The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning model is touted by its proponents for its potential in broadening access and participation in STEM learning through deep, authentic engagement in integrated STEM and arts practices. One location STEAM learning occurs is the new media arts classroom, where learners use…

The purpose of this study was to analyze my own leadership experiences as a White cisgender female elementary school principal and how my white privilege contributed to maintaining white supremacy and systemic racism. The purpose was also to explore the impact of the evolution of my white racial frame and intentionally break my silence about white…

This dissertation is based on auto-criticism, a new qualitative inquiry that combines educational criticism and arts-based research. It focuses on my own experiences as an aspiring educator who struggles with stuttering and public speaking anxiety. The study aims to describe, interpret, evaluate, and thematize my experiences of dealing with public…

The purpose of the present research was to examine how five self-identified Cuban-American social studies teachers in Miami, a city where they are considered the dominant culture, described their ethnic and cultural identity, expressed educational beliefs on teaching and learning, promoted culturally inclusive pedagogy, and approached the official…

The use of literary criticism has served to provide different lenses to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the content and context of the written text in all its forms and varieties, especially in children's and young adult (YA) literature. This study was aimed at analyzing the way in which "Feminist Criticism" may be applied to young…

This qualitative, insider account of student civic development in a university service-learning course has two primary goals. One is to propose frameworks for describing the process of civic development of service-learning students that are situated in theories of civic identity, cognitive development, and cognitive dissonance. The other is to…

This dissertation takes Chinese advertisements as the research subjects to see in what way a quantifiable large number of advertisements with its metaphorical nature and instrumental mission can reflect social cultural change, in specifics, ideology and identity change of China in the last thirty years by combining four methods of research:…

The purpose of this teacher research study was to examine narrative inquiry as a method for student engagement with course material and the local community. This study sought to understand how students perceived themselves within Mexican American history. While a number of studies have used oral history and narrative effectively, these studies…

Immigration, as a continuous phenomenon, extends beyond a singular migratory event that an individual experiences. The purpose of this research project was to explore the college experiences of second-generation immigrants and how their family relationships, immigrant histories, and socioeconomic status directly and indirectly shaped their…

The significance of media literacy pedagogy in American public schools is crucial in helping teenagers comprehend the visual media world in which they live. The world is currently a place where our youth are inundated with visual messages that must be received, interpreted and critically analyzed. The dilemma is not so much in the reception of the…