Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2759
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Item TEACHER DIVERSITY GAP IN THE CONTEXT OF A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT: PERCEPTIONS OF THE CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND SUPPORT STRATEGIES FROM TEACHERS OF COLOR(2022) Korsan, Robert; Imig, David; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There has been extensive documentation of the persistent lack of diversity inthe teaching workforce (Brown, 2014; Casey et al., 2016; Ingersoll & May, 2011; Sleeter, 2017; Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Research has shown that having a diverse teaching force is positive for all students (Villegas & Irvine, 2010; Childs, 2019). A diversity gap exists in the District A Public School System. According to the Maryland Public School Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity and Gender and Number of Schools report from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), on September 30, 2018, 70.1% of all K-12 students in DISTRICT A were White, 12.8% were Black, and 6.3% were Hispanic. Another MSDE report (Professional Staff by Assignment, Race/Ethnicity and Gender Report, 2018) on race/ethnicity and gender of school professional staff, District A in October 2018, reported that 92.4% of its teachers were White, 5.3% Black, and 2.4% Other (Asian, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Two or More Races), according to the (p.14). The difference between the percentage of teachers of color and students of color in that school year was 22.3%. Given the sphere of influence by the researcher, the study focused on ways to retain current teachers of color. The study examined support strategies current teachers of color identified as having a positive impact on their decisions to remain in the District A system. A virtual focus group of 6 current teachers of color in District A was completed. Analysis of this focus group transcription led to the emergence of 6 themes: burnout, isolation, representation, growth, hiring, building relationships and mentoring. The study concludes with a set of recommendations that begin by urging District A to provide additional support for teachers of color. Also, for more immediate short term support strategies, it is recommended that District A inform school leaders of the feelings of burnout felt by current teachers of color. Understanding the extra anxieties and challenges placed on teachers of color and being able to be empathetic towards the feeling of burnout will allow school leaders to provide support strategies in this areaItem A GENDER ANALYSIS OF ENGINEERING PHD STUDENTS’ CAREER DECISION-MAKING PROCESS USING A BOUNDED AGENCY MODEL(2019) da Costa, Romina Bobbio; Stromquist, Nelly P.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative research study applies a bounded agency model in investigating the career decision making process of engineering PhD students at a large, public research university in the United States. Through a gender analysis of the career decision-making of men and women PhD students in engineering, this study sheds light on the reasons why men and women choose different career trajectories in engineering, with implications for diversifying the professoriate. This study highlights the ways in which men and women PhD students in engineering experience the university as an institution differently, and form different impressions of the academic career. The bounded agency model allows for a holistic examination of the organizational barriers, as well as the individual level dispositions and characteristics that work to limit the range of feasible alternaives and choices for men and women as they make their career choices. The findings provide insight into the career decision-making of men and women PhDs as an iterative process of information gathering, crystallization of values, and narrowing down of options. Gender differences are outlined at each stage in this process, providing a framework for furthering understanding of other underrepresented populations in the professoriate. Additionally, the findings have implications for graduate education in engineering, and for PhD student career development and choice, both in the United States and beyond. keywords: agency, bounded agency, career choice, career development, diversity in STEM, engineering education, gender, graduate student agency, graduate student experience, higher education, STEMItem Uncovering Critical Considerations: Using a Culturally Relevant Analysis to Reveal Teachers' Diversity and Equity Beliefs within Visions and Practice(2015) Yee, Laura S.; De La Paz, Susan; Valli, Linda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The primary purpose of this study was to examine teachers' beliefs about diversity and equity through a culturally relevant analysis of their visions of teaching and practice. The secondary purpose was to identify how centrally located these beliefs were within their visions. Participants included a Black British female second grade teacher, a White Cajun-American male pre-kindergarten and a White American female art teacher within one public elementary school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Using qualitative case study methodology, participants' visions and practices were collected through individual interviews and observations of teaching over the course of one unit of study. Data included interview transcripts, observational field notes and teaching artifacts (e.g., lesson plans, student work). Using Atlas.ti Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) software, data were analyzed using teacher vision and culturally relevant teaching (CRT) frameworks. Both open and a priori codes were assigned to data for each case analysis. Findings reveal underlying positive beliefs for all three teachers as evidenced by the presence of culturally relevant elements in their visions and practice. All teachers also held these elements centrally within their visions of teaching and their practice. The framework for this study as well as its findings demonstrate how vision and CRT may be used to reveal underlying asset rather than deficit teacher beliefs about students.Item Preparing Teachers for Diverse Student Learners: A Multi-Institution Analysis of NCATE Accreditation Applications(2011) Delgado, Rachael C.; Imig, David; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Teacher education programs are in a primary position to impact teacher candidates' abilities to meet the needs of diverse student learners. While the potential is there, diverse student learners also face crippling achievement gaps and teachers who feel unprepared to meet their needs. The achievement gap, dissatisfaction of new teachers with their preparation for teaching, and the cultural mismatch between teachers and their students underscores the need for more effective preparation of teachers for diverse student learners. This study and the corresponding research questions are based on a theory of action that professional accreditation is a means for ensuring that teacher preparation programs provide highly effective teachers for PK-12 schools who, in turn, are capable of ensuring that all students learn. Using a qualitative grounded theory methodology, this study examines the eleven teacher preparation programs or institutions rated as "target" by the accrediting agency, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009, in how they prepare teacher-candidates to meet the diverse needs of learners. Specifically, documents produced during the NCATE accreditation process are analyzed to address three research questions: (1) What are the diversity proficiencies units expect of their candidates and how do they compare across units?; (2) What are the assessment tools used to provide evidence about candidates' proficiencies related to diversity?; and (3) How is assessment data used to improve the units' programs and candidates' abilities to work with diverse student learners?. The elements most-frequently appearing in units' diversity proficiencies were understanding diversity or student differences, adapting instruction, demonstrating attitudes of respect or sensitivity, focusing on the learning environment, and incorporating family and the community. Surveys of alumni, employers, and exit surveys were the assessment tools most frequently used to evaluate entire programs. Observations by candidates, assessment forms completed by university supervisors or cooperating teachers, and observations of candidates were the tools most frequently used to assess student teaching or other field experiences. Lesson plans, class discussions, and profiles of specific students or groups were the assessments used most frequently in conjunction with specific courses. The reported uses of assessment data included course or curriculum adjustments, staffing decisions, adjustments to assessment tools, or related faculty research. Finally, implications for both teacher education programs and NCATE are explored.Item Breaking the Cycle of Hate: A Phenomenological Study of Teachers' Lived Experiences as Both Other and Otherer(2009) Mojto, Alison Laurie Milofsky; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this phenomenological study I explore the lived experiences of five k-12 teachers around prejudice and discrimination, both in their lives and in the school context. My research question asks, What is the lived experience of teachers as both other and otherer, as target and perpetrator? Embedded in this larger question are two sub-questions: 1) What are the teachers' experiences participating in and mitigating othering in the classroom? and 2) In what manner do they understand the shaping of their prior experiences as they participate in and mitigate othering in the classroom? My research is grounded in the philosophical writings of Levinas and Derrida, and I rely on van Manen to guide me through the methodology of phenomenology. I listen to the stories of teachers who share their personal experiences around othering, digging for meaning that contributes to my understanding of the process. In my preliminary conversations I explore the role of place and emotions in our relations with the other. The complexity of identity begins to unfold. The five participants in my study share vivid experiences around othering. Through their stories I come to understand that our experiences around othering have very much to do with our sense of self. My participants do not have consistent relationships with others. Their interactions seem very much influenced by their own identity development, their relationship to the other, and the strength of their memories. In the school context, my participants experience othering from parents, students, and colleagues, and they, too, other, but they remain committed to challenging acts of bias in the school. They move beyond the self, reaching out to their students-as-others, forming relationships that transform the classroom from a place of learning to a place of living, seeing, and being seen. Finally, from my participants' words, I draw implications for pre-service and in-service education programs, imagining how we can prepare teachers to reflect critically, thinking about their personal experiences around othering in ways that enable them to teach for transformation in their classrooms.Item A case-study of a socio-scientific issues curricular and pedagogical intervention in an undergraduate microbiology course: A focus on informal reasoning(2009) Schalk, Kelly Anne; McGinnis, James R; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this investigation was to measure specific ways a student interest SSI-based curricular and pedagogical affects undergraduates' ability informally reason. The delimited components of informal reasoning measured were undergraduates' Nature of Science conceptualizations and ability to evaluate scientific information. The socio-scientific issues (SSI) theoretical framework used in this case-study has been advocated as a means for improving students' functional scientific literacy. This investigation focused on the laboratory component of an undergraduate microbiology course in spring 2008. There were 26 participants. The instruments used in this study included: 1) Individual and Group research projects, 2) journals, 3) laboratory write-ups, 4) a laboratory quiz, 5) anonymous evaluations, and 6) a pre/post article exercise. All instruments yielded qualitative data, which were coded using the qualitative software NVivo7. Data analyses were subjected to instrumental triangulation, inter-rater reliability, and member-checking. It was determined that undergraduates' epistemological knowledge of scientific discovery, processes, and justification matured in response to the intervention. Specifically, students realized: 1) differences between facts, theories, and opinions; 2) testable questions are not definitively proven; 3) there is no stepwise scientific process; and 4) lack of data weakens a claim. It was determined that this knowledge influenced participants' beliefs and ability to informally reason. For instance, students exhibited more critical evaluations of scientific information. It was also found that undergraduates' prior opinions had changed over the semester. Further, the student interest aspect of this framework engaged learners by offering participants several opportunities to influentially examine microbiology issues that affected their life. The investigation provided empirically based insights into the ways undergraduates' interest and functional scientific literacy can be promoted. The investigation advanced what was known about using SSI-based frameworks to the post-secondary learner context. Outstanding questions remain for investigation. For example, is this type of student interest SSI-based intervention broadly applicable (i.e, in other science disciplines and grade levels)? And, what challenges would teachers in diverse contexts encounter when implementing a SSI-based theoretical framework?Item Reel Black Masculinities: Using Film and Media Literacy to Provide Opportunities for White Female Future Teachers to See Black Males Through a Culturally Responsive Lens(2008-07-11) Young, Regina Allison; Wiseman, Donna L; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to document how popular film was used to provide opportunities for future teachers to explore their perceptions of Black masculinities and the lived experiences of young Black men. A case study design was used and data was gathered through a perceptions survey, interviews, observations, a focus group, and analysis of written reflections and computer-mediated communication (Merriam, 1998). Purposeful sampling was used to select two instructors from a large, public university in the North East and they were observed and interviewed. Boyz N the Hood and Finding Forrester were used in a diversity course, secondary English methods course and an adolescent literature course. A third instructor from a private university in the North East was interviewed regarding Stand and Deliver in a course on culturally relevant math strategies. Fifty-eight future teachers also participated in the study. The majority of participants were White females and therefore representative of the current teacher workforce (Swartz, 2003; National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003). The interpretational analysis of the data used a culturally responsive lens (Gay & Kirkland, 2003; Kea, Campbell-Whatley & Richards 2004) and a media literacy framework (Kellner & Share, 2005). Analysis of the data from the three instructors indicated that each instructor used film in different ways. Film was used (1) to inspire and encourage new teachers to teach by providing a model of a successfully implemented, culturally relevant, math lesson, (2) primarily as literature providing an opportunity for critical analysis of a non-print text and a discussion of Black male masculinities and (3) to educate students about stereotypes and their perceptions of young Black men. The data from the students indicated that (1) future teachers felt safe from criticism when they were allowed to reflect online; (2) without guidance from the instructor or critical literacy questions students were able to avoid discussions of race; (3) film provided a multi-layered image that impacted the students and; (4) cultural critical consciousness was difficult to assess and measure. Finally, a framework for using film emerged from exploring the teaching strategies used in this study.Item Service-Learning in Teacher Education: Weaving a Tapestry of Relationships(2006-04-24) Castellan, Catherine Marie; Valli, Linda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this interpretive study was to gain an understanding of the sense freshmen elementary education majors made of service-learning in their teacher education courses. Data were gathered from six majors during their Introduction to Education course in the fall and Learning Theory course in the spring of their freshman year. Three majors participated in a regular model of service-learning while another three participated in a cascading model. Data were inductively analyzed from codes organized into categories and then synthesized into themes. This study was conducted at a private college in a Mid-Atlantic city where many of the students came from middle and upper middle class backgrounds. Service-learning projects involved a local urban elementary/middle school. Findings indicated that majors made sense of their service-learning projects by recognizing that service-learning offered them the opportunity to establish relationships. A collaborative relationship was established between the majors and individuals in the school which resulted in majors learning how to collaborate and the benefits of collaboration. A reciprocal relationship was established between the majors and the teachers and students in the elementary school where the majors' service activities met school needs. A cognitive relationship was established as majors connected their course content to their service-learning experiences and learned the content. A relationship was established between the majors and others in an urban setting resulting in opportunities for majors to experience, address and adapt to issues related to diversity. Service-learning allowed majors to synthesize teaching principles from their experiences in an urban setting. There were some differences in perspectives between the cascading and regular majors. Cascading majors' experiences allowed them to develop more specific and in-depth insights into the world of elementary education than their regular model counterparts as they planned and carried out service-learning projects with the elementary school students. The cascading majors also experienced reinforced pedagogy when they taught the elementary students and then watched the elementary students teach others the same material. The effectiveness of the cascading majors' pedagogical approach was assessed by the application of that knowledge when elementary students introduced and taught the material to others.Item TEACHING EXPERTISE AS A CULTURALLY-EMBEDDED PHENOMENON: A CASE STUDY OF ONE ESOL DEPARTMENT(2004-08-06) Bramblett, Shannon Rene; Cossentino, Jacqueline; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: TEACHING EXPERTISE AS A CULTURALLY-EMBEDDED PHENOMENON: A CASE STUDY OF ONE ESOL DEPARTMENT Shannon Bramblett, Ph.D., 2004 Dissertation directed By: Assistant Professor Jacqueline Cossentino,Department of Education Policy and Leadership The United States has an unprecedented number of ELLs (English Language Learners) attending public schools. Research on programs for ELLs has not kept pace with the mushrooming growth of the programs themselves. The relative newness of programs for ELLs, the rapid growth of the ELL population in public schools, and the variety of programming available means that researchers know comparatively little about the culture of available programs or the types of teaching expertise teachers develop and use in them. In this dissertation I examine the phenomenon of culturally embedded expertise in one type of program for ELLs, an ESOL program, in a large, public comprehensive high school. The aim is twofold: 1) to identify and analyze less-frequently understood aspects of teaching expertise with culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and 2) to use this knowledge to improve the way researchers approach understanding teaching expertise. In this ethnographic case study I explore culture and expertise in one ESOL department in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Unlike most studies of teaching expertise, I broadened the scope of the study to include not only teacher interactions with students, but also teacher interactions with other teachers. In the dissertation I describe and analyze the teaching expertise of three ESOL teachers. I collected data primarily through interviews and observations. ESOL teacher expertise and culture were assessed through the lens of ritual (Bell 1992, 1997). Teaching expertise was not limited to effectively helping ELLs learn to speak English. Rather, ESOL culture members "coconstructed" a cultural value that was more broadly focused on the overall flourishing of ELLs. ESOL teachers strengthened their commitment to ELLs through ritualized interactions that included keeping the value of students in the foreground of their interactions. Teachers also cultivated personal relationships with other ESOL teachers; this fostered stronger professional relationships that led to sharing expert practices and collaboration. Expertise in the ESOL culture revolved around two cultural goals. The first entailed helping ELLs make a cultural transition to the ESOL classroom. The second involved helping ELLs prepare for life beyond the ESOL classroom. This study suggests that some aspects of teaching expertise are closely linked to the shared cultural values of ESOL teachers. Thus, it is important to consider the complexity of time, place, and culture when attempting to understand teaching expertise as it applies to ELLs.