Education Commons^™

Let Them Be Little: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Kindergarten Teachers During An Era Of Educational Reform, Rachel Denise Whites

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences and perceptions of kindergarten teachers who taught through an era of federally mandated, standards-based educational reforms. This study was guided by two theories as each contributes to an explanation as to how educational reform has strayed far from the central purpose for kindergartens. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development sought to explain how a child constructs a mental model of the world and postulated that there are four distinct stages of human development from birth to adulthood. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory stated that children learn through play and the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Collegiate Recovery Leadership, Marni Goldberg

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Due to the marginalized status of the population they serve, collegiate recovery programs are generally underfunded and employ one staff member who typically holds other job tasks in addition to those of collegiate recovery leader. The consequence of the varied nature by which collegiate recovery programs are founded and implemented is inconsistency, which can threaten the longevity of the field. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to elicit information directly from collegiate recovery leaders to gain a deeper understanding of their lived experience, in order to determine how to best serve and support higher education students in recovery from …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Exploring The Perception Of Scholarship Requirements For Tenure And Promotion In Health Professions Programs, Harrynauth Persaud

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of scholarship requirements for faculty members teaching in Health Professions Programs (HPP) at a public institution of higher learning located in NYC. This research was guided by the self-determination theory (SDT), which examines how an individual's social interaction can influence different types of motivations. Guided by a central research question and two sub-questions, this study utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach to gain a better understanding of HPP faculty perceptions regarding the requirements for academic scholarship. Three different data collection approaches were used, including individual in-depth interviews, word association, and journal …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study: Perspectives On The Parental Engagement Strategies Of Rural African American Parents Of Middle School Students, Barbara Ragin Champagne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore and ascribe meaning to African American parents' lived experiences in the education of their middle school students in rural east-central South Carolina. Two theoretical frameworks guided this study as they related to the levels and the effect of parental self-efficacy on parental engagement: Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's revised model of parental involvement and Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The central research question for this study was "What are the perceptions and lived experiences of rural African American middle-school parents and their involvement in parental engagement activities?" Three subsequent sub-questions on parental self-efficacy, role …

Using Artificial Intelligence To Circumvent The Teacher Shortage In Special Education: A Phenomenological Investigation, Kirt Elliot Hale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study was to understand district technology leaders’ receptivity to employing artificial co-teachers, based on their lived experiences with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Facing a problematic teacher shortage in special education, the Jade County School District was not readily employing available AI technologies such as IBM’s WATSON and MIT Media Lab’s TEGA, to aide in filling the instructional voids caused by special education teacher attrition. Veblen’s theory of technological determinism provided the necessary framework for this study, which focused on how district technology leaders described their willingness or apprehension to employ autonomous machines to independently …

Implementing Pbis With Fidelity: Secondary School Staff Members’ Descriptions Of School Climate, Tory Lawrence, Billie Jean Holubz, Michael Hixon, Kelly Paynter

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a schoolwide initiative implemented in many schools to address discipline concerns and promote a positive school climate. This phenomenological study examined the school climate perceptions of 12 staff members from three secondary schools in two North Carolina school districts that implemented PBIS with fidelity. All 12 participants favorably described their school climate after PBIS had been implemented with fidelity. Additionally, study participants reported improved discipline practices, as well as improved practices for acknowledging positive student behavior. This study’s findings fill a gap in the existing body of literature, regarding the implementation of PBIS …

Measuring What They Value: Exploring The Meaning Of Student Success For Community College Students Of Mexican Origin, Destiny M. Quintero

Dissertations

accountability, Latino, Mexican, Phenomenology, Photovoice, Student success

The Underrepresentation Of Black Males In Advanced Courses, Jacquelyn Ortner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine the forces that impact Black male enrollment in advanced courses at an urban public high school in the southeast. In two rounds of one-on-one interviews and two focus group sessions, qualitative data was collected from students who were currently enrolled in advanced courses as well as from students who had been identified as gifted but were not currently enrolled in advanced courses. Data was coded inductively using constant comparative analysis. Emergent themes included problems with the marketing and incentivizing of advanced coursework; irregularities in the notification and advisement process; participants’ …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Educators' Experiences Of Well-Being At Independent Private Schools, Kristi Breault Combs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand educators’ experiences of well-being at independent private schools. The theory guiding this study was Deci and Ryan’s theory on basic psychological needs. It identifies that the basic psychological needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy are universal and underlay optimal well-being. I used a qualitative transcendental phenomenological approach to seek in-depth information from the participants about their lived experiences of well-being at independent private schools. The central research question was: How do independent private school educators describe their experiences concerning workplace well-being? Sub-questions addressed well-being related to basic psychological needs: …

Educational Silver Linings In The Cloud Of A Global Pandemic: Our Students Are Grittier Than We Think!, Linda E. Feldstein, Gary Andersen

The Advocate

This qualitative study combines two methodological frameworks in an attempt to elucidate the best of what occurred in the teaching and learning practices during the massive school closures necessitated during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U. S. Using a phenomenological viewpoint informed by the practices of appreciative inquiry, interviews were conducted with education professionals to hear stories of unanticipated benefits in education - times where things went well, new insights were gained, new teaching techniques/frameworks explored, or significant student benefits noted. Participant voices, experiences, ‘aha’ moments, insights, and thoughts form an emergent picture of what has gone well during this …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Motivational Experiences Of United States Service Members Attending College While On Active Duty, Sean L. Mulvaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the motivation of attending college through the experiences of active-duty Navy service members stationed at Naval Air Station East (NAS East). Specifically, the study sought to better understand how intrinsic and extrinsic motivators impact the behavior or actions that compel that small percentage of Navy service members to pursue a college education while balancing their military service requirements. With self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, the central research question asked, “What are the determining motivators that influence United States Navy service members to attend college while on active duty?” Data …

Exposing The Mythology Of Balance And The Ecology Of Graduate Student Mother Resilience In Covid-19, Carolyn A. Oldham Ph.D., Kelly D. Bradley Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

While the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the once marginalized conversation of academia’s gendered imbalance of opportunity, discussion of its impact on graduate student mothers has remained absent. Resilience has been cited as key to overcoming in the pandemic era with little discussion of how its conceptualization continues to marginalize females in the academy. Our phenomenological study explores graduate student mothers’ conceptualizations of balance, failure, success, and resilience using a family resilience framework which acknowledges the multiple identities to which they may avow and contexts in which they may operate. Employing an ecological conceptual framework, we engaged nine graduate student mothers …

Examining Career Decisions: Exploring The Interest Of Gifted Graduates On Working In Education, Alexandria K. Ryan

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Students who are gifted are often pulled in a variety of career directions because of their tendency to have many interests and passions. This study was designed to better understand the experience of adults who are gifted and their career choice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what career paths adults who are gifted follow, specifically whether they choose to work in the education field or not. This phenomenological study explored four main themes in an individual who is graduated from a gifted education program’s life: Gifted Program Experience, Career and Interests, Family Influence, and Social Emotional. …

The Evolving Roles Of School Librarians In Diverse Instructional Settings, Kay Wright

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

In 2020 and 2021, K-12 instructional settings diversified worldwide due to COVID-19 pandemic-response. During the 2021-2022 school year, a new instructional setting of K-12 remote-synchronous learning launched in a progressive, southeastern U.S. public school district. Substantial school district realignment occurred to serve this new setting; bypassed, however, was a dedicated school librarian position. Despite positive national impact data and the school library profession’s demonstrated ability since the mid-twentieth century to evolve, newly created positions have been funded nationally in schools to evolve with the times, often at the expense of school library positions. Role tensions may emerge between school librarians …

New Ways Of Being And Knowing: Women Ph.D. Students Exploring Embodiment Through Feminist Phenomenological Photovoice, Anna Fox Reilly

Doctoral Dissertations

Being a Ph.D. student is a privilege in many ways, and it is not easy. Mind-body dualist patterns of thought and behavior within academia ignore the embodied experiences of being a woman Ph.D. student. Mental health, sexual harassment, family planning, and social relationships are among the challenges that women are often expected to handle on their own or are ignored altogether. With 20 women Ph.D. student participants, this feminist phenomenological photovoice project answers the questions: For those who self-identify as women, what is the essence of the embodied Ph.D. experience? To what extent does the experience of being in a …

A Phenomenological Study On African American Male Conduct Officers And Their Experiences With Code-Switching In Professional Settings, Bernard Little

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African American male student conduct professionals consciously engage in code-switching in professional settings. Student conduct professionals hold significant responsibility within a college or university. The impact of their decisions creates immense pressure and results in lasting consequences for students involved. In this qualitative, phenomenological study the use of code-switching for six African American male conduct professionals is examined. Through semi-structured interviews, their diverse experiences are explored. Findings revealed that their use of code-switching is an intentional performance that they were taught and they use code-switching for professional survival. Findings also revealed that African American male conduct professionals weigh the risks …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experience Of White Students At A Mission Based University, Suzanne Kilgannon

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Diversity is an articulated value for higher education throughout the country. This research builds on existing research about how White students experience diversity and how they make meaning of their Whiteness and White privilege. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach to understand White student leaders’ experience on a campus with a mission that emphasizes diversity. Eight White senior student leaders in the Division of Student Affairs were interviewed. These students experienced the campus ethos and messaging around the institutional values and mission. They also experienced leadership and diversity training in preparation for their roles. The participants discussed how they …

Disadvantaged Students’ Experiences With Social Studies Distanced Learning: A Phenomenological Study, Supardi Supardi

The Qualitative Report

Distanced learning, for most people, is synonymous with internet-based education and high technology. High technology-based learning in distanced learning contrasts with the distributed learning experienced by children in disadvantaged areas. This topic is complex and requires attention so that no child is left behind; yet it is rarely discussed in literary works, especially the facts of distanced learning without the internet from students' point of view who directly experience the phenomenon. This study aims to explore students’ experiences in disadvantaged areas in Indonesia regarding the implementation of distanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the process of in-depth individual interviews …

An Exploration Of Self-Identity Experiences Within The Lives Of Afro-Caribbean Women Undergraduate College Students: A Feminist Phenomenological Study, Shana J. Gelin

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this feminist phenomenological dissertation was to explore the self-identity experiences of Afro-Caribbean women undergraduate college students. In doing so, self-identity experiences, ethnic marginalization, and counseling experiences were explored for six participants. Data was collected and analyzed using Simone De Beauvoir's feminist framework of self-discovery/ rediscovery where two semi-structured interviews were conducted for each participant. This study resulted in six individual profiles illuminating the voices of each participant as well as collective themes. Findings from this study show that Afro-Caribbean women undergraduate college students filter their self-identity experiences through their ethnicity; meaning that participants understand other pieces of …

Paying Attention: The Lived Experiences Of Female Adhd Graduate Students In Higher Education, Tiffany Michelle Devol

Doctoral Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rates have been increasing, and while adult learners with ADHD have maintained some success to get to college, they still underperform their non-ADHD peers despite having normal intelligence. There is some research on the impact ADHD has on adult learners as they enter college, but there is little research on how ADHD impacts graduate students seeking to continue their education. Given the fact that this population of adult learner is still struggling, it begs the question, why? And what can be done about it? The purpose of this study was to understand the essence of …

Factors For Success Of International Female Doctoral Students In Science In The United States, Maria Patricia Cantu

Theses & Dissertations

Factors for Success of International Female Doctoral Students in Science in the United States

Many international doctoral female students in the sciences in the United States do not obtain a degree despite their large investment in time, effort, and financial resources. The loss of highly prepared and credentialed international female doctoral students, who have a genuine interest in science but who choose not to pursue their studies to graduation or switch careers due to real or perceived barriers, signifies such a loss not just for the women themselves and their families but for their countries of origin, their hosts universities, …

Another Empty Seat: Educators’ Experiences With Trauma And Grief After A Student’S Death, Lori G. Berryman

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This phenomenological study utilizes narrative inquiry to analyze four teachers’ perceptions of their lives, occupations, and institutional expectations following a student’s death. Through participant interviews and personal reflections, the researcher observes the effects of a student’s death through a Contemporary Trauma Theory framework. Through this lens, trauma-narratives are a powerful tool in helping those affected by loss reframe the events and understand them in a clearer context. Participants indicated that there is an increase of concern for the parents of the deceased, feelings of guilt and regret, and retraumatization due to the lasting presence of the deceased student. Perceptions of …

"Ana Yahanu Faqat": A Phenomenological Study On The Performance Character And Life Success, Saiful Amien, Punaji Setyosari, Nurul Murtadho, Sulton Sulton

The Qualitative Report

Everyone can achieve life success if they can fulfil the prerequisites. There is no dominant factor that determines success, but the strength of character can be an essential asset that is not in doubt. This study aims to explore the Yahanu character strengths in the phenomenon of achieving life success of three santri, graduates of the same pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Indonesia. We design this research with a phenomenological approach. We collected the data through in-depth interviews, then transcribed it verbatim into a solid description, and analyzed it through descriptive-psychological phenomenological analysis procedures. The findings show that: (1) …

A Phenomenological Study On Teachers' Lived Experience With Self-Efficacy Teaching Face-To-Face Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James Scott Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe teachers’ lived experiences with self-efficacy teaching face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic in a public school district in South Georgia. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy which was used to answer the following central research question: What are teachers’ lived experience with self-efficacy teaching face-to face-instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic? Twelve teachers from two schools provided a description of their lived experiences teaching in-person instruction amid the pandemic. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, teacher journals, and a focus group. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) …

A Phenomenological Study: The Self-Efficacy Of Twice-Exceptional Students, Lisa Ann Glover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to describe the perceived self-efficacy of twice-exceptional students in a singular school district located in the southeastern United States. The theories which guided this study are Swain and French’s affirmative model of disability, Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory because students who view their disabilities in a positive sense may have greater self-determination and thus increased self-efficacy. The guiding research question for the study examined the shared perceptions of self-efficacy among twice-exceptional students. Data to examine this question were collected from 10 high school students at East Lake School …

Physicians Among Us: The Lived Experience Of Unlicensed Foreign Born And Educated Physicians Present In The Us As They Retrain For Non-Physician Primary Care Roles., Dwight Nimblett

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are as many as 65,000 unlicensed foreign born and trained doctors across the United States who are credentialed in their home countries but unable to practice in the U.S. The primary goal of this study was to describe and understand an understudied human experience: the lived experience of unlicensed foreign educated physicians who are present in the U.S. as they retrain for non-physician primary care roles.

The theoretical frameworks undergirding the study are Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (TL), also referred to as Perspective Transformation as well as the complimentary perspectives of Otherness and Liminality theories.

Seven FEPs were …

Critical-Thinking Experiences Of Chinese And U.S. College Students: A Comparative Analysis Using Phenomenology, Lu (Wendy) Yan

The Qualitative Report

In this study, I investigated the critical-thinking experiences of seven Chinese international and five U.S. students attending a large public university in the United States. I conducted a comparative analysis of these groups’ different experiences with critical thinking in this context, while closely following the twin methods of epoché and reduction in phenomenology to remain attuned to any personal biases. My results indicated that Chinese and U.S. students experienced critical thinking differently on the basis of the four universal existentials noted by van Manen (2016): lived experiences of relation (self–other), materiality (things), time, and space/place. Specifically, the Chinese students tended …

Blinded By Whiteness: Middle-Class White Teachers’ Explorations Of Identity And Deficit Discourse At The Intersection Of Race, Class, And Perceived Ability, Tracy Driehaus

Education Doctorate Dissertations

A legacy of placing children of color and poverty at the center of the “problem” of race and class in education has left us in a holding pattern marked by a prevailing deficit discourse and problematizing of students. Scholars agree that the predominantly white, middle class, female teaching force who occupy US public school classrooms embody and perpetuate these inequitable educational practices endemic within this system. In this study, a small population of White, middle class teachers--including the researcher--organized within a Professional Learning Community (PLC) explored identity and deficit discourse at the intersection of race, class, and perceived ability. Grounded …

The Underrepresentation Of Women In Building Trades Programs And Careers: Perceptions Behind The Educational And Career Decision-Making Process, Ethel J. Clayton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Women may perceive barriers when considering educational and career options in predominately male-dominated STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs and settings. This qualitative, phenomenological study, emphasizing the social cognitive career theory, explored women’s perceptions that influenced the decision-making process to pursue nontraditional educational paths and careers in career and technical education fields such as architecture and construction while considering gender-associated challenges, culture and racial-ethnicity, and career and technical education stigma. Six adult female participants (three students and three leaders) responded to semistructured questions within a focus group and one-on-one interviews via telephone conferencing. A thematic analysis process using …

Exploring Student Teacher's Lived Experiences With Supervisor Feedback, Kristin M. Rich

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Despite receiving feedback from a university supervisor, student teachers often do not show responsiveness to that feedback. This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of student teachers receiving feedback from their supervisors during a post-observation conference by using a framework of three conditions for learner improvement. The study aimed to enhance what student teachers valued, what they understood, and how they responded to their supervisors’ feedback. What they shared highlighted two significant factors influencing their responsiveness to feedback: (1) a knowledge of their learners and (2) a desire to be treated as professionals. These two factors determined whether they applied …