Education Commons^™

Things Of Beauty: Aesthetics For Environmental Education, Annie Schultz

Dissertations

As environmental crisis looms large, most agree that human reeducation is necessary in order to improve our relationship to the natural environment. Yet, there is currently no comprehensive interdisciplinary philosophy of education for environmental awareness. While there is writing in the field of philosophy of education on ecologizing education and literature which draws connections between aesthetic education and the appreciation of nature, there is little literature on the explicit ways in which aesthetic and art education can inform environmental justice initiatives. This dissertation examines aesthetic and art education’s relationship to the environment and how aesthetics can inform a moral relationship …

Things Of Beauty: Aesthetics For Environmental Education, Annie Schultz

Dissertations

As environmental crisis looms large, most agree that human reeducation is necessary in order to improve our relationship to the natural environment. Yet, there is currently no comprehensive interdisciplinary philosophy of education for environmental awareness. While there is writing in the field of philosophy of education on ecologizing education and literature which draws connections between aesthetic education and the appreciation of nature, there is little literature on the explicit ways in which aesthetic and art education can inform environmental justice initiatives. This dissertation examines aesthetic and art education’s relationship to the environment and how aesthetics can inform a moral relationship …

Testimonios De Las Atravesadas: A Borderland Existence Of Women Of Color Faculty, Katherine S. Cho, Racheal M. Banda, Erica Fernandez, Brittany Aronson

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

The temporalities of COVID-19 and resultant economic crisis, along with increased visibility of white supremacy and anti-Blackness, have exacerbated the longstanding chal-lenges Women of Color (WOC) faculty experience, particu-larly around negotiating labor and navigating the academy. Through Anzaldúa's borderlands framework, and an inter-woven methodology of testimonios and pláticas, this paper's findings illuminate how the fixed, shifting, and messy bound-aries of academic work have, especially for WOC faculty working through COVID-19, violated the limits of the personal and professional, intruded into the homes as sacred spaces, and continued and expanded demands to provide labor. Institutions have placated these fraught borders with …

A Transformative Framework To Investigate The Influences Of Chineseness On Chinese International Students’ Learning Experiences On U.S. College Campuses, Wenjin Guo

Dissertations

This study applied a mixed-methods, social-justice approach to explore how Chinese international students interpret their success and/or challenges influenced by their Chinese forms of community cultural wealth in their academic learning at a predominately White Catholic university in the Midwest of the United States for over one year. I adopted a transformative paradigm to guide my study. Since the reviewed theoretical frameworks solely failed to form a profound comprehension of how Chineseness influenced Chinese international college students, I analyzed essential components of socio-cultural and critical race theories and created China as Method as the framework to guide my study.

This …

The Emotional Side Of Dynamic Assessment: L2 Writing From Vygotsky's Perezhivanie Lens, Ali Kushki

Dissertations

This qualitative multiple-case study investigated the emotional perceptions of English-as-a-foreign language learners (EFLs) and an English writing instructor as they met online via the Zoom application. Dynamic Assessment (DA) and the Vygotskyan perezhivanie notion guided the study. DA is an interactive assessment approach that combines instruction and assessment processes during student-instructor interactions with the goal of diagnosing and developing learners’ abilities. As to the perezhivanie notion, Vygotsky (1994) argued for uncovering the particular prism through which the individual refracts (i.e., shapes) the influence of the environment, and how she “becomes aware of, interprets, and emotionally relates to a certain event” …

A Mixed Method Study Of Teachers' Appraisals Of Student Wellness Services And Supports During Covid-19, Tasha M. Childs, Elizabeth Levine Brown Phd, Naomi Brown, Aidyn L. Iachini Phd, Kate L. Phillippo, Linda Galib, Audra Parker, Ken Fujimoto Phd

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

BACKGROUNDUnderstanding teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID-19 is essential to strengthening services and improving student health outcomes. This mixed-method study aimed to examine US PK-12 teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID-19.METHODSThis study focuses on qualitative data from 291 teachers' open-ended responses to the question: “What do you wish your school leaders knew about this (wellness support) aspect of your work?” and whose responses described wellness services and supports. A qualitative content analysis was conducted by an interdisciplinary research team using open- and axial coding.RESULTSThree main themes emerged. (1) insufficient access to mental …

Creating Something Out Of Nothing: Enacting Critical Civic Engagement In Urban Classrooms, Jon Schmidt

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Critical civic engagement (CCE) is a pedagogical framework for civic education in urban settings. CCE as a pedagogical approach engages student lived experience, develops critical thinking, and facilitates informed civic action projects. In this phenomenological study of teachers in four urban high schools in a large urban school district, the author seeks to understand how teachers experience the enactment of CCE elements in schools with majority African American or Latinx student populations. The author argues that CCE practices can and should lead to the development of civic identity as a critical outcome for students in contrast to more formal measures …

Chicago Alliance For Equity In Computer Science, Steven Mcgee, Lucia Dettori, Ronald I. Greenberg, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Dale F. Reed, Don Yanek

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

CAFECS is committed to ensuring that all students in Chicago participate in engaging, relevant, and rigorous computing experiences by addressing problems of practice through research and development that increases opportunities for all students to pursue computing pathways and prepares all students for the future of work.

Developing Buy-In For Schoolwide Approaches, Hank Bohanon

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Preparing for an intervention implementation through developing buy-in can be essential for practitioners across various schoolwide approaches (link). Recently, my friend and co-author, Lisa Caputo Love gave a presentation for the 7th Annual CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Symposium about developing buy-in for UDL. While she focused on UDL in her presentation, the strategies she recommended for gaining buy-in can be used across different schoolwide interventions.

Classroom Interventions: What We Can Learn From Speeding, Hank Bohanon

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Most educators want their students to be successful. When problem behaviors arise in the classroom, unfortunately, they may revert to familiar strategies. For example, a teacher may yell at their students, or particular students, to gain control of the classroom. Sometimes teachers may return to ineffective strategies because they are not aware of what else to do. Or they might think that being “positive” is somehow “babying” their students. Yet, these teachers feel frustrated when they see their students struggling to be successful. Just like aspirin will not cure every headache, no one intervention can solve every issue. However, some …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Supports: A Framework For Improving Schools, Hank Bohanon

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Higher Education Scholars Challenging Deficit Thinking: An Analysis Of Research Informed By Community Cultural Wealth, Hannah L. Reyes, Antonio Duran

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

As postsecondary scholars continue to challenge deficit-based thinking that harms Students of Color and other minoritized populations, researchers have called for an increased understanding of how they mobilize anti-deficit thought in scholarship and practice. As one example of a theory that pushes against deficit perspectives, Yosso’s community cultural wealth (CCW) framework has risen in popularity. To better comprehend how scholars apply CCW in higher education literature, this content analysis investigated research that examined, broadened, and operationalized the CCW framework. In particular, we analyzed 85 peer-reviewed journal articles. Findings revealed which forms of capital were most prevalent in studies, to whom …

Book Review -The Struggles Of Identity, Education, And Agency In The Lives Of Undocumented Students: The Burden Of Hyperdocumentation, Arli Mohamed

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This review explores the chapters in The struggles of identity, education, and agency in the lives of undocumented students: The burden of hyperdocumentation. The review examines the content of the book by defining key terms, such as hyperdocumentation, and provides a short synopsis of each chapter to garner the interest of readers. It also examines the nature of undocumented Latinx students in the United States as discussed by the author through her application of appropriate critical social theories to evaluate the experiences of undocumented Latinx students. While describing each chapter’s content, this review also critiques some elements of the …

Building A Functional Cardiograph Over Four Semesters, Part 3: Estimating Heart Rate And Respiration Rate In The Time And Frequency Domains Using Matlab, Gail Baura, Francisca Fils-Aime, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen, Leanne Kallemeyn

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

At Loyola University Chicago (LUC), all engineering courses are taught using a mandatory minimal lecture style, where the majority of course meeting time is devoted to group activities. Each activity may take place during that course meeting only, over the entire semester, or over multiple semesters. Curricular contextual threads take place over multiple semesters. One such contextual thread is the cardiograph project, whereby students build a functional cardiograph that estimates heart rate (HR) and respiration rate (RR) over four semesters (first, third, fifth, and sixth semesters). In Part III, students acquire their own electrocardiogram (ECG) using a custom motherboard, with …

Beyond Language And Academics: Investigating Teachers’ Preparation To Promote The Social-Emotional Well-Being Of Emergent Bilingual Learners, Amy J. Heineke, Elizabeth Vera

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

In recent years, institutions have responded to changing school populations by preparing teachers for the growing number of emergent bilingual learners (EBLs). But this preparation largely focuses on supporting students’ academic learning and language development, despite enhanced attention to social-emotional well-being in wider educational circles. This comparative case study seeks to understand whether and how teachers are prepared to facilitate this integral component of student learning in five schools with linguistically diverse populations and varied program models to serve EBLs. We first probe how teachers draw from various facets of their preparation to support EBLs’ social-emotional well-being, including teacher education, …

Investigating Which Elements Of Ecs Teaching Motivate Subsequent Computer Science Course Taking, Steven Mcgee, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Lucia Dettori, Ronald I. Greenberg, John Wachen, Mark Johnson

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A key strategy for broadening computer science participation in a large urban school district has been the enactment of a high school computer science graduation requirement. The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and professional development program serves as a core foundation for supporting the enactment of this policy. ECS seeks to foster broadening participation in computer science through activities designed to engage students in computer science inquiry connected to meaningful problems. Prior research has shown that student motivation is an important mediating factor for the impact of ECS on broadening participation in future CS coursework. The current study was undertaken …

The Role Of School Improvement Planning In The Implementation Of Mtss In Secondary Schools, Hank Bohanon, Meng-Jia Wu, Ali Kushki, Cheyne Levesseur, Anna Harms, Elizabeth Vera, Jenna Carlson-Sanei, David Shriberg

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

As a result of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools and districts are encouraged to implement school-wide initiatives to improve outcomes for all students. In accordance with the ESSA, this research study investigated the relationship between school improvement planning and the implementation of school-wide interventions. The study examined survey and extant data from five high schools in a Midwestern state to analyze academic and behavior-related school-wide efforts and their relationship to school improvement. The data showed a statistically significant relationship between school improvement planning and the state’s school improvement report card of student performance (Kendall Rank-Order Coefficient, p = …

Research-Practice Partnership Strategies To Conduct And Use Research To Inform Practice, Erin Henrick, Steven Mcgee, Lucia Dettori, Troy Williams, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Don Yanek, Ronald I. Greenberg, Dale Reed

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Given the complex challenges inherent in improving the quality of education, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) aim to bring together research and practice educators to conduct and use research to improve outcomes for students. This collaborative approach is challenging, and often requires members to adopt new ways of working (Coburn, Penuel, & Geil, 2013). RPPs have the potential to provide an infrastructure and mechanisms to integrate and unify research, policy, and practice, in contrast to traditional research processes in which research, policy, and practice can be in tension (Desimone, Wolford, Hill, 2016). The RPP literature is still young, and rich descriptions related …

Ethical And Equitable Psychological Assessment Of Black Youth In Chicago Public Schools: A Coaching Model For Cps School Psychologists, Haley Biddanda

School of Education Capstone Projects

This capstone seeks to examine multiple factors that affect Black youth in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) during the psychological evaluation process, and subsequently develops a coaching model for CPS school psychologists to provide more ethical and equitable psychological evaluations for Black youth. An analysis of the system of CPS finds that Black students are more likely to receive special education services and be placed within restrictive settings in special education than their white peers. Despite this, CPS school psychologists receive no training specific to evaluating or working with Black youth. A review of the literature reveals that there are multiple …

Quality Of Research Evidence In Education: How Do We Know?, Terri D. Pigott, Charles Tocci, Ann Marie Ryan, Aaron Galliher

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

The persistence of inequitable education is the fundamental fact facing education researchers as we reflect on the quality and value of the evidence we produce (American Educational Research Association & National Academy of Education, 2020; Educational Opportunity Monitoring Project, 2020). As a field, we must critically examine what it means for us to develop increasingly sophisticated research tools and research design models while disparate outcomes along familiar lines of race and class continue apace. This issue’s importance has been laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global protests for racial justice in the wake of George …

From The Outside Looking In: Black Gay, Bisexual, And Queer Men Experiences In Men Of Color And Black Male Initiative Mentorship Programs In Higher Education, Quortne Reginald Hutchings

Dissertations

Men of color (MoC) and Black male initiative (BMI) mentorship programs create a complicated experience for men who identify as gay, bisexual, and queer. The purpose of this phenomenology and arts-based research study unearths the experiences of Black gay, bisexual, and queer men (BGBQM) within these programmatic contexts. This study sought to explore the essence of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality utilizing interviews, podcast-style focus groups, and individual art projects. Findings unearthed a complex reality, Blackness preferred, queerness deferred, to exist in the intersections of their myriad identities. Consequently, these men experience a Masc-ing Phenomenon that limits how they …

Clarifying Coaching: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of A Math Content-Focused Model And Its Impact On Teachers' Practice, Content Knowledge, And Dispositions, Lauren A. Solarski

Dissertations

Coaching is increasingly becoming required or recommended as a form of teacher professional development, but the education field has only begun to define the practice and understand its features, especially in regard to its potential to improve math teaching in early childhood contexts. Using mixed methods and a Whole Teacher Approach theoretical framework, this study examined a math content-focused coaching model and its impact on teachers' math content knowledge, teaching practice, and dispositions including attitudes, beliefs, and confidence. Participants included 141 lead and assistant teachers and 5 coaches working in 27 Head Start centers in Chicago. Teachers at centers randomly …

Equity In Secondary Schools: Building A Strong Sense Of Belonging For Students Of Color As A Foundation For Academic Success, Joaquin Stephenson

Dissertations

The problem of practice I am investigating are students who identify as Black and Latinx who are experiencing a statistically significant low sense of belonging at Riverview High School in comparison to their White and Asian counterparts, based on survey data for the past two years. Research has shown that students’ sense of belonging stem from four major factors (1) friendship nominations, (2) time on extracurricular activities, (3) bonding with teacher, and (4) perceived discrimination. By focusing on targeted programming, this study aims to determine the two solutions that can target low sense of belonging for Black and Latinx students. …

Emancipatory And Controlling: Examining The Negotiation Of Masculinity-Centered Practices By Women's And Gender Equity Center Practitioners, Ashley M. Brown

Dissertations

Initiatives to understand and transform masculinity have increasingly emerged in higher education, calling attention to the consequences of dominant, masculine gender expectations that permeate throughout college campuses. These masculinity-centered practices in higher education encompass formalized, departmental initiatives for students, faculty, and/or staff that examine topics related to masculinity through educational workshops, speaker events, professional development sessions, dialogue spaces, and other efforts. While it is often assumed that these practices support the advancement of gender equity, scholars have theorized the ways in which this work can also lead to depoliticized efforts that may, in fact, reify patriarchal and other systems of …

Exploring School Psychologists' Perceived Preparedness, Self-Efficacy, And Motivations For Practice In Urban Schools, Kiley Callahan

Dissertations

The fundamental goal of school psychological service delivery is to enhance the learning and mental health of all students, regardless of their school setting. However, there is evidence to suggest that school psychologists' professional needs and experiences may differ based on the context in which they work. The urban school context, in particular, is associated with several challenges that may impact school psychology practice, including the impact of systemic barriers, systematic marginalization of children and families, and limited resources. To better prepare school psychologists to support urban learners, efforts to understand their training needs must be prioritized. Still, the views …

(Re)Imagining Community-Engaged Curriculum And Pedagogy: Shifting Subjectivities And Power/Knowledge Among Faculty/Doctoral Students, Anne Catherine Kelly

Dissertations

This dissertation explores new possibilities for researching and representing community-engaged curriculum and pedagogical practices among faculty and their doctoral students. Community-engagement is (re)imagined within nonfiction-fiction writing to provide a line of inquiry that integrates data and theory (Jackson & Mazzei, 2017). I probe, question, and disrupt stable notions of engaged teaching-learning and research. Foucauldian concept of power/knowledge is used to interrogate faculty/doctoral students’ shifting subjectivities and discursive construction of community-engagement. Post qualitative inquiry provides a methodological lens to (re)consider new ways of framing community-engagement and acknowledges the crisis of representing research as it is always partial and incomplete. Through the …

"Stop Giving Up On Us": The Experiences Of First-Generation Latinx Students In Their College Choice Process, Lillianna Shantey Franco Carrera

Dissertations

To improve college access for racially minoritized populations, such as first-generation Latinx students, current practices must be assessed to ensure equitability. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to learn about the experiences of first-generation Latinx students who chose to attend one of two institutions, a private 4-year institution and a private 2-year institution. I collected their reflections on their high school college choice process via interviews to understand their personal experiences and why they led them to the institution they chose. I also considered the support their high school counselors offered them in their college choice process. This study …

Elementary Principals' And Teachers' Educational Beliefs And Practices In Inclusive Schools, Dawn Hill

Dissertations

This qualitative study will explore the educational beliefs and practices of elementary principals and teachers in inclusive schools. Nine elementary schools in a unit district are the focus of this study given the significant gains made in closing the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. The research questions in this study are as follows: (1) How are principals’ LRE beliefs and practices related to student achievement? (2) How are teachers’ LRE beliefs and practices related to student achievement? The elementary schools included in this study not only narrowed the achievement gap between students with IEPs and …

Pediatric Mental Health Hospitalizations And The Return To School: School-Based Provider Perspectives On Commmunication, Collaboration, And Systematic Practices, Lauren Elizabeth Carr

Dissertations

The provision of pediatric mental health services has changed greatly over the last several decades with more children and adolescents requiring intensive mental health treatment. Despite this increase, systemic barriers continue to prevent youth from receiving appropriate treatment following psychiatric hospitalization. An important aspect of this treatment process includes a child’s return to school, one of the most common environments for a child or adolescent outside of their home. For many children, the hospital-to-school transition team may include regular and special education teachers, school psychologists, social workers or therapists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, case managers, and nurses. Because of this, it …

Moving Beyond Recruitment And Hiring: Including And Actualizing The Voices Of Teachers Of Color In A Suburban School District, Jennifer Ann Rowe

Dissertations

Loyola University Chicago MOVING BEYOND RECRUITMENT AND HIRING: INCLUDING AND ACTUALIZING THE VOICES OF TEACHERS OF COLOR IN A SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT This capstone identifies, as a problem of educational practice in American secondary schools, the failure of our school systems to equally value and validate Black and brown educators as compared with their white counterparts, consequently preventing the cultivation of an environment that would encourage these educators to flourish in the profession rather than presenting barriers to their success. Calling upon the prevailing research, Ms. Rowe evaluates approaches that school districts can take to overcome these roadblocks and foster …