Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001. / Title from title page screen, viewed March 21, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth Lugg (chair), Paul Baker, Barbara Heyl, George A. Padavil. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-128) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 198-209)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Memphis, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-62).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.Phil. (Education for Community Development)) -- University of Pretoria, 2005. / Summaries at end of chapters. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on June 8, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth Lugg (chair), Paul Baker, Dianne Gardner, Lin Zeng. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-136) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--Sonoma State University, 2000. / Website pages reproduced within the thesis. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-148).

<p> This is a multiple case study of the ways middle grades social studies teachers, as curricular-instructional gatekeepers, may make decisions to provide their gifted students with purposeful differentiated instruction. More specifically, this study explores what teachers believe they should do to instruct gifted students, in what ways teachers prepare and adapt curriculum and instruction for gifted students, and how instruction for gifted learners can take place in a middle school social studies classroom. Through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and supportive visual evidence, six middle grades (6-8) social studies teachers disclosed in what ways they differentiate their middle grades social studies curriculum and instruction for their gifted adolescent learners. Through Hatch's (2002) Inductive Analysis model, findings were recorded and presented in the form of individual teacher observation and thematic cross-case analysis. </p><p> Findings suggest that middle grades social studies teachers take into consideration factors that influence their curricular-instructional beliefs, directly affecting the decisions they make in terms of curriculum selection, instructional delivery, and the methods of differentiation employed to meet the needs of their gifted students. Much of what teachers planned, prepared, and adapted was often influenced by the needs of their students, but also addressed mandates of their school and district agendas. This conflict between meeting the needs of both students and administration resulted in gatekeeping that often favored administration, while reducing the frequency of best practices for middle level gifted students in social studies classrooms. </p><p> Implications for the study include how teacher confidence, or the lack there of, effects instructional practices. Time constraints in middle level curriculum pacing and increased assessment also limited opportunities for rigorous, relevant, and differentiated social studies instruction for gifted students. Middle level social studies teachers of gifted call for clearer and more illustrative descriptions of what the academic ceiling for gifted social studies might look like in general. There are distinctive contrasts between models of differentiation and neighboring concepts of individualized and personalized learning. While in theory differentiation is meaningful, middle level social studies teachers find it difficult to implement methods of differentiation in their classroom with desired frequency. There is a distinctive bond between the fields of social studies, English Language Arts, and research skills. Middle level social studies teachers of gifted seek greater opportunities for meaningful professional development options. Lastly, there is a call among middle level social studies teachers for the inclusion of gifted initiatives in teacher education programs. </p><p> Topics that could be explored for future research include a continued effort to expound applicable gatekeeping practices, the provision of purposeful professional development and learning for teacher populations, continued application and practice of differentiation in the field of social studies education, increased inclusion of social studies in the elementary classroom, the awareness and servicing of gifted learners in the middle school social studies classroom, and the increased inclusion of gifted populations with undergraduate and graduate social studies education programs.</p>

Contribution The main contribution offered by my research is an increased understanding of medical students’ perceptions of empathy and the factors that influence this. By using an innovative method in medical education research, the study contributes to research methodology. Background Empathy is accepted as a fundamental part of the patient-doctor relationship and essential for effective clinical care. Current societal opinions are that some healthcare professionals lack empathy and that medical students become less empathetic during their training, although the reasons for this are not understood. If this perceived decline is to be addressed, medical educators need to understand students’ perspectives of the factors that influence their empathy. Aims of the research The study sought to gain a deeper understanding of the development of medical students’ empathy and the factors influencing this during their undergraduate training. It is hoped that this understanding may lead to improvements in medical education and patient care. Methods Ethical approval for the study was granted by the University. A phenomenological approach was adopted, which involved listening to the students’ views and experiences of their course. Serial, semi-structured, indepth, interviews were conducted with sixteen medical students. Each year the student completed an hour-long interview over three years. One group of eight students were followed during the preclinical years of the course (years 1-3) and the other group, during the clinical years (years 4-6). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded using qualitative data analysis software (N Vivo), and analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Findings The students in the preclinical years described empathy as a personal attribute, emphasising its emotional dimension. In the clinical years, students viewed empathy differently: as a complex relational process with the patient, which varied in depth and quality according to the clinical context. They described the tensions between connecting with and detachment from a patient. Students indicated influences which enhanced their empathy, including patient contact and positive role models. They also identified barriers to empathy, including: the medical school culture, a biomedical bias in the curriculum, a lack of patient contact, negative role models and teaching of professionalism as distancing from patients. The preclinical group of students reported gaining in self-confidence during their course. The clinical group described how their empathy with patients had increased but they detected a conflict between empathy and efficiency. Conclusions The use of an innovative longitudinal, phenomenological approach in medical education research generated new understanding of a complex interpersonal view of empathy and highlighted aspects of a ‘hidden curriculum’. The students maintained that their contact with patients was the most useful way of developing empathy. They expressed a desire to connect emotionally with patients but were uncertain how to balance this connection with professional detachment. They described a marked biomedical emphasis in their course and perceived that teaching on professionalism encouraged a distancing from patients. In contrast to the widely-reported opinion that there has been a decline in medical students’ empathy, this study suggested that students perceived that their empathy increased during their training. However, some students had learned distancing behaviours to hide their empathetic feelings. In the light of this research, it is hoped that medical educators will develop ways of supporting students to deal appropriately with their own emotions and those of patients.