Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

The Role Of White Racial Identity Development In Leadership Practices: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study In White Educational Leaders, Kaitlyn Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how white educational leaders experience and make meaning of their racial identity development as they lead adult professional learning focused on racial equity and culturally responsive practice. Grounded in Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) model and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study explored the lived experiences of ten white leaders across PK–12 and Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Data were collected through three semi‑structured interviews per participant and analyzed using IPA’s six‑step process. Five major themes emerged: transformational experiences that shifted leaders’ understanding of race and privilege; the critical role of white affinity …

Finding Black Joy: Understanding How Black Students Are Seen, Affirmed, And Nourished In Expanded Learning Opportunities., Jamila Mosley

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Black students experience Black joy within expanded learning opportunity (ELO) programs and how those programs are structured to nurture that joy. It is guided by the central research question: How do Black students describe the ways in which an expanded learning opportunity program fosters their joy through experiences of being seen, affirmed, and nourished? Using an instrumental case study design at two secondary schools, the study draws on semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations of students participating in robotics, debate, Sister Circle, cheer, basketball, and creative writing. Data were analyzed through multiple cycles of coding, first …

Exploring Pragmatic Functions And Linguistic Features Analysis For Some Terms Of Endearment In Egyptian Colloquial Arabic As Discourse Markers, Samar Abdeltawab

Theses and Dissertations

In Arabic and many languages, terms of endearment are used as discourse markers to express affection. However, their meanings differ depending on the pragmatic context in which they are said.

Despite the abundance of research on terms of endearment in various languages, there is a noticeable lack of studies examining the pragmatic functions and linguistic features of these terms in Arabic. This research aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive exploration of the pragmatic functions and investigating the syntactic and morphological characteristics of selected terms of endearment in Egyptian colloquial Arabic. It offers a detailed analysis of their …

Exploring The Stem Career Identity Development Of Black Women Across Their Lifespan, Veronica Hurd

Theses and Dissertations

Although STEM is the fastest-growing career sector, Black women are grossly underrepresented as they account for 2.5% of the workforce. Research highlights that this underrepresentation is due to racialized structures in K-12, postsecondary, and career settings that restrict Black girls’ and women’s STEM opportunities. While macrosystems such as hegemonic ideologies, attitudes, and social conditions shape Black girls’ and women’s opportunities in STEM, they continue to persist and achieve their career goals. To explore these barriers and Black women’s persistence in this industry, this study draws from the autobiographical memories of 10 Black women in the field or formerly in the …

Women Of Color In K-12 Educational Leadership Pursuing Higher-Level District Advancement In Public Education, Telicia R. Leonard

Theses and Dissertations

This paper focuses on the inequities in leadership along with gender and racial intersections that may contribute to barriers for Women of Color who have already acquired mid-level leadership positions and are seeking opportunities to acquire positions deemed as senior district-level positions. This qualitative case study was explored through the lens of feminist poststructuralist and equity theories. The objective was to research the participants and ascertain participant perspectives on the role that race, and gender constructs have played in their ability to attain their current positions and how any barriers encountered impact their attempts at new levels of career advancement …

Amplifying Student Voices: A Case Study On The Writing Workshop In A 10th Grade English Classroom, Erin S. Drulis

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores how a white, second-year 10th-grade English teacher implemented a culturally affirming version of The Writing Workshop in a private high school serving primarily Black and Latine students from working class families. Through a yearlong collaborative coaching partnership between the researcher and teacher, this study examined how writing instruction might elevate student voice in writing instruction. Grounded in a pragmatic interpretivist epistemology and supported by five intersecting theoretical lenses—democratic education (Dewey), sociocultural constructivism (Vygotsky), culturally affirming pedagogy (Ladson-Billings), critical pedagogy (Freire), and radical love (hooks)—this case study investigated how students used writing as a means of …

Harmony Or Discord? A Study On The Alignment Between National Objectives And Reformed Social Studies Textbooks In Egypt, Lina Yehia

Theses and Dissertations

Education systems, in many parts of the world, have served as a channel for communicating national goals to students, and Egypt has not been an exception. This study examines how public textbooks effectively align with equipping future generations of Egyptians to fulfill the nation’s development policy goals set for 2030. Utilizing a qualitative research design, this study employed textbook and document analyses of the published national policy goals of the current administration, along with the most recently reformed social studies textbooks of Grades 4, 5, and 6, a product of EDU 2.0. Based on an analysis of national documents, the …

Why Take Ap? Access To High School Advanced Placement Courses Long-Term Impact On Career/Workplace Opportunities, Gina Marie Frasca

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to understand the long-term impact of providing access and equity to highly rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) coursework to underserved and/or underrepresented high school students, and its long-term impacts on career. Using a qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences and opportunities of 6 graduates from a rural public high school in New Jersey with open access to AP courses who are now in a career/workplace environment. All six graduates took at least one AP course while in high school, graduated between 2010 and 2016, and had two or more potential barriers to opportunity while attending high school …

Black Women Social Studies Teacher Education Professors’ Curriculum Decolonization Experiences At Pwis: A Narrative Inquiry Study, Jametta Clarke

Theses and Dissertations

Social studies education at predominantly White institutions in the United States centered Whiteness and Eurocentric knowledge production. In response, Black women teacher education professors employed decolonization strategies to illuminate marginalized voices. This narrative inquiry study explored Black women social studies education professors’ curriculum decolonization experiences at PWIs to understand the unique and vital place Black women teacher education professors held in decolonizing the social studies teacher education curriculum, approaches employed during the process, and ways in which they coped with decolonial resistance. Participant interviews, artifacts, and field texts were collected and analyzed to understand Black women faculty’s decolonization experiences and …

Teacher Beliefs And Experiences Addressing Healthy Racial And Ethnic Identity Instructionally Through Social Emotional Learning, Juliana Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

Children and youth develop within an ecological context that includes family, peers, and broader social environments including school. Children’s understanding of their ethnic or racial group and the meaning they attribute to belonging in that group is also shaped by interactions in their school environment. Most research on school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs has focused on student behavioral and academic outcomes. However, as SEL spreads across U.S. K-12 schools, questions have emerged surrounding how children from diverse racial and cultural groups and unequal opportunity can benefit from universal SEL programs. Using a mixed-methods design, this study explores teachers’ understanding and …

A Critical Perspective On Supporting Parents In Facilitating Informal Steam Learning On Children's Early Literacy Development, Suzanne G. Alexandre

Theses and Dissertations

Considering that parents/caregivers and home environment play an influential role in a child’s school readiness and future academic success, this study sought to support parents in using facilitation strategies to engage their child in informal learning at home. In order to examine if access to support for parents of preschoolers influenced parents’ confidence in their ability to facilitate informal learning at home, the project used informal STEAM learning, for context. The study also examines the potential impact of informal STEAM learning on children's school readiness and early literacy skills and the intersections of parent involvement, STEAM, and school readiness through …

Using Asset-Based Community Development To Increase Student Engagement And Improve Student Experience In Schools, Jacqueline Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

The following is a dissertation in the three-paper dissertation format. The first section will give background information on the issue of alienation in schools and how asset-based community development (ABCD) could be an effective tool for educators to combat alienation and disengagement, especially with students with marginalized identities. This first section will also show the significance of the three papers as a whole and how they connect to one another. The first paper is the conceptual literature review, the second paper is an empirical study of the ABCD model in schools, and the dissertation will end with a practitioner's article …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Food Literacy In International Schools In Egypt, Amy Pugsley

Theses and Dissertations

Food literacy is an essential part of good physical and psychological health, however, food literacy is not a mandatory part of K-12 education in all schools. Many factors can influence food literacy levels including familial culture, socioeconomic status, and education levels. This research seeks to examine perceptions of food literacy in high school students and educators at two private American international schools located in Cairo, Egypt. Through the use of observations and interviews, the researcher used a qualitative approach to understand the self-perceptions of food literacy in students studying the American curriculum. The study revealed that students from high-socio-economic backgrounds …

Investigating How Generation 1.5 Students Notice And Understand Direct Written Corrective Feedback (Wcf), Melissa Bustamante

Theses and Dissertations

The following research focuses on an underrepresented and understudied population in academia, Generation 1.5. Generation 1.5 encompasses a group of individuals who neither fit the categories of first-generation nor second-generation students and often feel caught between two cultures, the American culture and their family’s native culture (Serventy and Allen 1; Goldschmidt and Miller 11). These individuals are neither fully proficient in their L1 or L2 and consequently, share characteristics of L1 and traditional L2 writers (Singhal 2; Ferris 311). This research study examines how university Generation 1.5 students notice and understand direct Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) on treatable and untreatable …

Perceptions Of The Culinary Art Community On Their Higher Education Programs In Egypt: The Way Forward, Kadria Ali Abdel Motaal

Theses and Dissertations

Culinary art education used to have a narrow focus that forgoes its richness and ignores its infiltration into economic, political, and cultural aspects within society. Recently the world witnessed an evolution in this field of study as it reached tertiary education institutions. However, in Egypt, culinary art studies are integrated into hospitality education and are still confined to a shallow concept. This study aimed to explore the perception of the culinary art community in Egypt on their higher education programs from a sociocultural perspective. It also explored the possible new frameworks, and core competencies to improve culinary arts higher education …

A Qualitative Case Study On Perceived Readiness For The Diffusion Of Blended Learning In Tvet Institutions In Jamaica, Roxanne M. Hinds

Theses and Dissertations

Blended learning is seen as a promising innovative instructional approach for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to reduce costs, increase flexibility, and reach marginalized learners in developing countries. However, lack of understanding about how key stakeholders who are expected to adopt and implement the innovation perceive readiness for the innovation can make it difficult for institutions to maximize its benefits. This qualitative case study sought to understand the perceptions of students, instructors, and administrators about the readiness of the key stakeholder groups, institutions, and the organization for blended learning and the role of readiness in the diffusion process. …

Seeing Themselves: White Preservice Teachers As Raced Individuals And As Members Of Their Future School Communities, Laurie Koth

Theses and Dissertations

Students of color, of poverty, with disabilities continue to slide into the school to prison pipeline (STPP.) Very often, an antecedent step is harsh exclusionary discipline that removes them from the classroom. Teachers, who play a major role in the decision whether to keep students in or eject them from the classroom and the school, are among multiple forces driving students toward or away from the STPP. A salient feature of the issue is that nearly 80% of teachers are white and their most vulnerable students are not. Rooted in critical race and care theories, and buttressed by self determination …

The ‘Ezel Project’ Inquiry: Mesotransformative Praxis To Decenter Whiteness In Racialized Organizations And Schools, Justin Gerald

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a Black scholar in the midst of understanding his neurodivergence and his identity as someone who has been dis/abled reacts to the prodding of white peers by creating a course on decentering whiteness. The scholar then interviews ten of the participants in said class to understand how they came to select such a course and what they might have accomplished in attempting to challenge the structure of whiteness in their institutions. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Studies, Dis/Crit, and in particular the work of Victor Ray, this work seeks to examine the narratives that brought …

Critical Conversations In A Second-Grade Classroom Using Diverse Literature, Joanne Susan Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the effects of reading diverse texts during SEL morning meeting time and observe how 2nd grade students engage in conversations. Diverse texts were selected related to themes of identity, race, poverty, gender, sexual identity, and gender identity. Data collected included student conversations and journals. After analyzing the data collected, it was found that the inclusion of diverse texts during SEL morning meetings yielded positive results. Students engaged in more personal conversations when they could connect to the text and speak freely, students spoke more when they had control of the conversations, …

An Examination Of High School Students' Experiences As Anti-Defamation League Peer Trainers: A Case Study, David G. Knecht

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine students experiences as Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Peer Trainers at a predominately White, suburban high school in New Jersey, including in what ways students' experiences reflected transformative learning and empowered them as social justice allies. In addition, the study explored in what ways students' experiences could inform social justice education at their high school. The findings indicate that within this context, many participants experienced at least the beginning of perspective transformation, resulting in a shift from an exclusive to an inclusive perspective and an orientation toward social justice. Further, the findings …

Meet And Run, Gia M. Binner

Theses and Dissertations

A defense for Gia Binner’s MFA Thesis, Meet and Run, argues that accessible art, known in this paper as commercial dance, is a meaningful vehicle for social change and that it has the ability to dismantle the outdated, European concert dance dominance by modeling the interdependency of both worlds.

Narrowing The Digital Divide: Instructional Practices Promoting Growth Mindset To Address Students’ Digital Literacy Needs In A Secondary School Learning Environment, Alyssa A. Krisanda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was: (1) to explore the ways in which high school teachers use instructional practices that promote a growth mindset among their students, (2) how those practices are used to improve digital literacy, and (3) how these practices evolved during the transition from face-to-face instruction to remote instruction. This study aimed to explore not only how teachers are using instructional strategies to promote growth mindset, but how those strategies are helping to address students‘ digital literacy needs with the intent to narrow the digital divide. For this study, the case-selection variant of …

Secondary English Teachers’ Experiences Of Agency: Connections To Shifting Educational Contexts During Covid-19, Kristina Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused schools around the world to enter uncharted territory. Due to the unprecedented nature of the educational crisis, it was important to examine how teacher agency may have been affected. Teacher agency can have important implications for school climate, policy, and the experience of stakeholders. The main focus of this study was to cultivate an understanding of secondary English teachers’ perceptions of agency as they navigated teaching throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. An ecological framework was used to examine teachers’ experiences of agency in the context of COVID-19. The study utilized a basic qualitative design with in-depth interviews …

Effects Of Simultaneously Integrating Sel And Culturally Responsive Pedagogy On Students' Perceptions About Themselves And Their Abilities, Daniele J. Jacob

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand what happens to students' perceptions about themselves and their abilities when social and emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) are simultaneously integrated into an elementary gifted and talented classroom setting. Prior to this research, a structured approach to addressing students' social and emotional learning needs did not exist. Additionally, culturally responsive practices were not being used purposefully or with intent. This left the researcher to wonder how the lack of these practices may be negatively impacting students. How SEL and CRP can positively affect students' perceptions about themselves …

Embracing The Kaleidoscope: Four Teachers' Journeys Towards Sociopolitical Development, Daniel Tulino

Theses and Dissertations

Taliaferro Baszile (2017) tells us, "Education can be revolutionary work." To that end, if education historically has been a means for "inculcating" students into a hegemonic code of beliefs and values (Gramsci, 1971), it is the educator's duty to concern themselves with developing a critical consciousness (Freire, 1970/1996; Freire, 1973/1998) in order to transform the world through acts of social justice. The focus of this research project was to uncover, from the perspectives of four teachers, how they came to understand their own critical consciousness and sociopolitical development at a middle school in southern New Jersey. By uncovering the ways …

Stigmatizing Labels, School Bonds, And Capital In The School Reentry Experiences And Educational Outcomes Of Justice-Involved Youth, Peter S. Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that justice-involved youth who reenter public and alternative schools following contact with the juvenile justice system struggle to find a place in the school community and complete their educations. Because educational attainment affects recidivism rates, successful school reentry for justice-involved youth presents important research questions for policy and practice. This study examined school reentry through cases studies of adults who had been justice-involved youth and had experienced school reentry following contact with the juvenile justice system. Study participants’ school reentry experiences were examined through a theoretical framework comprised of labeling, social control, and field theories. Findings suggest that …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports And Its Influence On Effective Implementation, Tiffany J. Baskin-Downs

Theses and Dissertations

The use of a multi-tiered system of supports framework has been of growing interest in addressing issues related to disruptive behaviors and school suspensions. The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential, explanatory study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions (behavioral expectations defined, behavioral expectations taught, and an ongoing system for rewarding behavioral expectations) of their efforts toward implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports with fidelity in two middle schools within an urban school district located in Georgia. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, homogeneity of variance Levene’s test, t-tests, factorial analysis, a one-way analysis of variance, post-hoc tests, frequencies and …

"It Goes Both Ways" : How White Teachers View And Respond To Culture In The Diverse Classroom, Danielle Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how white teachers in a diverse school district view, respond to, and bridge cultural differences in the classroom. A pre-question, survey, audio recorded discussions, notes in a teacher research journal, and a post question were all analyzed to determine how four white, female teachers incorporated culture into the classroom as well as their receptiveness to culturally sustaining pedagogy. Findings were that these four teachers had a rudimentary understanding of culturally sustaining pedagogy prior to the study and while they made attempts to include culture in the classroom, these attempts were limited and …

How Third Grade Students Respond To The Multiple Perspectives In Read Alouds Of Critical Texts, Kathryn Elizabeth Zeck

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how students respond to weekly read alouds of critical literacy texts. The specific aim was to see what type of critical stances students adopt as they respond to the multiple perspectives present in the texts. Student written reflections, audio recording of student talk, and anecdotal notes are all analyzed. The implications for implementing weekly read alouds of critical literacy texts as it relates to students' social awareness are discussed.

Cultural Humility: A Qualitative Study On The Development Of Self-Awareness In Social Work Educators, Nicole Moore-Bembry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the faculty members' perspectives on their racial identity development and how these perspectives impact their cultural self-awareness and cultural humility in the classroom. White social work faculty members voiced their vulnerability and discomfort in addressing race, oppression, and discrimination in the classroom. This study included a total of 10 White social work faculty members from a medium sized northeastern university.

Key findings of the study indicate that White faculty members: were primarily clinicians who later became educators, were primarily raised in White communities and the Monoracial upbringing impacted their personal …