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.

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    AN ACTION RESEARCH INVESTIGATION: ENHANCING DUAL CREDIT BIOLOGY STUDENTS’ SCIENTIFIC LITERACY SKILLS THROUGH METACOGNITIVE READING INTERVENTIONS
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-06) Harshberger, Shellie Anne; Akerson, Valarie L.
    Many of the 21st century challenges are rooted in scientific issues and intricately linked to political decision-making, emphasizing the critical need for a scientifically literate public. Moreover, empirical evidence suggests a substantial deficiency in scientific literacy among the populace, especially noticeable among those with only a high school education, thus unveiling a significant gap in scientific understanding within this demographic. Furthermore, amidst widespread social media usage and heightened political polarization, concerns about the public’s susceptibility to misinformation are mounting. In response, this study implemented a mixed-methods action research approach aimed at enhancing dual credit high school students’ scientific literacy by refining their overall reading comprehension skills through metacognitive interventions. For this research endeavor, students were initially assessed using a well-established tool to gauge their baseline scientific literacy before engaging in scaffolded lessons that progressed from tertiary to primary literature. Spanning 19 class periods, equivalent to approximately 15 hours of instruction, participants were taught pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading metacognitive strategies. These approaches aimed to bolster general literacy skills, with the expectation that the improved literacy would consequently elevate scientific literacy. At the conclusion of the intervention, students underwent the same assessment as a post-test, which also featured an additional essay question prompting them to reflect on their experience with the intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to evaluate the intervention’s impact. Quantitative analysis unveiled a statistically significant enhancement in students’ scientific literacy levels, as validated by a two-tailed t-test. Qualitative exploration revealed an upward trend in scientific literacy among participants over the study duration. Student feedback emphasized two prevalent themes: heightened confidence in navigating scientific literature and an increased awareness of the importance of critically assessing scientific texts for credibility. Thus, educators can bolster students’ scientific literacy by equipping them with metacognitive reading skills. The significance of this study expands beyond academic spheres, as misinformation has been identified as a significant contributor to mortality rates in the United States. Consequently, this research becomes crucial for current and future generations, as it addresses the pressing need to counter misinformation and promote scientific literacy.
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    Supporting Collaborative Learning for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Shared Digital Tool: A Universal Design for Learning Approach
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-06) Terman May, Tamatha N.; Brush, Thomas
    Due to core features of their disability, students with autism spectrum disorder face a variety of potential difficulties when it comes to collaborative learning. These students are increasingly included in general education classrooms where they are expected to participate in collaborative learning opportunities. However, very little research has been done regarding types of supports that may assist students as they undertake these challenges. Social skills supports such as scripts and prompts have shown promise in other settings. Technology has also shown potential in supporting students with ASD. In this evaluation study, a digital learning support was designed using Universal Design for Learning principles to be embedded within a shared digital product. It was then implemented and evaluated in grades three through five to determine its perceived effectiveness in supporting children with ASD and their classmates as they completed part of the curriculum that involves collaborative learning. Surveys, observations, artifact analysis, screen recordings, and teacher interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Students were able to use the tool and shared presentations to collaborate. Both teachers and students perceived them to be effective in assisting with collaboration. Teachers found the tool easy to use and would use similar materials again.
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    ON SOLID GROUND: THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AS A FOUNDATION FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-07) Wenger, Kevin J.; Kilgo, Cindy Ann
    The first-year experience has often been implicated as a critical transition period for student success in college. For decades, colleges and universities have dedicated resources to their first-year students. However, the first-year experience is often discussed in vague imagery without considering the efficacy of longstanding programs. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate different aspects of the first-year experience to determine how these programs might be improved. This study is a multi-article dissertation and was organized and framed using transition theory. In the first article, I used an integrative literature review approach to study the development of the first-year experience movement in the U.S. historical context. The second article used hierarchical linear modeling to evaluate different dimensions of quality of two high-impact practices, service-learning and learning communities, that are often implemented as part of a first-year experience to evaluate how quality relates to various outcomes. The third article used a critical quantitative approach to study the experiences of disabled first-year students to examine how they find support and develop a sense of belonging on campus. Implications for research, practice, and policy for the three articles are discussed.
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    FACULTY SELECTION AND USE OF ACTIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES IN DIDACTIC COURSES IN MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE EDUCATION
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-07) Spinda, Barbara; Brush, Thomas
    Post-secondary education of Medical Laboratory Science students demands a comprehensive understanding of biology, chemistry, and laboratory medicine essential for entry-level practice (Beck & Doig, 2002; Scanlan, 2013). These programs often support a mix of traditional and non-traditional students (Nasr & Jackson-Harris, 2016), each with unique learning needs. The “one size fits all” approach to education falls short in fostering the creative and critical thinking expected of healthcare graduates (Hainline et al., 2010; Silverthorn, 2006). Active learning has proven beneficial as a pedagogical practice in post-secondary education of healthcare professionals (Rockich-Winston et al., 2018). However, the literature of active learning use in Medical Laboratory Science education is limited in exploration. This study utilized a survey, interviews, and artifact analysis to investigate faculty selection, use, and evaluation of active learning techniques in the didactic classroom of university-based Medical Laboratory Science programs. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that faculty favor active learning techniques that offer an interactive or collaborative learning model, encourage student engagement, and require application of knowledge. Faculty believe the use of active learning supports student learning, promotes engagement, increases motivation, embeds long-term knowledge, and improves soft skills. Despite recognizing the benefits, faculty also reported challenges related to time constraints, resource availability, and support from colleagues and administrators. Overall, while active learning presents certain complexities and challenges, faculty incorporate it across all content areas of Medical Laboratory Science education. The insights from this study highlight the significance of active learning in the classroom and aims to spark awareness, encourage dialogue, foster collaboration, and stimulate further research and publications on this pedagogical approach.
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    UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN FRESHMAN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS: A DESCRIPTIVE CASE STUDY
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-07) Huffman, Beth; Boling, Elizabeth
    Freshman interior design students at a large, urban, Midwest university are required to enroll in a design studio course during their first semester. The design studio is the primary pedagogy in design education utilized to teach students how to communicate graphically, verbally and through their writings (Schön, 1987; Shaffer, 2003). While effective communication in each of these domain competencies is expected, the focus of the design studio is often on design principles, with minimal instruction provided on communication skills development (Morton & O’Brien, 2005; Hynes & Kwon, 2018). This descriptive case study aimed to better understand students’ self-perceptions of communication skills within a single section of a semester-long freshman interior design studio course. The students’ communication skills were analyzed through the following data sources: one written reflection narrative assigned at the beginning of the semester, which prompted students to self-assess their perceptions of their communication skills across the three domain competencies (graphic, verbal and written); and a digital story, in which students reflected on their perceptions of communication skills development throughout the semester. This study analyzed the students’ self-perceptions of their communication skills throughout one semester, with an emphasis on three domain competencies: graphic, verbal and written communication skills.
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    DECONSTRUCTING KOREAMARIA: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ON LIMINALITY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-08) Lisak, Maria Helena; Hines, MaryBeth
    This autoethnography analyzes the social justice teaching of a career English language teacher. Funds of knowledge theorization frames this autoethnographic study analyzing multimodal artifacts for decolonization of the researcher's teaching practice in a liminal space. This self-analysis of ontological and epistemological changes over time identifies the circulation of various literacies. A panel discussion is used to analyze a multimodal artifact created about being a migrant English teacher in South Korea, which is then discussed in the literature on funds of knowledge, liminality, and autoethnography. A digitally layered narrative artifact, a Voicethread, introduces a visual story with commentaries of reflection about teaching in South Korea as a US American. This Voicethread is then reflexively analyzed in a new discourse reflection. A panel discussion was chosen as a new discourse iteration to analyze the educator’s career. Visual self-representations, or avatars, created during their career then dialog with different aspects of the researcher’s persona on their life as a transplanted teacher of English in South Korea. This autoethnography is intended as a portrait that looks at the complex richness between the personal and the contextual. This work is helpful in documenting the ontological and epistemological changes in circulation of an Anglosphere educator decolonizing their teaching of English. This study is a counter-story of participatory knowledge construction of frontline teachers, working on the ground within and against systems of domination in English language teaching. The rigor of this study comes from a deep dive into a complex artifact to connect the personal to the cultural landscape at this point in time.
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    THE FUTURE CAN BE PERFECT!: EXPLORING EDUCATORS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-08) East, Eric; Wohlwend, Karen
    Studies have shown that teachers’ expectations of their students strongly affect the outcomes of their performance in the classroom and, in turn, their career paths as adults. Specific studies have demonstrated that immigrants and English learner students acutely experience the effects of low expectations from their educators. This qualitative narrative inquiry examines educators’ expectations of immigrant and English learner middle school students and attempts an intervention with the intention of raising those expectations. Educators are asked about their existing expectations, provided samples of students’ narratives about their imagined successful futures, then reflect on whether their expectations shifted and, if so, how. Their responses are restoried into coherent narratives demonstrating their thought processes and highlighting their expectations. In contrast to participants in other studies, the participants here all entered the study with reasonably high expectations. As a result, all participants described either no change in expectations or shifting from high to higher based on students’ writing capabilities and specific details in their stories. It was concluded that disseminating students’ stories to educators outside of the English as a second language classroom can affect educators’ expectations.
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    INSTRUCTION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: HOW EXPANSIVE FRAMING IMPACTS BEHAVIOR CHANGE
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-09) Bailey, Krista
    Achieving sustainability depends on changes in behavior, yet instruction which leads to changed behavior that follows United Nationals Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendations is not standard practice among sustainability educators. According to UNESCO, it should be grounded in culture and morals and driven by a shift in values. This study explores how using expansive framing for sustainability instruction influences responsive behavior change. Changes were tracked through quantitative and qualitative data using pre- and post-assessments of self-reported sustainability-related behaviors, a rating of the learning experience, and used Revised Blooms Taxonomy (RBT) terms for coding. Building on previous studies (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Armson et al., 2015) which showed higher RBT learning levels are supportive of behavior change because they reflect deep learning that relies on analyzing information, integrating new knowledge with prior knowledge, and interpreting and applying information. This research offers additional evidence that RBT can be used to indicate behavior change. The coding of comments showed a progression from learning levels of remember and understand in the first couple of weeks, to more frequent alignment with learning levels of analyzing and evaluating by the last few weeks. This progression validates the assessment and course survey responses which indicated increased frequency of the targeted behavior and good ratings of helpful instructional elements. Because expansive framing begins with learning content and a shift in perspective about the material from personal to global, includes sharing evidence of engaging in the targeted behavior, and integrates discussion about what is learned from and with others, it sets norms of behavior and provides social feedback about it. Expansive framing centers on a learning community of practice and social interaction among learners. It enhances understanding and creates a supportive environment, which are important predictors of behaviors (Aboytes & Barth, 2019; Lankester, 2013; Saravanamuthu, 2015; Sims, 2012; Westoby & Lyons, 2017). By weaving together varied and related approaches to learning content, expansive framing addresses knowledge and identity, norms and social feedback, and learning in a community of practice. The results offer promise for using expansive framing as an effective sustainability instructional tool to foster behavior change.
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    Cultivating Language Teacher Identities: A Narrative Inquiry of Pre-service Non-native English-speaking Teachers
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-09) Lee, Lisa; Samuelson, Beth Lewis
    Teacher candidates in a Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, are from different linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds. The ideology of native speakerism, which is a pervasive ideology that continues to be an issue in the field of English language teaching (ELT) where the native speaker (NS) is idealized, and the non-native speaker (NNS) is marginalized (Holliday, 2018). This study utilizes a narrative research design incorporating Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) Three-Dimensional Space framework to explore the lived experiences of pre-service non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) development of language teacher identities (LTI) in an MA TESOL program in the United States. The study’s findings indicate that pre-service teachers' previous encounters with native speakerism before entering a graduate TESOL program, along with the encounters with native speakerism while studying in an MA TESOL program, highlight a critical need to create safe spaces for pre-service teachers to engage and counter native speakerism. The study calls for the inclusion of pre-service teachers’ narratives as central to the TESOL curriculum to empower pre-service teachers to cultivate confident language teacher identities.
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    THE EFFECTS OF ACTIVE LEARNING ON MOTIVATION AND GRADES AMONG A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION: MIXED METHODS ACTION RESEARCH OF LARGE, ONLINE, INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY COURSES
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-10) Rothman, Stephanie Marin; Akerson, Valarie
    Equity gaps are a persistent problem in education. The literature points to active learning as an effective way to close equity gaps in large undergraduate biology courses. Theorists suggest that active learning increases student motivation. Through mixed methods action research, I explored how my active learning interventions impacted my online students’ motivation and grades. Analysis revealed that students come to class inherently motivated, which is further bolstered by active learning and hindered by passive learning. Students were mixed on the importance of peer interaction, although the Skeletal Notes combined with engaging lectures increased student expectancy, and the options in the You-pick Assignments offered enjoyable real-world learning. My students’ sense of expectancy and value significantly increased, and their sense of cost significantly decreased after taking my online courses. Among most demographic groups there was little to no significant difference in motivation or grades. There was a significant correlation between students’ final grades and their change in value and cost
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    IMPEDIMENTS TO INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION IN PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP IN AN URBAN SETTING
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-10) Merriwether, Ryan; Lochmiller, Chad
    Urban school principals face increasing demands for instructional supervision due to evolving accountability standards in both federal and state teacher evaluation policies. Urban schools are expected to provide instruction that guarantees all students' performance at high levels of academic achievement regardless of their socioeconomic status, language proficiency, special education status, race, or ethnicity. In response to these pressures, urban school districts have created expectations on principals that require them to adjust their leadership practices, particularly regarding the supervision of teaching and learning, which is more commonly called instructional supervision. This expectation has challenged the work that principals have historically undertaken, including school operations management. Understanding and responding to the barriers principals encounter in prioritizing instructional supervision is a significant problem of practice for educational administrators. This qualitative interview study explores the barriers principals within an urban school district state routinely prevent from engaging in instructional supervision in their schools. Ten elementary school principals participated in semi-structured interviews, complemented by an analysis of available documents. Thematic analysis was employed to address two research questions. The first finding from this study aligns with previous research suggesting that principals commonly cite student behavior management as a hindrance to instructional supervision. Additionally, findings add to the research by identifying leadership strategies employed by principals to navigate these barriers, including (1) The principals enacted defensive calendaring to protect time and ensure their time was spent on high-leveraged tasks. (2) The principals leveraged support staff to address minor student issues, and (3) The principals leveraged systems and improved communication to create space for instructional supervision. Despite these leadership actions, the analysis suggests that the guarantee of instructional supervision remains elusive for principals.
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    BROKEN COLLEGE PROMISES: AN EXPLORATION OF TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP LOSS
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-10) Risk, Jessica Michelle Esch; Laird, Thomas F. Nelson
    As public concerns have grown over issues of college affordability, the student debt crisis, racial and educational justice, and large disparities between college outcomes for low-income and racially minoritized groups, hundreds of college promise programs (CPPs) have emerged at the local and state levels over the last twenty years to address college affordability and educational disparities. While CPP research aims to address the structural inequities that are situated within disadvantaged communities, evaluations of CPP program designs often do not explore how these scholarship designs and renewal requirements may be mismatched to the populations they target, thus creating sub-optimal outcomes for their programs. This dissertation uses a critical qualitative inquiry approach to explore students’ experiences within an early-awareness state-based college promise program, Indiana’s Twenty-First Century Scholars (TFCS) program, which promises its recipients up to four years of full tuition scholarship at any Indiana public college or university. Using interview data from sixteen TFCS students at Indiana University’s regional campuses who lost the 21st Century Scholarship (21C) before college graduation, this study explored themes related to these TFCS students understanding and experiences with the scholarship renewal requirements (30 credit hour requirement, Standard Academic Progress (SAP), the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Annual Means Requirement). It also explored what personal, circumstantial, institutional and societal factors contributed to these students with meeting the 21C renewal requirements, and their experiences and decisions related to college after losing the 21C scholarship. This study found that students had a very limited understanding of the scholarship requirements and thus felt betrayed when they discovered they had lost their scholarships. Additionally, this study found that students identified a variety of challenges that contributed to their struggles with meeting the scholarship’s rigorous requirements, including academic challenges, mental health challenges, family issues, basic needs insecurities, issues with campus support staff, and full-time employment. Finally, this study found that scholarship loss had a disproportionate effect on poor and working-class TFCS students and their choices related to college, both in deciding whether to stay in college the semester immediately after scholarship loss and in their overall college timeline.
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    USING COLLABORATIVE ASSESSMENT TO ADDRESS LEARNER ISOLATION AND LANGUAGE ATTRITION: A PRACTITIONER INQUIRY ON FOSTERING AUTONOMY IN LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-10) Nettles, Joshua; Wohlwend, Karen E.
    The language retention rate among community college students has typically been worse than 4-year institutions because community colleges offer entry-level language courses twice a week rather than four to five times a week, potentially creating a long period when the student is not exposed to the target language. The issue of language retention has worsened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as a direct consequence of learner isolation and underdeveloped learning habits. This practitioner inquiry aimed to address the language retention issue through both modeling and integrating the use of learning strategies associated with successful language learning directly into the curriculum and coursework and by encouraging student interaction through the creation and maintenance of an online language learning community, and the implementation of a collaborative assessment policy during the Fall and Spring semesters of 2023. Based on teacher audio notes, video recordings of the collaborative assessment events, online platform chat transcripts, student conference data, and assessment performance data, I concluded that efforts to improve student learning habits were successful on an individual basis with students willing to participate in the proposed strategies, but the lack of participation by the students was an ongoing barrier to the success of this aspect of the study. It is possible that a single semester is not enough time to meaningfully alter students' learning behavior, especially when that behavior may be positively reinforced by success in other classes. However, the implementation of both the online community and collaborative assessment showed great promise in addressing the issue of learner isolation. Students used the collaborative assessment not only as a learning and teaching experience but also became more comfortable with interacting with each other in the classroom. This led to increased interaction between students inside and outside the classroom, ultimately leading to more successful learning outcomes.
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    How Superintendent Retention, Mobility, and Attrition Vary by Personal and District Characteristics: An Indiana Study.
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-11) Roeder, Branden; Lochmiller, Chad
    Superintendent retention is associated with increased student achievement and, potentially, a district’s financial stability. Prior research suggests that retention, mobility, and attrition may be influenced by personal and professional factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, years of experience, and amount of compensation. Likewise, a district’s urbanicity, size, financial condition, and political culture among school board members predict whether superintendents remain in their districts. Notably, research on superintendent retention in Indiana is both dated and limited. Thus, there is clearly a need for a better understanding of superintendent retention, mobility, and attrition within the state. The current descriptive quantitative study analyzed data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to calculate average retention, mobility, and attrition rates for superintendents in Indiana public school districts, how these rates vary based on personal and professional factors, and how long superintendents serve in their districts. This comprehensive quantitative study, spanning a decade of unique data on superintendent and district characteristics, reveals that 84.5% of superintendents remained in the same district, while 4.1% moved to different districts within the state, and 11.4% left the state’s education system all together. The state retained superintendents differently depending on their personal and district characteristics. Women and leaders of color were more likely to remain in the same district than men. Superintendents in rural settings were more likely to move than superintendents in urban and suburban areas. On average, superintendents remained in their school districts for 4.07 years. The findings of this study provide important insights into the retention, mobility, and attrition of superintendents in Indiana and suggest that, on the whole, the state’s superintendent workforce behaves similarly to those of other states throughout the nation.
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    NARRATING A SELF-STUDY: AN EMPATHETIC APPROACH TO TEACHING HUMAN BEINGS THE POWER OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-10) Salinas, Araceli; Wohlwend, Karen, Ph.D.
    The purpose of this study is to improve my own teaching practice that aims to build on the strengths of the diverse backgrounds of all students in my Grade 8 English Language Arts & Reading classroom at a middle school in Texas, focusing on empathetic approaches. As a secondary ELAR teacher, I am ethically navigating culturally-responsive and effective instructional practices, which are defined as: ◦ using students’ individual cultural backgrounds to support their reading/writing instruction ◦ incorporating current sociopolitical events and/or issues to engage students and promote reading/writing growth/development ◦ hosting small-group democratic discussions initiated by required skills—including units of argument, (in)effective rhetorical techniques, and synthesizing information. In post-COVID-19 America, the communities behind students—in particular, historically-oppressed minority students—continue to struggle with how to better support their students who have fallen into the learning “gap”, having lost several grade levels worth of reading and writing comprehension. In the midst of this, sociopolitical issues continue to swell across the country—from mass shootings in K-12 public schools to protests stemming from white-on-black atrocities. The reality is that the American education system has not changed since the early 1950s, specifically with regards to educational standards that underlie instructional methods. Therefore, the plan is to be able to research my own teaching practices to answer the following question: How does the frame of critical literacy pedagogy equip teachers to facilitate learning with a more instructionally equitable approach to fostering diverse students’ academic growth? Students’ academic quality and successes/failures rely heavily on the systemic and sociopolitical influences (as aforementioned), as well as their classroom environment. My research aims to draw on foundational and current research in critical and culturally responsive pedagogies to examine the relationship between the ethical duties English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) teachers are bound to foster, as well as the culturally-sustaining pedagogical practices that have the ability to acknowledge and nurture these identities and accomplishments of ELAR students.
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    Experiencing Cultural Diversity Through Film: A Practitioner Inquiry on Developing Cultural Proficiency in a High School Spanish Classroom
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2023-12) Wood, Joshua; Wohlwend, Karen
    World Language classrooms are an ideal place to have discussions related to race, culture, and other topics related to diversity, but many of these chances are missed based on the teacher’s experience, outdated textbooks, and a history of placing grammar first. This practitioner inquiry held the goal of incorporating the Cultural Proficiency Continuum Framework into the Spanish curriculum in a 9th grade Spanish I classroom. The teaching of this framework alongside the use of films and documentaries provided a rich scenario for the students to discuss topics of race and cultural diversity. This paper will share pedagogical methods as well as student responses and feedback from this year-long study.
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    HUMANIZING THE WORK WITH EQUITY FACILITATORS TO UNDERSTAND CULTURALLY SUSTAINING PEDAGOGY: A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR’S PRACTITIONER INQUIRY
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-05) Wilson-Coles, Ayana A.; Damico, James
    To educate students from diverse backgrounds, educators are often encouraged to be aware of their student’s cultural backgrounds and to use the knowledge to inform their instruction to be culturally relevant. While this approach to teaching is widely promoted, educators are often unaware of how to accomplish this. This is especially true for White educators whose backgrounds are starkly different from their students. Although there is an abundance of literature explaining the theories underpinning pedagogies that build on students’ backgrounds, like culturally relevant pedagogy, there is not a lot of literature examining the journey White educators take as they try to implement asset-based pedagogies --in particular, the journeys of White educators trained as facilitators of equity. Using whiteness and culturally sustaining pedagogy as a lens, this dissertation explores what happens when I facilitated conversations with two White educators as they attempted to divest from dominant ideologies and implement asset-based pedagogies in their elementary classrooms. In this practitioner inquiry, data included interviews, observations, field notes, and classroom observations. Using thematic analysis, the findings of this study include the tensions that arose due to the educators feeling confined to the dominant systems and how they contended with these pressures. The implications of this practitioner inquiry study extend to equity-minded leaders, suggesting the need to comprehend white supremacy culture, the developmental journey toward critical consciousness, and the significance of text selection. Furthermore, the study holds implications for my own professional development, advancing my understanding of white supremacy in relation to trauma and reinforcing my commitment to resisting dominant systems to further this work.
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    What Happens when Culturally Responsive Teaching is implemented in the English Language Learning Classroom as Part of Instruction?
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2024-05) Sacarello-Ruiz , Marisella; Hines, Mary Beth
    Recent studies have shown that the proportion of English Language Learner (ELL) students in our school systems has increased significantly.  Chabot (2021) stated that “ELL students make up one of every 10 students in the public-school classrooms in the U.S.”  In this article, Chein Li, Associate professor of school psychology at Northeastern, is quoted as saying that “ELL students are often left behind due to the linguistic, cultural and economic hurdles that can derail their education and their life-long potential.”  In other words, ELL students are being neglected by school systems that do not have the resources, qualified personnel, or commitment to help ELL students be included.  The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and capabilities of an ELL student in a classroom in which the teacher established positive and authentic relationships with students by using culturally responsive teaching (CRT). The primary data in this qualitative researcher-practitioner study were drawn from video-recordings of sessions in which CRT was implemented.  Another data source was the practitioner’s reflective journal documenting observations of daily classroom activities and conferences with individual students. It was found that exposing ELL students to rich academic language through topics in which they were interested helped them improve their academic performance.  Practicing culturally responsive teaching (CRT) also helped ELL students to feel included and valued while learning similarities and differences among cultures. The lessons created by the practitioner promoted language learning and critical thinking by emphasizing collaboration among students and providing positive reinforcement.   Overall, it was concluded that CRT can help ELL students develop a sense of belonging in school and promote their language learning through collaboration and the use of the funds of knowledge they bring to the classrooms.
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    BUILDING PRE-SERVICE TEACHER AWARENESS OF ENGLISH LEARNERS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2023-12) Reinhardt, Katrina Marie; Wohlwend, Karen
    Ten percent of all public-school children in the United States are considered English Learners (ELs) (NCES, 2020). Yet pre-service teachers receive little, if any, training to work with this population during their teacher preparation programs (Harklau & Ford, 2022; Leider et al., 2021; Lopez & Santibanez, 2018; Education Commission of the States, 2014). To address the lack of training in teacher preparation, this practitioner inquiry examines pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to serve ELs in the secondary education content-area classroom and how these perceptions can inform the practice of teacher educators. In phase I of the study, pre-service teachers acted as both participants and researchers as they completed a short-term field experience in a beginning level EL classroom and corresponding participatory action research project that was embedded into their teacher preparation coursework. They analyzed course artifacts and identified themes that described their perceptions of the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to serve ELs. In phase 2 of the study, the researcher used thematic analysis to analyze the findings of participants’ project in addition to other data sources collected throughout the experience. Overall, eleven key themes emerged that highlight the impact of using participatory action research and short-term field experiences in teacher preparation to serve ELs.
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    LATINA WOMEN’S NARRATIVES THROUGH TESTIMONIOS AND AUTOHISTORIA-TEORÍA AS LITERACY PRACTICES: TRAUMA HEALING AND IDENTITY MAKING APPROACHES
    ([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2023-12) Rae, Claudia Patricia; Medina, Carmen
    This narrative inquiry study explored the use of testimonios and autohistoria-teoría as literacy approaches with a group of Latina women. The purpose of the study was to use testimonios and autohistoria-teoría to mediate hard-lived experiences and nurture trauma healing from a human theorization perspective. In this research, testimonios was defined as a literacy form that allows the narrator to tell stories that convey larger socio-political issues, often in relation to contexts in which systematic oppressions are prevailing. Additionally, autohistoria-teoría was characterized as a literacy practice that allows the narrator to tell her life story while creating self-awareness and making personal and cultural connections. In this narrative inquiry study, data was collected from interviews, artifacts, field notes and journal entries. Data was initially organized using the Creswell and Poth (2016) Data Analysis Spiral and further analyzed using Clandinin and Conelly’s (2000) Three-dimensional Space Model for narrative inquiry. The three main themes identified from the collected data were: 1) English as a roadblock and a pathway, 2) divorce, and 3) isolation. In addition, the findings of this study revealed that participants used autohistoria-teoría and testimonios as a product and a process to revisit, to mediate, and to share their life experiences. Also, results of this narrative research suggested that participants used these literacy practices to negotiate their individual and collective identities, while connecting to themselves and others. Most importantly, the findings of this study indicated that participants used autohistoria-teoría and testimonios as a space that fosters healing from hard-lived experiences.