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From Zero Tolerance to Restorative Justice: Implementing Restorative Justice in a High School System
Description
Implementation of large-scale initiatives within educational systems can present many challenges, particularly when the initiative is non-linear and relies on deep understanding rooted in a restorative mindset. This study examined implementation of restorative justice within one large, primarily urban school district in the United States. Through a mixed methods approach, data was collected from three personnel levels of the organization: district leadership, school leadership, and school staff members and applied a sensemaking framework to examine the flow of information and understanding within and among organizational levels. To accomplish this investigation, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. First, interview data was collected from district and school level leaders to inform supportive leadership actions and organizational structures and also to understand challenges that leaders faced when working to implement restorative justice within a district and across a school campus. Next, school staff members participated in a survey to provide deeper understanding regarding their confidence in implementing restorative justice practices, their perceptions of school and district level administrative support, and the alignment of their beliefs and actions with tenets of restorative justice. Finally, results were analyzed and compared across levels of the organization to provide a summary of findings and recommendations for ongoing and expanded implementation at the school at the focus of the study and across other schools within the district.
ContributorsGaletti, Sarah (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Hermanns, Carl (Committee member) / Schauer, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
For more than 30 years, social science researchers have studied how students in online learning environments interact with each other. This has led to the development of a construct called social presence. Studies have shown that high social presence can lead to improved student retention, engagement, and satisfaction. The literature explores how social presence has been measured by faculty or researchers, but lacks insight on how other university staff can affect social presence in online graduate students. This is an action research mixed-methods study conducted by an academic advisor and attempts to measure social presence through a webpage intervention for an online graduate business program. A pre-and-posttest were conducted in a five month span, as well as semi-structured interviews with students of the program. Results suggest that overall, the intervention did not increase social presence in the program. It also suggests that social presence is developed between students in a variety of ways, and can even be developed between their academic advisor and themselves. Overall, this study acknowledges how academic advisors can explore social presence to improve academic advising techniques and interventions for their programs, while also adding to the literature a different perspective through the eyes of a university staff member.
ContributorsDelgado, Gina Michelle (Author) / Chen, Ying-Chih (Thesis advisor) / Beardsley, Audrey (Committee member) / Tu, Chih-Hsiung (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The purpose of this action research study was to help medical students normalize feelings of shame related to academics and to respond to these feelings in more adaptive ways. Several cycles of research informed this study, which investigated the influence of an educational innovation. The innovation focused on helping medical students understand feelings of shame, foster self-efficacy in shame resiliency practices, and encourage help-seeking behaviors. In short, the study sought to understand how these medical students responded to feelings of shame related to academic performance before and after participation in the educational innovation. A total of 14 second-year medical students participated in this concurrent mixed-method study. The educational innovation was designed by this action researcher and informed by Brené Brown’s shame resilience theory. Three sources of data were used to answer the research questions, including a pre- and post-innovation survey, interviews, and student journals. Major findings suggested that the educational innovation was effective in enhancing the study participants’ knowledge of shame, increasing perceptions of self-efficacy in the practices related to resiliency to feeling of academic shame, as well as, promoting help-seeking behaviors. The data also revealed a range of academic shame triggers identified by these medical students. This action research study validated the need to normalize feelings of shame and support medical students developing practices for resiliency to this powerful feeling.
ContributorsCoudret, Dude Joseph (Author) / Chen, Ying-Chih (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray R (Committee member) / Hartmark-Hill, Jennifer (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
This mixed methods action research study closely examines what Club Advisors need in order to be successful in their role, develops an intervention that supports Club Advisors in skill-building along with Club Advisor’s self-motivation and the development of self-efficacy in their role. The purpose of this study was to understand what skills and motivations Club Advisors had and after an intervention occurred, observing whether their self-efficacy around club advising increased. While there has been growth in the area of student affairs and focus on student involvement outside of the classroom, there is currently limited research in the field of university Club Advising as the resources exist informally. The formal literature which does exist does not agree on what skills are needed to be a Club Advisor and does not bridge the gap between theory and practice. The lack of formal research on Club Advising impacts the student experience through Club Advisors not receiving the resources they need. Ensuring the Club Advisors who do volunteer their time are set-up to develop their students successfully requires additional research. This research study used surveys, interviews, memos, and workshop interventions to understand where Club Advisors were developmentally and how to develop them further. Club Advisors in the study wanted to use the resources and connect with others, but before this study did not know how or where to connect. Future cycles of research beyond this study would expand upon the findings and create a foundation for Club Advisor development.
ContributorsO'Brien, Jennifer (Author) / Chen, Ying-Chih (Thesis advisor) / Davis, Ben (Committee member) / Vela, Alicia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Federal, state, and local entities prioritized addressing these academic deficiencies over the past several decades. An area of concern for teachers and families is multiplication. The two main purposes of this study are to (1) to determine how multiplication achievement and strategy use change from beginning to end of Bilingual Family Math Club, and (2) determine which of the eight components of Bilingual Family Math Club (BFMC) contribute to student learning outcomes. The components of BFMC are (1) Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA) modeling, (2) explicit vocabulary instruction, (3) word problems, (4) homework, (5) math games, (6) adult/child pairs as family engagement, (7) bilingual instruction, and (8) workshop series. Quantitative data includes pre-and post-intervention student math assessments. Qualitative data includes analysis of the scratch work artifacts students produced solving those assessments, as well as post-intervention from adults and students enrolled in the club. Findings from this study support previous research. Families said six of the components of the club helped them the most: adult-child pairs, series workshops, games during class, the CRA method, homework as games, and having a bilingual club. Two of the eight BFMC components families felt did not support them in learning multiplication were word problems and explicit vocabulary instruction. Quantitative results from a paired sample t-test showed a statistically significant change and large effect sizes in post-assessment scores in all four areas of the assessment: fluency, word problems, single-digit facts, and multi-digit multiplication. This study provided critical information for school leaders and district personnel attempting to implement more effective after school support programs for families in mathematics.
ContributorsSchroeder, Brittany (Author) / Basile, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Bernstein, Katherine (Committee member) / Ross, Lydia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The purpose of this study was to explore what role collaborative professional learning may have on teachers’ collective efficacy when confronted with pedagogical change. Academic standards introduced between 2010 and 2014 included new content-specific communicative practices including discipline-specific language, discursive methods, and ways of knowing. Adoption of the new standards accompanied a shift to standards-based assessment and reporting, and teachers at this international school offering an American curriculum felt unprepared to simultaneously implement these changes. As a means of empowering and equipping a multi-disciplinary, grade-level team of five high school teachers to accomplish these pedagogical changes, I designed a series of workshops centered on the theory, strategies, and tools of Disciplinary Literacy. Guided by an interpretivist lens grounded in the theories of Transformative Learning, Collective Efficacy, and Disciplinary Literacy, I adopted a mixed-methods action research approach to answer the following research questions: 1) what role does collaborative professional learning have on teachers’ collective efficacy when confronted with pedagogical change; and 2) in what ways does an understanding of Disciplinary Literacy equip teachers to address the pedagogical changes of adopting and reporting to communicative practice standards in their subject areas? Findings from the study indicate the important nuances between collective efficacy and collaborative teamwork, the critical significance of ensuring systems coherence during paradigmatic pedagogical shifts, and the potential role of Disciplinary Literacy as a tool for systems coherence when implementing standards-based learning through concept-based, transdisciplinary units centered on authentic, topical issues of global competency and social justice.
ContributorsFossum, Andrea H (Author) / Sampson, Carrie (Thesis advisor) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Thesis advisor) / Quate, Stephanie J (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Despite the increase in enrollment of first-generation college students at four-year institutions, this student population was more than twice as likely to drop out before their sophomore year compared to their non-first-generation peers. Specifically, a subgroup of first-generation college students that has been identified as greatly disadvantaged yet received little attention in the literature are those from migrant and seasonal farm worker (MSFW) backgrounds. The unique educational needs and risk factors of these students demand that postsecondary institutions develop resources and support services in an effort to better serve them. While the literature identified co-curricular involvement as a factor contributing to the sense of belonging and retention of college students, it failed to acknowledge the unique experiences of minoritized and/or marginalized student populations. This study introduced and supported the argument that merely offering involvement opportunities did not work for this student population, and suggested that institutional agents who interacted or worked closely with them had to facilitate validating conversations and build close relationships early on to encourage co-curricular involvement. The innovation supported first-generation MSFW students’ participation and engagement in conversations and activities in an effort to help enrich their experiences, and enhance their overall sense of belonging and college retention. The innovation demonstrated the many benefits stemming from first-generation MSFW students’ participation in a peer mentor program, and allowed for collection of feedback in an effort to better serve this student population. Further, based on the results of this study, the innovation may have positive impacts on the sense of belonging and college retention of first-generation MSFW students.
ContributorsOrnelas, Zujaila Mizar (Author) / Basile, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Aska, Cassandra (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Change in the workplace is a constant. This is even more true due to changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes have altered work locations, the modes of communication used, and how meetings are held, conversations, and trainings. It has become evident that, with these pandemic-caused changes, communication skills, the ability to empathize, and the opportunity to connect with one another are more desirable than ever before. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine how, and to what extent, participation in professional development workshops developed and refined the participants’ communication skills, collaboration skills, communication self-efficacy, and collaboration self-efficacy, and generated an environment that fostered positive connections. The study was guided by five theoretical frameworks, including the work of Wenger (1998), Tuckman (1965), Bandura (1977), Goleman (1995), and Luthans et al. (2007). This action research study utilized a mixed-method research approach in which both qualitative and quantitative instruments were used to gather data. Study participants were staff members in New College. The innovation was conducted over the length of the semester and involved participation in a series of professional development workshops. Quantitative data indicated a positive change in the dependent variables between a retrospective pre-innovation assessment and a post-innovation assessment. The qualitative data allowed for a descriptive story to be told and also provided a way to understand the numerical data. Discussion focused on describing the complementarity of the data, explaining outcomes relative to the theoretical frameworks, and noting limitations, implications for practice and future research, and lessons learned.
ContributorsSchulte, Jennifer (Author) / Giorgis, Cyndi (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray R. (Committee member) / Preach, Deborah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Providing adequate resources for undergraduate students’ career development has been of utmost importance to meet demands from national agencies and industry leaders. At Arizona State University, the size of the undergraduate populations in the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) grew from 1,591 to 3,661, an increase of over 130% from 2003-2017. As of December 19, 2019, SOLS hosted a record 5,318 undergraduate majors on campus and 1,646 students in its online biological sciences program. This steady increase in life science undergraduate student enrollment at ASU attested to the need for appropriate career development education to be woven into the curriculum. Under the framework of higher education’s purpose to provide adequate resources for career success, a career development intervention was designed and implemented as a career planning course for life science students. The purpose of this project was to provide a continuum of job and career information to SOLS’ students to ensure they had appropriate, comprehensive information as they learned about and considered various career opportunities in the life sciences. Three theoretical perspectives guided the research project: Holland’s (1985, 1997) theory of vocational personalities and their connections to work environments, Sampson, Peterson, Reardon and Lenz’s (2003) cognitive information processing career decision theory (CIP), and Bandura’s (1986) self-efficacy theory. Survey results showed increases in all seven constructs—knowledge of career exploration and development tasks, perception of possible professional and career goals and opportunities, goal selection, occupational information, problem solving, planning, self-appraisal—over time among the students. Interview data indicated students noted (a) enrollment in the course for reasons such as determining a career choice that met their needs and preferences while managing expectations and pressures from external sources; (b) broadening perceptions of career options, and (c) developing career exploration and planning skills. The success from this discipline-specific career development course was timely because university leaders were seeking solutions to increase students’ career readiness. The discussion focused on complementarity of the data, connections to the extant research, implications for practice and research, personal lessons learned, and a conclusion.
ContributorsChristianson, Serena L. (Author) / Buss, Ray R. (Thesis advisor) / Fong, Raquel (Committee member) / Reardon, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate how to decrease teacher stress and burnout by a virtual online mindfulness practice intervention with cognitive apprenticeship, self-determination, and self-efficacy theory as the frameworks. Teaching in the United States K-12 public school system is a stressful occupation because of the higher level of responsibility within schools that requires resilient stress coping skills for overall well-being. My research project’s purpose was to examine instruction and training in mindfulness practice as a tool to cultivate stress coping skills in K-12 teachers through a six-week mindfulness virtual online course (MVOC). This study involved 5 participants with the methodology employed was an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach which included quantitative data collection with pre-and post-surveys, which included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills Questionnaire (KIMS - Short), and the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHMS) with Linkert scale questions. Subsequently, followed by three qualitative interviews over six weeks to facilitate a case study consideration. The action research study results exhibited reduced stress following an increase in awareness from developing a personal mindfulness practice. Furthermore, the MVOC intervention helped the participants build a daily personalized mindfulness practice that improved their stress coping skills and was also beneficial in specific ways, which promises teachers whom routine mindfulness practice will cultivate progressively effective stress coping skills and assist K-12 teachers to enjoy increased job satisfaction and reducing the leading cause of burnout.
ContributorsPinthong, Uraipanyawan (Bo) (Author) / Giorgis, Cyndi (Thesis advisor) / Gonzales, Deborah (Committee member) / Sebren, Ann (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021