ETDs

This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.

In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.

Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.

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Interpreting critical literacy in a natural history museum

Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate critical literacy practices in two prehistoric exhibits in a natural history museum. Bourdieu's habitus and Bakhtin's dialogism served as theoretical frames to collect and analyze data. Data were collected and triangulated using field notes, interview transcriptions, archives, and other data sources to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate critical literacy practices in two prehistoric exhibits in a natural history museum. Bourdieu's habitus and Bakhtin's dialogism served as theoretical frames to collect and analyze data. Data were collected and triangulated using field notes, interview transcriptions, archives, and other data sources to critically scrutinize textual meaning and participant responses. Spradley's (1979) domain analysis was used to sort and categorize data in the early stage. Glaser and Strauss's (1967) constant comparative method was used to code data. My major findings were that museum texts within this context represent embedded beliefs and values that were interwoven with curators` habitus, tastes and capital, as well as institutional policies. The texts in the two Hohokam exhibits endorse a certain viewpoint of learning. Teachers and the public were not aware of the communicative role that the museum played in the society. In addition, museum literacy/ies were still practiced in a fundamental way as current practices in the classroom, which may not support the development of critical literacy. In conclusion, the very goal for critical museum literacy is to help students and teachers develop intellectual strategies to read the word and the world in informal learning environments.
ContributorsLiang, Sheau-yann (Author) / Mccarty, Teresa (Thesis advisor) / Marsh, Josephine (Committee member) / Blumenfeld-Jones, Donald (Committee member) / Welsh, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Supporting Pre-Service Teachers Through Intersectionally Conscious Collaboration: A Multimethod Study Utilizing Transformative Learning Theory

Description
K-12 educators in the U.S. are woefully unprepared to meaningfully engage with students and their families from multiply marginalized communities. In addition, current educational research and praxis continue to perpetuate prescriptive notions of family involvement and engagement that center white, middle-class practices and marginalize students and families with markers of…

K-12 educators in the U.S. are woefully unprepared to meaningfully engage with students and their families from multiply marginalized communities. In addition, current educational research and praxis continue to perpetuate prescriptive notions of family involvement and engagement that center white, middle-class practices and marginalize students and families with markers of difference. To create and sustain the conditions needed to disrupt educational inequities, K–12 educators must deeply understand their own intersecting sociocultural identities, those of other educators, as well as of their students to create effective environments for learners across all markers of diversity and to foster equitable engagement practices with families and students. This dissertation research aims to address these inequities through teacher education using an intersectional conscious collaboration protocol for educator preparation (ICC-EP) and researcher-developed teaching modules as an instructional tool with pre-service teachers (PSTs). The ICC Protocol and associated modules are grounded in intersectional competence and the Black feminist framework of intersectionality coupled with collaboration and coteaching. This research examines how the ICC-EP and learning modules shaped PSTs’ intersectional competence, supported collaborative inclusive and special educational practices, and enhanced the potential to equitably engage multiply marginalized families. This multimethod case study utilizes ICC-EP modules, assignments, teacher education course material, and surveys as data throughout a semester-long university course centered on family engagement. Using an iterative coding process, the researcher employed Mezirow’s 10-phase transformative learning theory throughout the deductive coding process alongside thematic analyses to understand PSTs’ course experiences. In addition, quantitative transformative learning survey data is used to further understand the extent of PSTs’ views of transformative learning processes and outcomes. Research findings indicated that the ICC-EP assignments, learning modules, and course material strengthened the development of PSTs’ intersectional competence and shaped their teaching practices and approaches. Data analyses also demonstrated PSTs’ beliefs and practices regarding family engagement were transformed beyond prescriptive notions of parent involvement that further extended family-school partnerships and considerations of differing sociocultural identities and practices. These findings indicate the need for continued teacher education curriculum that is grounded in intersectionality and guided by research-based tools to adequately prepare PSTs to address systemic inequities.
ContributorsRuiz, Elizabeth A (Author) / Weinberg, Andrea E (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Thesis advisor) / Boveda, Mildred (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
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RESET-ting Professional Development: Fostering Mid-career K-8 Teachers' Identities and Actions as Culturally Responsive Science and Engineering Educators

Description
This qualitative, design-based research study explored the design, implementation, and outcomes of a professional development for mid-career K-8 science and engineering teachers. The Responsive and Empowering Science and Engineering Teacher (RESET) professional development was designed to support teachers in developing role identities as culturally responsive teachers, change agents disrupting inequitable…

This qualitative, design-based research study explored the design, implementation, and outcomes of a professional development for mid-career K-8 science and engineering teachers. The Responsive and Empowering Science and Engineering Teacher (RESET) professional development was designed to support teachers in developing role identities as culturally responsive teachers, change agents disrupting inequitable educational practices, and advocates of students’ equitable access to and participation in science and engineering disciplines. Four mid-career K-8 teachers participated in RESET, which was embedded in a five-week summer program focused on solar energy engineering. The teachers engaged in activities designed to increase their knowledge of and pedagogical strategies for culturally responsive teaching. After each key event, teachers reflected on their experiences in terms of their role identities, including their purposes and goals, self-perceptions, beliefs, and perceived action possibilities for that role. Teachers also engaged in critical discussions examining how the strategies and practices might contribute to more equitable science and engineering practices. An embedded case study design was used, with RESET as the focal case and the four teachers as embedded cases, to examine teachers’ experiences during RESET and actions during the school year. I analyzed teacher surveys, semi-structured interviews, written reflections, audio recordings of the critical discussions, and researcher memos from during RESET and school year observations to determine the influence of RESET on teachers’ role identity development and actions. I also analyzed a series of conjecture maps created to detail the design and adaptations of RESET to explore the extent to which RESET’s targeted enactment processes and outcomes had been achieved and design and process conjectures had been supported. Findings varied across participants, with all four participants at least somewhat achieving the targeted outcomes, indicating that all of the teachers’ role identities were influenced by RESET. Three of four teachers translated their learning into actions as culturally responsive science and engineering teachers during the school year. In terms of RESET’s design, several of the conjectures were supported or partially supported. Implications for the second iteration of RESET and for the general scholarship on professional development for mid-career K-8 science and engineering teachers are discussed.
ContributorsWakefield, Wendy (Author) / Jordan, Michelle (Thesis advisor) / Weinberg, Andrea (Thesis advisor) / Boveda, Mildred (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021