In this study I defined the global learning environment (GLE) as it appeared in the Global Seminar Project (GSP) to address the issues of change in higher education under the pressure of globalization. The combination of constructivist theory and a Biggs' (2003) deep learning concept provided a framework for answering the following research questions: (a)what project components make the course global? and (b)in what ways does the Global Seminar contribute to deep learning? For the purposes of this study, I used three forms of data collection, including in-depth, open-ended interviews of 20 GSP's instructors; 11 direct observations of the GSP classroom; and analysis of GSP's written documents and artifacts. I used the open-coding feature of ATLAS.ti software to analyze the interview data and identify the descriptive themes that emerged from the observations and documents. The interview analyses revealed that the GSP's global learning environment included five areas: (a) course structure and academic leadership/management; (b) stakeholder involvement; (c) institutional support; (d) course conducive content; and (e) teaching and learning practices. Within these five major areas I indicated four "global" categories of the learning environment established in the course: innovative, international, interactive, supported by the culture of mutual learning. Evidence of deep learning included observed development of students' generic metacompetencies, identified components of instructors' teaching quality, and recognized value of the relationships among course participants. The research findings brought about two co-dependent understandings of the GLE as a conceptual phenomenon and a practical model. As a conceptual phenomenon, the GLE can be defined as a specific property of an educational structure that occurs when teachers and students are engaged in innovative experiences with the purpose of acquiring understanding of complex global-scale issues by means of cross-cultural interactions and on the basis of mutual learning. Applied to an educational practice, this understanding of the GLE forms a constructive and participatory model that provides possibilities for transforming higher education practices: shifting from mass-production knowledge to genuine quality education based on the values of teachers. These conclusive definitions open a dialogue regarding how the GLE can initiate meaningful changes in educational theory and practices. / Ph. D.

The purpose of study was to identify the perceptions of school leaders regarding the effectiveness of an alternative education transformative day program following the first year of implementation. While some divisions were dissolving their alternative education programs, the school division highlighted within this study prioritized and revitalized the division's alternative education program from a behavior-based night program to a transformative-based day program. The goal of this study was to collect and analyze data that could present next steps for the transformative-based alternative education program in order for division and school-based leaders to continue refining and improving upon the existing foundation established during its inaugural implementation year. The selection of a purposeful sample was used to meet the objective of the study. The sample size for this study included a combination of up to 15 alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership members. The research interventions and investigational agents for this study included approved web-based surveys via Qualtrics and virtual interviews for data collection. The study's survey instrument included one twenty question survey session, and voluntarily respondents participated in a ten-question virtual interview via Google Meetings. Interview questions probed beyond the survey questions in order to provide qualitative data obtained from division and school-based alternative education leadership. The findings of this study, which include the value of stakeholder perception, alternative approach, climate and culture, and alternative course offerings/credit recover, could provide alternative education leaders with tangible next steps for program development by identifying elements necessary for growth and program success as noted by the stakeholders themselves. By analyzing the perceptions of alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership, data presented can lead to intentional measures for revising, growing and furthering the existing success of the transformative-based program. Additionally, recommendations for future study, such as how to increase the program's perception to stakeholders of the transformative-based program, could be used to inspire subsequent studies and to support division leadership when finalizing decisions regarding funding, program implementation, and professional development. / Doctor of Education / By prioritizing alternative education, a small rural school division has reconstructed its former behavior-based night program into a transformative-based day program in order to best combat the difficulties that plague the alternative population in America today. The history of alternative education in contrast to the needs of today's alternative education learners has been presented within the Literature Review. The perceptions of the transformative-based alternative education program were the target audience for this research study. This study was designed to examine the perceptions of alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership regarding the development of a transformative, alternative education day program in a small rural Virginia school division. These data were obtained throughout the survey completion and virtual interviews of 15 stakeholders of the transformative-based program. The study revealed four findings and four implications. One limitation to the study was the small sample size. A suggestion for future study would involve obtaining permission to conduct student research participants in order to explore data from the student perspective for the purpose of restructuring the program's needs as based upon student data.

Doctor of Philosophy / Most often, we encounter our first definitions of violence, abuse, and harm when we enter the work force, through some form of training or maybe posters. All of these definitions are created by other humans. Most of these definitions are created by lawyers or specialists. Most people take these definitions for granted – that they are accurate, never change, and act as a "cover-all". For example, if an action does not fit that specific definition, then the action is not violent or abusive. But, these ways of thinking do not line up with how people who have lived through violence and abuse define their experiences. Also, technology is rarely included in these definitions, despite our phones, computers, and other devices being constantly used to create and maintain relationships with others. Using stories told on Reddit, I create different definitions of harm, violence, and abuse that incorporate technology and capture these experiences more accurately. I then discuss additional ways of thinking about violence and abuse from other fields that offer different ways of understanding. I provide an example of this new kind of violence called follower weaponization, created through and with social media, before suggesting a few new ways of addressing violence and abuse beyond online training models that focuses on affordable housing, living wages, noncarceral response teams, and increasing access to childcare, transportation, community care, and mental health resources.

Within the educational community, there is a growing shift towards the development of essential skills, emphasizing process-skills over mastery of content. This shift is mirrored in the rapid changes in workplace-related technology, outpacing the creativity and flexibility of current graduates. Makerspaces and related technology education approaches have been increasingly implemented to offer students opportunities for developing these desired skills. Parallel to this effort, students who receive special education services but access the general education curriculum continue to lag behind the general education population in high-stakes testing, graduation-rates, and long-term employment outcomes. Remediation-based services often preclude students receiving services from exposure to technology- or other enrichment-based educational opportunities. The initial phase of this exploratory case study focused on the impacts of a technology-based enrichment club on a small group of special education learners. Through this proof-of-concept study, it became apparent that adult participants across stakeholder groups were showing evidence of transformative learning through their experiences with the club. The follow-up study, therefore, focused on changes in adult perceptions and/or practices resulting from these experiences, as evidenced through the Nerstrom Transformative Learning Model (2014). Following exposure, interviews were conducted with participating cosponsors, school-based educational leaders, and guest presenters from technical fields. These interviews were analyzed for both commonly identified and group-specific themes. Results suggest that experiences with the club challenged various assumptions held by participants, often leading to new perspectives on special education practices and students who receive services. These results suggest that potential shifts are a function of how many established perspective-based obstacles these challenged and reformed assumptions can address. Recommendations for future research include replication, extension beyond a club setting, and further exploration of identified themes, as well as investigating the deeper implications of obstacles to transformative learning. / Doctor of Education / Within the educational community, there is a growing shift towards the development of essential skills, emphasizing process-skills over mastery of content. This shift is mirrored in the rapid changes in workplace-related technology, outpacing the creativity and flexibility of current graduates. Makerspaces and related technology education approaches have been increasingly implemented to offer students opportunities for developing these desired skills. Parallel to this effort, students who receive special education services but access the general education curriculum continue to lag behind the general education population in high-stakes testing, graduation-rates, and long-term employment outcomes. Remediation-based services often preclude students receiving services from exposure to technology- or other enrichment-based educational opportunities. The initial phase of this exploratory case study focused on the impacts of a technology-based enrichment club on a small group of special education learners. Through this proof-of-concept study, it became apparent that adult participants across stakeholder groups were showing evidence of transformative learning through their experiences with the club. The follow-up study, therefore, focused on changes in adult perceptions and/or practices resulting from these experiences, as evidenced through the Nerstrom Transformative Learning Model (2014). Following exposure, interviews were conducted with participating cosponsors, school-based educational leaders, and guest presenters from technical fields. These interviews were analyzed for both commonly identified and group-specific themes. Results suggest that experiences with the club challenged various assumptions held by participants, often leading to new perspectives on special education practices and students who receive services. These results suggest that potential shifts are a function of how many established perspective-based obstacles these challenged and reformed assumptions can address. Recommendations for future research include replication, extension beyond a club setting, and further exploration of identified themes, as well as investigating the deeper implications of obstacles to transformative learning.

As restorative justice gained popularity in schools as a potential strategy for helping to reverse the deleterious effects of zero-tolerance policies, numerous misunderstandings and misapplications have emerged. This study focused on the experiences of school-based restorative justice practitioners and sought to foreground their voices and perspectives to highlight what is necessary for restorative justice work in schools to be effective. Critical narratives were used to elucidate participants’ perspectives and to allow their voices to serve as the focal point for the study. Findings were as follows: (a) the depth and ongoing nature of preparation practitioners undertake to sustain restorative justice work must be emphasized; (b) rather than a program or set of steps, restorative justice must be experienced as a set of principles or a philosophy grounded in genuine care and concern for individual people; (c) a cultural, political, and social shift is required for restorative justice to be implemented with integrity; and (d) restorative justice is a project of humanization and re-establishing democratic ideals. As such, educators in the field are encouraged to embrace the depth and complexity of the philosophical underpinnings of restorative justice and to acknowledge the personal, internal work that must be undertaken to serve a transformative function in school communities.

The job of an education system-level leader in urban environments is becoming more demanding, and the environment in which they operate more complex. Filling these very critical roles with individuals who possess the right characteristics could mean the difference between success and failure at improving the educational outcomes of students who are more often than not students of color and economically disadvantaged students. Through seven interviews, this qualitative study focused on understanding the leadership dispositions that contributed to the success of transformative urban education system-level leaders in Los Angeles. The new transformative urban education leadership framework was developed using elements from each of the following existing frameworks: leadership for multicultural education, transformative leadership, and leadership for social justice. Findings from the data revealed four themes and two subthemes that described the characteristics that these transformative education leaders in urban Los Angeles had in common. The four themes were early experiences that impacted future trajectory, power of positive communication, forming deep relationships with the community, collaborative decision-making and teambuilder; the subthemes were communicating beliefs and vision, communicating hope, and communicating courage. These themes and subthemes suggest some positive alignment to the new transformative urban education leadership framework. Los Angeles education organizations could develop their own pipeline of top-level leaders who are prepared to assume positions when the opportunities present themselves, elevate the role of community-based organizations (and community), and be more targeted in their recruitment and professional development strategies for existing transformative leaders.

Ancrée dans le courant de la Transformative Consumer Research (Mick et al., 2012), cette recherche explore la manifestation du bien-être alimentaire à partir de l’analyse de souvenirs d’expériences vécues par le consommateur. Dans une approche naturaliste (Lincoln et Guba, 1985) et interprétativiste, notre recherche qualitative combine trois types de recueil de données pour accéder aux expériences vécues des consommateurs : l’entretien phénoménologique, la photo-élicitation et le journal personnel. En suivant un processus d’analyse fondé sur la Grounded Theory (Glaser et Strauss, 1967), nos résultats présentent deux éléments majeurs de l’expérience de bien-être alimentaire : le rôle de l’expression des valeurs personnelles (Schwartz, 1992) dans l’expérience de bien-être alimentaire et l’existence de trois composantes-clés dans le processus global de l’expérience. Les résultats nous permettent alors de définir l’expérience de bien-être alimentaire comme une expérience eudémonique, congruente avec les valeurs ou types motivationnels de la personne. Elle est soutenue par différentes conditions facilitantes (attention portée au temps qualitatif, aux produits et recettes ainsi qu’au contexte physique de l’expérience) ; elle implique différents processus expérientiels (pleine maîtrise de l’expérience, immersion, initiation, partage, réminiscence et reproduction du souvenir et processus sensoriel) ; enfin, elle fait émerger des résultantes émotionnelles positives pouvant se combiner (fierté, joie, enthousiasme, gratitude, détente, réconfort et nostalgie). Nos résultats nous conduisent à proposer une taxonomie du bien-être alimentaire selon quatre types : le bien-être alimentaire de conservatisme, de transcendance de soi, d’ouverture au changement et d’affirmation de soi. Ils mettent au jour la définition d’eudémonie alimentaire qui caractérise l’alignement des expériences alimentaires et des significations attribuées au bien-être sur les propres valeurs de l’individu. Enfin, cette recherche propose des recommandations managériales en direction des pouvoirs publics, des associations de défense des consommateurs et organisations non gouvernementales ainsi qu’à tous les acteurs des filières alimentaires et distributeurs investis et/ou concernés par la question du bien-être du consommateur. / Rooted in the Transformative Consumer Research (Mick et al., 2012), this research explores the manifestation of food well-being using consumers' memories of lived experiences.  In a naturalistic (Lincoln and Guba, 1985) and interpretativist approach, this qualitative research combines three types of data which grant us access to lived experiences: the phenomenological interview, photo-elicitation and the personal diary. By following a grounded analysis process theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967), our results present two major elements defining the experience of food well-being: the role of the expression of personal values (Schwartz, 1992) in the experience of food well-being and the presence of three key components in the overall process of the experiment. The results then allow us to define the experience of food well-being as a eudemonic experience linked to the motivational values of the person. This is supported by different enabling conditions (attention to quality of time, products and recipes as well as the physical context of the experience); experiential processes (full mastery of the experience, immersion, initiation, sharing, reminiscence and reproduction of memory, and sensory process); and positive emotions (pride, joy, enthusiasm, gratitude, relaxation, comfort and nostalgia). Our results propose a taxonomy of food well-being according to 4 principles: the food well-being of conservation, the food well-being of self-transcendence, the food well-being of openness to change and the food well-being of self-enhancement. These concepts define food eudemonia characterized by the confluence of food related experiences and meanings attributed to well-being with the individual's own values. Finally, this research proposes managerial recommendations for public authorities, consumer protection associations and non-governmental organizations, as well as all the actors in food chains and distributors invested and / or concerned by consumer well-being issues.

This research project is based upon the assumption that humanity is passing through a period of great transition, or “Great Turning,” in which we have a critical opportunity to pass from a destructive “industrial growth society” to a “life-sustaining society” (Macy and Brown, 1998). I argue that the current scale of social, political, environmental, economic, psychological, and spiritual challenges reflects an underlying “disconnect disorder” (Arabena, 2006), and that these combined external and internal crises present an opportunity for widespread transformative learning and a collective shift. My core hypothesis is that this transition depends on humanity’s ability to engage in a dual process of individual and collective transformation through remembering our connections with ourselves, with one another, with the natural world, and with a sense of purposeful engagement in the world. I investigate this hypothesis through an in-depth, relational study of the Ecology of Leadership program (EOL) at the Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) in Bolinas, California, an organization that aims to “serve as catalyst for a revolution in the way humans relate to the natural world.” The Ecology of Leadership represents a unique model of transformative adult education that incorporates the principles of “inner permaculture” and regenerative design to support participants in cultivating personal and collective transformation. I introduce a “relational” theory and methodological approach, which centralizes Indigenous and ecological principles of relationship, respect, reciprocity, and regeneration. Using interviews (p=20), surveys (p=409), arts-based data (p=12), sharing circles (p=8), and participatory research, I integrate personal and participant narratives together with images, graphics, poems, and practices to bring this case study of the Ecology of Leadership to life. I also advocate for a new model of “regenerative research,” in which the research itself is life-giving and contributes to the healing, transformation, and regeneration of the researcher, the community of research, and the whole system. Based upon my interactions, observations, and interviews in the EOL program and my reflections and supportive research, I conclude by articulating the “Ecology of Transformation,” a holistic model for transformation that incorporates inner and outer change with practices for reconnection to oneself, the natural world, and the village.

No description available.

This project delves into the role of American churches, notably the United Methodist Church (UMC), in perpetuating a segregation mindset and normalizing whiteness. The UMC's efforts toward a beloved community, exemplified by the Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural (CR/CC) appointment, are scrutinized, emphasizing the need to confront racial and cultural challenges to prevent erasure, silencing, and assimilation by underscoring the importance of recognizing and addressing these issues for collective well-being, encapsulated in the principles of honoring, communication, and integration. Introducing the concept of re(de)fined and rethought Christian Conferencing, the project emphasizes the integration and honoring of diverse narratives, particularly through the Transformative Community Conferencing framework. Based on a narrative mediation approach, this framework seeks to challenge the pervasiveness of white cultural norms within the UMC, promoting collaboration between predominantly white congregations and clergy from non-white backgrounds. The project explores the transformative potential of this framework, stressing the importance of active engagement and concrete actions for genuine transformation in local UMC congregations, with a case study at Pound Ridge Community Church.