<p> Given the large homogeneous workforce of predominately White, middle-class female K&ndash;12 educators combined with the rising population of diverse students in the United States and the disproportionate achievement gap of students of color compared to their White peers, I sought to discover how new millennial educators defined and used empathy to build their own cultural competencies as well as discover how these teachers used empathy to strengthen the teacher-student relationships across cultural differences. Using the conceptual frameworks of Paulo Freire&rsquo;s (1970) pedagogy and Wang et al.&rsquo;s (2003) definition of ethno-cultural empathy, I conducted a critical narrative inquiry of five first-year teachers who did not share the racial or ethnic background of the majority of their students of color. From the participants&rsquo; stories, six major themes surfaced: (a) the role of empathy in the teacher-student relationships, (b) the struggle between empathy and sympathy, (c) their contrasting views on empathy and content, (d) the relationship between empathy and cultural competency, (e) the importance of empathy related to trauma, and (f) the personal limitations of empathy. I present a proposal for a new theoretical framework resulting from the symbiotic relationship of ethno-cultural empathy and critical pedagogy, called <i> Critical Empathy,</i> as well as recommendations for teacher formation institutions to prioritize an empathy formation that focuses on critical empathy development, self-awareness, administrative management, and self-care strategies. </p><p>

<p> This mixed-method study identified undergraduate students enrolled in a teacher education program that embedded an urban field placement into their teacher education program as a way to educate teacher candidates about children of color&rsquo;s cultural identity and improve application of culturally responsive pedagogy. The focus of the study was to determine how the urban field experience made teacher candidates more aware of their intentions to teach in urban areas and if the experience made teacher candidates become more conscious of their multicultural attitudes towards teaching children of color. In addition, it was important for the study to consider if teacher candidates were more aware of their perceptions of teaching in low socioeconomic and diverse urban settings.</p><p> The participants in this study (n=19) were students enrolled in an Education course, taught by faculty members of the institution. The teacher candidates&rsquo; course work, which included journal response, field notes, evolving conceptual framework and CRP lesson plans along with a Multicultural Teacher Candidate survey were examined to determine if there was an increase in the teacher candidates&rsquo; awareness of their intentions, attitudes or perceptions about teaching children of color. Teacher candidates&rsquo; comments highlighted that they were aware of their increasing levels of commitment and cultural understanding necessary in educating children of color from urban communities. Examining the data points illuminated that teacher candidates increased their awareness about the academic and social needs of children of color. In addition, teacher candidates reflected on their craft and infused a higher level of cultural diversity.</p><p>

<p> The current qualitative study focused on understanding the process of learning to teach. Using interviews of teacher educators, the study explored the importance of a set of teaching activities developed as part of the Teacher Self Efficacy Survey (Tschannen-Moran &amp; Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) as well as the inclusion of instructional and assessment strategies for the teaching activities and the quality of beginning teacher performance of the activities. </p><p> Data were collected from interviews of 15 teacher educators. A process of open, axial, and substantive coding was applied to the data to inductively identify and categorize data relevant to the purpose of the study and to allow comparisons among and between categories. </p><p> Findings suggested that teaching activities are critically important to and a comprehensive description of effective teaching, and that beginning teachers struggle with differentiation and applying their learning to their practice. Further, findings suggested that the source of beginning teacher struggles was found within the teacher education program, within school contexts, and between the two institutions. In addition, findings suggested that beginning teachers perform the student engagement activities and those related to instructional strategies more proficiently than classroom management activities, and that all three teaching activity categories were included in the curriculum, but to different degrees and not all as part of curriculum design. A variety of pedagogies were used to prepare preservice teachers; however, there was no reported knowledge of assessment instruments used to measure preservice teachers&rsquo; readiness for teaching and to obtain data on the performance of their graduates. Lastly, this study revealed that teacher education program leaders were reluctant to participate in a study that sought to draw direct connections between the skills taught in the program and how well beginning teachers perform them. </p><p> Based on the findings, the researcher recommends further studies to determine the viability of the teaching activities as a comprehensive and accurate definition of effective teaching. Further the researcher recommends that teacher education programs and school districts adopt the teaching activities as a consistent framework for providing preservice education, for setting school district expectations, and for conducting teacher evaluations.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research is to document the use of chest voice in sound recordings of sopranos from the early 1900s through the twentieth century and to survey the vocal pedagogy informing performance practice of chest voice throughout the twentieth century. The research includes a survey of the chest voice in vocal pedagogy treatises from the seventeenth century through the twentieth century, and the performance practice of singers throughout the twentieth century in regard to the use of chest voice. The research also includes recording practices as they pertain to the different time periods of sound recordings used in this study. Three singers from each recording era are documented in regard to their rise to fame, voice teachers, training, use of chest voice in recordings, and approach to singing. Three arias will be used to trace the use of chest voice throughout the different eras of recorded history to document changes in style and approach to chest voice singing. The arias are "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's <i>Il Barbiere di Siviglia </i>, "Salce, Salce" from Verdi's <i>Otello</i>, and "Air des bijoux" (The Jewel Song) from Gounod's <i>Faust</i>. The views about the use of chest voice over the past four hundred years inform the modern vocal pedagogue in regard to the changes in methodology, ideology, and practice due to the advances in vocal science and technology used to explore the voice and its function. However, until the beginning of sound recording the only form of documented historical performance lay in the opinions of critics and those who wrote about the performers of their day. In the research of this document the archival recordings provide the impetus for comparing vocal pedagogy instruction with performance practice in the use of chest voice.</p>

<p> Each chapter of this thesis explores a technique commonly found in post-tonal piano repertoire for students Levels 1-3 (Magrath). Post-tonal techniques evaluated for difficulty are Nonwestern scales, polychords and clusters, polytonality, atonality, serialism, aleatoric music, and experiments in sound. There are some inherent difficulties for beginner pianists in each of these topics that are discussed in detail. The appropriateness of these styles for students is evaluated and elements that are conceptually advanced are altered so that earlier exposure to these techniques is possible. Where there are areas of pedagogical weakness or a lack of material for young pianists, compositions have been supplied in a methodical order, introducing and expanding upon new and creative methods of approaching these techniques.</p>

<p> Music appreciation is a popular General Education course at the university level and is included as a survey course for music majors at many universities, yet there is not a consensus on the "correct" way to teach the course. Many pedagogical approaches have been explored; each having its merits, and it is probable that there will never be unanimous agreement among music educators regarding which approach is the most effective. Three pedagogical approaches in particular have been effective; namely the analytical approach, the historical approach, and the contextual approach as described by professor of music Dr. Lewis W. Gordon. These approaches were applied in a onesemester survey music history course with the goal of analyzing which is the most effective in teaching freshman music majors. The assessment of these results will be discussed, and suggestions of ways to incorporate these methodologies into teaching will be offered. These approaches will also be discussed in their accordance with the Essential Learning Outcomes of AAC&amp;U's LEAP initiative.</p>

<p> This qualitative study examines the critical methods and approaches brought fourth by late nineteenth-century African American women educators Anna Julia Cooper and Frances E. W. Harper in their task of imparting skills for the regeneration of the Black race. Too few people have explored the ways in which their work speaks to the importance of culturally relevant education. Fewer have argued on the relevance of their writings, philosophies, and approaches to present-day educational deficiencies in higher education settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Cooper and Harper's written work and extract themes that may speak to the importance of culturally relevant education. Second, this study sought to offer a critical examination of the possible contributions that Cooper and Harper can make to the pedagogical model of teaching African American students.</p><p> The following published works written by Cooper and Harper were used in this study: "The Colored People in America" (Harper, 1854), "Duty to Dependent Races" (Harper, 1891), "The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women in the United States since the Emancipation Proclamation: A Response to Fannie Barrier Williams" (Cooper, 1893), and "On Education" (Cooper, 1930s). A close analysis of each text was performed, and patterns and emerging themes were extracted. The data was then coded and reasonable conclusions were drawn about their written work.</p><p> Five key themes emerged from Cooper and Harper's written work: commitment to faith, commitment to freedom, commitment to sacrifice, commitment to resistance and struggle, and commitment to the future &ndash; all of which were characterized under the overarching concept of tradition. The written data demonstrated clear evidence of thought and practice grounded in African culture and tradition. The findings for this study reveal a number of significant ways that the pedagogies of Cooper and Harper can contribute to the pedagogical model of teaching African American student populations in their pursuit of academic success and achievement. </p>

<p>Since equipping students for service to God and others is either an implicit or explicit element of the mission statement of every Christ-centered college and university, academic officers at such institutions should give serious consideration to making service-learning one of their regular pedagogical strategies. This paper presents the philosophical, pedagogical, and theological framework upon which a Christian higher education institution could build a shared rationale for a service-learning program. The author discusses a case study of a Christian liberal arts college that is taking steps to develop a campus-wide commitment to service-learning, including the implementation of a pilot program in order to better accomplish their service-oriented mission. The work provides a number of research-based guidelines to assist faculty members who want to learn how to embed a service-learning component into one of their academic courses. These guidelines are organized by use of a mnemonic device developed by Saint Mary's College of California to outline five basic components involved in such a process. The letters O.P.E.R.A. represent outcomes, partnerships, engagement, reflection, and assessment. The author describes each element in some detail, including examples of practice at a number of colleges and universities, and lists a summary of key points for each one. Readers will also find a discussion of an eight-step process, based on a review of best practices, by which the case study institution sought to develop an effective service-learning program within its curriculum. First, the researcher helped lead the college community in a discussion of the alignment of service-learning with its mission in order to develop a shared vision for the program. The provost appointed a service-learning advisory team, which worked with the faculty to develop an institutional definition of service-learning, select instructors to participate in a pilot program, determine the most appropriate means by which to train faculty members in service-learning practice, and assist the initial instructors in the process of developing community partnerships. The writer discusses the implementation of the pilot program in three courses in a single semester and presents the results of the various means of assessment employed at the course and program level. A factor analysis of student survey items provides the basis for a discussion of statistical analyses comparing responses across the three courses and across demographic categories. Although the pilot program did not achieve the specific criteria for success established by the advisory team for the student, faculty, and community partner groups, most participants reported positive impact in many outcome areas. The results confirm the importance of following best practice guidelines in assuring a high quality experience for all participants. The work concludes with an examination of a number of issues that service-learning practitioners suggest a campus community must consider if it desires to institutionalize service-learning and collaboratively integrate it into both the curriculum and co-curriculum. The author also provides recommendations based on the results of the case study institution's pilot program to improve its practice of service-learning as it prepares to expand the use of this strategy into additional courses&mdash;recommendations that could also help other colleges strengthen the implementation of their first pilot programs. Finally, the writer presents topics for further research that could contribute to a program's continuous quality improvement and to the larger body of scholarship on service-learning. </p>

<p> Creativity is considered to be an essential life skill that should be fostered throughout the educational system. However, public elementary school classrooms in the USA generally do not appear to be creativity-fostering places. A better understanding of teachers' beliefs about creativity would provide valuable insights into their practices in the classroom and facilitate the planning and evaluation efforts to foster creativity in all classrooms. </p><p> Using a validated survey instrument, adapted from the Teachers' Conceptions of Creativity Questionnaire (TCCQ), the researcher collected beliefs from 120 public elementary school teachers from six schools within one mid-sized public unified school district in the Los Angeles area. The survey included 25 forced choice and seven open ended items. Participating teachers taught in kindergarten through fifth grade and possessed teaching experience from 3 to 40 years. </p><p> Major conclusions include that the teachers believe creativity is primarily expressed in the form of originality of product, behavior or thought. However, these teachers were not aware that creativity should also be appropriate for the situation, an aspect critical to scholars. The teachers believe creativity to be connected mainly with the arts and school subjects in the arts. These teachers support that creativity can be developed in all students but that only a small percentage of students are highly creative. When describing creative students, teachers reported only the positive traits of creative students. The teachers believe that creativity is essential in academic learning, however, teachers expressed an ambivalence regarding their training and capability to effectively promote student creativity within the classroom. The teachers feel impeded to promote student creativity in the classroom by the emphasis on testing, standards, and expectations of the school system. Some implications for practice are that pre-service teacher education and in-service staff development should provide courses, workshops, and activities that assist teachers with knowledge and skills to foster creativity in all students within the classroom. Policy makers and educational authorities must establish creative thinking as an essential learning goal in the educational system so that all children can develop their full personal and work creative potential.</p>

<p> Sexuality education in public schools in the United States excludes a large population of students. These exclusions are due to a long history of legal and economic battles, as well as the politicized nature of adolescent sexuality. This critical interpretive inquiry explored the long history of sexuality education through the lens of economics, law, and psychological paradigms and examined the way in which each of these lenses furthered the exclusion of nonheterosexual males in curricula. Using a framework comprised of critical feminist theory, critical pedagogy, and queer theory, this manuscript provides an understanding of the social structures of sexuality education and how they continue to marginalize students labeled as &ldquo;other.&rdquo; Using critical discourse analysis, this study reviewed legal and political documents, state and private curricula, and works in the sociology and psychology fields. </p><p> The outcomes of interpretive research do not lend themselves to specific answers, but to a greater understanding of the experience of marginalized individuals and the structures in place that keep this experience intact. Through a critical review of current programming initiatives, recommendations are made to continue moving toward a more gender- and identity-inclusive sexuality education curriculum. These recommendations, which are grounded in current legal and economic requirements, include teacher certification requirements, implementation of the Advocates for Youth 3Rs curriculum, utilization of a rights-based approach to program design, and adoption of national sexuality education by the Department of Health and Human Services, rather than by the Department of Education.</p>