Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, EDU Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to describe middle school DHH students' understandings (and/or misconceptions) of the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship before and after completion of a 10-day instructional unit and to examine the change in understandings from pre- to post-instruction. Analysis focused on students' conceptual understandings both before and after participation in an instructional unit on the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship. Data from classroom observations conducted during instruction were analyzed to determine the influence of classroom talk on students' understanding of concepts. The influence of teacher perceptions was also addressed as a potential factor in student learning. Prior to receiving instruction, the majority of students possessed an alternative or fragmented understanding of the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship and lunar concepts. Results from the measure of students' knowledge of the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship on the three component questions (Earth-Moon-Sun relationship, gravity, patterns of orbit) indicated a moderate degree of conceptual change. Results from the measure of students' understanding of lunar concepts showed a greater gain in conceptual understanding than was shown on the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship measure. Consistent with the findings of previous research by Molander et al. (2007, 2010), ambiguity in the scientific meaning of the classroom dialogue or misconceptions arising from the use or omission of a particular term in sign language were found to have an effect on students' learning. Analysis of the scientific classroom talk that occurred during instruction showed that the teacher maintained a high level of control over the discourse. Data from pre- and post-instruction interviews with the teacher provided insight into her perceptions of her students' abilities. The teacher expressed her perception of her students as largely dependent learners, which seemed to have an effect on how she delivered instruction. The teach (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiffany Wild (Advisor); Peter Paul (Committee Member); Mollie Blackburn (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Special Education; Teaching

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

This dissertation examines the ways that teachers of writing conceptualize and employ the term “writer.” The field of Rhetoric and Composition has a long history of prioritizing the writer in the writing process; a steady stream of scholarship has called for students to “see themselves as writers,” and the central issues of the field have long been associated with—sometimes even defined by—various conceptions of what a “writer” ought to be or do. This project responds to calls across the discipline for a more comprehensive understanding of both the writer and its place in scholarly conversations. Through two qualitative studies of writing teachers—a series of 10 multi-tiered ethnographic interviews and an interactive focus group—I explore various notions of "writer" and their pedagogical ramifications. Data were gathered and analyzed using a constructivist methodology (unstructured interviews and inductive coding) and contextualized within observed trends in Composition scholarship. Results reveal widely disparate notions of writer amongst participants, but also some shared assumptions. The coding process resulted in eight data-based categories: four broad types of writer and four overarching characteristics of writer. These categories, while discrete, interconnect in intriguing ways, and the observed tension between them suggests that the word “writer” cannot be viewed in singular terms. The most pronounced disjuncture is between identity and activity; that is, notions of writer based on the act of writing tend to clash with the mythologized “figure” of the writer. Results further suggest that even as Composition pedagogies evolve in the 21st century, the term “writer” tends to be associated with neo-romantic and anachronistic ideas of writing and literacy. In light of these results, I argue that the identity of writer may be too tenuous and unstable to serve as a pedagogical goal. In a broad sense, this research illuminates the implications of competing discou (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sara Newman Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Communication; Composition; Curriculum Development; Higher Education; Literacy; Pedagogy; Rhetoric; Teaching