Designed as a qualitative investigation, this study focused on the coparticipatory interactive processes of identity construction for preservice teachers and novice students in a university child development school classroom. The theoretical perspective of the study is grounded in interactionist and social constructivist theories on the genesis of the self and in socialization theory (Baldwin, 1906; Cooley, 1902; Corsaro & Rizzo, 1988; Engestrém, 1987; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Mead, 1934; Nias, 1986; Vygotsky, 1978). Following an ethnograghic framework, data were collected in two phases. Specific data sources included participant observation, formal and informal interviews, audio and video taping of classroom interactions, and written documents (e.g., activity plans). Inductive qualitative analysis procedures were used to develop a categorical analysis of the data and to identify major themes (eg., Spradley, 1980). Four major themes were constructed from the analysis of the Phase I data: (1) Changes in interaction patterns occur as the preservice teachers assume more responsibility in the teacher role. (2) Preservice teachers’ primary focus is on self as a student, but as responsibility increases feelings about self as teacher begin to be constructed. (3) In this setting, three year-old children view school as play and themselves in the student role as "kids" who play. (4) Interactions through play enable children to experiment with the role of self and other. Four refined themes were generated in the Phase II analysis. (1) Three year-old children use physical characteristics in order to construct and classify aspects of self and other. (2) The assumption of responsibility in the teacher "position" is part of being willing to take a risk to make decisions. (3) Preservice teachers make a distinction between becoming "the" teacher and becoming "a" teacher. (4) Within the coparticipatory processes of living together in this three year-old classroom the boundaries between student and teacher often blurred in the doing. Narrative case studies are presented to illustrate the processes of constructing identity. Results are discussed in terms of the concept of bidirectional learning within Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development and the tensions of the double bind (Engestrém, 1978). The findings indicate that when teachers and students coparticipate in communication and activity to successfully resolve the tensions of the double bind, learning is bidirectional and the line between teacher and student blurs in the doing. Within these coparticipatory structures individuals open spaces to become democratic communities of learners who are constructing meaning about self and other. / Ph. D.

The majority of the present research conducted on community college transfer students has focused on students who transfer at the start of the fall semester. However, many four-year institutions also admit transfer students to matriculate in the spring semester. These students enroll mid-year and generally do not receive even the limited services provided to fall semester transfer students. To explore the spring semester transfer process, students’ experiences were studied through focus groups, and institutional practices were examined through personal interviews with administrators and staff of various departments on campus involved in the transfer process. The results indicated that the majority of the concerns of spring transfer students were in the academic and personal category. The social aspect of the transfer process was discussed the least, but was an issue that continued to affect the transfer students after seven weeks at the institution under analysis. Although fewer in number, there were also comments regarding experiences that promoted all three aspects of the transfer process, especially in the academic category. The institutional policy most affecting the transfer process was the time frame between the date of application, transfer credit evaluation, admission notification, and actual enrollment at the institution. The deadlines imposed by the institution created many of the impediments described by the students. However, students assumed some responsibility in the process, specifically related to the date they applied for admission, and the date on which they requested a final transcript from the transfer institution / Master of Arts

A place at a boundary A struggle from reason to poetry A dialogue between thought and object / Master of Architecture

With the national attention in the 1990’s on quality education and renewed interest in the transfer function of community colleges, the community college faces increased demands from the legislators for educational accountability and the critics who question the two-year college’s ability to maintain the quality of its transfer function at the same time that it provides vocational, community, and developmental education. Among the issues in the growing concern for transfer education, and most significant to the future of the community college, is the inference that the original transfer function has reemerged as a primary determinant of community college quality. Thus, the community college must respond to the critics and demonstrate the efficacy of its transfer function. To examine the influences that contribute to the high academic achievement (GPA 3.0 or greater) of a transfer student from a Virginia community college to Virginia Tech and determine why the high-achieving student succeeds, the researcher utilized the qualitative research method of naturalistic inquiry with interviews and a quantitative research method with a questionnaire, a methodological triangulation for reliability and validity in qualitative research. In this research study of the two-year commuter institution, integration into the academic system appears more important to high-achievement than integration into the social system; moreover, the faculty-student interaction and collegiate impact seem significantly related to student characteristics, both findings of which are supported in the literature. With the originally eligible and originally ineligible more alike than different in entry characteristics, it seems probable that the community college experience is influential for students with the particular characteristics of those in this study. Based on the findings in this study that the community college experience appears to have positive influence on educational aspiration and that the influence varies for different kinds of students, educators must consider different types of faculty~student interaction with different educational outcomes for different types of students--a topic of some significance for the diverse population of the community college. In this study of the community college with its open-door policy to expand the opportunity for the student without academic credentials, forty percent of these high-achievers were originally ineligible for admission to Virginia Tech; however, the combination of their characteristics as self-directed learners and the faculty-student interaction in the community college environment led them to success as high-achievers not only at the community college but also at Virginia Tech. / Ph. D.

The possible development of a private school/community recreation complex on a specific site in Christiansburg, Virginia was proposed. Thorough architectural programming (including interaction with the school’s administration) and site analysis preceded the generation of design proposals for the project. A phased structure built of concrete masonry with aluminum-framed atria was proposed, responding primarily to the administration’s desire for a low cost, low maintenance structure which provided a maximum of natural illumination. Although the building would have a distinct presence within the existing neighborhood, care was taken not to cause the new complex to overpower the surrounding residential and commercial buildings. A description of the complete design process is presented in addition to graphic representations of the proposed facility. / Master of Architecture