Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

The lived experiences of both students and teachers impact the classroom environment and there is undoubtedly a cultural influence on these experiences. As role models and leaders of the classroom, teachers have a duty to increase awareness of their own cultures as well as the cultures of their students. This study focuses on teacher perceptions of cultural competence and the impact on student relationships, classroom practices, and the school environment. Focus groups and a phenomenological approach were utilized to gather qualitative data from educators across the United States. A desire to develop cultural competency, a want for curricular integration of such, and a need for enhanced training through system wide initiatives to promote development of cultural competence emerged as themes.

Committee: Matthew Witenstein (Committee Chair); Novea McIntosh (Committee Member); Rachel Sullivan (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Behavioral Sciences; Black History; Continuing Education; Cultural Resources Management; Curriculum Development; Early Childhood Education; Education; Education History; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Tests and Measurements; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Ethics; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Mathematics Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Philosophy; Preschool Education; Public Health Education; Social Research; Social Structure; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Foundations of Education

This work is a historical, qualitative analysis of diversity and social justice in teacher education accreditation. The purpose of the study was twofold. The first purpose was determine how NCATE and CAEP conceptualized and emphasized these topics in the standards for the accreditation of teacher preparation over time. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which research or policy influence how these topics were conceptualized within the standards text. To accomplish these purposes, the researcher analyzed electronic versions of the NCATE and CAEP standards text, conducted reviews of educational research and conducted reviews of educational policy. The results obtained demonstrated that the conceptualization of diversity and social justice have changed during the time period covered in the research as a result of both research and policy. The balance shifted to mainly policy influence in more recent editions of the standards. Recommendations for extensions of this work are provided.

Committee: Dale Snauwaert Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lynne Hamer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Virginia Keil Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Ellen Edwards Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Sociology; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Judith Herb College of Education

This qualitative case study focused on the multifaceted issue of exploring science teacher leaders' understanding and addressing of issues of diversity and equity with peers through professional development. The purpose of the study was to highlight the opportunities and barriers to the addressing of issues of diversity and equity through the work of a community of teachers leaders in science professional development. To frame this study, the researcher drew from the interdisciplinary field of multicultural education, transformative learning, and teacher leadership. In drawing out the connections from these vast bodies of literature, the study speaks to the need of both, creating teacher leaders in science education who are capable of meeting the twin demands of excellence and equity, and also attending to the challenges in the professional learning continuums of teachers leaders and their peers towards addressing issues of diversity and equity in science education.

Committee: Lynne Hamer PhD (Committee Chair); Dale Snauwaert PhD (Committee Member); Charlene Czerniak PhD (Committee Member); Mark Templin Phd (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Inservice Training; Multicultural Education; Science Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Educational Theory and Practice

This ethnographic case study explored the nature of educational drama in a teacher education setting from teacher educators' and preservice teachers' perspectives. Ethnographic methods, including participant observation, face-to-face interviews, and document analysis, were utilized. Data collection methods included semi-structured individual and group interviews, participant observation in the local settings, and WebCT discussions. The data were collected during one course over ten-week period. The participants were one teacher educator and 16 preservice teachers enrolled in Masters in Education program at a regional campus of a Midwestern state university.This study identified resistance, community, and power as important dynamics in teacher education. When preservice teachers did not see the immediate connection between the activities and their expectations, they acted in a way that teacher educators considered as resistance. When preservice teachers assumed the roles in a drama activity relevant to their interests, they were attentive and collaborative. This study highlighted the importance of social interaction and power dynamics in the classroom and pointed teacher educators' attention to the culture that preservice teachers constructed together. Preservice teachers constructed a peer culture, which defined their interactions among themselves and between their local culture and broader school culture. In this study, resistance, community, and power were closely related and mutually affecting each other. Theoretical and practical implications of educational drama in teacher education are discussed.

Committee: Rebecca Kantor-Martin (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

Whiteness is a topic left out of diversity or cultural studies discussions. Catherine Kroll (2009, p. 32), states that "Despite the fact that race has been shown to be a significant factor in the financial, education, and employment spheres, public discussion of this reality remains taboo." Further, if teachers are White in America, they can exist without ever having to denote their racial difference. "They are the norm against which everyone else is other" (Gollnick and Chinn, 1998, p. 88). This research will contribute to teacher education, curriculum, multicultural education and Whiteness studies through an exploration of Whiteness from the prospective of White rural southeastern Ohio educators. Additional significance lies in the fact that most teachers in the United States are White, according to the Digest of Educational Statistics 2002, "eighty-four percent of our teachers in public and private schools (excluding pre-kindergarten teachers) were White-non Hispanic in the year 2000" (p. 40). In addition, "U.S. society is becoming increasingly diverse and that diversity is reflected in its classrooms," says Weinstein (November 2003, p. 266), former classroom teacher and Professor of Education at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. With a rapidly expanding diverse population of students taught by predominately-White teachers, it is important to explore the positionality of teachers on the topic of Whiteness within the realm of multicultural education, particularly in rural areas. Equally important and possibly of greater concern currently, is that White teachers are responsible for teaching predominately White student populations about race and diversity. Are the teachers equipped for the task? Teachers will need to be prepared to teach all their students effectively, and they should be aware of their race in order to be conscious of how it affects their teaching. This research is a phenomenological qualitative case study of how White teachers from rural coun (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Adah Ward Randolph PhD (Committee Chair); Mariana Dantas PhD (Committee Member); John Hitchcock PhD (Committee Member); Greg Miller PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2008, Educational Administration (Education)

This study involves teachers' and principals' perceptions of teacher leadership with a specific focus on teacher leadership with at-risk students. The dimensions of teacher leadership for this study include teacher involvement, teacher change agency, teacher collaboration, knowledge bases for diversity, and instructional improvement regarding at-risk students. Teachers and principals in elementary, middle and high schools in 15 Southeast Ohio counties participated in the study. Data analyses were completed by descriptive and MANOVA computations. There was no significant difference in the respondents attitudes regarding teacher leadership and gender; however, there was for position. Of the four dimensions of teacher leadership, data show teacher collaboration as the most agreed, followed by teacher involvement and teacher change agency comes third while knowledge bases for diversity is the least agreed. Data also reflect that the respondents believed their professional qualifications did not prepare them for the leadership challenge of dealing with at-risk students.

Committee: Catherine H. Glascock PhD (Advisor); George Johanson EdD (Committee Member); Arlie Woodrum PhD (Committee Member); Timothy Mckeny PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Public Administration; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, EDU Teaching and Learning

Race and racism have and continue to shape public education (Kendi, 2016) and teacher education (Carter Andrews, 2021) in the United States. This qualitative case study, informed by Stake (1995) and Esposito and Evans-Winters (2022), explores how race shows up in social studies teaching and learning. Specifically, the participants and I engaged in interviews and focus group conversations to examine how racial identity and racialized experiences inform secondary social studies educators' career choices, professional goals, and perceived roles and responsibilities in the classroom. At its core, social studies education studies history, culture, geography, economics, and politics. These topics have become increasingly politicized in this era of historic political polarization (Stoddard & Hess, 2024). History and social studies educators are asked to navigate issues related to pedagogy, policy, and politics in today's teaching climate. In paying attention to how identity informs social studies educators' engagement with the curriculum and the profession in general, teacher education programs can provide individualized and more meaningful support. Furthermore, given the diversity among the participants, this work offers insight into addressing the teacher education gap (Love, 2019) between the nation's eighty percent White teaching force and the steadily diversifying student population (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023).

Committee: Timothy San Pedro (Advisor); Nimo Abdi (Committee Member); Binaya Subedi (Committee Member); Cynthia Tyson (Committee Member); James Moore III (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Multicultural Education; Social Studies 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

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2023, Education

The objective of this dissertation was to explore how the principles of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) can inform the design of a junior high school curriculum to enhance science learning by providing meaningful learning experiences to all students. The transformative paradigm provided a framework used as a lens to emphasize the importance of understanding the social, cultural, and historical context in which individuals and communities are situated. CSP and Backward Design Model were applied to develop a curriculum for a sheltered science literacy elective class for below grade level readers. The purpose of using CSP in the curriculum design was to create a more inclusive and culturally sustaining learning environment that would support students in developing strong science literacy skills. Project–based learning (PBL) was used with CSP to allow for flexibility and creativity in project designs that give students the opportunity to explore and experiment with different ideas and approaches in the learning environment. The California Department of Education's descriptions for effective use of CSP in a classroom was incorporated into the curriculum to be used as an assessment tool measuring the effectiveness of the curriculum. The implications of this curriculum development suggest the effectiveness of CSP on science literacy and its connections enhance student performance in science. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Committee: Michael Raffanti Ed. D. (Committee Chair); Emiliano Gonzalez Ph. D. (Committee Member); Heather Curl Ed. D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Literacy; Multicultural Education; Pedagogy; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Communication Studies (Communication)

This dissertation examines the differences of discourses-in-use regarding the topic of faculty diversity among faculty and administrators at Ohio University. I conducted a study of the rhetoric of faculty diversity at OU, exploring administrative statements about faculty diversity, such as the OUFSHI (Ohio University Faculty Staff Hiring Initiative) on the President's webpage, and the webpages of the Office for Institutional Equity, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, and Human Resources. In examining these public statements of OU administration regarding faculty diversity and hiring practices, I sought to discover how administration was framing the concept of diversity, and the type of mandates in place for faculty search committees to use in screening applicants and choosing interviewees. I found that OU administration primarily conceptualized diversity as women and people of color, and these were the underrepresented groups that search committees were encouraged to target in their recruiting and hiring practices. In addition to examining the online resources, I conducted interviews with three administrators, one each from Diversity and Inclusion, Institutional Equity, and Human Resources. To examine the discourses of faculty, I conducted 25 interviews with OU faculty members, asking them to describe their ideas of how OU administration understood faculty diversity, and how they themselves understood it and engage in discourse about it. The resulting data revealed that a number of OU faculty were either unaware of how administration framed the idea of faculty diversity, or they were aware but had concerns about administration's commitment to creating a truly diverse culture at OU. Faculty expressed concerns that targeted hiring practices might not result in the hiring of the most qualified candidate, and that other contributors to diversity, besides race and sex, were being overlooked. The results of my data collection and analysis are presented as respo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Black Dr (Advisor) Subjects: Communication

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation is an analysis of four semesters/cycles of practitioner and participatory action research inquiry on my use of critically compassionate intellectualism (CCI)—a framework of critical pedagogy, authentic caring, and a social-justice curriculum and purpose—to humanize an educational foundations course for pre-service teachers in a large urban, Midwestern university. A critical interpretation of social justice teacher education requires an uncompromising commitment to challenge the structural and cultural conventions that continue to marginalize certain students while privileging others. This is most likely to be accomplished by foregrounding consciousness-raising, anti-oppressive, and humane principles not only as educational aims, but, importantly, as keys to educational practice. With critical pedagogical theory and relational–cultural theory as frames, I examine how my implementation of CCI influenced my policies, practices, and pedagogy, and what this meant for students' learning and other experiences in the course. Additionally, I explore how CCI guided my methodological choices in the original four cycles of inquiry, as well as this fifth cycle of critical qualitative analysis. Findings from the study show that students valued the respect and care they experienced through this framework and were able to envision affording their own students the same relational support, which many began enacting immediately in their accompanying field experiences. Most felt empowered to take charge of their own learning and goals, to become critically reflective practitioners, and wanted to act as advocates and change agents for their diverse students. However, certain structural and personal limitations hindered our ability to enact more physically engaged and proactive interventions that would have strengthened their CCI experience. In the final analysis, it was both in spite of and because of these imperfections that I was able to realize my own moral vision o (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Miriam Raider-Roth Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Mary Brydon-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mark Kohan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Stephen Kroeger Ed.D. (Committee Member); Helen Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Educational Theory and Practice

Preparing teachers to serve the needs of children who have been historically marginalized is difficult work. Although a growing body of scholars and researchers has attempted to describe the complexities, challenges, and promises of such work, we are far from understanding how to do it well. While much of this discussion has addressed issues of race and ethnicity, LGBTQ concerns have been glaringly omitted. By continuing to overlook LGBTQ issues in education, we perpetuate heterosexism and maintain LGBTQ youth's marginalization. Considering previous research that suggests teachers lack knowledge about LGBTQ issues and are ill-equipped to construct pedagogies that are supportive of LGBTQ youth and families, this research aimed to create a joint learning project to foster greater LGBTQ competencies in the context of teacher preparation. This action-oriented, qualitative research project emerged from a critical, feminist paradigm, utilizing narrative methods. During the 2002-2003 academic year, the activities of nine student-participants were recorded. Data was primarily in the form of written responses to experiences at the university and reflections related to the larger community-based experiences our collaboration provided. Participants' responses to inquiry experiences related to LGBTQ issues were collected in the form of written papers and taped transcription of classroom conversations. Analysis and interpretation was conducted to develop understandings of the ways student-participants made sense of the experiences our LGBTQ-focused collaboration had provided. This report offers a description of our year of inquiry. Community development was essential to our collaborative work. In community, we were able to seek out experiences that assisted us in moving beyond the university in order to reflect on our own unexplored biases related LGBTQ issues. Following an emergent curriculum, striving for greater teacher/student parity, and collectively scaffolding experiences (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Barbara Seidl (Advisor) Subjects: