voices From The Coolest Corner Of Hell: A Content Analysis Of Slave Narratives In The Study Of Creolization In The Education Of 19th Century African American Slaves, Gina M. Rizzuto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The general argument made by Southern historian, Ulrich Bonnell Phillips in 1918, is that the plantation functioned as a type of school for the slave. Similarly, in 1976, Anthony Gerald Albanese examined the plantation system as an institution that conditioned the behaviors of both slaves and slave owners. I maintain that the plantation system was not only an educative agency that conditioned behaviors, but also a conduit for the creolization process. The focus of this study is creolization in the education of African American slaves in the nineteenth century. This is a mixed methods content analysis of African American slave …

Phronetic Implications: Making A Case For Cross-Disciplinary Conversations In Higher Education, Mark Fretts

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Problems faced by society in today's global infrastructure are more complex than ever; these social, political and environmental issues require an interdisciplinary skill set to even begin to understand them let alone tackle them with a comprehensive strategy. Higher Education can better prepare people for real world problem solving by interacting in cross-disciplinary or interdisciplinary conversations with peers, faculty, colleagues etc. Professors from across the social sciences at Eastern Washington University that are engaged in an interdisciplinary conversation were interviewed for this qualitative case study. The dialogue generated from these interviews confirms that there are many intrinsic as well as …

An Exploration Of Worship Practices At An African American Church Of Christ, Lamont Ali Francies

Doctoral Dissertations

The identity of the African American Churches of Christ is deeply rooted in the American struggle for racial equality. Without a formal governing body, the Churches of Christ have survived throughout the majority of the 20th century without making an official stance on racial relations. Many leaders in the religious movement have claimed racial immunity but have not addressed the evident division among ethnic lines. This study explored the extent of cultural influence that Caucasian Churches of Christ have on African American congregations.

This study observed these influences and how they shape religious culture and tradition in Black churches. The …

The Level Of Cultural Responsiveness And Its Preparation Among Grand Valley State University’S Occupational Therapy Graduates, Kathleen Kovach, Rebecca Palmitier, Robyn Ward

Education

Background: In a field that aims to be holistic and client-centered, occupational therapists need to consider their client's culture. Culture is comprised of values, beliefs, and lifestyles and will affect the therapy process (Cheung, Shah, & Muncer, 2002; Cole, Stevenson, & Rogers, 2009). To truly treat clients holistically, therapists need to be culturally responsive in their practice, considering factors which influence therapy and its outcomes. Occupational therapy education programs, therefore, need to prepare its students to be culturally responsive practitioners. This research examined whether Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Occupational Therapy (OT) graduates are culturally responsive and how the program …

Youth In Interfaith Dialogue: Intercultural Understanding And Its Implications On Education In The Philippines, Jayeel Cornelio, Timothy Andrew E. Salera

Development Studies Faculty Publications

In the wake of religious conflicts around the world, interfaith dialogues are being introduced to facilitate intercultural and religious understanding and tolerance. Although the participation of young people in interfaith dialogue and its impact on education is crucial to its sustainability, the literature on youth and interfaith has been very limited. This article addresses this gap by probing the significance or impact of interfaith on the views of our youth respondents on other religions. The view of our youth respondents show that interfaith dialogues do not have to begin and end in theological discussions. To them, the significance of interfaith …

Whole-School Inclusive Reform: "It's What's Best For Kids”, Nicole M. Declouette

Teaching and Leadership - Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigates a school and university inclusive reform project, called the All Means All Project, and how it is understood and experienced by teachers and administrators at Kennedy School, a K-8 school in the northeast United States. The All Means All Project began when two university professors called into question the practice of placing students with disabilities in segregated special classrooms. Their goal was to create a collaborative, multi-dimensional approach to providing all students with access to rigorous academic instruction and promoting a sense of belonging through students' full-time membership in general education classrooms. This reform was …

A Comparison Of Student Success By Faculty Qualifications, Kristine A. Garner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing the best qualified faculty to ensure the most successful student outcomes is a priority in higher education. The use of adjunct faculty in colleges and universities is continually increasing, especially for lower level courses. Previous research has come to conflicting conclusions regarding the quality of adjunct faculty. Indicators of student success were compared between part-time instructors with professional doctoral degrees and full-time instructors with academic doctoral degrees. Results of statistical analyses of both a comparison of final grade distributions and knowledge of course content determined that there were no significant differences between two comparable groups of students in a …

Wj Julian: His Life And Career With Emphasis On His Tenure As Director Of Bands At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1961 To 1993, John Tilford Martin

Dissertations

WJ Julian served with distinction as director of bands at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Tennessee Polytechnic Institute during his forty-five-year teaching career. The purpose of this study is to compile a biographical sketch of WJ Julian prior to his appointment as director of bands at the University of Tennessee in 1961, to examine his impact on the Tennessee band program, and to show how both Julian and the Tennessee band program rose to state and national acclaim in the American band movement.

The primary source of information for this study was extensive interviews with Julian himself. Secondary data …

The Relationship Between Perceptions Of School Climate And Student Achievement In Schools That Use Jostens' Renaissance Programs, Amy Yarborough Coyne

Dissertations

Each school has unique attributes and a personality that gives the school a distinct climate. Psychological qualities that schools possess might include trust, collaboration, cooperation, teaching attributes, expectations, community involvement, and engagement (Rhodes, Camic, Milburn, & Lowe, 2009). Given information regarding school climate, relationship needs, and motivation, the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of teachers involved in change and improvement processes and to determine whether academic change was related to the use of programs such as Jostens’ Renaissance.

The participants of this study consisted of 242 faculty and staff from five public schools from three separate …

An Examination Of Mature Interpersonal Relationships Among International And American College Students, Bona Aidoo

Dissertations

Educating students to relate harmoniously with people from different backgrounds has become an important agenda for student affairs professional because of the increasingly diverse nature of the American society. The purpose of this study was to assess how American and international college students develop mature interpersonal relationship skills. All the participants were from a mid-sized comprehensive institution in the Southern United States. The two main constructs measured were tolerance and quality of relationships. Attempts were also made to identify other predictors that may influence mature interpersonal relationships: gender, age, educational level, and academic achievement as measured by GPA. Both quantitative …

Uplift And Blame: Minority Parents In The Discourse Of Professional Educators, Katie Mitchell

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This historical document analysis explores the professional discourse on minority parents in education during the Progressive (1900-1914), Post-Civil Rights/ESEA (1960-1974), and NCLB/Accountability Eras (1995-2009). Grounded theory was used to code and analyze 430 articles mentioning parents and/or home life from two peer-reviewed journals of education. Research questions asked which minority parents are of interest to educators in each era, how minority parenting roles are portrayed in the educational discourse, and why minority parents concern educators. Findings include a focus on immigrant parents in the Progressive Era and on African American and Hispanic parents in the Post-Civil Rights/ESEA and NCLB/Accountability Eras. …

Using Popular Media And A Collaborative Approach To Teaching Grounded Theory Research Methods, Elizabeth G. Creamer, Michelle R. Ghoston, Tiffany Drape, Chloe Ruff, Joseph Mukuni

Education Faculty Publications

Popular movies were used in a doctoral-level qualitative research methods course as a way to help students learn about how to collect and analyze qualitative observational data in order to develop a grounded theory. The course was designed in such a way that collaboration was central to the generation of knowledge. Using media depictions had the practical advantage of enabling the group to create fieldnotes from a common set of data collected simultaneously in a short period of time. Fictional representations in popular media can provide the basis to learn about both the methods and foundational assumptions for conducting qualitative …

Education Program Changes 10/18/12, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Lsu Research Fall 2012, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Magazine

LSU Research is published annually by the Office of Research & Economic Development, Louisiana State University.

Seasonality & The Local Food System: The Role Of Seasons In Local Food Education In New York City, Sarah Benoit

Urban Studies Masters Theses

Much of the current research on global and local food insecurity – particularly among poor urban populations – strongly suggests that the impacts of industrial agriculture and the American fast food culture has been detrimental to both urban and rural populations, and to small farmers. Food insecurity and unequal access to healthy and affordable food are critical issues in the metropolis. In response to these concerns, there has been a great deal of mobilization around the concept of local and regional food systems. Food systems analysis examines the viability, equitability, and sustainability of the life cycle of the local food …

Educational Infrastructural Development In Bangladesh: A Comparative Rural And Urban Community Context Study Of Government Primary Schools In Bangladesh, Minhajul Meje

Urban Studies Masters Theses

This research examines the physical infrastructural issues that exist in Bangladesh’s public primary schools. While, the possible solutions proposed in this study are short term, further studies are needed to evaluate and develop long-term solutions to existing issues in Bangladesh’s schools. This study aspires to show the need of further investigation which should be conducted in a large scale over an extended period of time. I hope this research sheds proper light on the need for educational development in Bangladesh and that the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education in Bangladesh take further initiatives to better the primary education system …

An Exploration Of African Folktales Among The Gullah Community Of The South Carolina Sea Islands : History, Culture, And Identity., Tytianna Nikia Maria Wells Smith 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of Black cultural space and its influence on the retention, adaptation, and transmission of African folktales during and after the antebellum era. During slavery, the survival of kinship and family helped to create an environment that existed through which African folktales were used to educate and socialize children on South Carolina Sea Islands plantations. This research conducted a literary and cultural analysis of the historical and current function of ten folktales that impart moral lessons and cultural values that encourage children in Gullah communities to appreciate their African heritage and challenge the world in which …

Walking Out: The Success Of The Edcouch-Elsa Student Walkout Of 1968 Through The Media, David Robles

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study demonstrates how the success of the Edcouch-Elsa walkout of 1968 was brought upon not only by its organization, non-violent tactics, land mark victory in federal court, and support from several of Mexican American organizations. What also aided the student movement in Edcouch-Elsa was the media attention and how it influence the Rio Grande Valley community not only to question the tactics being used towards Mexican American students in the local educational institutions, but also created public discourse over the issues of race, equality, and students’ rights. Using various academic books of the subject, newspaper clippings of the time …

Wayfaring Strangers: A Case Study Of Rural Developmental Writers In The Missouri Ozarks, Robert Andrew Griffith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes a year-long ethnographic study of rural basic writers in the Missouri Ozarks. Using Richard Hofstadter's concept of "anti-intellectualism" as a theoretical lens, I explored the attitudes of students towards writing and academic culture. This exploration was conducted by means of questionnaires, interviews, writing samples, and several experimental courses.

Using all these data-collection mechanisms, I was able to identify three characteristics of these students. They were likely to demonstrate a dualistic ("right/wrong") epistemology. Accordingly, they expected their academic reading to make matter-of-fact truth claims. Finally, students were unlikely to understand the transformative nature of any educational enterprise, hoping …

Teaching Tanzania: Education And The Creation Of Tanzania In A Cold War World, Timothy Alan Nicholson

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation used education to highlight local and global dimensions of nation building in Tanzania. It examines the process by which the late colonial and early postcolonial education officials in Tanzania experimented with and developed educational and nationalistic institutions as a means to interact with their populations and satisfy increasingly vocal demands for social services. Using oral histories as well as sources from the Tanzanian National Archive and the archives of American non-governmental organizations, this dissertation also highlights the fundamental role that non-elite actors, such as teachers, students, and low-level government officials, played in acting as intermediaries between elite politicians …

The Intersection Of Karuk Storytelling And Education, Waylon Lenk

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The Karuk Tribe is located in northwest California along the mid-stretch of the Klamath River. An understanding of Karuk dramaturgy cannot be complete without understanding traditional Karuk storytelling. And an understanding of Karuk storytelling cannot be complete without understanding its interaction with forms of education. The stories told by the Karuk people and the way in which they are told are intimately tied to the tumultuous changes that have occurred in pedagogical goals and structures over the past 160 years. To approach a better understanding of Karuk dramaturgy, this thesis shows that the intersection between storytelling and education exists in …

Navigation And Accessibility For Persons With Disabilities: An Anthropological Study Using Gis On The University Of Arkansas Campus, Deborah Jean Raiees-Dana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871 on the top of a hill overlooking the Ozark Mountains, resulting in a campus that has steep slopes and numerous historical buildings that were not designed with ADA regulations in mind. This makes getting around campus especially difficult for students with limited mobility, and no campus maps exist that include handicapped accessibility features to help navigate the terrain and limited parking options. This study examines this issue using a holistic approach that explores cultural and technological factors to produce a map of the Historic Core District of campus.

Geographical Information Systems enable …