In this dissertation, I engage in three analytic cuts to think about/with a relational ontological orientation to data and data literacies/science education. The analysis focuses on the following question: What possibilities for teaching and learning about data are made possible when we attune to the relational, noisy, liminal, and material…

This empirical study explores how international school directors find novel ways to develop and lead through ambiguity. The research examines whether and how international school leaders' abilities to perceive, experience, and navigate ambiguity are linked to their stage of ego development. It investigates what kinds of internal and external…

The purpose of this study was to learn from the experience of adopting a deliberately developmental approach to delivering the co-curriculum to first- and second-year undergraduate students on a residential college campus to better equip them to navigate the increasingly complex future that awaits them. The project's goal was to create conditions…

High enrollment in developmental education, low completion, transfer, and graduation rates, led to the enactment of P.A. 12-40 (An Act Concerning College Readiness and Completion) by Connecticut policymakers. The purpose of this single case exploratory study with embedded units was to investigate how Connecticut State Colleges and Universities…

Higher education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) faces a number of challenges. There are many calls for STEM education to make significant changes moving forward, including calls for competency-based learning and greater integration of the humanities. These efforts require systemic change. Systemic change has significant…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require a major shift in instructional practices among teachers. Such changes cause much uncertainty as teachers' roles and identities begin to change. Major school reform creates difficulty for school leaders who must develop teacher support and dedication to 'top-down' reform initiatives in their…

This study explored the perceptions of the staff and faculty of one writing program in a large western university, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The Writing Program had experienced significant changes including budgetary reductions since 2008 as well as turnover in leadership. These changes have impacted the culture of the…

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among environmental influences, changes in domain specific knowledge, and changes in tolerance of ambiguity as well as changes in creativity of individuals majoring in fashion design at four-year universities. This study was based on the confluence theoretical approach which holds that…