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.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Margaret G. Shroyer / The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine the impact of lesson study professional development on teacher self-efficacy and outcome expectancy using Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory as a framework (1977). The focus of this lesson study was implementing Common Core State Standards for mathematics. Thirteen K-6 teachers participated in the lesson study professional development, completed a pre/post Mathematics Teaching Efficacy and Expectancy Beliefs Inventory (MTEEBI) and completed ongoing journaling prompts while the researcher conducted observations throughout the process. Qualitative and quantitative data gathered in this research indicated the lesson study professional development had a positive impact on both self-efficacy and outcome expectancy of the teacher participants. Though the teachers possessed a satisfactory level of self-efficacy and outcome expectancy at the onset of the study, a measurable gain was evident. Comparison of the pre and post MTEEBI surveys, through statistical analysis using a Paired-Samples t-test, indicated a significant positive change in both self-efficacy and outcome expectancy scores. Though growth for both constructs was significant at the .05 level of probability, self-efficacy growth was greater than outcome expectancy. This finding is supported in historical research of the challenge of yielding outcome expectancy growth. The qualitative analysis of observations and journal prompts corroborated the MTEEBI results, indicating a majority of the teachers’ self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs were positively impacted by the lesson study professional development. Bandura’s four sources of efficacy (mastery experiences, modeling, verbal/social persuasion, physiological responses) positively impacted personal self-efficacy, while three of the four sources (mastery experiences, modeling, physiological responses) impacted outcome expectancy. Qualitative data indicated mastery experiences were most critical for both constructs. Lesson study professional development is a natural catalyst for addressing Bandura’s four sources of efficacy and thus building self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Given the demands of rigorous educational reform, lesson study professional development is a promising approach to positively impact teacher self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, through engaging Bandura’s four sources of efficacy to develop and strengthen these beliefs. Therefore lesson study ought to be a more frequent component of teacher professional development and teacher preparation.

Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / This master’s report is a study of current textbook trends within higher education. The report looks at multiple methods of textbook delivery for faculty members within the higher education community. The report further investigates a new textbook paradigm created by faculty members at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The author of this report has spent several years researching textbook trends and has presented on this topic on several occasions. By analyzing some qualitative data collected at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, the author will provide a partial evaluation of the CoreTxtPlus® paradigm and offer suggestions to future faculty members looking for an innovative way to provide course content to their students.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Rosemary Talab / The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate business student perceptions of teaching presence in order to scale up online learning to improve access to quality education. This study also responded to Senate Bill 520, calling for the improved online course quality. The data were obtained from 437 undergraduate business students (response rate 79.17%). A non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was used, incorporating the Teaching Presence Scale and Lukow’s Attitudes Towards the Use of Technology Survey. Teaching Presence was the theoretical framework. Data analysis regarding the participants’ personal characteristics indicated that their perceptions of teaching presence were not influenced by age. A statistically significant difference was found in the participants’ perception of teaching presence by gender (p<.05), as well as instructional design, and course organization. Data analysis regarding participants’ contextual characteristics indicated that perceptions of teaching presence were not influenced by course duration. However, a statistically significant difference was found in the participants’ perception of teaching presence based on class level, p<.05. Significant differences were found in communication, assessment and feedback. Data analysis of technographic characteristics found no statistically significant influence on participants' perception of teaching presence. Recommendations for the research setting were in the areas of learning environment engagement, online teaching pedagogy, online course materials development, communication and feedback, faculty development and student technology resource and support. Future research on perceptions of teaching presence from the instructor’s perspective, student characteristics in terms of race and ethnicity, impact of audio and video feedback, and expansion of the student population to other disciplines were recommended.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / Debbie K. Mercer / This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of two elementary pre-service teachers in a Mid-western rural university in an attempt to heighten the quality and depth of those experiences as they pertain to pre-service teacher preparation prior to student teaching. The study analyzed the pre-service teachers’ descriptions of their lived experiences in elementary schools during internship experiences and how those experiences contributed to their personal growth as educators. Flick’s (2009) recommendations for phenomenological data analysis of personal journals and face-to-face interviews was used as a methodological framework for exploration of the two pre-service teachers’ lived experiences while Van Manen’s (1990) journal and interview methodologies were used for data collection. The findings were represented in thematic format and revealed transformational learning experiences for both participants. The six phenomenological themes captured the essences of teacher and student relationships and how classroom experiences contributed to personal learning opportunities for the pre-service teachers. Moreover, the findings of this study bolstered the necessity for pre-service teachers to reflect upon and evaluate interpersonal and intrapersonal lived experiences as they relate to the basic tenets of phenomenology in order to gain a fuller appreciation for how lived experiences of pre-service teachers, and their students, contribute to professional growth and improved decision-making skills. This study argues for a more attuned investigation of the basic tenets of phenomenology to increase student achievement through improved teacher and student relationships, and to enhance pre-service teachers’ personal and professional learning.