The purpose of this 1-year case study was to understand how 5 elementary school teachers in an inner-city school foster social inclusion. Through classroom observations and interviews, the study examined the variations of classroom practices the teachers used to create inclusive environments, the challenges they faced in the process, and the strategies they developed to address these challenges. How their work in the classroom interacted with the school's organizational structures was also explored. Three concepts frame the study: a broad conception of social inclusion that addresses multiple aims for creating an environment of belonging and takes students of all social identities into account; a detailed conception of the practice of social inclusion from a range of theoretical perspectives and teachers' experiences; and a situated conception of context that interrelates the classroom with the school and the community. Three dimensions of pedagogy—content-based practices, relations, and structures—are used to identify and compare principles of inclusive practice. The study portrays the interactions of daily classroom life through cross-case analysis and reveals the complex decision-making processes that teachers use to foster social inclusion. This study builds on growing scholarship in the field of social inclusion in education (Ainscow et al., 2006; Dei, 1996a; Kosnik & Beck, 2009; Kumashiro, 2002; Topping & Maloney, 2005) and on the increased interest in inclusive pedagogical practices. The in-depth portraits of the teachers’ classroom practices are compared to literature in 4 areas: citizen-based pedagogy, culture-based pedagogy, race-based pedagogy, and anti-oppression pedagogy. The teachers’ practices are analyzed in relation to 2 principles of social inclusion: connecting content to students’ lives and creating mutually supportive social spaces. The study revealed that the participants' practices were mainly associated with pedagogies based on citizenship and culture, with some connections to race-based and anti-oppression pedagogies. What differentiates this study from most other studies in this area is its detailed attention to the dynamic complexity of applying principles of social inclusion to practice. The portraits offer insights into inclusive work in classrooms that will benefit teachers, teacher educators, and researchers interested in expanding the field of social inclusion in education.

Embedding environmental education within secondary science curriculum presents both philosophical and practical difficulties for teachers. This ethnographic/narrative study, with its methodology grounded in eco-feminism and realism/constructivism, examines the work of six secondary science teachers as they engage in an action research project focused on merging environmental education in their science lessons. Over the course of several months the teachers examine and discuss their views and their professional development related to the project. In the place of definitive conclusions, eight propositions relating the work of secondary science teachers to environmental education, form the basis for a discussion of the implications of the study. The implications are particularly relevant to secondary schools in Ontario, Canada, where the embedding of environmental education in science studies has been mandated.

The purpose of this 1-year case study was to understand how 5 elementary school teachers in an inner-city school foster social inclusion. Through classroom observations and interviews, the study examined the variations of classroom practices the teachers used to create inclusive environments, the challenges they faced in the process, and the strategies they developed to address these challenges. How their work in the classroom interacted with the school's organizational structures was also explored. Three concepts frame the study: a broad conception of social inclusion that addresses multiple aims for creating an environment of belonging and takes students of all social identities into account; a detailed conception of the practice of social inclusion from a range of theoretical perspectives and teachers' experiences; and a situated conception of context that interrelates the classroom with the school and the community. Three dimensions of pedagogy—content-based practices, relations, and structures—are used to identify and compare principles of inclusive practice. The study portrays the interactions of daily classroom life through cross-case analysis and reveals the complex decision-making processes that teachers use to foster social inclusion. This study builds on growing scholarship in the field of social inclusion in education (Ainscow et al., 2006; Dei, 1996a; Kosnik & Beck, 2009; Kumashiro, 2002; Topping & Maloney, 2005) and on the increased interest in inclusive pedagogical practices. The in-depth portraits of the teachers’ classroom practices are compared to literature in 4 areas: citizen-based pedagogy, culture-based pedagogy, race-based pedagogy, and anti-oppression pedagogy. The teachers’ practices are analyzed in relation to 2 principles of social inclusion: connecting content to students’ lives and creating mutually supportive social spaces. The study revealed that the participants' practices were mainly associated with pedagogies based on citizenship and culture, with some connections to race-based and anti-oppression pedagogies. What differentiates this study from most other studies in this area is its detailed attention to the dynamic complexity of applying principles of social inclusion to practice. The portraits offer insights into inclusive work in classrooms that will benefit teachers, teacher educators, and researchers interested in expanding the field of social inclusion in education.

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 / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Charles E. Heerman / This statewide study examined the relationship between building income level and performance level percentage distribution, using 502 schools that earned a 2005-06 Kansas Standard of Excellence (SOE) building-wide award for reading or math. It originated from the premise that excellence is excellence, no matter the setting or income level of a school. A new baseline of data began in 2005-06 due to changes in the Kansas assessments, including more grades being tested than in previous years. The much larger database more accurately reflected the achievement of low-income students in Kansas. Decades of literature were reviewed, addressing influences on the development of Kansas standards, assessments, and the SOE award; the lifelong significance of income levels and achievement; high achievement for low-income students; and the pursuit of excellence through equitable educational reform. For purposes of this study, SOE schools were sorted into six designated types of buildings based on percentages of students eligible for free and reduced lunches, assessed grade levels, and SOE subject award. Results were reported using aggregate building groups as the unit of analysis. A two-way, repeated-measures, mixed design ANOVA general linear model served as an appropriate method to examine means for significant differences. Low-income SOE schools were noticeably fewer than medium- or high-income schools, especially at the senior high level. Three types of buildings showed some significant mean differences, but generally income did not appear to be a major factor. High-income buildings appeared to have a slight advantage; in the Exemplary category, high-income buildings outperformed the others; in the lower performance categories, high-income buildings had significantly lower means. The mean differences for high-income middle school/junior high buildings showed mainly moderate to large differences; other significant differences were rated as small to moderate. SOE schools of a given educational level and of varying income levels generally had similar performance scores in most of the performance level categories. Overall, major differences in performances were not evident among the different income levels of SOE buildings.