Using collage as a methodological and conceptual framework for re-conceptualizing knowledge in HIV/AIDS education, this thesis attends to young women’s understandings of HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Through engaging in the process of making collages, what stories do young women tell about HIV/AIDS? What discourses are produced when collage and narrative are used as methodological tools to address participants’ understandings of HIV/AIDS? By responding to their own collage texts, as well as the collage texts of others, how are issues of representation addressed? Using narrative and post-structural discourse analysis, this study explores how participants’ complex and contradictory understandings of HIV/AIDS diverge from the content and form of current school-based HIV/AIDS curriculum. Whereas the curriculum presupposes a rational and linear subject, participants’ reflexive understandings of HIV/AIDS shift throughout the study, varying as a result of roles performed, the context of the collage or image being discussed, and the dynamic interchange between participants.

Gamification refers to the process whereby game design and game mechanics are applied in non-game contexts to influence behaviour. This research study explores the effects of gamification on piano students' practice of technical elements such as scales, chords, and arpeggios, within the private lesson environment. A control and a treatment group of 10 piano students each were formed across two different private piano studios. A game called Technique Tower was designed for the treatment group, in which the players experienced game elements such as rewards (points, badges, and levels), avatars, and the sharing of their progress in an online social context. Gamification was found to have a positive effect on the number of technical elements students mastered, and on their attitude toward practicing technical elements, while self-efficacy levels were not affected. The educational implications for this finding are discussed.

In this thesis I explore writers and their writing practices as embodied, contingent, and affected by aesthetic environments and contemplative practices. I discuss contemplative practices as techniques for recognizing the co-dependent origination of the self/world, and as tools for disrupting the trifurcation of body, mind and word. I explore the written word’s role in the continuous production of new meaning, and as part of the continuous production of new “selves” for writers, and readers. I use narrative auto-ethnography to situate myself as a researcher, sensory ethnography and interviews to profile four practicing writers, and arts-informed Research-creation to document my own writing and contemplative practices. I also consider whether a post-pedagogy view of educational research might produce/allow space for more creative approaches to educational theorizing.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jennifer M. Bay-Williams / The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of student attitudes in a college algebra mathematics classroom when lessons are primarily composed of standards-based pedagogy. National reports advocate for a change in teaching K-12. Nowhere is this more needed than in community colleges where students are taught in traditional formats and rarely challenged to make connections between mathematics and their personal experiences. A thorough review of the literature shows the need for mathematics reform at every level, including the college mathematics classroom. There are several national reports, Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Adding it Up, How People Learn, and Undergraduate Programs and Courses in the Mathematical Sciences, that have been published to address the need to change mathematics teaching and learning. They are advocates for the implementation of standards-based instruction into the mathematics classroom. This study focused on students’ perceptions about the nature of mathematics and learning mathematics, specifically, does such a learning environment impact students’ perceptions of being a student of mathematics in the areas of confidence, anxiety, enjoyment, and motivation, and relevance of mathematics in personal and professional experiences. Over the course of one semester, two sections of college algebra students participated in the study. By using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, the study was able to see if there was an impact in student attitudes toward mathematics. The standards-based pedagogy used in this study was cooperative learning, problem solving, discourse, and the graphing calculator. Changes in attitude were determined by attitudinal surveys, student questionnaires, observations, and focus groups. College algebra students had a statistically significant change in their enjoyment of mathematics. Although the other attitudes, confidence, motivation, and value did not have a statistically significant change, the qualitative data indicates a change in these attitudes did occur. This study identified that cooperative learning, problem-solving, discourse, and graphing calculators increased student confidence in doing mathematics because they felt more competent in working problems on exams. Students also found the class enjoyable, anxiety was reduced as students became more familiar with the instructional strategies, and students recognized the value of mathematics for job skills and personal business.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / Diane McGrath / This naturalistic case study was designed to provide descriptive data to examine the possible role of student learning styles in their collaborative participatory behaviors in an online text-based learning environment; and whether the technology-rich environment that promotes collaborative, project-based learning can have an effect on learners’ participation behavior from the point of view of learning styles. In this study, graduate and advanced undergraduate students’ discussion posts, project reports, reflections, and archived chat records were carefully analyzed. The research results indicated that, in an online collaborative learning environment participants were observed to use the Convergent, Divergent and Accommodating learning styles more often than Assimilating learning styles. Indeed, participants with the Assimilating learning style did not show a positive attitude towards online collaboration. Moreover, students who took a leadership role had their learning style kite shape close to the Concrete Experience learning mode; others who were more supportive had their kite shape close to the Reflective Observation “watching”; and those usually took both a leadership role and a supportive role and were comfortable with a variety of learning modes had their kite shape balanced along two or more dimensions of the learning cycles. The discussion of identified themes in this study is related to Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory framework. The study provides extended implications and suggestions for future research.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Socorro G. Herrera / Teresa Miller / The purpose of this study was to identify where secondary public school principals are spending their time while at school by using the population of secondary school principals in Nevada as a study group. A secondary purpose was to identify any statistically significant differences between how Nevada secondary public school principals spend their time in relation to grade configuration: middle school vs. high school, the size of the building they serve, age of the principal, gender of the principal, years of administrative experience and annual yearly progress classification. All secondary principals in the state of Nevada were sent the Time Management for Secondary School Principals’ survey instrument with a (Likert-type) rating scale developed by the researcher. Two statistically significant differences emerged as a result of this study. One, principals of schools with student enrollments of 1,001 students or more rate themselves as spending more time on management items than do principals with student enrollments of 1,000 students or less. Two, females rate themselves as spending more time on instructional leadership items than do their male counterparts. Also, the need to focus on critical components of instructional leadership so that principals can adequately address the 43% of schools not making annual yearly progress in Nevada is discussed. The intent of this study was to identify areas where time was being wasted so that recommendations could be provided to help principals balance their time in a more efficient manner. Principals identified strategies that could prevent focusing all their efforts on managerial issues and allow time for instructional leadership activities. Also, the perception vs. reality and practice vs. theory topics are discussed in relation to time management and instructional leadership. The findings derived from this study are reported in chapter 4 and recommendations to principals regarding effective time management strategies based on responses of Nevada principals are reported in chapter 5.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / Linda P. Thurston / The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine the sociocultural and gender role expectation factors that contributed to the success of 10 Latina/Hispanic female high school graduates now attending a large university in the Midwest. Additionally, the study investigated the characteristics of resilience and persistence that helped these women continue their pursuit of higher education in spite of the challenges they faced. The participants in this study were identified as recent immigrants from Mexico or Mexican-Americans born in the United States of Mexican immigrant parents. All of these respondents graduated from a midwestern K-12 public school system and are now attending a large Midwestern university. This study used a qualitative paradigm and open-ended, in-depth interviews for data collection. The 17 question interview focused on the areas of sociocultural backgrounds, resilience/persistence factors, and gender role expectations. Demographic data about the participants’ life histories and educational experiences were collected during the 90-minute interviews. Findings in the study indicated that Latinas are faced with many conflicts. They have specific gender role expectations placed on them and are limited by cultural rules and norms. Along with these conflicts they learn to build resilience/persistence attributes to help them succeed in their academic careers. The seven factors that contributed to the lived experiences and factors of resilience/persistence of Latina/Hispanic female academic success included: 1) lived discrimination; 2) the need to obtain an education that would lead to a better life; 3) active involvement in extracurricular activities in school; 4) strict and protective parents; 5) positive role models from family and other Latinas; 6) traumatic life experiences; 7) and strong familial/parental support. Additionally, the study also revealed six more contributing factors to the sociocultural and gender role expectations and pressures that impact the success of Latina/Hispanic female students in a K-12 public school system. Those factors included traditional Hispanic households, living in two worlds, traditional gender role expectations, independence from family, transference of parental gender role expectations, and the behavioral expectations for Latinas. The study offers recommendations for future studies and implications for practice advising and encouraging Hispanic females to pursue their academic goals.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Paul R. Burden / Growth in the percentage of students of color and English Language Learners in the nation's public schools has significant implications for teacher preparation institutions and professional development programs. Teachers and students alike gain immeasurable benefits from the process that requires them to get in touch with their own cultural, racial, and ethnic heritage. However, little is known about the racial identity of student teachers and the relationship of their dispositions to meet the needs of diverse learners. This study examines that issue at a large Midwestern University in a survey of 128 elementary and secondary student teachers. They completed "A Survey of Racial Identity and Dispositions of Student Teachers." The survey had three sections: "Demographics," "Racial Identity Status Self Assessment (RISSA)," and "Dispositions" self-rate their racial identity and dispositions regarding educational practices for diverse learners. Descriptive statistics were organized and reported for all data sets. T-test, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression analysis, and correlations were conducted. Results indicate that the student teachers had low levels of racial identity and that they are unaware of themselves as racial beings. Moreover, students reporting a low racial identity status tend to lack the knowledge of meeting the needs of diverse learners. As student teachers continued to increase in the number of multicultural college credit hours, their racial identity status increased. Thus, the number of enrolled multicultural hours uniquely predicted racial identity status level of the student teachers. Some other main findings included a higher rating by females than males on the RISSA and on meeting the needs of diverse learners. Non-Whites scored higher than Whites on the RISSA, and elementary student teachers tended to score higher than secondary on the RISSA. Recommendations for practice include assessing student teachers racial identity before entering the teacher preparation program, requiring more multicultural college credit hours, and utilizing simulations during preservice preparation. Recommendations for further study include duplicating the study at a historical Black university, replicating the study nationwide, and adding qualitative components to add depth to the data.

Doctor of Education / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / John A. Hortin / A growing concern for the United States and the World Health Organization is that Americans are getting fatter. The obesity rates continue to rise in 23 states (Science & Technology, 2009). There is also a high incidence of childhood obesity among children ages 10-17. The epidemic of obesity goes far beyond being an individual problem. It has become a national crisis. The obesity epidemic calls for a well-formulated strategy. This study involved a physical education program with 12 African American female teenagers ranging from grades 7 – 11. The program was designed to help students realize the importance of preparing for a healthy future. The African American females met one hour a day for three days a week. As part of the program, each student’s fitness performance was evaluated using the FitnessGram protocol. Pretesting begins at the start of school and post testing during second semester. The FitnessGram report gives the performance levels for the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) and the “Needs Improvement” zone. Attaining the HFZ for a test indicates that the student has a sufficient fitness level to provide important health benefits. The “Needs Improvement” zone indicates that the student may be at risk of health issues if that level of fitness remains the same over time. The Healthy Fitness Zone and Needs Improvement consists of three basic components: (1) Aerobic capacity; (2) muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility; (3) body composition (Meredith, FitnessGram, 2007). Students’ personal fitness information was charted daily during the program. The data collected for the personal profile assisted teenagers in setting goals related to reducing their weight and building self-esteem (Bronson, Glencoe Health, 2004). Monitoring and charting profiles provided guidelines for accomplishing goals that were necessary for changing students’ body image. The findings of this study indicated that the African American teenage participants did not want to commit to the exercise needed to improve their cardiovascular and personal fitness levels. Participants realized that skipping meals did not help with losing weight. When the students did eat, they tended to overeat and make unwise food choices.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Kay Ann Taylor / This qualitative case study examined how the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and college experiences affected five Latina undergraduate students' academic persistence in a predominately White, Research Extensive Midwestern State University. Latinas' gender, race, ethnicity, and college experiences influence their educational achievements directly. Because most research concentrates on understanding Latinas' educational experiences from a cultural deficit perspective, this research addressed the need to investigate Latinas' personal understanding of the challenges they face in college and their responses and coping strategies utilized to navigate their experiences and persist academically. Cultural Congruity was the theoretical framework for analysis and interpretation in this study because it contextualized the understanding of Latinas' culture of origin and its values in relation to the cultural values upheld by the university Latinas attend. The research utilized life narratives to understand the meaning the participants gave to their college experiences. Life narratives invent, reform, and refashion personal and collective identity for underrepresented people. Life narratives provided direct access to accounts of participants' lived experiences while identifying the ideologies and beliefs shaped by those experiences. The findings in this study identified the stereotypes, racism, obstacles, and support encountered by Latinas in college and at home. Further findings include: Impact and relevance that caring relationships and high expectations had on their academic persistence, Latinas' determination to be involved in college and give back to their parents and communities, and how academic effectiveness acted as a form of resistance for Latinas' college persistence. Four additional themes emerged: How self-efficacy was used by Latinas to redefine themselves in college, the changing effect that intellectually stimulating courses had on Latinas in college, their tenacity to succeed, and Latinas' identification of their fathers as feminist role models. Recommendations for practice and future research are addressed. The results contribute to the limited research on Latinas' persistence in higher education and the personal meaning that they give to the obstacles and support they encounter in college. Further, the findings defy the stereotypes attributed frequently to Latinas.