Education Commons^™

Future World(S): A Critique Of Disney's Epcot And Creating A Futuristic Curriculum, Alan Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation inquiry, I explore the need for utopian based curriculum which was inspired by Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center. Theoretically building upon such works as utopianism (Bregman, 2017, e.g., Claeys 2011;) and Disney studies (Garlen and Sandlin, 2016; Fjellman, I q work that combines historiography and speculative essays. The work explores how schools must do the hard work of working toward building a better future (Chomsky and Foucault, 1971).

Through tracing the evolution of EPCOT as an idea for a community that would “always be in the state of becoming” to EPCOT Center as an inspirational theme park, this …

Exploring The Narratives Of Black Male Nurses In Southeast Georgia: Implications For The Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Nursing Curriculum, Celine M. Pfund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation inquiry explores the narratives of two Black male nurses in southeast Georgia. The framework for my research includes a variety of different theoretical components including works from both major nursing and curriculum studies scholars. The nursing workforce remains homogenized despite major recruiting. The intention of my research was to explore the experiences of Black male nurses to identify challenges, barriers, and systems of oppression that they may have encountered working in a profession dominated by White females in order to facilitate development of culturally responsive pedagogy in nursing. Methodologically, I mainly drew upon James Spradley’s work on …

I, Too, Am A Woman: An Emancipatory Text On The Intersections Of Race, Gender, And Sexuality, Michelle M. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry builds upon Black Feminism and Critical Race Feminist frameworks by exploring the juxtaposition between Black Women and Queer Black Women. It is also an exploration of the similarities between Queer Black Women and Black Women and how they interact with femininity and masculinity, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Claiming digital space through podcasting, it honors the power of counter narratives by employing autoethnographical story telling. It examines the multivalent ways in which critical geographies, safe spaces, and homeplaces nurture or alienate Black Women on the basis of sexual orientation, gender performance, race, and social class. Employing tenets of Black Feminist …

(Re)Learning To Question: Curriculum Studies And (Re)Thinking Science For The 21st Century, Anthony Jerome Stawiery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a science literacy which revisits the nature of science and how it has fallen away from its inquiry-based roots and has become a tool for oppression and exclusion. The epistemological roots of science begin with curiosity and questioning. Asking questions is also foundational to democratic society. A critical science literacy emphasizes the need to question and to remain curious. Such skills can be incorporated across multiple disciplines. Therefore, this dissertation proposes science literacy not as a literacy in the life or physical sciences, but as a methodology of inquiry, a skillset that nurtures curiosity and strengthens critique. …

Carving My Own Bench By The Road: Examining The Seats Of Power For Black Women Educators Through Playwriting, Dawn C. Whipple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation inquiry, I explore the seats of power held by Black women educators in secondary education public schools in Georgia. Theoretically building upon such works as Black feminist thought (Hill Collins, 2000, e.g., hooks, 1981;), womanism (Walker, 2004; Phillips, 2006), critical race theory (Bell, 1992; Delgado, 1989), and engaged pedagogy (hooks, 1994), I create a play explore the oppression experienced by Black women educators who empower themselves for the benefit of students, in some cases abdicate their power, and in a few instances use their power to oppress others (Freire, 1970). The play is crafted based upon government …

Embracing The Bounty: Countering The Curriculum Of Deficit, Diana Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Embracing the Bounty: Countering the Curriculum of Deficit (2018) addresses the restrictive nature of neoliberalism and offers alternative perspectives and possibilities for change by countering the curriculum of deficit now prevalent in the United States – a curriculum reflective of neoliberalism’s invasion of public schools and the rationality that reduces students, teachers, and schools to statistics emphasizing economic value above all else. In this dissertation, the impact of neoliberalism on public schools and its destructive effects are discussed as are alternative philosophical frameworks. Through a series of essays, I explore how a curriculum of deficit infiltrated American public schools and …

The Exertion Of A Choice: An Ecofeminist Vision ~ Aesthetic, Embodied, And Connected Learning, Sharon M. Eswine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I build upon Darwin’s (1859/1964) metaphor of the complex biological tangle of a river bank - plants, birds, insects, and earth - to paint a picture of transformative learning as aesthetic (Dewey, 1934/2005; Eisner, 1998, 2002b; Greene, 1995, 2001; Liston, 2001), and embodied (Dewey, 1958; Johnson, 2007; Shusterman, 2006), and thereby connected to the learner’s life experience, including his/her/their ecological, cultural, and historic situatedness. I call this complication of Darwin’s metaphor the ecofeminist tangled bank. For my purposes, an ecofeminist theoretical framework provides a means of analyzing oppressive conceptual frameworks that perpetuate hierarchy and domination, and which …

Finding My Voice: Surviving Childhood Sexual Abuse, Diane Lafrance

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This autobiographical study reflects experiences of surviving child sexual abuse and my journey through curriculum studies as a route to finding power through my voices. Using currere as a lead theory to frame this work, this study reveals a first-person account of sexual abuse to detail my development to empowerment and how I learned to advocate for myself and other childhood victims. Within this work, the method of currere, psychoanalytic theory, focusing, hypnosis, and healing through writing are discussed as processes for increasing self-understanding.

Liberty's Hidden History: The Dorchester Center And Citizenship Education In Southeast Georgia During The 1960s, Amy Blanton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Citizenship Education Program held at the Dorchester Center in Midway, Georgia was an adult literacy program piloted by the Highlander Folk School and eventually transferred to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The purpose of the program was to teach literacy skills to black adults so they could pass their state’s voter registration test. Believing that first class citizenship could only be achieved through the ballot, and that the ballot was the key to changes in the lives and welfare of Southern blacks, ordinary citizens traveled to Dorchester for weeklong workshops on how to teach reading and writing to others. …

Puzzled Representations: Popular Media And How Educators Come To Know Autism, Vanessa N. Keener

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People learn about the world through popular culture. Popular culture media representations of autism can be found in TV, film, literature, Internet media, advertisements, and more. This study employed a quantitative correlational design to survey 273 Georgia educators regarding their perceptions of autism, including knowledge about autism, best practices for teaching students labeled as having autism, perceived positivity and accuracy of popular media representations of autism, as well as participant identification with popular media representations of autism and personal characteristics (i.e., age, sex, level of education, type of degree, years of teaching experience, professional and personal experiences). Six major findings …

“I’M Not Good At Math”: Mathematical Illiteracy And Innummeracy In The United States, G. Wesley Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do we view mathematics the way we do in the United States and how have these views created an environment where we consider mathematical illiteracy and innumeracy socially and culturally acceptable when a lack of this knowledge and ability can function to enslave, exploit, restrict, and oppress. Throughout this investigation, I have explored some of the possible reasons for why we view education, mathematics, and the learning of mathematics the way we do and the impact of these views on our motivation and desire to learn mathematics. Using my over 20 years of teaching experience and the review of …

Cultivating Ecological Literacy And Rethinking Our Connections To Nature, Sean Fretwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I explore the complex, often contested, relationships between humankind and nature. I consider the changing state of these relationships as they are influenced by factors rooted in science, technology, and economics. I also examine these relationships as they relate to human activities with agriculture. Considering the present state of environmental crisis and the abundance of evidence indicating the deleterious activities of humankind as primary causes for the many global calamities, I argue for revising industrially-driven ideologies; particularly those driven by the economic paradigm of capitalism and self-interest. Additionally, I submit that a return to kinship with nature …

My Life Is A Manifesto: From Rich, To Poor, To Teacher, Angela M. Pieniaszek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry travels through stages of my education and life in order to explore the following three questions: How do a teacher’s values and personal experiences translate into teaching lives and teaching acts? How do teachers and students live counterstories inside and outside of the classroom? How do class, gender and place impact teaching and learning? Building on the works of critical theorists, (Apple, 2004; Ayers, 2004; Delpit, 2006; Freire, 2005; hooks, 1994; Kincheloe, 2004; Kincheloe & Pinar, 1991; Kozol, 1992; Watkins, 2001,2004), autobiographical studies (He, 2003, 2010; Miller, 2005; Pinar, 1994; Schubert & Ayers; 1990) and memoirs (Angelou, 1993; …

"We're In The Business Of A Good Education": Schooled To Profit Or Educated To Create?, Nicole Nolasco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this inquiry, I ask the questions: What could my career, my life, and the world be like in the future? How could public education be impacted by the frenzy over accountability, standards, and the belief that competition and unrestricted capitalism will reform American schools, especially for students of color and from the working and lower classes? How can I, a high school English teacher, address pressing social and educational issues to affect change? I explore these questions through a work of fiction I have created. Theoretically drawing from critical pedagogy, I use arts based research and fiction as methodology …

Teacher Empowerment Through Instructional Coaching: A Qualitative Study On The Theory And Application Of Partnership Principles, Aviva Goelman Rice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand how instructional coaching in schools affects teachers and, specifically, whether increased teacher empowerment was associated with instructional coaching based on the framework of the Partnership Principles (Knight, 2007). A goal of the research was to find out whether, and to what extent, teachers identified themselves as empowered. Using Critical Theory (Freire, 2012) as the theoretical framework for this analysis, the study also sought to develop an understanding of how teacher empowerment may develop as a result of working with instructional coaches who utilize the Partnership Principles. Six teachers in a rural district …

A Conspiracy To Resurrect Life And Social Justice In Science Curriculum With Henrietta Lacks: A Play, Dana Compton Mccullough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a theoretical inquiry into alternative pedagogies that challenge current standardized practices in the field of science education. Building upon a wide array of work, such as philosophy and history of science (Haraway, 1989, 1991,1997, 2000, 2007; Harding 1991, 1998; Latour, 1987, 1991/1993, 1991; Rheinberger, 1992, 2010; Serres, 1982/2007,1991/1997, 2010/2012), curriculum studies and science curriculum (Appelbaum, 2001, 2010; Barone, 1990, 2000; Blades, 1997, 2001; Calabrese-Barton, 2003, 2011; Cartwright, 1999; Doll, 1993; Grumet, 1999; He, 2003,2008, 2009,2013; Lather, 1997,2007,2010; Schubert, 1986, 2009; Schwab, 1978; Weaver, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015); and playwriting (Brody, 2011; Innes, 2002; and Mighton, 1987, 1988), …

The Posthuman Curriculum And The Teacher, John P. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this document is to explore education through a posthumanist lens. More specifically, elements of posthumanism will be used to better understand today’s teachers, to provide several overarching educational goals and curricular imperatives, and to inform pedagogical practice. Several posthumanist themes in particular will serve to unify this rather broad consideration of education at varying levels. One such theme is that of blurring boundaries, calling into question distinctions that have been the source of declines in the health of our bodies, our species, and the life systems of which we are constitutive parts. Distinctions too often lead to …

The Muzzled Hope: Utilizing Black Protest Thought To Examine African American Males' Identity Development And Academic Success In The Rural U.S. South, Latoya D. Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problems faced by African American males in the United States is often the result of misconstrued images and stereotypes that present this segment of the population in a distasteful manner. If one chimes in to various circuits of popular culture, glances over the latest headlines of newspapers, and/or listens to the confluent lyrics of hip hop that, eloquently, bridges life struggles with melodic hooks to expose the oppression faced by people of color, one thing becomes apparent: Social progression is dependent upon society’s ability to magnify, listen to, and incorporate the voices of marginalized groups.

With the majority of …

Becoming Opianchoctalirican: A Black Man In A Multiracial World, Michael Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry explores my journey of understanding my multiracial identity. Being multiracial by heritage, but identified and labeled Black socially and governmentally, contradicts my racial identities. Who am I? What am I? These are the questions that have plagued the back of my mind as I become multiracial, more accurately, Opianchoctalirican. I am mixed with racial heritages, partially Ethiopian, partially Native American, partially Italian, and partially Puerto Rican. I am OpianChocTaliRican.

Theoretically, I draw upon many theorists’ work on the fluidity, complexity, and dynamics of racial identities (e.g., Baldwin, 2008; Bhabha, 2004; Coates, 2015; Fanon, 2004, 2008; Gaztembide-Fernandez, 2009; Ibrahim, …

Dystopian Identities: Exhuming The World Of Zombies Through The Camera's Eye: A Documentary, Julie Kimble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to understand how engagement in zombie media culture helps its participants to navigate their everyday fears, develop identity, and form meaningful communities through this interaction. Curriculum studies enables us to see that knowledge is fluid and we often learn more from our interaction with our world outside of the expected sites of education—like schools. Media and pop culture provide a place for this knowledge to begin. Participants in zombie culture invest themselves and connect in ways that transcend entertainment and seem to become sites of transformation. Standardization and testing have become the driving force in education, creating …

The Benefit Of Field Trips, Michaela D. Kennedy

Honors College Theses

Episodic memory is commonly described as a person’s unique recall of a specific event (Joordens, 2012, p. 105). Episodic memories can be triggered from senses such as sights and smells. People have been known to have detailed episodic memories, allowing them to remember extremely specific details from witnessed or experienced episodes in their lives. If episodic memory can be so strong in helping people remember given information, it is thought that they may be able to help people retain specific information when learning about new subjects. If this is the case, it is reasonable to wonder whether or not helping …

African American Teenage Males Speak Out: The Influence Of African American Males On The Academic Achievement, Identities, And Lives Of African American Teenage Males, Otha J. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the influence of the presence of or lack for African American males on the academic achievements, identities, and lives of five African American teenage males who live in middle Georgia, a predominately White rural area. Theoretically, I draw upon the works of Derrick Bell (1987, 1992, 1999), Pedro Noguera (2003, 2008), Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic (2000, 2012), Gloria-Ladson Billings (2001, 2003, 2009, 2013) and William F. Tate (2006), Cornel West (1993, 2001, 2008), Carter G. Woodson (1933, 2010), W. E. B. DuBois (1903, 1996), and others on critical race theory and William Watkins (2005, 2006) on …

Classworks As A Means To Gaining Equity In The General Education Math Classroom: Perceptions Of Students Receiving Special Education Services, Diane Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the importance of math steadily increasing, researchers in the field of special education have made efforts to increase the performance of students with disabilities (Fuchs et al., 2008; Gersten, Jordan, & Flojo, 2005). Despite the deficits these students face, the trend has been for many years that most students with disabilities in math receive their instruction in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions that students receiving special education services have regarding the effectiveness of Classworks, a computer-assisted instructional program, in helping them gain equity in the general education math classroom. Critical …

Chaos Theory, Theology, And Curriculum: Striving Towards The Impossibility Of The Gift, Thomas B. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It was once thought that small influences could not have a large impact on a grand scale. However, in the 1960s Edward Lorenz discovered that very small disturbances in weather conditions could have a great effect on huge weather systems. With an understanding of chaos theory, which posits that everything matters, I argue that a life based on the lessons of a theology inspired by postmodernism can provide a lens through which to see and act in this chaotic world. By living by this belief, the ability to give the true gift, which is an impossibility and is always to …

Transition Competencies: Secondary Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Frequency Of Performance, Tonisha L. Johnson Ed. D.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millions of high school students are receiving special education services from teachers who may be inconsistently performing competencies during transition planning that leads to sustainable, postsecondary success. Secondary special education teachers’ frequency of performance of transition competencies during transition service delivery are essential to fulfilling their duties and responsibilities towards effectively implementing the Individualized Education Program of students with disabilities. The purpose of this descriptive study is to examine the correlation among secondary special education teachers’ perceptions of their transition competencies’ frequency of performance, during annual transition services. This study employed a quantitative methods approach involving an adapted version of …

From A Northern Home To A Southern School: Cultural Imperialists Or Just Stubborn Yankees, Janel Janiczek Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the cultural influences on the lives of northern teachers in southern schools. During the 1860s, white, northern, middle-class women traveled to southern homes to begin and maintain schools for the recently freed slaves. Each woman carried with her an independent set of cultural systems that predetermined her perspective for educating the African American students. Furthermore, the northern relief agencies, Freedmen's Bureau agents, southern white citizens, and southern freedmen all had their own opinions for the education of the students. Although much time has elapsed between the 1860s and 2013, the same topics …

"A Song For You" As Tribute To The Daughters Of The South: Illuminating The Work Of Black Women Principals, Beverly Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum can be understood as a place of both struggle and possibility, where curriculum workers engage in complicated conversations about self, society, and the purposes of education (Pinar, 2004). Although curriculum theorists have contributed much to discussions of how to improve the current state of education, little attention in the field is given to the role that leadership can play in educational transformation (Ylimaki, 2011). This study contributes to the field of curriculum studies by exploring the ethics of care of Black women public school principals in the South.

By exploring the life experiences of Black female principals from the …

Powerful Print: Identifying The Influence Of Narrative Reading Over Student's Opinion Formation, Sarah A. Lord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the ways in which reading works of fiction affects the formation of student’s opinions and attitudes by using literature circles discussions and journal writing. It uses Louise Rosenblatt’s (1938) Reader Response Theory supported by Lev Vygotsky’s (1962) writings about the social dynamics of language development. Methodologically I followed the example of literature circles set forth by Janice Almasi and Linda Gambrell (1994, 1995).

Participants were fifth grade students in a rural South Georgia elementary school who participated during the 2010-2011 school year. The students participated in small peer-led discussion groups. The students chose the books they would …

Reimagining The Liberal Arts In An Age Of Technoscientific Progress, Melanie Moore Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study will investigate the impact of dismantling liberal arts curriculum during an era of dramatic technoscientific progress. I will explore the development of the posthuman focusing specifically on the areas of virtual reality and biomedicine. As I unravel the implications that virtual reality and biomedicine will have on society in the coming decades, I will describe how a new liberal arts curriculum must be entertained by educators in order to maintain innovation, play, and ethical considerations in posthuman developments. In order for our students to become contributing members of a global community, they must be given the opportunity …

Housing Patterns, Academic Performance And School Choice: An Inquiry Into The Relocation Experiences Of African-American Families, Courtney Jones-Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explored the educational relocation experiences of AfricanAmerican families residing in predominately-White and northern Gwinnett County, Georgia, who relocated to pursue improved educational opportunities for their children. For poor families or African- American families with limited resources, school choice is determined largely by where one lives. Historical oppression at the local, state and federal level has encouraged the concentration of African-American families into segregated communities and segregated housing patterns (Massey & Denton, 1998; Rice, 2009; Squires & Kim, 1995), which are often associated with educational inequality (Royce, 2009). The historical oppression and racial injustices in society challenges us …