UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
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Item Case Study of the Minority Scholars Program Through the Lens of Positive Youth Development and Sociopolitical Development(2023) Delavan, Debra; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purposes of this study were to examine the Minority Scholars Program (MSP) in light of the program goals and through the lens of two theories: positive youth development (PYD) and sociopolitical development (SPD). MSP focuses on youth of color in a large suburban district. It is a school-based, student-led program that seeks to elevate student voice, student leadership, and student activism in its efforts to close the opportunity gap and positively change school cultures so that success and achievement are no longer predictable by race and ethnicity and other demographic factors. This study employed explanatory case study methodology to (a) provide an in-depth description of the design and implementation of the program between July 2019 and March 2020; (b) examine MSP interns’ response to the program and their reasons for those responses; and (c) explore whether and how MSP fostered positive youth development and sociopolitical development. This study found that while students operated in the ongoing context of race-based barriers to their education, MSP programming provided opportunities for students to reflect on their experiences and develop and implement initiatives to address those barriers. These initiatives hinged largely around raising awareness and generally aligned with the program’s Five Keys of MSP: academic achievement, student voice, leadership development, enhancing cultural capital and sense of belonging, and community engagement. Furthermore, this study found that, on the whole, MSP interns’ response to the program included gains in their own individual development including knowledge, leadership skills, friendships and community building, confidence, and identity formation. Interns attributed the personal growth in these areas to (1) interactions and conversations with peers and adults; (2) instruction about topics related to the opportunity gap and leadership; (3) direct experience leading groups and facilitating conversations; (4) sharing a common purpose with peers; (5) having a safe space to be vulnerable and engagement in activism. In addition, the opportunity, support, and feedback from MSP participants by and large helped MSP interns develop their sense of agency and engage in civic activism primarily through raising awareness. This study suggests that the program’s theory of action and the findings from this study are not only basically consistent with the theories of PYD and SPD, but also, they potentially extend each theory. Recommendations are made for refining youth development theories and the theory of action of the program. For example, I suggest elevating the importance of contextual considerations in youth development and further examining PYD using the Freirean (2009) reflection -action cycle. While PYD would benefit from incorporating social analysis and contributions through civic actions engagement to disrupt barriers to youth education, SPD would benefit from attending to the personal elements of development that give youth the connections, skills, and confidence to carry out actions. My primary suggested revision to the MSP theory of action involved adding a new key of “raising critical consciousness” to the Five Keys of MSP. According to Watts and Hipolito-Delgado (2015), critical consciousness includes critical social analysis, or learning to think critically; collective identification; sense of agency including a sense of confidence and capability to make social change; and action in society. The study contributes to youth development literature through examining a youth development program with students of color and combining the two youth development theories of positive youth development and sociopolitical development.Item Uncovering Typologies of Civically Engaged Latinx/a/o College Graduates(2020) Guzman, Amilcar; Cabrera, Alberto F; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examined how Latinx/a/o college graduates engage civically. Guided by Morton’s (1995) paradigms of service, Drezner’s (2018) philanthropic mirroring framework, and Moll et al.’s (1992) funds of knowledge, I investigated how Latinx/a/o college graduates engage civically in their communities and with their alma maters. Through an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, I found that Latinx/a/o college graduates vote, volunteer, advocate, donate money, serve as cultural and political resources, and run for elected office. I also identified five typologies, or classes, of civically engaged Latinx/a/o college graduates: Activistas, Mentores, Politicos, Votantes, and Indiferentes. This study sought to address analytical and methodological shortcomings in the existing literature on Latinx/a/os and how college graduates engage civically. Overall, this dissertation expands the knowledge of Latinx/a/os’ civic engagement. Practitioners, researchers, and policymakers all have a role to play in fostering and supporting Latinx/a/o college graduates’ civic participation. Moreover, Latinx/a/o college graduates have the potential to serve as change agents that contribute to society and encourage their families and communities to do the same.Item A HOUSE OF BRICK: USING THE ACRL FRAMEWORK TO [RE]BUILD A STRONGER, MORE SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY THROUGH A STAND-ALONE, INFORMATION LITERACY COURSE(2017) Douglass, Courtney Lawrence; Jaeger, Paul; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the relationship with and value of information literacy to a successful, democratic society. It analyzes societal needs and presents historical and philosophical relevance for the value of understanding how to acquire, use and create accurate, timely and relevant information pieces and products. Finally, this thesis presents a model for teaching information literacy as an independent social or information science course, and how a college at a major research university has moved to implement such a course for the benefit of the University at large.Item MAKING SENSE OF THE FORT; CIVICALLY-ENGAGED SENSORY ARCHAEOLOGY AT FORT WARD AND DEFENSES OF WASHINGTON(2015) Minkoff, Mary Furlong; Shackel, Paul A; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this dissertation, I ask the question, what is the best way to understand the history and archaeology of The Fort and other African American communities associated with the Defenses of Washington? The Fort is an African American community that settled on the grounds of Fort Ward in Alexandria, Virginia from the 1860s through the early 1960s. To answer this question, I adopted a civically-engaged, sensory approach to archaeology and established three project goals. First, I use sensory archaeology, historical research, and community memories to explore the origins of The Fort community, its relationship to Fort Ward, and the land surrounding it. Second, I incorporate the archaeology, memory, and history of The Fort community into a broader narrative of the local and national past through shared sensory experiences. Third, I conclude by describing how a sensory approach could be used to understand the experiences of African Americans at other Civil War Defenses of Washington sites. These goals have been developed with the consideration and input from The Fort Ward/Seminary African American Descendant Society (Descendant Society) and the National Park Service (NPS).Item Activism and leadership development: Examining the relationship between college student activism involvement and socially responsible leadership capacity(2010) Page, Jeremy Dale; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in student activism and leadership development among college students. This study applied the social change model of leadership development (SCM) as the theoretical model used to measure socially responsible leadership capacity in students. The study utilized data collected from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), a research project examining the influences of higher education on leadership development in college students across the country. The sample of 12,510 students consisted of respondents who participated in a sub-study on student activism within the MSL survey. Hierarchical multiple regression models were constructed to investigate the research question using an adapted version of Astin's (1991) I-E-O college impact model. Regression models included participant demographic characteristics, pre-college experiences, institutional descriptors, and consideration of select college experiences in examining the relationship between activism and leadership development. Results indicated that the regression models explained a significant amount of the variance in participant scores. Participation and holding a leadership position in on-campus and off-campus organizations, community service conducted on one's own, and participation in an internship emerged as significant predictors of socially responsible leadership capacity among the collegiate experiences included in the model. Participation in activism also emerged as significant, as awareness of local, national, and global issues indicated influence on all leadership development measures, and participating in protests, contacting public officials, signing a petition, and buying or not buying products due to personal views significantly contributed to measures of citizenship. These findings served to address the existing gap in the literature pertaining to the relationship of student activism and leadership development, and indicated the developmental and educational potential to providing these experiences for students on campus.Item OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND: HOW LATINO SEGREGATION AFFECTS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND POLICY OUTCOMES(2009) Pearson-Merkowitz, Shanna Helena; Kaufmann, Karen M.; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation evaluates the intersection of place and politics as it pertains to the effect of residential segregation on the civic engagement and political power of Latino Americans. Famously described by W.E.B. Du Bois as the problem of the 20th century, racial segregation persists in the United States, and while residential segregation has declined marginally for African Americans over the past 15 years, it has increased significantly for Latinos during this same period. Using a variety of data sets and methodological approaches, I investigate the socio-political consequences of this growing residential divide. I argue that segregation not only precludes socioeconomic mobility for Latinos, it also decreases their likelihood of civic engagement and political participation. Latinos who live in residential isolation are more likely to be economically marginalized and less politically powerful than their less segregated counterparts. Further, the marginalization of the Latino community has political consequences. Segregation concentrates Latinos into political jurisdictions where they must compete for resources with more politically powerful groups. As a result, their neighborhoods and needs are ignored by politicians and bureaucrats. To correct their under-representation in the political arena, participation among Latinos is essential. The findings of this dissertation call into question the stability of democracy if Latinos do not start participating at a higher rate, with the fate of the nation resting in part on the political and social mobility of its largest and fastest growing minority group.