This dissertation investigates the impact of a pedagogical class and a Community of Practice (CoP) on the implementation of reading strategies by faculty at a community college. It explores the types of reading strategies instructors plan to use, their integration into classroom practices, the factors enabling or impeding this implementation, and…

This qualitative case study investigates the ways stakeholders in a senior/seminar teaching practicum construct and engage in reflection. It also explores the ways these modes of reflection intersect with pre-service dance teachers' development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and critical consciousness (CC). Specifically, the study…

Mathematics has a reputation as a frustrating and complex field, and all undergraduates must take at least one mathematics course to graduate. Since mathematics is mandatory, the teaching involved needs to accommodate students with varying mathematical success. This study aims to document and analyze mathematicians recognized for their teaching as…

This qualitative case study conducted in a higher education institution in Guyana aimed to address a need for more transformative approaches to professional learning and development given that accelerated transformation of the education system is required to meet the fast-paced national economic development. Through the lens of the Transformative…

How do multitextual reflection experiences impact reflective practices for pre-service art education teachers? The research conducted for my dissertation was guided by this research question. My interest was to find out if multitextual reflection experiences might impact reflective practices for pre-service art teachers and in what ways those…

This aim of this study was to explore the instructional development experiences of adjunct faculty at one community college in the southeast United States. Researchers have discovered that, generally, adjunct faculty are not provided instructional development resources or opportunities. Therefore, how do they develop their instructional knowledge…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the US-based First-Year Composition (FYC) instructors understand and facilitate metacognition in their classes and assess students' metacognition through exploratory, mixed methods approaches. I argue that even if we understand the importance of metacognition generally for student populations, we…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how experienced elementary educators in Central Montana described their use of new knowledge from research evidence to inform their teaching practice. Data sources included 15 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. The Cognitive Affective Model of Conceptual Change was…

This dissertation examines the role of reflective practice in the development of teacher candidates during their final internship in a teacher preparation program at a state college in Southwest Florida. Grounded in Dewey's and Schon's theories on reflective practice as well as Vygotsky's social learning theories, this mixed methods explanatory…

This qualitative study identified and explored the experiences of counselor educators living their Preferred Teaching Narratives (PTN). The methodology used was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith et al., 2013) because of the focus on interpreting personal lived experiences (Landscape of Action; Bruner, 1986) and interpreting the…

The operations within universities have become increasingly complex and challenging for various reasons. Notably, some of those challenges have been combated by developing talent within the organization. Although many professional development opportunities abound at Arizona State University and within the ASU Foundation, the options for developing…

This study examined how tenured community college faculty learn, select, and refine teaching methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six tenured faculty at Hudson Valley Community College in New York. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis to identify themes. Three major themes were identified:…

This study addressed the challenge of connecting elementary teacher candidates' course work and fieldwork in order to foster a cohesive experience in learning to teach mathematics. In this study, a Mediated Field Experience was designed for five elementary teacher candidates in their internship setting. The study utilized qualitative methods to…

Reflective practice is extensively discussed in the field of teacher education, and it is rapidly increasing in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). However, reflective practice is still underrepresented in the literature of English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction. The purpose of this study is to understand…

This dissertation explores the experiences of disabled students in higher education and strategies for creating more accessible learning environments. Despite increasing enrollment, disabled students remain marginalized in diversity efforts, with current approaches focusing on individual accommodations rather than systemic barriers. The research…