Education Commons^™

Understanding The In-School Literacies Of African American Males Through A Sociocultural Paradigm: Implications For Teacher Professional Development, Aaron M. Johnson

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

UNDERSTANDING THE IN-SCHOOL LITERACIES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES THROUGH A SOCIOCULTURAL PARADIGM: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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AARON M. JOHNSON

May 2016

Advisor: Dr. Gina DeBlase

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

There has been great debate about the reasons why African American male students reject the institution of school and school related content. Furthermore, data from multiple sources, including, national and local assessments and governmental studies, document a gap in achievement and school retention rates between African American students and their White counterparts. The data substantiates the notions that African American males have an aversion …

Ecological Awareness: Enacting An Ecological Composition Curriculum To Encourage Student Knowledge Transfer, Nicole Guinot Varty

Wayne State University Dissertations

In 2012, Kathleen Blake Yancey, Karen Taczak and Liane Robertson published a book entitled Writing Across Contexts: Transfer, Composition and Sites of Writing, in which they advocate for explicit instruction to help students transfer the writing expertise they gain in college composition courses to other writing contexts. That same year, the online journal Composition Forum put out a special issue dedicated to knowledge transfer. Since then, the call to investigate, and indeed teach for, knowledge transfer in the field of writing studies has been echoing around the discipline. In responding to this call, this dissertation project applies an ecological model …

Critical Literacy: An Innovative Approach To Learning Among Students With Reading Disabilities, Karyn Marie Chiapella

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CRITICAL LITERACY: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO LEARNING AMONG STUDENTS WITH READING DISABILITIES

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KARYN M. CHIAPELLA

DECEMBER 2015

Co-Advisors: Dr. Marshall Zumberg; Dr. Gerald Oglan

Major: Special Education

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Many students, particularly those with learning disabilities do not read and/ or write at levels sufficient for meeting the demands of the 21st century. Successfully reading to learn requires the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information from multiple texts. Critical literacy provides a framework for students to engage in dialogue with texts to become more aware of the relationships of power communicated within texts. This study …

Impact Of Self-Selected Versus Prescribed Level Reading On Arabic Speaking Ell Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Manal M. Assi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

IMPACT OF SELF-SELECTED VERSUS PRESCRIBED LEVEL READING ON ARABIC SPEAKING ELL STUDENTS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

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MANAL M. ASSI

May 2016

Advisor: Dr. Sandra Gonzales

Major: Curriculum and Instruction; English as a Second Language

Degree: Doctor of Education

This study uses the Accelerated Reader collection to find which reading model, reading within the Lexile range versus having the choice to read outside the Lexile range, will positively impact Arabic speaking eighth grade ELL students and improve their attitude towards reading. The study was conducted in a Title III charter school in the metro-Detroit area. Participants included six female …

Self-Directed Learning And The Development Of Self-Efficacy In Basic Writing, Amy Ann Latawiec

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation examines and analyzes the work of two sections of basic writing over the course of one semester. I explore relevant research in Writing Studies, Cognitive Psychology, and Educational Psychology to build a framework within which to discuss pedagogical strategies implemented to support student’s self-directed learning behaviors and to positively affect their efficacy beliefs. Through an analysis of students’ written work, I determined whether and how this pedagogy facilitated students’ articulation of efficacy beliefs as evidence through the language of their reflective writing assignments. Analysis of the data suggests three major arguments: first, that while self-efficacy is a complex …

Developing University Students’ Argumentative Discourse: An Ill-Structured Issue Pertaining To Black African Immigrants And African Americans, Olubusayo Olojo-Adeoye

Wayne State University Dissertations

The overarching goal of this three-article five-chapter dissertation was to develop university students’ argument-counterargument integration abilities in persuasive essay writing on an ill-structured issue pertaining to black African immigrants and African Americans. Article One consisted of using phenomenography as a research approach to identify the qualitatively different ways university students perceive black African immigrants and African Americans. The university participants had 24 perceptions in which 10 pertained to black African immigrants and 14 to African Americans. The perceptions were grouped into six descriptive categories. The variations in perceptions were then used as statements for argumentation. The study implies that university …

Leading African American Boys Towards Critical Literacy, Stiles Xavier Simmons

Wayne State University Dissertations

Historically, African American boys have underperformed their Caucasian, Hispanic, and female counterparts in the area of reading. Key indicators reveal that the reading achievement gap between African American boys and their counterparts persists despite efforts to ameliorate the problem. Some researchers and school reformers point to the instructional practices and testing mandates as part of the reason as to why boys, and African American boys, in particular, are underperforming in reading. Critical literacy and literature discussion groups are presented as two processes that might improve African American boys reading achievement. This study investigated the impact of critical literacy practices within …

Acculturation And Multiculturalism Of Students In Secondary Level Education Programs, Rachelle Warren

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Even with the rapid changes that individuals are currently experiencing in the U.S. as a result of its fluctuating economy, increased immigration, and evolutionary technological advances, there is not a curriculum or course requirement that exists for Michigan students in secondary level education programs which specifically addresses the issue of acculturation and multiculturalism. This situation is a present reality. Whether planned or unceremoniously imposed, adjusting to a new way of life can be challenging for many people, and establishing a venue for learning the skills to successfully accomplish this task is imperative. If there is a demonstrated need for …