Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, Educational Leadership

Literature suggests many graduate students receive inadequate, little, or no formal preparation for teaching in higher education. Most extant research on this topic shows preparation has positive outcomes for graduate students, yet few studies examine the process of graduate students' teaching preparation, which could lend important insights that yield better preparation. This study addresses this process, inquiring into how graduate students experience teaching preparation, and how interactions with peers and an instructor shape preparation, in a one-credit hour graduate pedagogy seminar. Situating graduate students taking the seminar as a collegiate subculture called prospective college teachers (PCTs), this 15-month study employed an ethnographic methodology grounded in an interpretivist paradigm. A symbolic interactionist theoretical perspective and framework guided approaches to both data collection and analysis. Data collection yielded fieldnotes from 21 seminar sessions, 18 interviews between seven graduate students (and the seminar instructor) hailing from various academic disciplines, and documents for review. Results showed the 60-minute seminar contained three sections: part one, transitional periods, and part two. Through interactions with peers and the instructor, PCTs generally experienced part one as stable, predictable, and transactional, as it primarily featured instructor lectures and notetaking by PCTs. Transitional periods, short periods of time bridging the gap between parts one and two, were less predictable and varied in terms of eventfulness. Regardless, PCTs' peer interactions in transitional periods were usually brief or planned by the instructor, making interactions somewhat rigid and scripted. PCTs' interactions with the instructor mostly related to adhering to the instructor's requests, creating a general PCT experience of compliance. In part two, PCTs had more opportunities for in-depth interactions with peers and the instructor (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mahauganee Shaw (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Pedagogy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

Since ITAs teach many first-year writing classes, finding the best way to support them is crucial to their success as instructors and the students they teach. Many go on to teach classes in the United States, so preparing them to teach has far-reaching professional implications for their work in the U.S. (Mihut, 2020). In this dissertation, I investigate the experiences of ITAs learning about teaching writing in the US. In the first phase of research, I distributed a survey to discover more about the general experiences of ITAs, including questions about the format of their writing pedagogy education (WPE), the content, opportunities for mentoring, and experience with resistance. In the second phase, I conducted a series of interviews with ITAs in three groups: a focus group, a dyadic interview, and an interview. The results indicated room for improvement in mentoring and resistance. Mentors need good training that enables them to empathize with ITAs. WPE classes need to recognize obstacles to resistance for ITAs and create access to resistance in classes.

Committee: Neil Baird Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Meridith Reed Ph.D (Committee Member); Kimberly Spallinger M.A. (Committee Member); Lee Nickoson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Communication

This dissertation proposes a modified version of the Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction (Fishbein, 2000) to understand motivations affecting Ohio State University Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)' behavioral intentions for attending teaching development workshops at their university's center for teaching (UCAT). Current Ohio State GTAs (N = 139) were surveyed to explore how attitudes, norms, efficacy, and anticipated emotions affect their behavioral intentions. The study found support for some elements of the modified model, including the additions of response efficacy and anticipated emotions. Anticipated emotions were found to work as a mediator for the main variables' effects on behavioral intention. Support was not found for the interaction effect of injunctive and descriptive norms. The study also found that the distal variables of previous teaching experience and familiarity with their university's center for teaching affected behavioral intentions to attend teaching development workshops at the GTAs' center for teaching. Implications for behavior prediction research and teaching development implementation and marketing are discussed.

Committee: Shelly Hovick PhD (Advisor); Roselyn Lee-Won PhD (Advisor); Nancy Rhodes PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2006, Counseling Psychology

Teaching self-efficacy (TSE) refers to teachers' expectations that they can help students learn (Ashton & Webb, 1986). A significant amount of research has explored the importance of teaching self-efficacy for both K-12 education teachers and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Researchers have focused heavily on the relationship between teaching self-efficacy and other relevant variables, such as training and experience; however, researchers have yet to determine the specific relationship between teaching self-efficacy and attributions GTAs make regarding their students' performance. The present investigation, which is grounded in self-efficacy (Bandura, 1982, 1986, 1997) and attribution (Weiner, 1986) theories, was an attempt to augment the existing literature. The current research examined the relationship between GTAs' teaching self-efficacy and the attributions they make regarding their students' performance. It was hypothesized that GTAs' teaching self-efficacy would influence the attributions that GTAs make regarding their students' performance. A total of 117 GTAs from The University of Akron responded to an online survey. GTAs were randomly assigned to respond to the CDS-II, which is a measure of causal attributions, imagining that their students had done well in their class (n = 58) or had done poorly in their class (n = 59). GTAs also completed the SETI-A, which is a measure of personal teaching self-efficacy, and a demographic questionnaire. Major findings of the study were a) GTAs who endorsed extremely high levels of TSE made significantly more internal attributions when compared to GTAs with high TSE; b) GTAs' TSE was significantly positively correlated with ability and effort attributions when GTAs' students did well in the class; and c) GTAs did not significantly attribute their students' performance to luck. Exploratory findings revealed that GTAs' attributions varied based on GTAs' sex and GTAs' students' performance. Implications and limitations (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: James Werth (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1975, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Secondary Education

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how Q Methodology can be used as a needs assessment tool for a Biology graduate teaching assistant (GTA) instructional training program. GTAs are used as the instructors of an increasingly diverse population of undergraduate students. GTAs are a diverse population of students with varying amounts of pedagogical preparation, research abilities, and motivation to complete their graduate study. They are often expected to prepare and grade exams, write their own syllabi, design course curriculum, prepare and present lectures, monitor student progress, hold office hours, and assign final grades, all with minimal faculty supervision. Although not all GTAs will become professors, many will, and the teaching assistantship remains the major preparation for their roles as faculty members. Since the majority of science professors have been GTAs, this instructional training program is of critical importance. Approaches to developing instructional training programs for GTAs vary from departmental workshops to campus-wide instructional seminars. Program evaluation is an intrinsic part of assuring that such programs best serve GTA needs, and that GTAs can best fulfill their roles in their respective departments. Q Methodology offers a number of potential advantages over traditional survey techniques for assessing needs of GTAs throughout their graduate school career, allowing program supervisors to evaluate and modify the program relative to GTA needs. Q Methodology allows the researcher to identify and interpret various viewpoints the GTAs hold in regard to graduate school. This is not only important to the supervisors of GTA instructional programs, but to the GTAs. This Q Methodology study led to three GTA viewpoints (“The Emerging Teacher,” “The GTA Who Prefers Research,” and “The Anxious GTA”) that provide insight about GTA and programmatic needs. Q Methodology can provide predictor profiles, or “typologies” that are more usefu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jennifer Milam Dr. (Advisor); Susan Ramlo Dr. (Advisor); Robert Joel Duff Dr. (Committee Member); Gary Holliday Dr. (Committee Member); John Nicholas Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, EDU Policy and Leadership

Within the American system of higher education, declining levels of economic support from public funding sources and changing views on the purposes of colleges and universities have resulted in a prioritization of faculty research agendas, an increased need for contingent faculty members, and shifting roles for many graduate teaching assistants. As faculty reward structures increasingly incentivize research over both teaching and service, the traditional faculty role of teaching mentor for graduate teaching assistants may be ignored. In the absence of traditional teaching mentors and as increasing numbers of graduate teaching assistants are asked to instruct courses independently, universities should seek to develop appropriate support mechanisms for these instructors. The purpose of the research project was to explore the relationships between graduate teaching assistants and contingent faculty members in order to determine if these two constituents can serve as a support mechanism for one another. Using a qualitative research design with a critical theory foundation, this case study focused on the relationships between graduate teaching assistants and contingent faculty members within a specific academic unit. Evidence gathered from researcher observations, document analysis, and interviews with ten instructors and two university administrators indicates that under certain conditions contingent faculty members and graduate teaching assistants can develop peer mentoring relationships and teaching communities that serve as a support mechanism and help to enhance classroom performance. Data from this case study also demonstrate that by incorporating specific environmental conditions, university administrators can help foster inclusive departmental cultures and climates that promote developmental relationships between instructors and staff. Finally, evidence from this case study supports the argument that contingent faculty members should be viewed and treated as pro (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Leonard Baird PhD (Advisor); Ada Demb PhD (Committee Member); Bruce Tuckman PhD (Committee Member); Jackie Blount PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education