PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

Music teacher education programs have remained largely unchanged since their development over a century ago, despite the evolving musical and pedagogical needs of preservice teachers and their future students. Scholars have advocated for a shift from traditional models of music teacher preparation to new conceptualizations of these programs that include democratic practices in their structure, curricular content, and modeled pedagogies. Therefore, the purpose of this multicase study was to examine democratic practices from the perspectives of undergraduate general music methods professors. Four participants from universities of varying size and location provided insights into the inclusion of these practices in their general music methods courses and music education degree programs. By investigating the experiences of general music education professors, my goal was to obtain a greater understanding of how democratic teaching practices are understood and implemented in music teacher education. Three research questions guided this study. First, how do four general music professors describe democratic practices in music teacher education? Second, how do these participants implement democratic practices in their undergraduate general music methods classes? Third, what challenges and opportunities do general music methods professors associate with these democratic practices? Data collection methods included directed journaling, artifact collection, interviews, and observations. An interpretive approach to analysis occurred alongside the collection of data, so that each stage of the data collection process could inform the next. A cross-case analysis revealed six characteristics of democratic practices—learner-centered, student agency, facilitator framework, mutual processes, teaching for social justice, and metacognition—and numerous considerations for implementation in general music methods environments. Though music education literature has provided broad (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Craig Resta PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Music; Music Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Now follows the executive summary of the dissertation in practice. Western City Schools is a small and regionally ranked public school district. Despite its many successes, students report feeling a disconnect with teachers and a lack of sense of belonging (YouthTruth, 2022). In order to respond to this concern, this study seeks to better understand the overall organizational culture and uncover ways in which teachers and the district are responding to the increasingly diverse needs of their student population. This study employed a qualitative, phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experience of district staff. Purposeful sampling was used to generate high-quality data within a short period of time. Semi structured interviews were held on site and participants were asked to discuss their experiences related to the organizational culture, culturally responsive teaching practices, and their access to professional development supports. The data yielded rich descriptions of the lived experiences of teachers. First, it is evident that the culture of the district, known as “The Western Way”, has an impact on students and staff. Second, participants described varying levels of knowledge and expertise related to culturally responsive teaching practices. Finally, participants discussed the professional development (PD) and learning opportunities that they have had prior to and during their tenure at Western City Schools, which includes the PD offered by the school district. Collectively, these themes led to two recommendations and the creation of an action plan, which employs critical participatory action research in an effort to involve all stakeholders in the response. The first recommendation is to include teacher voice in district professional development planning and provide teacher choice, which both encourages autonomy but increases accountability. The second recommendation centers around building cultural support systems, which foster a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aaliyah Baker (Committee Chair) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Teacher Education; Teaching