Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2001. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-04, Section: B, page: 2074. Chairperson: Andrew R. Eisen. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2423. Adviser: Steven Aragon. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-189) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Instructional Systems Technology, Dept. of School of Education, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1304. Adviser: Curtis J. Bonk. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed June 19, 2007)."

Academic discussion deepens learning when students share multiple perspectives, challenge propositions, and build on each other’s ideas to develop their own understanding (Michaels, O’Connor, & Resnick, 2008; Cazden, 1988). But academic discussion is rare in practice, suggesting that teachers are not implementing effective ‘talk moves,’ or discussion-based strategies to foster genuine dialogues (Applebee, Langer, Nystrand, & Gamoran, 2003). How do teachers learn to respond to students effectively in academic discussion? This dissertation aims to describe the process by which teachers learn to teach using discussion in their own classrooms after professional development. It follows six teachers implementing a new curriculum, Word Generation, that uses discussion and debate to deepen students’ reading comprehension. Teachers were filmed conducting classroom discussions with their own students and then interviewed about their experiences, particularly how they made decisions on what to do and say in response to student contributions or events that emerged in the discussion. While developing the craft of dialogic teaching (Boyd and Markarian, 2011), teachers also encountered surprises and dilemmas, two types of teaching uncertainties that tested and influenced their professional growth. Findings showed that teachers mastered more effective discussion teaching skills when they learned to manage or resolve their uncertainties. In fact, surprises and dilemmas were important sources of experiential learning for the teachers who used their experiences of uncertainty to see and respond successfully to student contributions. The dissertation is comprised of two main articles. The first study analyzes the role that surprise plays in changing teacher perceptions of student abilities in academic discussion. The second is a case study exploring one teacher’s teaching dilemmas, and how, in order to resolve competing instructional goals, he attained more sophisticated techniques that fostered productive student talk. These findings shed light on how professional educators can support teacher implementation of academic discussion when surprises and teaching dilemmas are addressed in professional development.

Collaborative learning is an important component in adult literacy learning but has not been investigated among Aboriginal adults. The concepts of cognitive apprenticeship and guided participation informs the case study of an Aboriginal adult Literacy Centre. A metaphor of entering a house of literacy learning was used to describe how learners become a part of a community of literacy practice. An individual stands on the threshold with dreams for the future. He or she walks fully into the house by increasing participation in learning activities. Learning occurs through connections with others by sitting together at a round table. The literacy organization, the funding agency and the community act as floorboards in supporting the learners. The findings point to particular patterns of guided participation in Aboriginal settings, may broaden our understanding of social perspective of literacy and may contribute to our knowledge of learning in an urban Aboriginal setting.

My research is a study of the perspectives of resilience by survivors of domestic violence (DV) in three Aboriginal communities. The Executive Directors (EDs) of the women's shelters on these reserves were interviewed, as well as three DV survivors who were identified by the EDs. The meanings articulated by interviewees is intended to provide educators and those in anti-violence efforts with an increased understanding of resilience as defined by Aboriginal DV survivors. The interpretations that were voiced are different from those that are understood according to prevailing Western tradition. Among Aboriginal populations, internally-derived perspectives of resilience, I contend, are foundational in developing curricula aimed at reducing DV and its traumatic manifestations. DV is often deceptively and simplistically construed as the conduct and dynamics of two people within a home. However, my investigative study that includes a comprehensive literature review, exposes the fallacy of this assumption as it pertains to Aboriginal communities: DV has historic origins that are strongly grounded in colonialism. DV is, as well, socially constructed in power hierarchies that sustain patriarchal supremacy, and a devastating social and psychological plague in all reserve communities. My research recognizes that community-based interventions in Aboriginal communities can only be effectively operationalized with the knowledge of the intricacies of colonialism as they pertain specifically to DV. Drawing on traditional beliefs and community principles such as meaningful participation, integration of cultural and spiritual practices, recognition of historical injustices by colonizing forces, consensus-derived decision-making involving women and youth all help inform educational offerings about the actionable content and delivery of resilience teachings. Keywords: Aboriginal, colonialism, domestic violence, resilience, well-being

This research explores the question of how best to remediate the math skills of adult college students. Two bodies of literature relating to adults and poor mathematical performance are reviewed, and a summary of one of the most influential theories of learning is presented. First, the literature on adult learners is reviewed to gain insight into characteristics of and assumptions about adult learners. The second body of literature explores psychological factors contributing to poor mathematical learning. Research on math anxiety, math avoidance, and women and math is reviewed, along with research on interventions implemented by colleges to help students overcome negative feelings about their ability to learn math. The third summarizes Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development and its relevance to adult learners. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine "good" college instructors who teach developmental mathematics to both traditional and non-traditional undergraduates. The teachers were asked to talk about their experiences learning math, their teaching philosophies and methods, and their observations about adult mathematics students. Students in the instructors' current classes answered open-ended questions in an anonymous written survey. The surveys asked students to describe their instructor's teaching methods, their feelings about learning math since being in the class, and their beliefs about the role age plays in ability to learn math. The responses of the teachers and students indicate that (1) cognitive ability to do math does not change with age, (2) ability to learn basic math depends on two main factors: motivation and having a "good" teacher and, (3) good college remedial mathematics teachers are non-threatening; use a student-centered, active learning approach; stress understanding over memorization and rote computations; and focus on developing reasoning, problem solving and higher order thinking skills. The conclusion of the dissertation is that a Piagetian approach to teaching basic math is as applicable to older students as it is to younger learners, but that more research is needed to determine the ways in which differences, other than cognitive, between age groups can help or hinder mathematics learning.

Returning or reentry students represent an increasingly large percentage of the student population in higher education. Many of them not only manage to stay in school, but also appear to make significant strides in cognitive and affective development. Relatively few works have dealt with developmental issues of adult or returning students, and most have focused primarily on women, who constitute the majority of returning students. This study examines the effect of higher education on adult male returning students. It focuses on the possibility that by returning to school, men may transform what Mezirow (1989) calls "previously held meaning perspectives." It also attempts to determine to what extent, if any, a given sample of adult males have learned to become more critical about previously held views, and what the implications are for the way they choose to live in the world. The study draws on theories of adult development and transformative learning with emphasis on the transformative learning theory of Jack Mezirow (1989, 1991). The methodology for this study is qualitative. Six men in their second year at a Massachusetts community college were interviewed individually and asked questions pertaining to their view of themselves and the world prior to entering college and then afterwards. A focus group was held afterwards. The data was then analyzed in light of the theories examined in the study. The findings indicate that the experience at the college enabled the men to make marked changes within both the affective and cognitive domains. Viewed as part of an ongoing process, their perspectives on education, themselves and the world were transformed. This transformation also carried over to their relationships with family and friends. The men learned to acknowledge weaknesses and to ask for assistance from instructors and academic support personnel. Eventually, they learned how to connect to students and staff across age and gender lines. The men were able to confront challenges presented by difficult subjects. They came to see knowledge as being socially constructed and subject to change. They also developed a better understanding for the causes of individual and social change.

Using critical discourse analysis, seven "problematic moments" that occurred during a two week educational event in the conversations of a multinational group of fourteen students at an international development education institution are analyzed. Each moment illustrates some aspect of "silence" which I define as an consequence of ideology. A relationship is established between the micro meanings of those interpersonal and group silences with the macro level meanings of changes occurring at the international level. Contradictions in the discourse of international development education are revealed through this analysis and the dilemmas these contradictions pose for an international institution embedded in that discourse are explored. Changes which are having an impact on international development education programs include U.S. foreign policy since the end of the cold war, the increased integration and dependence of less developed countries on the international market economy, and the reduction in the amount of "public space" in which non-governmental organizations can operate. As the institution is drawn into the new international market economy, it is changing to become more academic and expert based. Its program is being developed to train graduates to manage the non-governmental and private organizations that work for an agenda of globalization. One result of these changes is confusion about the concept of identity as old theories of the self are no longer meaningful in the new-world (i.e. USA led) order. Current international changes, rather than creating order, are creating a disorder that is painful and difficult to articulate in "normal" group interactions in the context of unquestioned institutional practices. It is suggested that by paying attention to the meaning of silences in its discourse, the institution can discover ways of using language to counteract the silencing of alternative worlds, and can learn how to design participatory peer learning events that allow for a medley of voices and silences in international and intercultural contexts.

This study aims at building dialogue among culturally diverse groups by examining people's perceptions of social reality through the application of projective techniques. In this study the projective techniques consist of a set of original pictures drawn by the author based on participants' accounts of their living situations. The set of pictures combined with the process of inquiry applied in this study comprise the FotoDialogo Method. This study conforms to the following objectives: (1) developing and testing an original model of inquiry and education which promotes dialogue and self-discovery; (2) fostering dialogue skills and reflective thinking among disadvantaged Latino women; (3) promoting effective intergroup communication between health and human service providers and their client population; and (4) developing guidelines for the production of research and training materials that encourage effective intergroup communication, and empowerment of traditionally disadvantaged groups. The research methodology is grounded in qualitative and participatory research principles. The research design stems from Paulo Freire's Thematic Investigation Model, and Henry Murray's Thematic Apperception Test. This study was carried out within a community-based organization serving the Latino population in Massachusetts. The author took a leadership role in all phases of the study, as moderator of the Latina Women's Dialog Group (LWDG), and of a series of FotoDialogo Workshops addressed to health and human service providers. The LWDG sessions were conducted entirely in Spanish—the participants' native language—and recorded by audio tape. These sessions were later transcribed and translated by the author. Throughout this study pseudonyms for actual persons are used to protect participants identities and to maintain confidentiality. Accounts are based on actual interviews, and transcriptions of dialogue sessions. The results of this study revealed that the FotoDialogo Method can be a powerful strategy for Latinas to break silence about their particular experiences of oppression. The LWDG participants began a process of self-discovery which enabled them to analyze and value their experiences, and to fully participate in their community's social change. The FotoDialogo Workshops were also effective in raising awareness among practitioners regarding intercultural communication, and in reflecting upon the sociocultural context in which the Latino community is immersed.