Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Understanding Latina/O/X Puente Alumni Student Experiences With Sense Of Belonging And Validation, Stephanie Teresa Razo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this study was on how the Puente Project helps Latina/o/x community college students feel supported and validated. Additionally, it focused on how community and familial efforts can influence students’ experiences, and how the Puente Project leverages those forms of capital. Examining the lived experiences of Latina/o/x Puente community college alumni contributed to the study of retention and graduation initiatives for Latina/o/x students in the California Community College system. For this study, the participants chosen already completed the Puente program at a California Central Valley community college, transferred to a four-year institution, and either graduated with—or are …

Exploring Cultural Humility Prevalence And Barriers In Masters Of Science In Athletic Training Education Programs, Nathalie Towchik

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand the prevalence of faculty members’ abilities to incorporate cultural humility into their Masters of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program curriculum and barriers they feel they face in implementing this into regular practice. There is a severe lack of focus on issues pertaining to social justice within the athletic training profession, and implementation of cultural humility skills into MSAT programs can help address the systemic injustices within athletic training healthcare delivery. While there has been a focus on cultural competency in athletic training education, there is little to no current research on …

Effective Communication With People With Dementia: An Exploratory Study Of Pre-Registration Occupational Therapy Students, Samita Kirve, Lucy Perkins

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Dementia is a major global concern, with 50 million people already affected worldwide in 2018, and this number is expected to triple by 2050. Healthcare practitioners, specifically occupational therapists, are responsible for providing care and ensuring the well-being of people with dementia. However, occupational therapy students may not always have the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively communicate and support dementia patients, which could negatively impact the quality of care they provide. To explore this issue, a study was conducted with final-year pre-registration occupational therapy students at a public university in England. The study used a qualitative methodology, with semi-structured …

Dementia Education Opportunities For Pre-Registration Occupational Therapy And Physiotherapy Students- A Scoping Review, Samita Kirve, Alice Teague

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The number of dementia diagnoses is ever-increasing in the aging population, meaning that healthcare staff need to be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills to care for people with dementia. However, recent research suggests that globally, both healthcare workers and students require greater dementia education opportunities to meet the needs of people with dementia. There seems to be limited research exploring dementia education opportunities within occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy (PT) programs. A scoping review methodology was chosen to explore the literature about dementia education in global OT and PT programs. There was limited literature in this area …

World Spirit And The Apotheosis Of Artificial Superintelligence: A Speculative Design Proposal, Ian Gonsher

Scholarly Research

This essay puts forth a speculative design proposal for a device with affordances for talking to, and receiving responses from, God. We begin with an analysis and critique of the concept of God, framing this concept within an understanding of Hegelian Spirit (Geist) and technological evolution. In this context, Spirit, or World Spirit (Weltgeist), can be characterized as the aggregate consciousness of all people - as human consciousness itself: In the simplest terms, this immanent framing of the “mind of God” is culturally and socially constituted as the communication that people engage in with each other, in all the diverse …

Their Country: Black Women, Three Chords, And The Truth, Dmetri J. Smith

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Country music has long overlooked and at times outright erased the contributions of people of African descent. The past and present contributions of Black women are particularly ignored. Country music— a racially contested space centered in Nashville, Tennessee— is imbued with themes referencing the “good ole days” that were dangerous times for anyone who was not White, male, cisgender, and heterosexual. The genre has only become slightly more welcoming to those who are not part of the dominant class. And yet, there are Black women who feel called to use country music as their storytelling medium. My research shows …

Autonomy, Motivation, And Creativity In The Visual Art Room: An Educational Criticism And Exploratory Case Study Of A Tab Studio, Deborah G. Canoura

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the bounds of an exploratory case study, educational criticism was used to explore the closed ecosystem of an art classroom. Utilizing the method of teaching known as the Teaching for Artistic Behavior method as it relates to student experiences regarding creativity, autonomy, motivation, engagement, and the development of the student and teacher within the TAB methodology were studied. The impact on student growth, creativity, motivation, and engagement was seen consistently across demographics and throughout each research collection method. This research includes the collection and analysis of observations, teacher interviews, and artifacts, collection to understand the teacher’s perceptions of students …

Examining Teachers' Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices And The Impact On The Academic And Social-Emotional Success Of Black And Brown Boys In Voluntary Prekindergarten Classrooms: A Qualitative Study, Stephanie Gomez Jackson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) teachers’ perspectives regarding the theory of culturally responsive pedagogy. This study also sought to understand how teachers implement culturally responsive teaching practices in VPK classrooms and their perceptions of how culturally responsive teaching impacts the academic and social-emotional success of Black and Brown male students. The study was conducted using a qualitative, phenomenological methodology. Gay’s (2018) pillars of culturally responsive teaching were used as the conceptual framework to explore the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) teachers. Data collection tools included (1) two recorded semi-structured interviews, …

Exploring The Perspectives Of Teenage Tutors Who Tutor Elementary Students In A One-To-One Reading Tutoring Program, Talya M. Taylor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been minimal studies on tutoring programs that pair elementary students with teenage tutors (Jacob et al., 2016). Innovative tutoring programs are important as student reading achievement has declined since the onset of COVID-19 and school systems face instructional staff shortages. Through the lens of Self Determination Theory, this study explored how tutor autonomy (Ryan & Deci, 2000) to choose instructional strategies and delivery methods influences student reading progress through one-to-one tutoring.

Centered in a constructivist world view, qualitative research methodology was used to explore the relationship between teenage tutors exercising autonomy when delivering a scripted reading curriculum and …

The Battle Over Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion And Critical Race Theory In Florida: A Case Study On The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, Grace Anne Castelin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accelerating from 2022 and continuing through 2024, the state of Florida has experienced significant policy changes, particularly within the realm of higher education and affairs of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many progressive officials, experts, and activists assert arguments that the state is on the verge of evolving into an authoritarian regime while many illiberal policies are being produced through the Florida legislature and current executive leadership—social and economic sectors are consequently threatened in order to maintain political oppression. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act has served as a catalyst for shifting the state's political stance on DEI, culminating in a chain …

The Sound Of Silence: The Significance Of Nurturing Spirituality, Self-Transformation, And Academic Excellence In Augustinian Schools, William R. Driscoll

Journal of Catholic Education

This article examines silent reflection within the context of Augustinian Catholic schools. Tracing the rich lineage of Augustinian spirituality, it explores how cultivating interiority serves as a transformative practice that fosters spiritual growth, nourishes a deeper understanding of self and others, and compliments academic inquiry. Through a synthesis of theological, educational, and psychological perspectives, this article illuminates the multifaceted benefits of integrating silent reflection into the educational ethos of Catholic schools. Emic descriptions from students, teachers, and leaders provided insights into silent reflection programming designed to enrich the holistic development of students.

Exploring Perceptions Of Advanced Coursework Enrollment Practices: A Multiple Case Study, Tomika Ferguson, David B. Naff, Jenna Lenhardt, Amy E. Jefferson, Isaiah Moore, Andrea Herndon, Richard Ashburn, Jessica Harris, Jenna Conlee, Courtney Forstmann

MERC Publications

This report from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium highlights findings from a multiple case study exploring enrollment practices related to advanced coursework matriculation in a suburban middle school and rural high school. In connection with the MERC Equitable Access and Support for Advanced Coursework study, this multiple case study included perspectives from students, parents, and educators as they reflected on the factors that support and inhibit access for advanced courses in their schools.

Designing A Transdisciplinary, Critical Place-Based Ethnic Studies Curriculum Around A Historic Black Neighborhood In St. Louis, Sarah Mcvoy Miller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Black neighborhoods have played a critical role in creating safe spaces and fostering resistance for Black individuals (Fullilove, 2016; Haymes, 1995). However, systemic racism has contributed to negative outside perceptions of Black spaces (Faber, 2021; Imbroscio, 2021). Further, stigmatizing language has helped to justify the displacement or erasure of these spaces (Faber, 2021; Porter & Yiftachel, 2019; Safransky, 2014; Slater, 2009; Yiftachel, 1998). Despite the contributions that Black communities have made and continue to make, common curricula often exclude positive stories about Black communities (Epstein, 2009; Ross, 2017c; Zinn & Macedo, 2005). In this dissertation, I propose a curriculum based …

Impact Of A Design Thinking Educational Activity On Graduate Students’ Knowledge, Confidence, And Perceived Benefits, Janice Hawkins, John Baaki, Beth Tembley, Robert J. Hawkins

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Design Thinking is gaining recognition as an innovative and creative approach to problem solving. Though nurse leaders need problem solving tools to address health care challenges, Design Thinking concepts are not commonly taught in nursing education. To introduce graduate level nursing students to Design Thinking, we held an educational activity focused on this content as part of required coursework.

Purpose: The purpose was to describe and compare outcomes of a Design Thinking educational activity on students’ perceived knowledge, confidence, and benefits to nursing practice.

Methods: Graduate level nursing students participated in a 3-hour educational activity. After the session, …

A Custom Mixed-Reality Simulation Design: Minimizing Teacher Biases In Mathematical Discussion Practices, Melihan Ünlü, Signe Kastberg, Sezai Kocabas, Melva Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Mixed-reality simulations (MRSs), blending real and virtual environments, provide a low-risk environment (Dieker et al., 2014; Piro & O'Callaghan, 2019) to rehearse core teaching practices (Jacobs & Spangler, 2017). Grant and Ferguson (2021) designed a MursionTM custom simulation to support pre-service teachers' (PTs) mathematics discussion practice. PTs had opportunities to facilitate a discussion of provided student solutions (e.g., drawing, repeated subtraction, creating table) to a mathematics task: "Harry the Dog Problem" (Grant & Ferguson, 2021), where Harry the dog is waiting in a line of 23 dogs to be washed. When a dog is washed, Harry sneaks ahead …

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 …

From The Invisible Man To Cozy Closets: Gender Diverse Student Narratives In Ontario Catholic Schools, Yvonne Runstedler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the province of Ontario, Catholic schools have public funding from the Ministry of Education and ecclesial oversight from the local Catholic diocese. Transgender students who attend these schools experience both governmental spaces and religious ones. The inherent secular and theological tensions responsive to Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, intersex, Asexual, and other queer-identities [2SLGBTQIA+] students are the overarching contexts of this study. While many Catholic school boards have completed publicly-facing acts of inclusion for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, such as raising the Pride Flag in June in recent years, there is a scarcity of literature responsive to how transgender students make …

An Investigation Into Perception Of The Correlation Between The College People Attend And Their Long-Term Happiness, Gary F. Madvin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated perceptions about the correlation between the college people attend and long-term happiness. Its inquiry into whether college graduates believe where they go to college affects the chance for long-term happiness is a response to the growing concerns of high school students who are anxious about acceptance into an elite undergraduate college. There is substantial literature demonstrating that graduates of elite schools earn more money and professional success than graduates of standard schools (Rumberger & Thomas, 1993). At the same time, there is evidence that individuals who attend a lower tier school while having similar characteristics to those …

The Pulse Of Connection: Professors' Experience Of Positive Relationships With Students–An Interpretative Phenomenology And Photovoice Study, Ileya N. Grosman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In higher education, the focus on student success often takes center stage in research and the professor-as-teacher practice. While numerous empirical studies concentrate on the growth and development of undergraduate students, this dissertation delves into professors’ relational and felt experiences in positive teaching-learning relationships. Four terminal-degreed professors from four different schools and three different disciplines–education, humanities, and leadership–engaged in photography and were then interviewed. Participants reflected on their photographs and their experiences in a teaching-learning relationship with their students. The present study aimed to illuminate the unspoken language of connection by utilizing interpretive phenomenology and photovoice to uncover professors’ relational …