Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) face the unknown as they negotiate their multiple roles and identities within the graduate school and classroom setting as teachers, students, and researchers. The purpose of this study is to identify the role that institutionalized socialization, social support, and behavioral observation and modeling play for GTAs as they navigate their way through the organizational socialization process. Interviews with twenty two current and former graduate teaching assistants from a Communication department at a large, southeastern university (GSU) were conducted and analyzed. Findings indicate that institutionalized socialization, which exists at both the graduate school and departmental level, serves to both reduce and create uncertainty and anxiety for GTAs based on messages communicated and also serves the purpose of relationship formation. In examining the social support aspect, findings indicate that the socialization process is facilitated for GTAs through House‘s (1981) four categories of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. Finally, behavioral observation aids in the socialization process for GTAs. Observation is used by GTAs to obtain information about teaching behaviors, specifically what they should and should not do in the GSU classroom. Observation also highlighted both positive and negative aspects of the departmental culture and helped GTAs to understand how things work in the department. Implications, limitations, ideas for what can be done to improve the process for GTAs, and areas for future research are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Peer Collaborative Mentoring (PCM) as a professional development model for international graduate teaching assistants at an American university. Data were gathered from interviews and observations of three American peer mentors (Intracultural Peer Mentors/IAPMs), five Chinese Graduate Teaching Assistants (Intercultural Peer Mentors/IEPMs), and 130 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an introductory course in chemistry from the IEPMs. Six categories were identified through an analysis of the data: (1) IAPM socialization; (2) dynamics of PCM; (3) gender; (4) language; (5) phases; and (6) benefits of the PCM process. Data in the categories were analyzed using two forms of triangulation: (1) investigative and (2) data source. The results of the study indicate that PCM is a developmental process in which participants (IEPMs and IAPMs) move through four phases (Induction, Empowerment through Collaboration, Reduction, and Termination) employing the concepts of reciprocity, mutuality, parity and cultural sensitivity. Providing this type of support system gave the IEPMs and IAPMs an opportunity to develop a learning community through the PCM process. During the study, the two groups of participants acted as cultural mediators for one another and for the students. The purpose of the mediation was to assist all participants in developing their cross-cultural skills and resolve issues that were germane to the quality of the teaching environment and the professional development of the IEPMs and IAPMs. The study provides a new mentoring model for teaching faculty that is responsive to professional development and cross-cultural communication skills. The model supports an environment where isolation and dissonance are minimized and collaboration and cultural sensitivity are encouraged. / Graduation date: 1992

The purpose of this study was to provide prospective recreation graduate assistants recommendations how to write clear and concise resumes that would help them earn a graduate assistantship. After reviewing the literature, three categories of resume development were identified as important in evaluating what graduate assistants will need to include in a resume that would attract recreation professionals' attention during the selection process. The categories included demographic information, resume content components, and general information. No prior research existed for recreation graduate assistant resume content.The researcher created a survey based on three categories. The survey was a descriptive study using data derived from the participants' completed survey. Participants for this study (N=3 72) were recreation professionals who worked at National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) affiliated schools and were directly responsible for the selecting and evaluating of graduate assistants. Research findings revealed that 70% of the participants viewed the resume as the most essential piece of written application materials. Participants consistently viewed practical experiences including professional publications written, professional conferences attended and internships as important aspects to include in a resume. This research also concluded that, due to graduate school requirements, current academic information such as major field of study, internship experience, and type of degree earned were highly rated as essential or very important pieces to include on a resume. Personal information such as a candidate's characteristics were consistently viewed as somewhat important or of no value to recreation professionals. / School of Physical Education

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Elaine K. Horwitz. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 276-294)

Dissertation (Ph. D.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Psychology, 2006. / "May, 2006." Title from electronic dissertation title page (viewed 10/11/2006) Advisor, James L. Werth, Jr.; Committee members, Susan I. Hardin, Loreto R. Prieto, Kevin P. Kaut, Catharine C. Knight; Department Chair, Paul E. Levy; Dean of the College, Ronald F. Levant; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (May 2, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

<p>Although there have been efforts to advance undergraduate chemistry laboratory learning, how graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) negotiate their teaching within-the-moment is still underexplored. This dissertation addresses this gap by foregrounding GTA experiences and pedagogies as foci of interest. The present study is divided into two phases. The first phase consisted of understanding the contextual meaning of eleven GTA participants’ self-recognized experiences via Communities of Practice and capital D Discourse analysis. The findings suggest that although participants recognize obligations to become better chemists as opposed to better teachers, they are active sensemakers of their pedagogies. However, due to obligations, the pedagogies they enact may inadvertently hinder learners’ sensemaking in their attempts to mitigate learners’ failures. Participants’ reliance on accuracy, completion, and efficiency within the laboratory led me to delve deeper into the theoretical conceptualizations of learning from successes and from failures. After creating the <i>Play First, Reflect Later </i>(<i>PFRL)</i> conceptual framework, I endeavored to better understand the extent that the chemistry laboratory can be integrated with productive failure. Thus, the second phase takes a more fine-grained approach in which nine participants were video recorded during their teaching and were later prompted to explain their rationale via video-stimulated recall interviews. Combining both the video and interview analysis conveys overlaps and incongruities. On one hand, participants effectively enact teaching practices that draws their learners’ attention to target concepts, leverage prior experience, and boosts affects. On the other, participants must not compromise learner agency and better prepare learners for long-term learning. Theoretically, errors and direct instruction should also be reconsidered for the laboratory context. I conclude by drawing implications for both researchers and practitioners. Namely, spaces in which GTAs learn to teach should be modified to be more learner-centric, collaborative, and inquiry based like the laboratories they are expected to teach. Furthermore, laboratory curricula (e.g., protocols and experiments) can be redesigned to facilitate learners to explore the hows and whys of their experiments with both their failures and successes. Changing the context of the chemistry laboratory itself, both in terms of teaching and curriculum, may be a more sustainable approach to enhance learners’ chemistry experiences. </p>

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