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.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Seeking Personal Meaning in New Places: The Lived Experience of Religious Conversion(2011) Brimhall-Vargas, Mark G.; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This phenomenological study explores the lived experience of religious conversion. As a study concerned with the development of religious identity (often rooted in psycho-social research where identity development usually relies on linear processes of growth), this dissertation research suggests that religious identity development, in particular, cannot easily be mapped to these models. What insights about religious identity, and identity generally, can be drawn from the standpoint of religious conversion? How do people who have experienced this phenomenon make meaning of that experience? What implications does "fluid" identity hold for educational settings? This research is done in the tradition of phenomenology drawing on the work of philosophers such as Heidegger, Gadamer, Levinas, Derrida, and Merleau-Ponty as foundational "grounding" for this study. Each of these philosophers raise key concepts used for the rendering and illumination of the phenomenon of religious conversion. Van Manen provides a detailed process by which phenomenological philosophy can be used to conduct this form of research. Initial exploration of the existential phenomenon suggests themes including the various pressures that make hiding a change in identity necessary, a deep questioning surrounding the nature of religion itself and the meaning it holds for people, and the rejection of certainty as a value in religious identity. Once themes of religious conversion had been explored, I recruited ten participants representing a wide array of identities related to religion, race, sex, sexuality, gender identity, age, and educational attainment for this study. My phenomenological data suggest that religious identity development can be deeply understood as a complex phenomenon often mirrored in the mythological "heroic journey" commonly found in cultures around the world. In this process, I develop the concept of phenomythology, a process of weaving myth and phenomenology together as an existential process to uncover and illustrate the seemingly universal search for ultimacy and liminality in life's small events as revelatory of larger significance and deeper inward meaning. Drawing from the insights I gained from my participants, I suggest that the lived experience of religious conversion can be linked to other social science theory (such as queer theory) to better prepare educators who encounter individuals who have complex religious identity. Specifically, I explore pedagogical possibilities for including insights from religiously queer identity as a way for understanding social difference. My first concern is helping educators understand how religiously queer people might "show up" in a classroom setting. Additionally, I offer a variety of ways to use this difference as a gift of perspective to learning, including a reconceptualization of identity within the setting of intergroup dialogue as phenomenological "cohabited space" to build solidarity and alliances for progressive social action.Item Teaching Historical Thinking: The Challenge of Implementing Reform-Minded Practices for Three First Year Teachers(2010) Cochran, Melissa Marie; Monte-Sano, Chauncey; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Researchers in history education have argued the importance of closing the gap between how history is practiced in the discipline and how history is taught in schools. This study explores how three teachers who had learned to teach historical thinking in their teacher education program then implemented these practices in their first year of teaching. Data collected over a two-year period included observations of teachers in their methods courses and field placements; a pre-test and post-test administered before and after the completion of the teacher education program; observations of two units of instruction per teacher during their first year teaching; interviews with teachers during their teacher education program and first year of teaching; and analysis of documents collected over the two year period. Case studies revealed that one of the three teachers routinely taught historical thinking while the other two teachers implemented discipline-based practices less frequently. Cross-case analysis showed that each teacher's development and enactment of research-based practices varied. While the teachers' learning and working contexts, including teacher education and the school and district contexts, influenced if and how teachers taught historical thinking, a number of other factors contributed to teachers' decision making. These included teachers' understandings of the discipline, knowledge of how to make these thinking strategies accessible to students, vision and beliefs about teaching history, available tools and resources, and individual dispositions. This study highlights the intricate nature of how teachers learn and develop and offers insight into how researchers and practitioners can support new teacher learning. This includes continuing to improve teacher education to enhance life-long learning; better aligning the goals of local schools and districts with those of research-based teacher education programs; and providing ongoing supports, such as induction programs sponsored by the University, once teacher candidates graduate. This study also suggests the need for communities of practitioners who share reform-minded goals and collaborate regularly to inquire about and improve practice.