Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2373. Adviser: Norman K. Denzin. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-174) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3240442. "

abstract: Media is a powerful tool used to reflect and affect change in society. Within this study, a brief historical context is provided of roles African Americans in film were traditionally cast in. By employing Critical Race Theory (CRT), cultural capital, and NewBlackMan frameworks, I analyzed how Black male film directors and producers depicted race, class, gender within the Black film boom of the early 2000s. I examined the depictions of educational outcomes of the characters within films utilized in this study. My results display progress that still needs to be made in breaking down traditional gender roles, how race needed to be more critically examined, and how educational outcomes of the characters were not realistic. I also provide suggestions for conducting media studies through the discipline of education in the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 2010

This thesis is a text-based analysis of conceptions of the intellectual in relation to the political sphere. The specific instances studied relate, positively and negatively, to the socialist tradition in politics and culture. They are drawn from a variety of academic disciplinary contexts and also from the contexts of political organisations and social movements. One of the principal dilemmas faced by the intellectual in this century, as this thesis sets out to make clear, has been that of trying to bridge the divide between these two spheres. This investigation is centred upon statements made by intellectuals reflecting upon the typical role or function of the intellectual within society and politics. My contention is that such self-reflection is a necessary condition of the intellectual's coming into being. Intellectuals are realised in specific identities, in a process of self-identification. The force of intellectual practice is dependent upon elements of personal commitment, moral or political, and the enactment of an experiential dimension. But, at the same time, as a practice that has a transcendent orientation, the intellectual seeks to go beyond the subjective in pursuit of the objective, the extra-personal, the unsituated. My thesis offers itself as an identification of a tradition, as the relation of a narrative of the intellectual, which also recognises its own particularity. As such, it is not a work of synthesis, but a reflexive narrative. Narrative is an appropriate concept with regards to the intellectual; it may thus be seen as a creative process drawing upon particular events and characters. Such a view, involving both commitment to and distance from the intellectual, is not common within prevailing accounts, which have tended to be either sociological-objective or normative-subjective. I have tried to see the intellectual as reflexively situated between these positions, as between an interested identity and disinterested practice, and not just in a purely “objective" fashion but acknowledging my own involvement within such a view.

<p> The purpose of this study is to understand how social class background plays a role in student experiences on selective campuses. This study centers the experience of low-income students and extends the work of Ostrove and Long (2007). Previous research has indicated that race, gender, and social class status have each, respectively, been demonstrated to have statistically significant relationships to sense of belonging. This research affirms existing research, but also finds that there are more positive relationships than previously theorized. Minoritized students had higher mean scores related to personal-emotional adjustment and social adjustment. Students from the lowest social class also reported higher scores on the same two adjustment scales than their peers. </p><p> Based in the theory of critical quantitative analysis (Stage, 2007), the research uses the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Baker &amp; Siryk, 1999) in order to assess sense of belonging. This survey measures overall sense of belonging, academic adjustment, social adjustment personal-emotional adjustment and institutional attachment. Examining these measures in an intersectional way revealed results that were more nuanced than was previously found in the literature. The data was analyzed using simple linear regression, analysis of variance, and hierarchical multiple regression. The survey was conducted among undergraduate students at The George Washington University, a private, urban institution in Washington, D.C. </p><p> In demonstrating that minoritized and economically and educationally challenged students may be adjusting better than has been previously stated, this study emphasizes the need to affirm students in the identities they hold for themselves rather than studying them through deficit models. Reinforcing the cultural and social norms of marginalized groups aids in their personal growth and development, which often leads to a university&rsquo;s desired outcome, which is retention and graduation.</p><p>

<p> As youth sport has become increasingly professionalized, many believe that the route to elite level play is through early specialization. Early specialization is a contentious issue, and many risk factors have been associated with high levels and intensities of training in youth. Youth today participate in highly competitive sport in pursuit of elite levels of play, recognition, and financial gain. Early specialization is thought to be a requirement for advancement, yet little is known about the early experiences of team sport athletes who grew up in the US. This is the story of 15 elite female athletes who &ldquo;made it&rdquo; to Division I soccer. The study offers us a window into the professionalized and commercialized world of youth soccer. It is a description of the childhood and adolescent journeys through sport and spans 10+ years of development. Through its telling, we learn about the expensive pay-to-play pipeline in soccer, we hear of the differences in opportunities that exist between social classes, and we confirm theories of expertise development. We learn that whether a young athlete specializes early or chooses to play multiple sports has little relevance to her progression to Division I. Through our thematic analysis of injury, we see how young athletes routinely play through injury, hide injury from coaches, and carry injury forward into their collegiate playing careers.</p><p>

<p> Latinas/os are the fastest-growing racial minority group in the United States, yet there is a lack of parity between their increased population and their participation rates in higher education. The economic strength and vitality of the nation require a college-educated workforce; therefore, the need to improve educational environments that support increased degree attainment among Latinas/os is imperative. Despite the disproportionately low enrollment of Latina/o college students at selective U.S. higher education institutions, research has suggested that attending these types of institutions uniquely and positively influences students&rsquo; educational and socioeconomic outcomes (Hearn &amp; Rosinger, 2014). Using Astin&rsquo;s (1991) Inputs-Environments-Outcomes (I-E-O) model, this study examined Latina/o college students&rsquo; cognitive development over time, their experiences related to perceived climate for diversity, and the effects of negatively-perceived climates for diversity on their cognitive development based on students&rsquo; gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. A quantitative design using the 2014 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) was employed, of which system-wide data from 4,299 junior and senior level Latino/a college students were used. Inferential and regression analyses were used to examine the effects of perceived negative climate for diversity on students&rsquo; cognitive outcomes. Results indicated that Latina/o students attending selective institutions benefitted greatly in their cognitive skills development, although unique differences were found when students&rsquo; outcomes were examined by their gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. Perceived negative climates for diversity varied depending on students&rsquo; gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. Examination of the effects of students&rsquo; background characteristics and college experiences on their cognitive outcomes also varied based on their gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. In particular, perceived negative climates for diversity were found to have mixed effects on Latina/o college students&rsquo; GPA, yet demonstrated little to no effect on students&rsquo; cognitive skills development.</p><p>

This dissertation is a study of a phenomenon, namely the existence of individuals who have actively committed their lives to social change. The study was designed to explore two aspects of social activism: (a) how these individuals were able to follow careers in social change work; and, (b) that aspect of consciousness through which these individuals come to know the world in a certain way. This way of knowing involves a commitment to ending oppression, an understanding that oppression is a constructed phenomena that can be changed, and a commitment to change that is based on concepts of participation and volition. The most salient theme to emerge in regard to the career paths of these individuals was its gradual, unplanned nature. Within that theme, there were a number of commonalities or patterns that acted as catalysts for their career paths. These patterns were: (a) A sense of being different; (b) experiences of cognitive dissonance; (c) being "noticed" by others; and, (d) intellectual aptitude. As to the development of consciousness, the theme that illuminated all of the choices made by these individuals was their commitment to a set of values rooted in concepts of freedom and equality. Patterns or commonalities within this theme were: (a) The sense that these values had always been with them; and, (b) these values had led them to act outside of, or beyond, their socialization experience. Finally, the researcher focuses on her own meaning making which, while rooted in the themes and patterns that emerged, is neither a clear synthesis nor a prescriptive analysis. Instead, the meaning making moves the findings into new theoretical perspectives and brings to the foreground new phenomenological issues that deal with the acausal and multi-causal nature of the themes and patterns. Those relationships included the acausal phenomena of synchronicity, and the interactive and multi-causal nature of the other themes and patterns. She then suggests that neither socialization nor educational experience can fully explain either aspect of the phenomenon. Beyond socialization and beyond educational experiences, there seem to be some transactional connections between consciousness and a specific set of values.

Today, increasingly attention has turned to the impact that school experiences have on gay youth. However, research to date has focused disproportionately on crisis intervention strategies or on meeting individually based needs rather than on the school setting. This study contributes an organization-wide examination of one public school district's efforts to address the needs of gay youth at the high school level. This study examines the role of this public school district Safe Schools Committee and their participation in the Massachusetts Department of Education Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Youth and assesses the impact these efforts have had on the overall school setting in relation to gay youth issues. Two social justice change models provide the theoretical foundation for this study: multicultural education and multicultural organization development. The data for this study were gathered and analyzed using traditional qualitative research methods. Students, educators, parents, administrators, community members, and consultants at the statewide level were asked to describe their perceptions of change in the high school. The four recommendations of the Massachusetts Department of Education Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, the Stages of Multicultural Awareness model, and the Continuum of School Change Strategies provided useful perspectives in understanding how change initiatives impacted this school setting. Factors important to the success of this school district's change initiatives were identified. The importance of prior experiences in creating a state of organizational readiness for change, the role of the Safe Schools Committee as a subsystem for change in the organization, and the importance of collaborative relationships across the organization, with community stakeholders, and with statewide resources and experts emerged as significant. Conclusions drawn from this study indicate that a systemic perspective can be critical in supporting school-based change efforts to meet the needs of gay youth and that addressing the needs of gay youth in school settings can make important contributions to increased multicultural awareness and organization development. Organization factors and behaviors of members of the Safe Schools Committee identified as particularly important to the success of these efforts are also presented.

Full participation and equal opportunity in sport in America historically has not been available to a variety of identity groups based on race, gender and disability. Many studies have described the fate of African-Americans and women in sport, but very few have examined a similar relationship with respect to athletes with disabilities. Furthermore, there has been limited examination of issues of vertical integration of these identity groups within the management or executive levels of sport organizations. This work proposes a new theoretical framework (i.e., Critical Change Factors Model - CCFM) based on critical, distributive justice, and open systems theories. Two longitudinal case studies were presented that examine the degrees of integration and inclusion achieved by African-American males in Major League Baseball and women in intercollegiate sport. Basic descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis techniques were used to present each case. An organizational continuum of workplace diversity and a three-tiered social stratification model were incorporated to help illustrate the historical progression of integration of each group. The conceptual model was designed to allow for the comparative analysis and generalizability of recommendations across identity groups. The model provided key insights and findings in the complexities of organizational change related to identity group integration. A strategic management process approach was used to apply the findings from this comparison to athletes with disabilities as a third identity group, thereby creating a new equity paradigm incorporating disability. This focused on the potential for systems change as an organizational function within the context of both internal and external environments. Recommendations directed at organizations to become more accepting and tolerant institutions focused on strategies that sport managers can employ to improve conditions at each stratification level. Recommendations for removing or diminishing resistance to greater diversity within sport organizations included the identification, development and distribution limited resources in a more equitable manner to newcomer groups. Recommendations also centered on the broader application of the theoretical and practical concepts presented in this study to any particular identity group as it might be related to any organization, regardless of its purpose and enterprise.