Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2759
Browse
10 results
Search Results
Item Communities of Practice for the Development of Adolescent Civic Engagement: An Empirical Study of their Correlates in Australia and the United States(2009) Homana, Gary; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The relationships between a multidimensional model of school community and civic engagement were examined using survey data collected for the 1999 IEA Civic Education Study from large, nationally representative samples of adolescents in Australia and the United States. This study extends previous research by considering the extent to which multiple dimensions of communities of practice influence the development of various civic capacities, and by utilizing multilevel regression techniques. The investigation also examined the extent to which the various dimensions of communities of practice are related to more equitable civic outcomes, and how these associations vary in Australia compared to the United States. All schools have some form of social and cultural context that influences learning. This study examined the influence of three specific dimensions of communities of practice in school, the discourse community, the collaborative community, and the participatory community on three capacities for civic engagement (civic knowledge, norms of democracy, and expectations for informed voting). Other measures of school structure, including individual socioeconomic background and school size and composition were also used in the analyses. The results of the analyses suggest that important, yet subtle, distinctions exist between the association of the various dimensions of communities of practice and civic capacities in Australia and the United States. The findings from the fully conditional models, for example, indicate that both student level and school level perceptions of the communities of practice can help to shape adolescent civic capacities, although the patterns of relationships vary by dimension of communities of practice and measure of civic engagement. This study offers support for the role of communities of practice in the development of student civic outcomes. Individual student participation in and supportive school contexts for positive communities of practice influences the development of adolescent civic engagement. Learning more about communities of practice and its influence on a broader range of civic capacities, especially in terms of the quality and the extent that communities of practice exist in schools, will help educators and schools to strengthen these connections.Item UNDERSTANDING AND TEACHING RATIONAL NUMBERS: A CRITICAL CASE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT(2009) Walters, Jonathan Kirk; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A lot of money is spent each year on teacher professional development, but researchers and policymakers are still trying to determine what that investment yields in terms of improvements in teacher knowledge and practice. This study focuses on the extent to which middle school mathematics teachers comprehended and made use of the core content, pedagogical content and pedagogical components of a well designed professional development model. At the time of data collection, the teachers were participating in a large, federally funded randomized field trial on professional development that focused on rational numbers. Compared with many other teachers participating in the randomized study, these three teachers were highly receptive to the intensive, content-focused model and thus represent a critical case study of professional development. Using interview and classroom observation data from the 2007-08 school year, the study indicates that teachers understood and implemented many of the pedagogical components emphasized in the model, but they had difficulty comprehending and articulating the core rational number content. Within the domain of rational numbers, the study shows that teachers had more difficulty understanding ratio and proportion concepts as compared with fraction and decimal concepts. The study also describes sources of variation in teachers' understanding of the professional development material and the extent to which they utilized the professional development material while teaching. Teachers' understanding of math content is a critical link in the theory of action driving current educational policies that call for increased rigor and coherence in K-12 mathematics. This case study illustrates that even well designed and well implemented professional development models may be incapable of improving teachers' content knowledge to levels that positively affect their instructional practices.Item No Child Left Behind's Supplemental Educational Services: A Case Study of Participant Experiences in an Urban Afterschool Program in the District of Columbia(2007-11-26) Stewart, Nichole Helene; Parham, Carol S.; Lynn, Marvin; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The enactment of No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provision shifted new attention to the ability of afterschool programs to increase students' achievement levels and help close the pervasive achievement gap between Students of Color and their white counterparts. Though studies of supplemental education programs in general have shown their potential to successfully augment traditional classroom instruction, reports thus far on indicate that states, districts, providers, and families have faced numerous challenges in the execution of the SES model. The scant research that exists on SES primarily has focused on national, state, and district-level investigations of implementation. With the upcoming reauthorization of NCLB, information in needed on the ground-level implementation of SES, and the lived experiences of participants within SES Provider organizations, particularly those in urban areas that face significant social and economic challenges. This purpose of this study was to include the voices of SES program participants in the dialogue surrounding the provision's redesign and to understand their individual perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of involvement within one SES Provider program in the District of Columbia. Participant stories revealed that, despite some challenges, the program of study was beneficial and fostered the academic, social, and personal development of student participants, including increases in grades, test scores, and attendance, as well as in self-esteem and confidence. Tutors and staff reported experiencing personal growth and development. Participant narratives also uncovered a number of challenges that exist in the implementation of SES policy within the District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS), including issues with timing, communication, and district expectations. Participant experiences within the DCPS and subsequent policy recommendations may help to inform SES policy moving forward to aid in the development of policy that truly works to the benefit of the individuals it was intended to serve.Item Constructing Civil Society in Transitional China: Case Studies of One Private University and One Non-governmental Institute for Peasant Education(2007-07-11) Liu, Yan; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The political shift in China in the last two and a half decades, from an emphasis on ideological orthodoxy and centralized economic control, to an emphasis on national economic development for modernization, has made it possible for non-governmental actors to enter into fields previously controlled by the government and to take initiatives in making social changes. This dissertation examines the capacity that non-governmental organizations demonstrate in their fight against all odds and their promotions of a civil society in China, using two non-governmental organizations working in the field of education as examples. The cases are analyzed from a historical institutionalism perspective to show how organizations' actions are affected by the contextual factors and meanwhile how their actions influence the institutions. In the case studies, the interaction between the society and the state government is carefully studied; moreover, the associational, ideological and cognitive dimensions of the civil society construction in China are comprehensively examined. Two non-governmental institutions are examined in this study. Their increasing participation in educational practices provides alternatives to the educational model in government-managed organizations. The dissertation also examines the development of the two organizations and pays special attention to the constraints imposed on the organizations by the existing political and educational system: The government is alert to their increasing power and attempts to restraint it. However, both organizations were successful in negotiating spaces for their survival and gained increasing influence in the society. Case analysis showed that the most important feature in the state-society interaction in China is trust-building which requires sophisticated strategies. While sticking to their non-state identity, these organizations have made significant efforts in establishing channels of discourse with the government, and won their trust in this way. Overall, the civil society groups in China showed divergence in their goals and practices from other countries, but also share certain convergence in their features and strategies for the redefinition of state-society boundary. In the dissertation, a dynamic interaction between the institutional factors and the agency of social actors is discovered. The institutional contexts shaped the social actors' vision and strategies, and the institutional environment was also transformed by the action of social groups. The direction of political and social reform is co-steered by the state-government and the society, instead of being determined by the government alone.Item Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community(2007-04-26) Kim, Jennifer J.; Klees, Steven J.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative case study examines the impact of globalization on the U.S.-Mexico border as it affects transnational migration and individuals who assist the poor in migration. This study begins by discussing the social, political, and economic context of the region and examines the global conditions that have led to a massive movement of people along the border. The grassroots, NGO community has been actively engaged in the issue of cross-border migration although there have been few studies examining their work. This study attempts to look at how grassroots communities have responded to the global migratory flows as they situate themselves within globalization and the U.S.-Mexico border. This study specifically focuses on Annunciation House, a nongovernmental organization that assists migrants in the sister border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and investigates how this organization and its networks have combined social services and activism with education in their advocacy work. The findings discuss the nature of the work and operation of Annunciation House; how the organization facilitates personal and political transformation of its humanitarian workers; how short-term and long-term staff members differ in their approaches to work; and how Annunciation House compares and relates to other NGOs in the region.Item Fueling the Fire: A Phenomenological Exploration of Student Experiences in Democratic Civic Education(2006-11-28) Paoletti Phillips, Donna Teresa; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study explores the lived experience of civic education for middle school students. It is grounded in the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology as guided by Heidegger (1962), Gadamer (1960/2003), Casey (1993), and Levinas (1961/2004), among others. I use van Manen's (2003) framework for conducting research for action sensitive pedagogy in which I follow six tenets including turning to the nature of lived experience, investigating experience as we live it, hermeneutic phenomenological reflection and writing, maintaining a strong and oriented relation and balancing the research context by considering parts to whole. By calling forth the philosophical and methodological tenets of hermeneutic phenomenology, I endeavor to uncover the lived experience of civic education as well as what it means to be a teacher as civic education. A class of twenty-nine students are taped as they engage in discussions, debates, a Simulated Congressional Hearing, and other lessons related to civic education in a social studies class. Their reflective writing about their learning is used as well. Twelve students self-select to engage in conversations about their experiences. These conversations along with the taped class sessions are transcribed and used to uncover themes essential to their experience of civic education in the social studies classroom. Two central existential themes of lived body and lived relation emerge from this inquiry. The importance of embodying one's learning, as well as connecting to one's society, are apparent. When they are face-to-face with the Other in group activities, debates, games, and simulations, students are afforded the opportunity to experience what is fundamental in a democracy, including their ethical and moral obligation to the Other. The students' learning through their corporeal and relational experience create the civil body politic of the classroom and inform their behavior outside in society. These insights from this study may inform curriculum theorists and developers, policy-makers, and social studies teachers. Recommendations are made to reconceptualize social studies in order for students to capitalize on their bodily and relational experiences within the classroom so that they may grow in their role as citizen. Students may then embody the ideals essential in civic education and democratic societies.Item Case study of a gender and reproductive health education training program for adolescent males in rural villages in the state of Gujarat, India(2006-04-27) Banik, Kakali Rita; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This case study provides a comprehensive overview of a gender and reproductive health training program for adolescent males in rural villages in the state of Gujarat, India. Specifically, this study outlines the socio-cultural context of the study location; provides a thorough description of the origins and implementation of the training program; highlights the daily life of females living in the study community; and explores the influence the training program has had in changing the attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions on gender and reproductive health on a sample of males in the study. Data for this study was collected using qualitative research methods such as open-ended interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and document analysis. The main findings from this study are: 1) The training program has had a positive impact on influencing males' views on increasing the age of marriage for females in the study area; 2) Males are aware of the benefits of educating females and believe that females should be educated further and even study for college; and 3) The males believe this training program provided them with reproductive health and gender information that has been beneficial for their future relations with females. However, change can only occur incrementally due to the restrictive norms of the Rajput caste.Item State Policies and Classroom Practice: Adapting Instruction for English Language Learners(2004-11-24) Bentley-Memon, Millicent Lynn; Herschbach, Dennis R; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A qualitative case study was employed to address if and how fifth grade teachers adapted instruction for English language learners in response to the Maryland School Performance Program (MSPP), and the role of the Program as one of the many factors that shaped instruction for these students. This case study was conducted at two elementary schools in Maryland from March 1999 through May 2000, using observation, participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. Findings indicated that teachers used common instructional strategies to teach English language learners, that teachers' beliefs about language and cognition shaped teaching craft, and that the Program shaped instruction, but was only one of many factors shaping education for these students. Findings illustrated the relationship between state policy and classroom practice, that state policies influence, are nested in, and co-exist with classroom practice.Item An analytic case study of the evaluation reports of a comprehensive community initiative(2004-10-05) Frusciante, Angela Katherine; Mawhinney, Hanne B; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study is a case study of the evaluation reports of the Neighborhood and Family Initiative (NFI). NFI was a ten-year Ford Foundation sponsored comprehensive community initiative (CCI) in four low-income neighborhoods in four United States cities. The NFI evaluation was longitudinal, interdisciplinary, and multi-tiered. Through this study of the eleven publicly released evaluation reports, I found that the evaluators not only wrote about CCIs and evaluation but also evidenced evaluation as part of loosely linked network supporting urban community development. The knowledge community addressed in the study is the Aspen Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives a national coalition supporting the discussion of evaluation appropriate to community initiatives. The study involved the identification of reporting dimensions from descriptive analysis, evaluation lessons from the documented evaluatorsÂ' interpretations, and change constructs from my theoretical concerns. The study resulted in a discussion of issue areas to be addressed in understanding evaluation reporting of complex social and policy initiatives. These issue areas included: community organization building versus coalition formation, comprehensiveness as a lens for change, audience, institutional distancing, and learning, knowledge development and education. With the study, I also provide an innovative methodological approach to analyzing change through the language evaluators put to initiative reporting. The qualitative approach involved devising a process for analyzing description and evaluator written reflection but also analyzing change of evaluator interpretations. Unlike qualitative approaches that emphasize only themes as recurrences over time, the approach to this study centered ideas as clusters that changed in configuration over time.Item Building a Reading Bridge: The impact of reciprocal teaching on poor readers in ninth grade social studies(2004-04-30) Hogewood, Richard Hunter; Cirrincione, Joseph; Curriculum and InstructionThe purpose of this study was to examine the impact of reciprocal teaching, as designed by Palincsar and Brown (1984), on ninth grade students who were poor readers, as they worked to make sense of what they read in social studies textbooks. Additionally, this study attempted to make adaptations to the original reciprocal teaching procedures to determine if a simplified version of reciprocal teaching would be as effective at improving reading comprehension as the original version of reciprocal teaching has been. The study was conducted by a teacher researcher in his U.S. History classes at a large suburban high school in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The study measured and compared the performance of three different treatment groups on pre and post standardized comprehension measures, pre and post social studies comprehension measures and eight weekly social studies comprehension measures. Additionally, the teacher researcher examined the nature of student discussion about what they read through the use of audio taped transcripts of the reciprocal teaching sessions. The three treatment groups received different versions of reciprocal teaching training. The traditional group followed the procedures outlined by Palincsar and Brown (1984) which included training in the four strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarizing while working in small groups. The whole class group learned the four strategies above but worked only in a whole class setting. The two strategy group learned the strategies of questioning and summarizing only and worked in small groups. Each group experienced improved reading comprehension scores on the measures of this study. The results of this study suggest that the reciprocal teaching procedures can be adapted to make them easier to implement and that student reading comprehension skills will still improve.