College of Education
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item UNCOVERING THE SILENCES: GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AT A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN INDIA(2024) Saini, Ruchi; Klees, Steven Professor; Zaharia, Zeena Associate Professor; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Gender-based violence in universities is a complex and persistent problem that is under-reported and under-researched across the globe. Despite scholarly, advocacy-based, and policy consensus around the need to provide safe learning environments to college students, in-depth qualitative evidence about GBV in universities exists in an amorphous form, particularly when it comes to India. My dissertation is a narrative inquiry that employs an intersectional feminist framework to address this research gap. It draws on two years of field study involving focus group discussions with women bystanders (n=50), and art-based narrative interviews with self-identified victim-survivors (n=10) of GBV at a large public university in India, henceforth called the Indian University. Study I, “What do we know about gender-based violence in formal education institutions in India? A scoping study” is a scoping review that maps the key themes and synthesizes the policy/prevention recommendation within existing empirical qualitative literature on GBV in formal educational institutions in India. Findings show the critical role played by intergenerational hierarchies, gendered sociocultural norms linked to masculinity and femininity, conservatism within families, and intersections of caste and class with gender in shaping both the actions of perpetrators and the experiences of victim-survivors. The findings demonstrate the need for scholars and policymakers to go beyond theoretical conceptualizations of GBV that exclusively focus on interpersonal manifestations of abuse to also include within it structural and cultural manifestations of violence. Study II, “Manifestations of Gender-Based Violence at a Large Public University in India: Voices of Women Students from India” investigates the diverse manifestations of GBV at the Indian University. In the study, I employ the frameworks of the continuum of violence (Kelly, 1988) and structural/cultural violence (Galtung, 1986) to show how students experience a range of abusive behaviors within interpersonal relationships, public spaces, and inside classrooms. Based on the findings, I assert the need for scholars and policymakers to adopt a model of “continuum thinking” that acknowledges and address the “grey areas” of student’s experiences with GBV. I also theorize how specific institutional characteristics, such as the omission of mental health services for queer students, encompass a form of structural violence because it exacerbates the harm suffered by those already marginalized, thereby translating into unequal life opportunities for them. Study III, “How Universities Shape Students’ Experiences with Gender-Based Violence in India: An Intersectional Decolonial Narrative Inquiry” adds to the growing conversation about how universities’ structural and cultural characteristics shape students’ experiences with GBV. In the study, I employ the theoretical framework of “institutional betrayal” (Smith & Freyd, 2014), and foreground the perspectives of bystanders and victim-survivors of GBV at the Indian University. Findings reveal that cultural aspects linked to high-power distance (Hofstede, 1985), the influence of Hindutva politics on the campus, and the prevalence of a chalta hai (literal translation: “anything goes”) attitude sustained GBV on the campus. At the structural level, the findings illuminate that the hiring practices linked to the employment of ad-hoc professors, along with the lack of formal guidelines around the establishment of student-led societies and the tokenistic nature of GBV prevention and redressal services sustained GBV. Study IV, “A Creative and Art-Based Approach to Narrative Inquiry: Decolonizing Gender-Based Violence” explicates how I employed creative and art-based methods in tandem with narrative inquiry in my research to foster a decolonial ethics of care geared towards minimizing participant harm, fostering participant agency, and facilitating co-construction of knowledge. In the study, I make use of participant testimonies and my own observations to demonstrate how the use of vignettes in the FGDs, and art-based research in narrative interviews helped prevent re-traumatization of my participants, facilitated a deeper exploration of the hidden power structures, and supported creative avenues for the dissemination of findings. I end the dissertation by highlighting six key lessons derived from these studies. These lessons focus on the need to 1) identify and name those unspoken and unheard-of forms of GBV that are often shrouded in secrecy, 2) recognize and address the stunning adaptability of GBV 3) prioritize primary prevention strategies, 4) diversify and strengthen secondary and tertiary interventions, 5) disrupt generational and workplace hierarchies, and 6) hold institutions accountable without ignoring individual complicity.Item UNVEILING THE MULTIFACETED IDENTITY OF BLACK STUDENT ATHLETES: IMPLICATIONS FOR COACHING AND SPORT LEADERSHIP(2024) Harris, Tasha; De La Paz, Susan; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative study explores the multifaceted experiences of Black student-athletes in higher education. The landscape of higher education leadership is predominantly white, with a significant majority being white men. Over 80% of chancellors, presidents, athletic directors, faculty athletic representatives, and conference commissioners are white (Lapchick, 2023); meanwhile, Black student-athletes constitute 55% of the NCAA's highest revenue sports—men’s basketball and football (Achieving (Racial Equality, 2021; Harper, 2018). This disparity is particularly striking given the significant presence and contributions of Black student-athletes to college sports. It highlights the impact of external and internal factors, such as the lack of adequate support systems, that shape the identity and experiences of student-athletes, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.Utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) frameworks as analytical tools, this study highlights the importance of counter-storytelling to empower Black student-athletes and challenge dominant cultural narratives. Interviews were conducted with 10 student-athletes from both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Adapting tools from Strauss and Goldberg (1999) and Cowan et al. (1978), this study focuses on student-athletes, and explores how racial, athletic, and academic identities intersect among Black student-athletes, illuminating their perceptions of past, present, and future selves. Findings reveal that HBCUs cultivate social capital opportunities, while PWI student-athletes need stronger navigational capital to maneuver through less supportive environments. Both institutions provide familial, aspirational, and resistance capital, but PWI student-athletes struggle more with discovering their true identities due to societal pressures and an overemphasis on athletic performance. Participant counter-stories emphasized the importance of holistic identity development, particularly regarding 'invisible identities,' where dominant athletic roles limit full identity exploration. Black student-athletes often navigate between Goffman’s (1959) concept of the frontstage and backstage self. Their frontstage self is the persona they present to society, shaped by impression management to counter stereotypes and biases, while the backstage self represents their true identity, which they struggle to develop due to the constant demands of frontstage performance. This performance aims to project an idealized version of self, challenging negative assumptions. Findings highlight how experiences at PWIs and HBCUs shape the identity development of Black student-athletes, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support systems encompassing social integration, leadership representation, and identity development programming beyond sports. As student-athletes navigate the transition out of college, the study emphasizes the importance of holistic identity development, especially in acknowledging unexplored facets of identity. Ultimately, this research fills a gap in understanding the role of CCW in navigating the complex landscape of athletic, academic, and racial experiences in higher education, offering insights for coaches and sport leaders on how to foster more inclusive and supportive environments.Item INTERSECTIONAL EXPLORATION OF BLACK MEN’S GENDER IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND EXPRESSIONS(2024) Moore, Daniel K.; Worthington, Roger L; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Gender identities and expressions of men from minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds often differ from those outlined in Traditional Masculinity Ideologies (TMI). These differences have been highlighted by scholars who have advocated for intersectional approaches to exploring masculinities. Recent intersectional inquiries into Black masculinity and Black manhood have provided insights into the unique expression of masculinity Black men have developed. This study sought to extend the understanding of existing intersectional explorations of Black manhood and Black masculinity through qualitative inquiry. Additionally, it attended to the impact of religion, spirituality, and sexual orientation in its analysis of Black men’s intersectional identity development and expression. Findings indicated that Black men often described their experiences in terms of either race or gender, but rarely in terms of intersectional identity. A theory of racialized gender identity development and expression for Black men is posited based on the integration of extant theories of racial and gender identity development, ego identity development, as well as intersectional approaches to stereotyping and prejudice. Implications for research and practice are provided.Item Statistical Learning Across Modalities, Domains and Languages(2024) Ren, Jinglei; Wang, Min; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation establishes a comprehensive line of research that systematically exploresstatistical learning (SL) across modalities, domains, and languages. The first study delves into SL development, exploring SL changes across different ages, linguistic and non-linguistic domains, visual and auditory modalities, and languages (specifically, Chinese and English). In the second study, the focus is shifted to the probabilistic regularities embedded in a specific written language. This study investigated the ability to use word endings as a probabilistic cue to lexical stress among those who acquired a second language (L2) in formal learning settings through years of practice. The third study broadens the scope further, delving into whether beginning English learners benefit from a specialized training program emphasizing the association between word endings and lexical stress. The collective body of research in this dissertation makes significant contributions to the fields of cognitive science, linguistics, and education. Ultimately, the insights gleaned have the capacity to positively impact learners of various ages and diverse backgrounds, and to offer valuable implications for educational practices.Item CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EPISTEMIC AGENCY IN THE LEARNING OF SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES(2024) Hirst Bernhardt, Christine; Elby, Andrew; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation consists of three studies exploring factors affecting whether, when and how students engage in sensemaking in science disciplines, and the epistemological components of instruction that impact their engagement. Each study is grounded in science education reform efforts, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which call upon educators to engage students in science practices to learn science through sensemaking and necessitate a reorientation to position learners to “shape the knowledge building work in their classroom community (Miller et al., 2018, p. 1058; NRC, 2012). In other words, students must now act with epistemic agency to figure out more than they learn about (Krist et al., 2019). Study 1 addresses a gap in astronomy education research literature. Astronomy education is largely centered on undergraduates and is minimally researched in pre-college settings. I conducted a qualitative study with thematic analysis of surveys (N = 68) and 10 interviews with select participants to discover methods of teaching and learning astronomy internationally, as a follow on to the quantitative curricular study by Salimpour et al. (2021). I was looking for examples of astronomy as a gateway for further STEM learning in classrooms and community, and as a bridge to equity, as well as examples and takeaways. While the interview participants provided notable examples of programs which disrupt representation gaps in astronomy fields and promote STEM connections amongst historically underserved populations, I did not find easily replicable examples for US teachers to use astronomy as a “gateway” science; I found other nations wrestling with similar issues of deprioritized science instruction, lack of resources and poor access to teacher professional learning opportunities. Therefore, I turned to a deeper understanding of epistemologies of teaching and learning in studies 2 and 3. Papers 2 and 3 investigate the role of epistemological framing, or how people make sense of a particular situation, through speech and behaviors, from past experience (Elby & Hammer, 2010; Goffman, 1974; Hammer et al., 2004). Students may frame learning science as doing school for completion of worksheets and production of “correct” answers for a grade, or they may frame learning science as doing science when they consider “correct” as considering available evidence and weighing it against predicted outcomes to make sense of phenomena or developing disciplinary knowledge through the process of sensemaking (Hutchinson & Hammer, 2010; Miller et al., 2018). In papers 2 and 3, I explored how teachers used framing moves or bids through explicit or implicit signals such as means of instruction, tone, or body language to sustain, shift or redirect students’ approaches to learning activities (Berland & Hammer, 2012). In paper 2, I investigated the impact of two teachers varied framing moves while using similar curricular materials through secondary video analysis. I used codes for cognitive authority and epistemological stance to segment each teacher's dialogue while introducing the activities, or their” public talk,” which established and sustained classroom norms for participation and engagement. I also analyzed dialogue between each teacher and small student groups, as seen from a teacher-worn GoPro camera. I found that one teacher mostly framed the lesson as students doing science and established a culture of collaboration. I found that the other teacher mostly framed the lesson as doing school and established a culture of compliance. However, these findings were nuanced and context dependent. In paper 3, I investigated, through a single case study, how a veteran teacher acknowledged, addressed and adapted her work within the same curriculum from paper 2 to address a mismatch between the epistemic agency afforded by the materials and students’ “typical” epistemic agency enacted in that classroom. I engaged in a collaborative planning interview and observation cycle with the teacher, Amy, over five observations and eight interviews. While I intended to better understand and characterize Amy’s framing moves and how those moves positioned students to act with epistemic agency, I determined that, what I thought were purely her framing moves were also reinforcing embedded commitments (for relationships and community). These commitments were baked into all of her framing moves for sensemaking. I also saw over multiple days that students did not take up her framing bids; after revisiting the data, including a lesson not using the curricular materials, I saw students in her class and school, by structural design, always had some form of epistemic agency, and that the curricular materials suppressed some of the form of epistemic agency to which they were accustomed. By contrast, when Amy modified the lesson to grant students their “typical” epistemic agency, the lesson went well, with students engaging excitedly in scientific argumentation. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the construct of epistemic agency is not monolithic, that the form of epistemic agency matters. Students recognize when there is a mismatch between the epistemic agency invited by curriculum and that which they are accustomed to, which influences their engagement and participation. Amy demonstrated the pedagogical moves and strategies to realign this mismatch.These studies are significant in that many teachers use highly structured materials to assist with NGSS implementation, yet the manner in which teachers approach these materials determine the objectives they establish, and the framing moves they enact, which are likely taken up by students (EdReports, 2022). Paper 3 specifically demonstrates the ability of expert, veteran teachers to understand and act upon knowledge of their students. This knowledge should be leveraged and supported through professional development and curriculum. Paper 1 is also significant because the NGSS embeds and interconnects Earth and Space Science into every grade band in every content area, thus elevating a previously ignored subject matter. Many teachers globally, as Paper 1 demonstrated, are unprepared to integrate this content with efficacy and authenticity. Therefore, we must consider, honor and respect the insight, experience and professionalism of teachers, and work holistically in that space to better understand what they already do well, instead of trying to consistently reshape or re-direct. Perhaps instead of teaching about practices and disciplinary engagement from a deficit stance, professional development should center teachers as professionals to improvise, to experience and to adapt materials as only professionals can. Each of the studies presented in this dissertation describes teachers (or teacher educators in Paper 1) with expert knowledge of their classroom or disciplinary cultures as they relate to engagement, and suggest that we must trust teachers, as professionals, to do just that.Item Using Discourse to Improve the Quality of Student Talk and Historical Argumentative Writing(2024) Otarola, Josue; De La Paz, Susan; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Frameworks that connect to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in Social Studies, such as the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies States Standards, highlight the need to engage in inquiry-based instruction (NCSS, 2013). Participation in such inquiry requires students to engage in disciplinary thinking and to articulate that thinking to others, both verbally and in writing. However, such disciplinary thinking does not come natural to students (Wineburg, 1991). Thus, students require instruction in disciplinary thinking to learn its complexities and nuances. Once students can engage in disciplinary thinking, they can communicate it and participate in valuable discourse. Therefore, the current dissertation was conducted to explore how students use discourse to engage in argumentation and historical thinking. Chapter 2 of the dissertation is a research synthesis of studies that use discourse to improve learning outcomes in primary and secondary science and social studies classrooms. The purpose of the synthesis was to determine the impact of argumentative discourse on students’ learning outcomes and to understand the instructional components teachers use when holding discourse. Asterhan & Schwarz’s (2016) Argumentation for Learning (AFL) framework guided the research synthesis and the subsequent multiple-case study. Results indicate that discourse can be improved by using multiple instructional groupings, incorporating explicit instruction, modeling, graphic organizers and technology, and engaging students in deliberation. Chapter 3 offers findings from a multiple-case study that was designed to explore how argumentation inhibitors and enablers moderate dialogue characteristics and learning outcomes and to provide a rich description of discourse in ninth-grade US History classrooms with academically diverse students. More specifically, the study captured how students engaged in argumentative discourse and historical thinking using two different discourse structures. The study used a cross-case analysis (Yin, 2018) to compare the discourse across three cases. Each case included a teacher and four students. The first case occurred in a co-taught class, the second case included the same teacher in an honors class, and the third case included a different teacher in an honors class. The first and second case used a modified structured academic controversy (SAC), while the third case used Johnson and Johnson’s (1988) approach to SAC. The multiple-case study and the research synthesis informed the practitioner manuscript provided in Chapter 4. The manuscript details how teachers can use structure and supports to improve student participation and historical thinking in classroom discourse, especially for students with disabilities (SWD) and other struggling learners. The current dissertation provides several important findings. First, my synthesis indicated that students achieve higher learning outcomes when teachers use multiple instructional groupings, students engage in deliberative discourse, and teachers provide students with explicit instruction, modeling, and graphic organizers. Second, the findings from the multiple-case study offered insight into how students of differing academic abilities engage in argumentative discourse and historical thinking. Students of all academic abilities participated at high levels and engaged in deliberative argumentation, though there were differences in the quality of historical thinking skills. The instructional approach used in the multiple-case study is further expanded in the practitioner manuscript. Areas for future research are discussed in the dissertation.Item 30M Parent Spatial Talk(2024-11-22) Mix, KellyFrequency of spatial utterances were coded from videorecorded home visits (Cabrera & Reich, 2017). Spatial talk was coded in both Spanish and English, and for mothers and fathers of the same children, measured when children were 30 months old, on average. The dataset include children's performance on a numeracy outcome measure completed when children were 42 months old, on average.Item Problems and Possibilities: The identities and challenges of early career science teachers(2024) Mesiner, Jennifer Elizabeth; Levin, Daniel M; Elby, Andrew; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Learning to teach is multifaceted and dynamic resulting in a turbulent, fast-changing era of professional life for early career science teachers (ECSTs). Teaching practice is uncertain and tensions are endemic to the profession (Ball, 1993). This dissertation connects to and extends current research of the challenges ECSTs face and how those challenges affect ECSTs’ work, identity, and experience. In the first chapter, I introduce my research focus and offer a personal narrative to provide context of my positionality and experiences between myself and my research. In Chapter 2, I offer a systematic review of the literature to provide a contemporary update to Davis and colleagues’ (2006) review Challenges New Science Teachers Face to answer the question: What challenges do ECSTs face while navigating their first years of teaching? Chapter 3 describes the research design, data sources, and general analysis for the longitudinal case study of an ECST, Alexa. The remaining body chapters build upon Chapter 2 and each other in answer to my remaining research questions: What challenges does Alexa face as an ECST? How does Alexa’s teacher role identity develop over time? In what ways do challenges shape Alexa’s teacher role identity? Chapter 4 builds upon the themes drawn from Chapter 2’s systematic review to explore the challenges Alexa experiences. Chapter 5 describes how Alexa’s identity develops across her early years as an ECST using a Dynamic Systems of Role Identity framework (Kaplan & Garner, 2018). Chapter 6 explores how those challenges impacted Alexa’s science teacher identity using a productive friction framework (Hagel & Brown, 2005a). In Chapter 7, I close by summarizing the research, describing its implications, and offering future directions for research and practice.Item Developing and validating a measure of epistemic competence beliefs to examine undergraduate students’ critical-analytic thinking in a multiple source use task(2024) Schoute, Eric Cornelis; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: This dissertation aimed to develop and validate a novel Epistemic Competence Beliefs Measure (ECBM) to capture students’ ability to identify and utilize relevant sources for complex issues. Epistemic competence was hypothesized to be critical in performing multiple source use (MSU) tasks, particularly in predicting critical-analytic thinking in argumentative essays. The study was conducted in two phases, focusing on the ECBM’s development, its content validity, and predictive validity in an MSU context. Methods: Phase 1 involved creating the ECBM’s based on epistemic beliefs and cognition theories, presenting students with controversial scenarios. Content validity was assessed by an international panel of experts. Phase 2 implemented the ECBM in a university course, collecting data through argumentative claim selection forms, search logs, notes, essays, and a retroactive behaviors questionnaire. Data were analyzed using content analysis, cluster analysis, ANOVA, multiple linear regression, and regression trees to determine the ECBM’s predictive validity. Findings: The study revealed significant variability in students’ epistemic competence as measured on the ECBM, though no direct predictive relationship to enacted epistemic competence and exhibited critical-analytic thinking was established. Students’ critical-analytic thinking varied significantly, influenced by their GPA and TORR scores. Notably, students with higher relational reasoning abilities exhibited superior critical-analytic thinking in their essays, supporting the theorized link between these constructs. Implications: For future research, the ECBM can be refined and more closely integrated into the MSU project by aligning its completion with the task’s introduction. This integration may enhance students’ epistemic agency and awareness. Furthermore, diversifying study populations across different sociocultural contexts and employing Bayesian and mixed-methods analyses can provide deeper insights into epistemic competence and critical-analytic thinking. Practical implications suggest procedural adjustments to better align the MSU project with theoretical frameworks, potentially improving instructional practices. Conclusions: The novel Epistemic Competence Beliefs Measure is a meaningful contribution to the literature on epistemic beliefs as it unearthed theoretically and practically meaningful profiles of undergraduates’ appraisal of the characteristics of complex, controversial issues. The data-analytic focus on students’ variability rather than only consistency in characterizations of the scenarios highlighted the value of examining epistemic beliefs in a more situated, contextualized manner. This resulting findings of varying beliefs dispute the lingering assumption that epistemic beliefs are stable across contexts. While the assessment of the ECBM’s predictive validity identified no significant relations, the findings underscore the importance of relational reasoning to critical-analytic thinking. Future research should focus on refining the ECBM, exploring its applicability in diverse contexts, and employing comprehensive analytical methods to further elucidate these constructs.Item SUPPORTING EQUITABLE CLIMATE CHANGE DECISIONS IN A RURAL COMMUNITY THROUGH EXPANDED NOTIONS OF CLIMATE DATA: USING CRITICAL DATA PERSPECTIVES AND PRACTICES TO SUPPORT CLIMATE LEARNING WHILE CO-DESIGNING AN ONLINE, MAP-BASED, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE(2024) Killen, Heather Ann; Clegg, Tamara; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Climate change threats are ever increasing, forcing communities to ask: what do they value and how are they going to protect it? Community-based climate education should play a central role in supporting equitable local decisions regarding local responses to climate challenges. However, there is little research about how to best support communities, especially rural communities that may be skeptical of climate change, to see how climate change is affecting their landscapes. In my dissertation I explore a community-based effort to build a map representing a valued local landscape feature and how this effort can act to convene knowledge about local landscape and climate, ratify that knowledge through inclusion onto a map, and ultimately inform community decision making. Guided by the perspectives and practices of critical data science and storylistening I frame my research around data and story. Prior work has considered the role of climate data within environmental education and story within community scholarship, but there is still a need to explore expanded notions of data within community learning and the role of community-held stories in local decision making. My dissertation focuses on how local, personally held landscape and climate data might complement and extend local, institutionally held data and how map building might support data-rich storytelling and listening. Working within a conservative-leaning, rural community and using the ArcGIS StoryMap web application, I engaged six community members over six design sessions to collaboratively design an online, public map of a creek and associated nature trail at the center of their town. I find that participants engaged in six key map-building design processes as they interacted with their local landscape in new ways. I also find that participants used the knowledge they brought into the design space to collaboratively expand, challenge, and occasionally transform their shared understanding. Together these processes allowed local, often generationally held, climate and landscape knowledge to become community-held understanding that could be included as data within the map. Using this analysis, I present my Evidentiary Landscape Learning (ELL) framework, placing my insights into a community-based learning context. The ELL framework demonstrates a pathway for engaging community members to understand how local and beyond-local socio-cultural values and systems are physically embodied in their local landscapes.