Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Learning Together: The Lived Experience of Bridging in Scholars Studio(2023) Nardi, Lisa; Hultgren, Francine H; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This hermeneutic phenomenological investigation tends to the connections made in Scholars Studio—an interdisciplinary learning community for first-year students at a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU). In this study, I ask, What is the lived experience of bridging in Scholars Studio? I conceptualize bridging as a pedagogical orientation characterized by making connections across disciplines, between theory and praxis, across time and distance, and with one another. Bridging creates dynamic spaces that resist binary relationships, thus creating the potential for transformation. This study is grounded in the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Mariana Ortega, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Edward Casey, and David Michael Levin, and follows the methodological structure set forth by Max van Manen. This research captures conversations that bridge the experience of twelve participants—including faculty, students, and staff—who partook in a learning community focused on Black men in education. Through these conversations, the participants affirm the importance of curricula grounded in African American and African history and culture. As participants cross the metaphorical bridge, they consider the “edges” they encounter that are both full of risk and possibility. These edges push them outside of their comfort zones in search of wholeness and create potential sites for improvisation. I end by opening new possibilities for Scholars Studio, including grounding the work in African principles and considering future directions.Item THE QUEST FOR I-LITERACY: IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING GAPS IN INFORMATION LITERACY EDUCATION IN INFORMATION SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS(2022) Douglass, Courtney L.; Jaeger, Paul; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Information scholars, educators and librarians have grappled with defining the concept of information literacy for decades – at least as far back as the 1970’s – with the most prominent common thread being as a set of skills. In pedagogy and practice, what higher education currently calls information literacy is delivered more akin to research skills or the ability to effectively conduct and share research in its myriad forms. It is problematic that for so long the emphasis on research and academic skills has wholly devalued those sources deemed non-traditional by academic measures, including popular sources, pop-culture entertainment, and the power of observation. Ironically this emphasis on academic research skills diminishes the extreme societal impact non-traditional sources and stories have had throughout the information age in which we currently find ourselves. In this dissertation, I provide a curriculum map for the required courses in five Undergraduate Information Science Programs, with the dual purpose of aligning instruction practices and gaps with the aforementioned impacts as they determine what information literacy should mean, and encouraging iSchools to adopt and promote a socially constructed model of information literacy, which I am terming i-Literacy. This study demonstrates how iSchool undergraduate programs emphasize understanding that different information mediums are required based on audience, user needs, and the information problem, but may not highlight social and civic responsibility with information use and sharing. The map also shows a strong alignment between the seemingly antiquated ‘Bibliographic Instruction’ practices from the 1980’s and 90’s, and the current pedagogy based on the ACRL Framework.Item AN ARTS HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO COLLEGE READINESS(2014) Hovermale, Robert Blake; Strein, William; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to determine if a positive relationship exists between college readiness and a high school for the arts experience. This research focused on one arts high school in order to determine graduate perspectives on the overall importance of such an education and whether or not this style of learning was valuable preparation for college. This study used a mixed-method approach through the use of a quantitative survey with multiple rating items and qualitative open-ended questions and interviews. Influenced by the work of Daniel Pink, Elliot Eisner, Howard Gardner, and Eric Jensen concerning knowledge and skill transfer, and benefits of the arts, this study seeks to provide an understanding of graduates' ongoing perspectives on the value of an arts-rich education (Pink, 2005; Gardner, 2006; Jensen 2001). Of specific importance is how these experiences have influenced the formation of their well-being, education, and preparation for college. Is the arts high school experience a beneficial and realistic pathway to college preparedness? Ultimately, the study offers valuable suggestions moving forward as the individual school grows and data to guide in the development of other unique schools.Item A Case Study: Change Facilitator Activity to Support the Implementation of a District's Pre-K-12 Aligned Mathematics Program(2008-05-05) Kubic, Kathryn Leigh; Mawhinney, Hanne; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT James County Public Schools was a 74,000 student school district in Maryland that chose to implement a pre-K - 12 aligned mathematics program in response to state mandated assessments imposed by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation. Schools that fail to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress on these assessments may descend into a spiral of sanctions. Consequently, districts must choose and implement programs that will increase student achievement. This study sought to determine the characteristics of the pre-K - 12 aligned mathematics program and explore and describe the dynamics of its implementation through the lens of a change facilitator. The study used a case study design methodology. The findings revealed the district implemented four parts of an instructional component: district assessments, pacing guides, professional development, and a single text adoption program. The change facilitator undertook activities to support the implementation. The study found three positive results of the implementation: Creation of Student Support Courses, Creation of a Benchmark Data System, and Creation of a University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Cohort. When the pace of the implementation was analyzed, conflict surrounded the implementation and it yielded three negative results: Competition for Scarce Resources, Defensive Professional Development, Trail of Memos, and Professional Blunders. The findings of this study added to the research and literature on implementation, particularly the role of the change facilitator. The findings also will assist other districts in policy and practice as they too seek to implement new instructional programs in their efforts to comply with the demands of NCLB.