As the philanthrocapitalistic movement is growing, Bishop and Green (2010) particularly emphasise the importance of digital activism in achieving the goals of philanthrocapitalism. Companies developing games for change emerge as one of the brightest embodiments of digital activism, it being a strategic area of philanthrocapitalism, a tool and an instrument of social change in the hands of businesses. “Investment in philanthropy for social impact” is rapidly employed as a motto by more and more game companies. Yet, few of them address ethical considerations of philanthropic giving and the type of transformations this giving is able to create. The goal of this study was to contribute to a critical discussion of philanthrocapitalism and games for change as its medium by challenging their focus on the neoliberal values and prioritization of procurement of capital over respect to people as well as questioning the implications of the games for change practices on the society. A nonprofit corporation Games for Change Inc. (G4C) and Half the Sky Movement: The Game (the HTSM game) were chosen as the central objects of this current research considering the philanthrocapitalistic foundations of G4C and its leading role in the world of gaming activism. One of the objectives was to approach the values and practices of the studied organisation from a critical standpoint by identifying the internal values of G4C, verbalized by its President, and possible interpretations of these values. Another objective was to investigate the attitudes of other stakeholders of the HTSM game towards practical application or violation of the openly affirmed standards. The study was conducted using Stahl and Kauppinen’s recognition approaches to the methodology of immanent critique, application of which allowed the critical interpretation and the linguistic analysis of the norms explicitly formulated by the President of G4C in the research interview. Concurrent observation of the attitudes of different partners in the context of the HTSM game practices enabled the illumination of possible inconsistencies between both the internal values and the reactions to the existing practices. This research demonstrated that implicit standards of G4C only partially reflect the variety of meanings and views present in the industry. In particular, discrepancies revolve around three main narratives: transparency and accountability, community involvement and development and human rights with a special focus on indirect discrimination. The tendency of the G4C leader to interpret values in economic, financial and quantitative fashion signified about inferiour position of other conceptualizations that exist in the network of the partner organisations and communities. As a result, misrecognition of stakeholders’ voices undermines the potential philanthrocapitalism to tackle the problems of the communities around the globe through the medium of games for change as it does not contribute to the establishment of a common goal. The analysis of the current research uncovered the transformative potential of G4C, with due consideration of which it has an opportunity of shaping its practices in accord with the diversity of views and attitudes. Realisation of the potential may enable G4C to contribute to the structural change of the societies.

The research at hand analyses the concept of global citizenship in the context of Westerners volunteering in the global South. Volunteering in the global South is becoming more and more popular, a growing number of organisations providing volunteering programmes. The volunteers from the global North can be seen to act in the framework of global citizenship, extending their ethical responsibilities from local to global. This research critically analyses the discourses produced in the testimonials volunteers have written of their experience. The research problem is two-fold. Firstly, how do the testimonials present the volunteers, their personal development and identity during the volunteering service? Secondly, how is the Other represented in the testimonials? What kind of relationships there are between self and Other? Postcolonial theory creates a framework of the inquiry; it is based on postcolonial ideas of development, benevolence and global citizenship. The research creates a continuum of postcolonial authors from different decades, connecting their ideas to the emerging concept of global citizenship. As postcolonial theory examines power relations, a logical methodological approach for the study is critical discourse analysis (CDA), which aims to develop a critical consciousness of domination, in this case the global North dominating the discourses of the global South in the form of volunteering testimonials. The data has been collected online from websites of two different non-governmental oraganisations (NGOs) offering volunteering programmes in the global South. On their websites, the organisations have published testimonials written by people who have already participated in the programme. The data is analysed in a sequence of readings based on principles of critical discourse analysis, and significant items have been categorised according a two-fold coding scheme of Representation of the Self and Representation of the Other Population (following Jakubiak &Smagorinsky, 2011). The interpretation of the data is done based on a modified framework of data analysis, and examining the findings from a postcolonial perspective. To summarise the results, firstly, the testimonials present volunteers as wanting to achieve personal growth and live an adventure. The testimonials render the Other as an enabler of those experiences, and the goals of the volunteering service are not negotiated between self and the Other. Secondly, the Other is romanticised and pathologised in the testimonials, and the relationship between self and Other lacks reciprocity. The testimonials create mostly pathologising discourses of the global South. Pathologising provides excellent marketing material for the NGOs running the programmes, as it demonstrates a need of intervention in the global South, and romanticising encourages the future volunteers to join the programme. This research also briefly addresses the role of the NGOs as producers of the discourse. The research at hand offers a peek into the volunteering in the South phenomenon by providing a case connecting ideas of global citizenship and volunteering. Moreover, it showcases some of the discourses produced in that context. It can serve as a starting point for self-reflection for the actors involved with volunteering in the global South, and raise discussion of the voluntour phenomenon. / Postkoloniaalinen teoria muodostaa tutkimuksen viitekehyksen, keskittyen postkolonialistiseen käsityksiin kehityksestä, vapaaehtoisuudesta ja maailmankansalaisuudesta. Tutkimus luo jatkumon eri aikakausien postkolonialistiselle tutkimukselle, liittäen niiden ajatukset maailmankansalaisuuteen, jonka merkitys ei vielä ole täysin vakiintunut. Postkolonialistisen teorian analysoidessa valtasuhteita, luonnollinen metodologinen jatkumo tutkimukselle on kriittisen diskurssianalyysin käyttö. Kriittinen diskurssianalyysi pyrkii edistämään olemassa olevien valtasuhteiden kriittistä tiedostamista, mikä tässä viitekehyksessä tarkoittaa globaalin pohjoisen ja globaalin etelän välistä suhdetta vapaaehtoisten kertomuksissa. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty kahden etelän vapaaehtoistyöohjelmia ylläpitävän järjestön Internet-sivuilta, joilla järjestöt julkaisevat ohjelmaan osallistuneiden vapaaehtoisten kokemuksia. Lopulliseen analyysiin valittu aineisto on ensin luettu kriittisen diskurssianalyysin perusteiden mukaisesti. Tämä prosessi on nostanut esiin merkityksellisiä osia aineistosta, jotka on kategorisoitu kaksiosaiseen kaavioon. Kaavion ensimmäinen osa käsittelee aineistoa, jossa viitataan itseen (tutkimuskysymys nro. 1), ja toinen osa puolestaan aineiston viittauksia toiseen (tutkimuskysymys nro. 2). Tutkimustulosten tulkinnassa on hyödynnetty muokattua aineistoanalyysikaaviota sekä postkolonialistista perspektiiviä. Tutkimustulosten yhteenvetona voidaan sanoa, että kertomukset kuvaavat vapaaehtoisia, jotka haluavat kehittyä ihmisinä ja kokea seikkailua. Toinen on kertomuksissa saanut roolin ainoastaan näiden kokemusten mahdollistajana. Vapaaehtoistyön tavoitteista ei ole neuvoteltu paikallisten ihmisten kanssa. Mitä tulee kertomusten välittämään kuvaan toisesta, ne antavat romantisoidun ja patologisoidun kuvat etelästä ja sen asukkaista. Itsen ja toisen suhteessa ei juuri ilmene vastavuoroisuutta. Kaiken kaikkiaan kertomukset tuottavat patologisoivaa diskurssia toiseudesta. Etelän suora tai epäsuora esittäminen negatiivisessa valossa on hyvää markkinointimateriaalia järjestöille, koska se tarjoaa oikeutuksen ja syyn etelään tehtäville interventioille. Romantisointi toisaalta rohkaisee mahdollisia tulevia vapaaehtoisia osallistumaan ohjelmaan. Pienenä osana tutkimusta käsitellään myös järjestöjen roolia diskurssien tuottajana ja ylläpitäjänä. Kyseinen tutkimus ei ole kattava kuvaus etelän vapaaehtoistyöohjelmista ja siihen liittyvistä ilmiöistä. Se kuitenkin yhdistää maailmankansalaisuuden käsitteen vapaaehtoistyöhön, mahdollistaen tässä viitekehyksessä esiintyvien diskurssien havainnoimisen. Tutkimus voi toimia alkusysäyksenä etelän vapaaehtoistyön ohjelmien parissa työskentelevien itsetutkiskelulle, ja lisätä keskustelua siitä, millaisia diskursseja ohjelmat välittävät.

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on tutkia luokanopettajien käsityksiä lahjakkuudesta ja luovuudesta. Lisäksi tutkimus tarkastelee luokanopettajien käsityksiä lahjakkaisiin oppilaisiin liittyvistä tunnusmerkeistä sekä lahjakkaiden oppilaiden oppimisen eriyttämisestä. Pääkysymyksiksi muodostuivat seuraavat kysymykset: Millaisia ovat luokanopettajien käsitykset lahjakkuudesta? Mitä keinoja luokanopettajilla on lahjakkaiden oppilaiden oppimisen eriyttämiseksi? Alakysymyksiksi muodostuivat seuraavat kysymykset: miten luokanopettajat näkevät lahjakkaan oppilaan? Miten lahjakkaan oppilaan opettaminen vaikuttaa heidän työhönsä? Antoiko luokanopettajankoulutus heidän mielestään valmiuksia kohdata lahjakas oppilas? Lähestymistapana käytin fenomenografiaa, koska tutkimus tarkastelee opettajien käsityksiä tutkittavasta aiheesta. Tutkimus toteutettiin haastattelututkimuksena. Haastattelumetodina käytin puolistrukturoitua teemahaastattelua. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin syksyllä 2012 ja alkukeväästä 2013. Haastateltavia opettajia lähestyin aluksi sähköpostin välityksellä. Haastatteluihin osallistui kuusi luokanopettajaa Oulun alueelta. Virkavuosia opettajilla oli kahdesta vuodesta neljäänkymmeneen vuoteen. Aineiston analyysiin loin fenomenografian mukaisesti yläkategoriat, jotka nousivat haastattelun teemoista. Alakategoriat muodostuivat haastatteluista nousseista luokanopettajien käsityksistä. Tutkimukseni osoitti, että lahjakkuus on monelle luokanopettajalle vielä vieras asia. Lahjakkuus nähtiin vaikeana määrittää sen kirjon ja moninaisuuden takia. Ihmisessä voi esiintyä yhtä tai useampaa lahjakkuutta. Tutkimuksestani selvisi myös, että vaikka luokanopettajat kokevatkin lahjakkaiden lasten opettamisen eriyttämisen haasteelliseksi, se on heistä silti mielenkiintoista ja opettajan työtä rikastavaa. Keinoja lahjakkaiden oppilaiden opetuksen eriyttämiseen löytyi paljon. Opettajat käyttivät lahjakkaiden oppilaiden eriyttämiseen niin lisätehtäviä kuin erilaisia projektitöitä tutkivan oppimisen hengessä. Oman koulutuksen ei koettu antaneen valmiuksia kohtaamana lahjakkaan oppilaan, vaan erilaiset eriyttämisen keinot piti etsiä itse tai ne tulivat työkokemuksen kautta. Täydennyskoulutusta aiheesta toivottaisiin, vaikka eriyttämisen keinoja voi kehittää itsekin työkokemuksen karttuessa. Lisäksi haastatellut opettajat olivat sitä mieltä, että lahjakkuuteen tulisi kiinnittää enemmän huomiota jo opettajankoulutuksen aikana.

This is a narrative study on representations of dehumanization in John Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The book is a fictional story situated in Auschwitz concentration camp. Bruno, the main character of the book, is an eight-year old boy, a son of the camp commandant. He befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy living in the concentration camp on the other side of the fence. The theoretical framework for the study is dehumanization. Dehumanization is defined as perceiving someone as less than a human being. The phenomenon is studied both as a psychological process and as a necessary step in the process of genocide. Two research questions are investigated. Firstly, the study looks for answers to what kind of representations of dehumanization there are in the novel in general. Secondly, Bruno’s narrative in respect to dehumanization is studied by asking what factors there are to explain why Bruno does not dehumanize Shmuel. The study is carried out within the framework of narrative research. The analysis consists of two parts, the first one being based on the theory of dehumanization and aiming at finding the representations of the phenomenon in the story. The second part of the analysis is inductive, and it aims at deconstructing Bruno’s process of granting humanness to Shmuel. The findings of the study show that dehumanization is present in the novel both in severe and subtle forms, and there are characteristics of both animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization. Subtle forms of dehumanization usually represent mechanistic dehumanization, whereas severe forms more often link with animalistic dehumanization. The elements of genocidal dehumanization are strongly present. A few references to utilizing dehumanization for legitimizing and motivating genocide are found. The factors explaining Bruno’s way of relating to Shmuel are various. First of all, friendship is the priority for Bruno, it is more important than the ideology surrounding him. Furthermore, Bruno’s interpretations of his surroundings are tied to his own limited experience of life and lack of information, and he does not understand what is taking place in Auschwitz. This is supported by the culture of silence among the adults in the story; when Bruno asks about things, he is either told to keep silent or given insufficient answers. Shmuel also decides to keep silent about some things in the camp. Meanwhile, Bruno trusts his father as his authority, which keeps him from questioning the rightfulness of things happening in Auschwitz. Finally, Bruno finds many similarities with Shmuel, which support the idea of shared humanness. In addition to presenting the results of the study in written form, two songs have been created on the basis of the findings. The songs are reconstructions of the narratives of Shmuel and Bruno; Shmuel’s song summarizes the representations of dehumanization in the novel from a perspective of a victim, whereas Bruno’s song compiles the findings of the second research question emphasizing the role of friendship. / Tutkielma on narratiivinen tutkimus dehumanisaation representaatioista John Boynen kirjassa The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (suom. Poika raidallisessa pyjamassa). Kirjan tapahtumat sijoittuvat Auschwitzin keskitysleirille. Tarina itsessään on fiktiivinen. Bruno, kirjan päähenkilö, on keskitysleirin komentajan 8-vuotias poika. Hän ystävystyy Shmuelin, juutalaisen pojan kanssa, joka asuu aidan toisella puolella keskitysleirissä. Tutkimuksen teoreettisen viitekehyksen muodostaa dehumanisaatio. Dehumanisaatiolla tarkoitetaan epäinhimillistämistä, toisen ihmisen pitämistä vähempänä kuin ihminen. Ilmiötä tarkastellaan sekä psykologisena prosessina että välttämättömänä osana kansanmurhan toteuttamisen prosessia. Tutkimus sisältää kaksi tutkimuskysymystä. Ensimmäinen liittyy dehumanisaation kuvaamiseen kirjassa. Sen avulla selvitetään, millaisia dehumanisaation representaatioita kirjasta löytyy. Toinen tutkimuskysymys keskittyy Brunon tarinaan suhteessa dehumanisaatioon. Vastauksia etsitään siihen, miksi Bruno ei epäinhimillistä Shmuelia, ja mitä selittäviä tekijöitä tämän taustalta löytyy. Tutkimus on toteutettu narratiivisena tutkimuksena. Analyysi koostuu kahdesta osasta, joista ensimmäinen perustuu teoriaan, ja toinen on aineistolähtöinen. Teoriapohjaisen analyysin avulla etsitään vastauksia ensimmäiseen tutkimuskysymykseen dehumanisaation representaatioista yleensä. Aineistopohjaisen analyysin tarkoitus puolestaan on purkaa auki Brunon prosessi suhteessa dehumanisaatioon ja Shmueliin. Tutkimustulosten mukaan dehumanisaatio esiintyy kirjassa eriasteisina ilmiöinä lievästä vakavaan. Dehumanisaation eri muodot, eläimellistäminen (animalistic dehumanization) ja mekanistinen dehumanisaatio (mechanistic dehumanization) ovat molemmat läsnä teoksessa. Useimmiten dehumanisaation lievissä ilmentymissä on kyse mekanistisesta dehumanisaatiosta, kun taas vakavammat ilmentymät sisältävät viitteitä eläimellistämisestä. Kansanmurhaan liittyvän dehumanisaation elementit ovat kirjassa vahvoja. Viitteitä dehumanisaation hyödyntämisestä kansanmurhan oikeuttamiseen ja kansanmurhan toteuttamisen motivointiin löytyy muutamia. Brunon tapaa suhtautua Shmueliin selittävät useat seikat. Ystävyys on Brunolle ensisijainen asia, tärkeämpi kuin ympäristössä vallitseva ideologia, jota hän itse ei ole täysin sisäistänyt. Brunon tulkinnat ympäristöstä perustuvat hänen omaan rajalliseen elämänkokemukseensa ja puutteellisiin tietoihin, eikä hän täysin ymmärrä, mitä Auschwitzissa on meneillään. Ymmärtämättömyyttä tukee aikuisten vaikenemisen kulttuuri. Brunon esittäessä kysymyksiä hänet joko hiljennetään tai hänelle annetaan puutteellisia, epämääräisiä vastauksia. Myös Shmuel päättää olla puhumatta joistakin leirillä tapahtuvista asioista Brunolle. Samalla isän vahva auktoriteettiasema Brunon elämässä estää häntä kyseenalaistamasta Auschwitzin tapahtumien oikeellisuutta. Samankaltaisuudet, joita Bruno löytää Shmuelin kanssa, vahvistavat käsitystä yhteisestä ihmisyydestä. Tutkimustulokset esitetään tekstin lisäksi tulosten perusteella tehtyinä lauluina. Laulut ovat rekonstruktioita Shmuelin ja Brunon narratiiveista. Shmuelin laulu tiivistää kirjassa esiintyvän dehumanisaation uhrin kokemuksen kautta. Brunon laulu puolestaan yhdistää toisen tutkimuskysymyksen vastaukset korostaen ystävyyden merkitystä.

This thesis investigates South African history teachers’ understandings of citizenship education while it is being reconceptualised in post-apartheid curriculum change. The main purposes are to examine how teachers understand citizenship education and thereby identify what concept of citizenship emerges as central in their understandings. It finally seeks to establish whether or not teachers’ conceptualizations of citizenship education match citizenship education as conceptualized in the present Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (2011). This thesis uses a qualitative methodological approach that includes semi-structured interviews to collect the data from the teachers’. It further uses discourse analysis in order to identify central discourses in teachers’ understandings of citizenship education. The thesis shows that teachers’ understandings of citizenship education include elements of nationalism, national identity, learning to act in the interest of the wider society, addressing past issues related to apartheid and the struggle for democracy, the law, rights and the constitution. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement that is now in use in South Africa focuses on issues central to citizenship education, such as the learner as an individual, citizen identity, learners acting in the interest of their own life, addressing current issues in society, promotion of knowledge and skills in local contexts. This shows an important difference, where teachers’ understandings of citizenship education are mainly promoting citizenship as a legal and passive concept, while the curriculum holds a focus on citizenship education which promotes citizenship as a moral concept. The main conclusion of this thesis is that there are differences of understandings of citizenship education between the teachers and the curriculum, and consequently the meanings and purpose of the emerging concept of citizenship is being pulled in different directions. This indicates a need to make the curriculum citizenship education agenda more explicit as well as a need for the development of teachers’ professional awareness of what is to be expected from them regarding citizenship education. This thesis uses both primary and secondary sources to arrive at these conclusions.

The focus of my study is on two history textbooks intended for the 7th grade, one retired from the Puerto RicanDepartment of Education (PRDE) in 2002, titled “Puerto Rico: Tierra Adentro, Mar Afuera” (Picó & Rivera, 1991) and the textbook that replaced it, “Historia y Geografía de Puerto Rico 7” (Cardona, Mafuz, Rodríguez, et al. 2002), currently in use within of the PRDE. Using critical pedagogy as my theoretical lenses, I analyzed how the Puerto Rico-United States historical relationship is conceptualized within these two history textbooks, released under the administration of two different political parties. The historical events chosen for analysis match the beginning of the Puerto Rican-United States’ political relations until its current state of affairs. These events are: the United States’ invasion to Puerto Rico in 1898; the Foraker Act of 1900; the Jones Act of 1917; and the Organic Law 600 (or “Estado Libre Asociado”) in 1952, which defines today’s political relations between the two countries. I refer to the work of three historians (Alegría et al, 1988; Silvestrini & Luque de Sánchez, 1988; and Scarano, 2000) as a mirror to explore how the events are conceptualized within the analyzed textbooks and how these are conceived and written by historians. I analyzed the selected textbooks utilizing the Norman Fairclough’s (1989, 2003) approach to critical discourse analysis. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is the study of written and spoken texts to reveal the discursive sources of power, dominance, inequality and bias. I compared how the selected historical events are described within the work of Puerto Rican historians, versus how these are conceptualized within the textbooks selected for analysis. During the process I examined the wording used, events included, events omitted, and the nature and extent of details provided for each, among other linguistic features. The analysis suggest that the conceptualization of the Hispanic-American War and the 54 years after US invasion to Puerto Rico correlates to the political agenda of the political parties in power at the moment of the production of each history textbook. Moreover, I aimed to explore how the conceptualization of the PR-US relations might participate in the self- destructive discourses among the Puerto Rican population, as identified by other researchers on the field of psychology and sociology. / Mi estudio analiza dos libros de texto para estudiantes del 7mo grado, uno retirado del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico (DEPR) en año 2002, titulado “Puerto Rico: Tierra Adentro, Mar Afuera” (Picó & Rivera, 1991) y el texto que le remplazó, “Historia y Geografía de Puerto Rico 7” (Cardona, Mafuz, Rodríguez, et al. 2002), actualmente en uso dentro del DEPR. Utilizando la pedagogía crítica como el marco teórico de mi investigación, analizo cómo se conceptualiza la relación histórica entre Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos en ambos libros de texto, ambos distribuidos bajo la administración política de partidos políticos diferentes. Los eventos históricos analizados pretenden abarcar el comienzo de las relaciones políticas entre ambos países hasta su relación actual. Estos eventos son: La guerra Hispano-Americana en 1898; la Ley Foraker, en 1900; la Ley Jones, de 1917; y la Ley Orgánica 600 (o “Estado Libre Asociado”) en 1952. Como ventana hacia los eventos históricos analizados, me refiero al trabajo de tres historiadores puertorriqueños (Alegría et al, 1988; Silvestrini & Luque de Sánchez, 1988; y Scarano, 2000) y comparo cómo estos eventos son escritos y conceptualizados por historiadores, versus cómo son representados en los libros de texto escolares. El análisis se llevó a cabo utilizando el modelo de análisis de discurso crítico de Norman Fairclough (1989, 2003). Análisis del discurso crítico es es el estudio de texto escrito o hablado a fin de de-construir discursos de poder, dominancia, inequidad y prejuicio. Durante el proceso se examinó el lenguaje utilizado en ambos textos, eventos incluidos, eventos omitidos, y la naturaleza y detalles provistos para cada uno de ellos, entre otras características lingüísticas. El estudio sugiere que la conceptualización de la Guerra Hispano-Americana y los 54 años posteriores a la invasión estadounidense en Puerto Rico están correlacionados con la agenda política de los partidos políticos en el poder al momento de la distribución de los libros de texto analizados. Adicionalmente, exploro cómo la percepción de las relaciones políticas entre PR y EEUU pudiera participar en discursos auto-destructivos presentes en la población puertorriqueña, como han identificado otros investigadores en el campo de la psicología y la sociología.

<p> This qualitative study explored multimodal biliteracy found in the Arizona-Sonora borderland, a region thriving with linguistic and cultural diversity despite having an English-only policy. According to Reyes (2012) biliteracy is to think, speak, read, and write in two or more languages, and there are various modes for reading and writing in the 21st century (Reyes, Acosta, Fierro, Fu, &amp; Zapien, 2017). This dissertation focused on Spanish and English bilinguals. First, I present a literature review (Appendix A) informed by a sociocultural framework (Vygotsky, 1978) for understanding biliteracy as a social practice and valuing language as a resource (Ruiz, 1987). Funds of knowledge (Gonz&aacute;lez, Moll, Amanti, 2005; Moll, Gonz&aacute;lez, Amanti, &amp; Neff, 1994) is an important component in framing this qualitative study and applying methods informing an inclusive pedagogy for bilinguals. Subsequently, I go over the photographs and multimodal composition presented in two case studies of Spanish and English bilinguals. The first case study (Appendix B) documents biliteracy in the household and local community of bilinguals through photography. It contributes to previous research by Reyes, DaSilva Iddings, and Feller (2016) and the two themes from their analysis: 1) Expanding definitions of language and literacy and 2) Deepening the understanding of funds of knowledge. The second case study (Appendix C) examines how bilinguals critically and creatively expressed their Spanish and English in a multimodal composition. Thinking critically about literacy meant reflecting on their everyday reading and writing practices as bilinguals, while being creative meant thinking about the various modes of reading and writing in two languages. This moves literacy beyond a monolingual and monomodal practice into one that cultivates diversity for equity in education for bilinguals. I seek an empowering pedagogy for bilinguals by valuing and making space for linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom. Biliteracy is a valuable contribution to class and the learning process of students with more than one language. The primary purpose of this dissertation, like funds of knowledge, was to develop critical innovations in teaching (Moll, Amanti, Neff, &amp; Gonz&aacute;lez, 1992) biliteracy for the 21st century. Findings from the photographs, multimodal compositions, written reflections, and retrospective interviews demonstrate how Spanish and English biliteracy is practiced in various modes (e.g. music, dancing, singing, traditional family recipes, and religious/spiritual altars) in the Arizona-Sonora borderland.</p><p>

<p> Teachers are being asked to implement cultural awareness into their instruction in the 21st century classroom, yet many lack the requisite knowledge and skills to accomplish this. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the perceptions of teachers who are returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) regarding what in their long-term international experience influenced them to include cultural awareness in their instruction. Bennett&rsquo;s developmental model of intercultural sensitivity and Mezirow&rsquo;s transformative learning theory were the conceptual frameworks. The research questions for this qualitative study asked how a long-term international volunteering experience impacts teachers&rsquo; pedagogy and what instructional practices RPCV teachers consider to be influenced by their Peace Corps experience. From 11 interviews, codes were identified and categorized into patterns and themes. There were three key findings. The first was that teachers who are RPCVs recognized their Peace Corps experience provided them with a deep cultural experience that brought about the realization of their own culture. The second was their recognition of their ability to adapt to cultural differences more easily than before they had their Peace Corps experience. The final finding was that RPCV teachers choose to use deep and engaging teaching practices with varied approaches, forms, styles, and subject matter in their classrooms upon their return to the United States. Given the current problem of preservice teachers entering teaching jobs with a lack of cultural understanding, these findings could contribute to positive social change by providing a practical approach for policy makers and universities to increase attention to promoting international volunteering and implementing cultural awareness in their curriculum.</p><p>

<p> This design research study examined how professional development in the context of a research practice partnership developed Algebra 1 teachers&rsquo; collective understanding of the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs), part of the Common Core State Standards. Over two years, 15 teachers participated in a task analysis routine that included the alignment of mathematical tasks to the SMPs. Group consensus of these task ratings were analyzed quantitatively using Randolph&rsquo;s kappa, along with a measure of individual contributions to consensus that was based on calculations of pairwise agreement. Task rating discussions, which targeted disagreement in the task ratings, were analyzed qualitatively using a grounded theory approach. The analyses revealed that consensus for SMP alignment decisions increased over time. Practice 4, <i> model with mathematics</i>, was the only practice for which there was a strong consensus that tasks were aligned to a practice. When alignment to SMPs was correlated with task ratings for cognitive demand, a positive correlation existed between demand and practices one through four, but no correlation existed between demand and practices five through eight. Examination of individual raters&rsquo; contributions to SMP alignments showed differences in the use of content knowledge, use of standards definitions, and attention to alignment criteria. Teachers who attended most to the alignment criteria scored highest in their individual contributions to consensus. These findings add to Brown&rsquo;s theories of <i>design capacity for enactment</i> and <i>pedagogical design capacity</i> (2002, 2009) by arguing that curriculum alignment to academic standards is a process of perceiving affordances in curricular materials, and that the process necessarily relies on consensus interpretations of standards and socially developed criteria for alignment. The implications of this study suggest that task analysis is useful, but not sufficient for developing teachers&rsquo; understanding of the SMPs, and that the quantitative methods employed in the analysis of this study could have utility as a formative measure in other professional development and research. </p><p>

<p> Many school districts are utilizing instructional coaches to support teachers as they implement their professional learning in the classroom. This study examined teachers&rsquo; perceptions of effective instructional coaching practices to gain insight about which aspects of instructional coaching teachers find most supportive in implementing change in the classroom. Adult learning theory, andragogy, was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Survey data from the Perceptions of Coaching Survey (PCS) was collected from 116 teachers across six states. These teachers were engaged in professional development on supporting English learners and were receiving follow-up coaching support from their district. Five participants were interviewed to further investigate teachers&rsquo; perceptions of coaching practices. Two maintained a month-long journal to reflect on any coaching interactions that occurred. The findings of this study revealed that teachers perceive coaching to have a positive impact in supporting the implementation of change in the classroom, and a primary theme emerged that coaching aims to improve instruction. The aspects of coaching that teachers were most satisfied with focused on implementing classroom strategies including having a coach modeling strategies in the classroom, being observed and receiving feedback from a coach, and watching fellow colleagues teaching the same things. Teachers also identified desirable qualities of coaches, including knowledge, trustworthiness, confidence, positivity, and flexibility from a supportive and consistent, non-administrative presence in the classroom. Teachers reported that what they learn from coaching applies to their current teaching situation and that coaching motivates them to try new things in the classroom. </p><p>