Recent work has shown the importance of identity in language learning and how the desire to belong to an imagined community drives individuals to invest in their learning (Norton, 2000). This work has documented that a mismatch between students' imagined community and the community envisioned by the teacher can have negative outcomes on students'…

Kate Brock's diary provides insight into the daily life of a one-room rural school teacher from Delaware County, New York, during the years 1902-1906. Through her diary she gives a candid narrative of her life as teacher and a member of a rural community. From the 3 1/2 years of almost daily entries, it is possible to identify a number of topics…

This dissertation is an inquiry into the experiences and beliefs of six Russian-speaking immigrant teachers, including myself, about the role of a teacher. We were all brought up and educated in the former republics of the Soviet Union and arrived in the United States at different times after its collapse in 1991. Our experiences of living in…

This dissertation reports on a qualitative investigation of two research questions: What experiences lead secondary social studies teachers to become passionate and committed to teaching toward social justice? How do these teachers conceptualize and practice teaching toward social justice in the social studies? The study, which employed a life…

Educators, students, and parents are among those who have stereotypical preconceived ideas about science and scientists. The study reports on a content analysis of graphic images in 303 of the "Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12" from the years 1973 through 2005. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis, all of the images…

The purpose of the following article-style dissertation was to present the life histories of three exemplary physical educators, to give them voice, explore ways in which they experienced marginalization, and describe how they persevered in spite of difficulties they experienced in their careers. The participants included (a) Robin, a female…

This dissertation is a biographical study of the life of a retired high school principal in Jamaica. Joan Miller Wint was born on May 10, 1946, in the small rural district of Success in Westmoreland, Jamaica. This study of Wint's life centers on school transformation and organizational change, exploring her leadership as a principal through the…

There is very little research on the phenomena surrounding the life stories and experiences of teen parents who completed their associate's degree. This dissertation is a case study that tells the life stories of five teen parents who graduated from the Cincinnati Branch of Chatfield College with an associate's degree. Narrative Inquiry provides…