Theses and Dissertations

Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/20633

This collection contains theses and dissertations from students who have completed Master of Education (M.S.Ed.), Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees in the School of Education.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 212

Learning to Teach Teachers: An Ethnographic Study of Novice Teacher Education Instructors
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2006-03) Longfield, Judith; Benson-McMullen, Mary
How do personal biography, personal experience, and professional socialization influence novice graduate students as they learn to become teacher educators? Currently, there is little understanding of what it means to become a teacher educator. This is surprising in light of findings that suggest one important aspect which determines the quality of teacher education programs is the quality of the people who teach in them. This study explored the milieu in which education doctoral students at a major research university learned to become teacher educators. It focused on the process by which novice instructors were socialized into the profession and the factors that influenced them as they learned to teach undergraduates, including their occupational biographies, college teaching seminars, experiences working with undergraduates, and socialization by faculty members and fellow doctoral students. In as much as large research universities prepare the majority of graduates who become teacher educators at regional universities and private colleges, these future teacher educators will be preparing the bulk of the nation’s public school teachers. In this capacity, they will influence the teaching-learning practices of future K-12 teachers and their students. We cannot have better public schools until we have better teachers, therefore, we need better teacher educators. The most important implications of this study lie in the realms of teacher education practice and policy.
Demanding Instructional Leadership: Indiana High School Assistant Principals Implementing High-Stakes Teacher Evaluations
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-02) Disney, Brian R; Crow, Gary M.
The work of assistant principals is essential for translating state laws into school practices. This study examined the impact of the implementation of Indiana’s high-stakes educator evaluation law (PL-90) on the work of high school assistant principals. Specifically, this empirical investigation examined the impact of the implementation on their work related to the requirements of PL-90, traditional assistant principal roles and responsibilities, and their instructional leadership role. The study also explored the kinds of factors that enabled or constrained impacts of the implementation on their work. This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey to examine Indiana high school assistant principals’ perceived level of involvement in 40 leadership practices and actions. Assistant principals implementing PL-90 in 2012-13 who had been in the same position for at least two years were also asked to rate their perceived change in involvement in those leadership practices and actions. The qualitative phase was designed to explain and elaborate on the findings of the quantitative phase. A stratified sample of six assistant principals participated in two semi-structured interviews focused on the participants’ experiences during the implementation. Findings revealed that assistant principals reported significantly more involvement with instructional leadership, especially activities related to the requirements of PL-90. However, their responsibilities related to student and organizational management remained constant. Therefore, assistant principals reported a significant vii increase in their workload and in the hours they worked to complete their assigned duties. Assistant principal adapted to the time constraints during the school day by changing student management procedures and by communicating with parents during afterschool hours. The kinds of factors that impacted the assistant principals’ experiences of the implementation included the evaluation system, the administrative structure, and the assistant principal’s years of experience as a teacher and as an administrator. Recommendations for assistant principals focused on becoming active partners in restructuring their instructional leadership role. Recommendations for building, district, and state leaders included providing support and resources to successfully implement high-stakes educator evaluations. Implications for research focused on the instructional leadership role of assistant principals and its impact on school outcomes.
AN EXPLORATION OF MULTIMEDIA USE IN AN ONLINE RN-BSN PROGRAM
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-05) Anderson, Gina; Brush, Thomas
The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to determine what multimedia non-traditional RN-BSN nursing students’ used in the online classroom and in what ways they used it within the context of one problem-based and one project-based online course. Specifically, there was an interest in determining what aspects of multimedia were most useful to the nursing students’ learning by examining the differences across these instructional designs from a more sociocultural perspective. As part of this examination, the researcher compared views of authenticity as articulated by the designer, original subject matter expert (SME), instructors, and students. The goal was to use this data to formulate specific guidelines to inform the types of multimedia for future production. The participants were current online RN-BSN nursing students within a large Midwestern university and instructors who had taught at least one of the courses under study. To achieve the goal of this study, multiple data were gathered from three data types: (1) artifacts, (2) observational data, and (3) inquiry data. There were two parts to the study: artifact collection and interviews. A total of 460 student artifacts were collected. Artifacts were analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006; Shank, 2002) until saturation was reached from one problem- based learning course and one project-based learning course with enrollments of 16 and 20 respectively. In addition, data were collected from six instructors and five students. Results of this study revealed that instructors’ perspectives differed not only with regard to student uses of multimedia across the two different pedagogical designs, but also with regard to the benefits and constraints to student’s learning. Results suggested that students used multimedia in varied ways within the different designs to support their learning. Students and instructors reported the most useful attribute of multimedia was how it helped establish relevance to the real world. This study showed that the way students, instructors, and the designer defined real world or authenticity may be influenced by external factors that need to be taken into consideration. This has implications for the decades of research published on multimedia guidelines. Multimedia guidelines for the program under study are provided.
UNDERSTANDING HOW PEER MENTORS MAKE MEANING OF THEIR ROLE
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-05) Engler, Andrea Colby; Hughes, Robin L.
In an effort to support undergraduate students and retain them, colleges and universities have created programs that use peer mentors to facilitate their transition to and academic success in college. Involving peer mentors in college student support programs has been shown to be effective in helping students with aspects of their academic success. Research has not focused on the essential experience of being in a peer mentor role. This study aimed to understand how peer mentors make meaning of their role, to capture their voice, and to gain insight into the essential experience of being a peer mentor. This phenomenological study used an inductive approach in describing and interpreting the data collected, in order to gain a deeper understanding of how peer mentors make meaning of their role. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with peer mentors with varying levels of experience from two different programs. The interview data was coded into themes providing insight on each mentor’s experience and their understanding of their experience, and were then organized using a holistic developmental framework that included the dimensions of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and epistemological development. The findings in this study suggested that peer mentors were able to describe their experiences in ways that reflected how their experiences caused them to pause, have new insights, and think differently in each of the three dimensions.
HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM TEACHER TALK: THE BELIEF-DISCOURSE GAP
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-07) Merkel, Eva Gankiewicz; Murtadha, Khaula
Classroom language is powerful. It reflects a teacher’s intended lesson, cultural background, and belief system. Teacher language and all of the nuances associated with human communication can present information, encourage, discourage, and indoctrinate. How this language is interpreted by students impacts their learning and success, as the classroom teacher is pivotal in communicating the school’s expected outcomes for each student. Utilizing a mixed methods approach incorporating Hymes’ SPEAKING Model, designed as a tool to understand communication from a cultural standpoint, supplemented with a modified discourse analysis, this study focused on teacher talk. Four high school teachers’ classroom discourse was analyzed in light of their expressed beliefs about the students they teach and their work as teachers. The challenges of meeting both cognitive and affective needs of students, the impact of deficit thinking, and the power of discourse were addressed. This study revealed that a gap between teachers’ beliefs and their discourse may be creating barriers between presenting students with a curriculum that is more engaging and, believing that, when an engaging curriculum is presented, students will achieve at higher levels.
IMPLEMENTING MASTERY LEARNING AT DPCHS
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-12) Hamann, P. J.; Crow, Gary M.
This qualitative case study is about implementing a mastery learning program for algebra I. The study takes place at a small suburban high school near Indianapolis. This school decided to implement a mastery learning program to improve student performance on the upcoming End of Course Assessments. Beginning in the spring of 2008 DPCHS began creating a program titled Algebra that Works, this program required students to demonstrate mastery on essential indicators as they progressed through the course. This study provides background on the components of implementation and mastery learning. Additionally, this study illustrates how changes in classroom processes can create resistance from community stakeholders. It also provides information on how the faculty created ATW and how they worked through the challenges related to implementation.
CHRISTIAN ENGLISH TEACHERS’ (CETS) IDENTITY AND PEDAGOGY IN A CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN SOUTH KOREA
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-12) Choi, Sang Jai; Coronel-Molina, Serafin M.
That the world is becoming one is a phenomenon that has widespread implications, notably in the TESOL field. Today’s world is a world where various cultures may conflict and must negotiate with one another, which has increased the importance of a common language. One of the fastest growing populations in the TESOL field is that of Christian English teachers (CETs). Because English teachers cannot teach only the English language in ESL classroom, English learners are under the influence of their ESL teachers. The inevitable power imbalance between teacher and students seriously strengthens that impact. That is why CETs’ identity and pedagogy should be deeply understood at this time. This research reveals that CETs’ identity is closely related to their pedagogy. Christian principles provide the base of the philosophy of CETs’ pedagogy. Because these Christian principles have impacted CETs’ identities for as long as throughout their whole lives, they are inextricable from their pedagogical values and practices. CETs’ identities are continually reflected in their’ pedagogy in/outside the ESL/EFL classroom. CETs are interested in students’ lives holistically; therefore, their pedagogical practices are broad and multidimensional. Teacher’s religious identity seems to be one of the strongest identities and will not be altered readily. This research clearly elucidates that CETs are spreading Christianity, English and Western culture successfully. This research also demonstrates that as members of a Christian institution set up to effectively spread Christianity, their missionary identity is strengthened through ELT at the research site. The institutional identity controls and improves CETs’ missionary identity. However, when a shift occurs in the Christian institutional identity, it is tested against Bible principles, and CETs experience a dilemma. CETs do not judge that their utilizing ELT as the platform for their Christian mission is unethical. In addition, they do not conceive of introducing Christianity to students as a matter of cultural imperialism but of multiculturalism. This research reveals that CETs need education and training to become critical ELT teachers who comprehend issues related to linguistic and cultural imperialism. They need education about power issues in ESL/EFL contexts.
A PORTRAIT OF LITERACY: MEANING-MAKING IN THE LIFE OF A RURAL INDIANA PRESCHOOLER AND HER FAMILY
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2015-12) Honaker, Denice W.; McMullen, Mary
Qualitative methodology was utilized to create literary portraits of meaning making through oral and printed texts in the life of a young learner who resides in the rural farmlands of East Central Indiana. As a qualitative researcher, I used interviews and field observations “to uncover the complexities of ‘voice’ that provide answers and sometimes questions for research” (Chapman, 2005, p. 27). The purpose of this study was to understand how to empower families by supporting them in a deeper understanding and definition of literacy, to identify these practices in their own daily lives, and to communicate this with the professional educators with whom they interact. Insight was gained to help educators more clearly understand family literacy practices, use this knowledge in supporting children’s transition to school, and better connect family literacy with the classroom environment and instructional practices.
EFFECTS OF ENGAGEMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL AND EXPECTATIONS FOR COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT ON REALIZED COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-03) Foley, Chris J.; Hossler, Donald
The positive relationships of college engagement with student persistence, graduation, and satisfaction are generally accepted by researchers and practitioners. Much emphasis has therefore been placed on fostering college engagement; however, despite considerable college programming focused on college engagement, little progress has been seen in national levels of college engagement. This stagnation begs the question of whether or not colleges are as responsible for fostering college engagement as is commonly believed. Students themselves may be predisposed to be engaged in college. No prior study has adequately examined high school student engagement and their expectations for college engagement and student relationships with college engagement across a national sample. This study proposes a comprehensive model of engagement and tests the model to contribute a more complete understanding of the student-level factors that contribute to college engagement to the body of extant research. To evaluate these relationships, a series of hierarchical linear models (HLM) models were developed using data from the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 administrations of the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In general, the variability in the NSSE benchmarks was mostly explained by student characteristics rather than college characteristics. Moreover, the engagement behaviors in high school exhibited the highest and most consistent relationship with each of the benchmarks. Expected college engagement generally demonstrated the second highest levels. However, no indirect relationships were found to be significant between the student and college characteristics, thus indicating that college characteristics had only direct and slight relationships with college engagement when compared to student characteristics. The findings of this study indicate a need to revisit the discussions surrounding college engagement. Rather than looking towards colleges as the primary source of college engagement, scholars and practitioners should rather look to those behaviors and expectations a student exhibited prior to enrolling in college. This paradigm shift is supported by the retention and engagement models previously proposed by Tinto, Bean and Kuh, but for lack of adequate statistical methods and survey instruments, the importance of prior engagement and expectations were understudied.
RELATIVE UTILITY OF THREE MODELS FOR USER EVALUATIONS OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: A HIGHER-ED INSTITUTION DECISION CONTEXT
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-04) Goodrum, David A.; Brush, Thomas
Learning management systems (LMSs) have broad adoption in higher education. Many institutions are re-evaluating their LMS strategy, comparing the relative advantage of alternative systems to the institution’s current LMS. As part of a selection/decision process, most institutions gather instructor and student user evaluation after a level of “hands-on” user experience. Gathering users’ input underscores their importance and relevance to the institution’s technology decision process. Reviewing publically available LMS evaluation reports, one finds no mention of any framework or model used to guide the user evaluations, though common concepts occur frequently across the various reports. Conversely, there is a rich tradition of technology acceptance and success research, with several competing information system (IS) models having been developed over the past couple decades. This paper explicates the three most frequently used IS models used in LMS academic studies – the Technology Acceptance Model, the IS Success Model, and the Task-Performance Chain Model. This study examined the relative utility of the three models to begin to build a bridge between the academic literature and the LMS selection/decision processes underway at many institutions. Utilizing existing data from an LMS selection/decision process at a large, public higher education institution, a qualitative analysis was conducted by coding student user responses to open-ended survey question using the respective models’ constructs. Quantitative analysis was conducted by first mapping closed-ended survey questions to the models’ constructs and then analyzing the data with each model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicated that technology acceptance and success models have considerable potential utility for understanding user input in the LMS selection/decision context in higher education. All three models exhibited utility in analyzing the student user evaluations from an LMS pilot and contributed to the foundation for building a proposed Learning Management System – Pilot Model (LMS-PM) that could provide for practitioners common nomenclature and a framework for understanding and sharing LMS pilot evaluation results.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ACADEMIC SCHOOLS AT AN INSTITUTION USING A RESPONSIBILITY CENTERED MANAGEMENT BUDGET
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-05) Woodring, Robert J.; Borden, Victor M.H.
Drastic shifts in the funding of American higher education over the last three decades have forced many public colleges and universities to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to meet their financial bottom line. Increasingly, public colleges and universities are adopting Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) budget models because they encourage educationally sound choices, efficiency, and entrepreneurial behavior. Despite a growing body of research on the efficacy of RCM models at the institution level little is known about their impact on the academic schools within the institution. Guided by Clark’s (1998) research on entrepreneurial behavior in higher education, an embedded case study design was used to test the extent to which entrepreneurial behavior exists within three academic schools at an institution using an RCM budget model and to identify the characteristics of this behavior. From this study three main findings were identified. First, entrepreneurial schools understand and leverage the inherent incentives in their institutions RCM model. Second, entrepreneurial schools recognize and capitalize on the environment within and around the university. Third, entrepreneurial schools are committed to increasing their research performance. From these emerged an additional finding that the external environment, and how a school perceives the challenges and opportunities present in this environment, impacts the strategic responses of each school. The presentation of findings leads to recommendations for practice at academic schools within an RCM environment.
Youth Empowerment Using the Arts: An Indicative Theoretical Model for Practitioners
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-08) Alkateb-Chami, Maya; Manifold, Marjorie C.
This thesis proposes a comprehensive model for fostering youth empowerment through the arts. A viable working model is urgently needed since many current research reports appear to be case studies or articles describing specific programs and lacking the adequate methodology and documentation necessary to render these studies verifiable and replicable by other researchers. In addition, the absence of consensus regarding program objectives and outcomes hinders meaningful discourse among researchers and practitioners. By identifying knowledge gaps in research on arts-based approaches to youth empowerment, this thesis provides a valuable starting point for professionals as they develop desired objectives for their programs and design activities for achieving programmatic goals. The methodology of this thesis harnesses techniques of meta- analysis and grounded theory to construct a definition of youth empowerment that is currently operative in the field. Patterns observed in programs implemented to-date are noted, including art forms mobilized, duration and location of programs, participant demographics, and evaluation methods. References made to researchers’ work and findings are synthesized to summarize and critique the theoretical framework currently in use. The proposed model detailed in this thesis is grounded in current practices, which are outlined and summarized in the study. It focuses on developing four attributes that enable the individual to empower him or herself: competence, consciousness, self-efficacy, and positive connections. Competence encompasses skills including communication, critical thinking, and the ability to self-heal. Consciousness entails the motivation for community involvement and awareness of social justice issues, and self-efficacy is present in parallel with having a positive sense of identity. The resulting ongoing empowerment of self and others promotes the linkage of taking action and resilience. This study includes practical guidelines along with theoretical references to help practitioners design the most effective programs, contributing to demonstrable and lasting outcomes.
Public School Visual Arts Teachers As Curricular Decision Maker
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-12) Reynolds, Roy J.
This is a study of how elementary visual arts teachers’ perceive the contexts under which they make curricular decisions. In this autoethnographic study, I draw from my personal and professional experiences as an elementary art educator, triangulated by interviews with six other art teachers to describe contexts that impact decisions regarding curriculum design and strategies of instructing k-6 students in art. I explore how we perceive the contexts that impact the process of curricular decision-making through narrative analysis. An assumption underpinning the thesis of this study is that valuable insights into the work and identity of teachers can be gained by examining perceptions of personal experiences in schools and with students. Visual arts teachers work within varied and complex contexts, and decisions are based on the unique setting within which they work.
Contextualization and Basic Writing: A Three-Fold Case Study in Professional Development
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-12) Given, Dennis; Flinders, David
This dissertation focuses on Contextualization, Basic Writing (BW) and Professional Development (PD). Contextualized Teaching and Learning (CTL) is a teaching and learning strategy designed to address the problem of remediation by increasing student interest, engagement, retention and success. Mazzeo (2008) defines CTL as: "A diverse family of instructional strategies designed to more seamlessly link the learning of foundational skills and academic or occupational content by focusing teaching and learning squarely on concrete applications in a specific context that is of interest to the student" (p. 4). CTL, in this three-fold case study, was explored largely in relation to the instruction of BW skills with respect to three instructional methods: contextualized instruction, integrated contextualized instruction and embedded contextualized instruction. To accomplish this, three case studies were implemented; each case study involved three participants: a primary participant, a secondary participant and the doctoral candidate. As for the main focus of this study, two questions were raised: what is faculty (and student) experience with CTL and BW combined with PD, and what is the subsequent response of faculty in relation to career satisfaction and personal fulfillment? To address these questions, this study had two concurrent phases: individualized and organic PD and the actual implementation of the study by the participants. This dissertation, therefore, addresses the following: introductory material; a review of the literature on CTL, BW and PD; an explanation of the methodology; one case study in relation to contextualized instruction; one case study in relation to integrated contextualized instruction and one case study involving embedded contextualized instruction. Finally, this dissertation includes reflections on the study in relation to the literature on CTL, BW and PD, as well as the current and future implications for research and practice.
Mediating Identities: "Doing being global" in a study abroad media literacy course
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-12) Wiechart, Kelly; Samuelson, Beth Lewis
This study reports on findings of a complex, contextualized blended education world. It is a blend of modalities, technologies, media, languages, countries, cultures, and literacies. The nature of this blend facilitates observation of what happens as learners transform formal, informal, and digital learning contexts into their own agentive spaces for auditioning global identity repertoires (Lechner, 2007). Using tools of Nexus Analysis to analyze filmed observations, interviews, field notes, and course artifacts, this study describes how translingual youth select and incorporate available semiotic resources to display symbolic competences (Kramsch & Whiteside, 2008) to negotiate and co-construct global identities across multiple sites of engagement. Drawing upon Mercer’s (2011a, 2011b, 2012) work on learner agency as a complex adaptive system, I explore how multilingual students’ identity performances can be conceived as nested complex adaptive systems (CAS). Specifically, I focus on how students deploy symbolic competence (Kramsch, 2006) as a discursive adaptive system of meaning-making and intercultural competence (Kramsch, 2009b) in the mediated actions of “doing being global.” Findings indicate that “emergent teaching” (Crowell & Reid-Marr, 2013) plays important roles in constructing collaborative agency even in spaces that materially and discursively are quite constraining. This ethnographic study addresses interdisciplinary gaps in global education, semiotic landscapes, multilingualism, and complexity education research while contributing to methodological approaches of multimodal action-oriented research and holds implications for teaching practice and approaches to fostering global teaching dispositions.
Student Union Transformation: A Case Study On Creating Purposeful Space
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-12) Maxwell, Daniel M.; Nelson Laird, Thomas F.
Colleges provide many opportunities for students to interact with faculty and staff, participate in and lead student organizations, and attend campus events. This type of involvement creates positive student engagement that nourishes students’ connection while in college (Boyer, 1987). Students seek on-campus social interactions and supportive networks through programs, services, and activities (Kuh, 2007; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 2001). Campus facilities that provide spaces where students can come together intentionally are critical (Kuh, Douglas, Lund, & Ramin-Gyurnek, 1994). Designing physical spaces, such as a student union, where social and intellectual connections can occur, contributes community for students. In order to design spaces that foster opportunities for community, specifically a sense of inclusion and engagement, there is a need for understanding organic community (Myers, 2007) and the way individuals use and interact with physical space. Specifically, campus ecology (Banning, 2012) provides the theoretical framework for understanding interactions within the physical space. In this qualitative case study, the notions of community in the overall planning process and the way students use two identified spaces in a student union were explored. Semi-structured interviews provided insight in the planning process and observations provided an understanding of the way individuals engage in the space. Findings from this study indicate how intentional planning of physical space design impacts the social and intellectual interactions between individuals using the space. Results from this study suggest that attention to the design of physical space matters. For student affairs professionals, results from this study demonstrate a positive impact on community as an outcome of the intentional design of the student union.
The Role of Person and Environment Characteristics in Accounting for Professional Development Behaviors in Student Affairs
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2017-05) Nailos, Jennifer N.; Borden, Victor
The purpose of this study was to explore whether a relationship exists, and to what extent, between the individual professional, their environments, and their professional development behaviors. Professionalization of student affairs has led to the incorporation of continuing education and competency enhancement throughout one’s career but the field lacks required minimum standards for entry or continuing education. With individuals responsible for their own development, it is critical to evaluate how their experiences, values, and perspectives are shaped and enacted in order to identify trends and illuminate obstacles to advancing student affairs as a profession. A quantitative survey examined the perspectives, behaviors, environments, and characteristics of 243 student affairs professionals using Lewin’s (1936) Field Theory as the theoretical lens. Survey respondents rated their perspectives on professional development, its importance to them and the community, and shared descriptive characteristics of their person, environment, and espoused and enacted professional development activities. Descriptive statistics illustrated the frequency and range of activities. Significant relationships between the perspective of professional development and environmental, behavioral, and personal characteristics were found through regression analysis and chi-square tests. This study contributes to the call for the student affairs field to assert whether it is a true profession. Building upon previous research, this study incorporated survey items from other studies to broaden and confirm former findings. Through the sampling approach, connecting to respondents through their graduate program alumni lists, the survey items were effective in gauging the respondent’s experiences, and that the findings aligned with previous studies. These findings contribute to theory by validating the use of Lewin’s (1936) Field Theory in this context, to research by building upon scholarship and confirming previous findings, and to practice by illuminating trends, limitations, and values among the student affairs community related to their professional development interests, needs, and behaviors.
Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools: A Case Study to Inform Policy and Practice
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2017-05) Kulwicki, Bruce; Decker, Janet
In this case study, I conducted an in-depth examination of a Midwest Montessori Charter School’s ability to serve students with disabilities (SWDs). I studied whether the administrators, staff, parents, and students believed the school could serve SWDs in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). I investigated how the school’s unique mission and curricular design enhanced or inhibited efforts to meet the needs of SWDs. I also studied what training, resources, and expertise the participants perceived was needed to effectively serve SWDs in the charter school setting. I interviewed students with disabilities, parents of students with disabilities, and school staff to answer my research questions. The parents and students had prior experience with special education services at regular public schools before enrolling in the charter school. Each reported being more satisfied with their educational experience at the charter school than at their former regular public school. School staff members perceived their special education services as compliant with the federal law that protects the rights of students with disabilities in public schools. My interview data were supported by observations in multiple settings and a review of school data from the state database and the school’s website. After analyzing the data, several themes emerged: 1.) Special education services at the school were perceived as adequate, and in some cases superior, to those offered in regular public schools; 2.) There was a lack of urgency regarding student performance on state mandated, accountability-driven testing; 3.) The school prioritized community and communication to foster student success; 4.) The school was not readily prepared to serve students with severe cognitive and/or physical disabilities; and 5.) The charter school stakeholders valued and implemented a full inclusion model to serve their SWDs. In the final chapter, I discuss the implications of my study for legislators, regular public and charter school practitioners and parents.
Computing Devices and Learning Theory: A Study of How Students Involved In One-to-One Computing Programs Utilize Their Devices to Form Learning In Out-of-School Environments
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2017-05) Allen, Jacob B.; Maxcy, Brendan
With the integration of technology into our society and the education system comes the need to better understand how the students of today are using computing devices for the purposes of learning. This qualitative study utilizes Mocker and Spear’s learning identification model for guidance and views student learning through the theoretical frameworks of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, as well as the relatively newly formed learning theory of connectivism, to answer the question, “How do students involved in one-to-one laptop programs utilize computing devices to form learning in out-of-school environments?” Findings from the study reveal various ways in which students utilize computer access to autonomously gather information and learn on their own; the study suggests that when students did participate in autonomous and self-directed learning with their computing devices, they reported utilizing a variety of informational resources, were more likely to be engaged in the learning process, and were more likely to share their learning with others through digital mediums. Furthermore, the study identifies ways in which participants utilize their access to computing devices and freedom to use these devices with autonomy and in a self-directed manner in order to build upon and discover personal identity.
Persistence in Five-Year High School Graduates
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2017-05) Goldshine, Lilibeth Fedora; Maxcy, Brendan
Students who fail to graduate do not reach their full potential as contributing members of society with exorbitant costs to both them and the nation. The intended purpose of this study was to understand persistence in five-year high school graduates that did not have any type of break in their education. Students that persist in school for a fifth year to earn their high school diplomas do so for various reasons. A qualitative phenomenological approach to three case studies of five-year high school graduates was conducted. The three participants were selected from the same urban school in a Midwestern state. Semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding their school experiences and decisions to persist to graduation. The ethic of care, additional social capital and resilience all contributed to participants’ persistence. Care was provided by family, school personnel, and friends. This care was reciprocated by the participants. Care led to additional social capital. Social capital allowed the participants to gain the educational asset of a high school diploma, and to improve on their futures by either attending college or entering the military. At the same time the participants became resilient “by means of human activities, including thought and action.” The participants set goals for themselves deciding that they wanted careers and not jobs. They matured realizing that they had wasted time and took school more seriously. Family finances also was a part of the decision making process. The participants did not want to live pay check to pay check. The results demonstrated that there is not one reason, but several reasons that the participants persisted.

Browse

Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Issue Date