Browsing by Author "Dr. Susan Bracken, Committee Member"

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    Understanding the Experiences of Underprepared Adult English as a Second Language Instructors: A Case Study.
    (2010-03-25) Dorman, Marni Alexandra; Dr. Susan Bracken, Committee Member; Dr. Duane Akroyd, Committee Member; Dr. Carol Kasworm, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Leila Gonzalez Sullivan, Committee Co-Chair
    Positioned within the social constructivist view of learning that individuals make meaning from their experiences and through their social actions and interactions, this qualitative study explores the ways in which nine instructors of underprepared adult English as a Second Language students made meaning of their classroom experiences. Through semi-structured interviews and a constant comparative interpretation of data, the researcher provides insight into how these instructors, who were not adequately prepared to teach adult ESL when they began their careers, made meaning of, and coped with, their experiences in order to become confident professionals in their field. This investigation into the experiences of nine underprepared adult ESL instructors resulted in two distinct conclusions. First, the findings suggested that the adult ESL instructors appeared to move through stages of development similar to Frances Fuller’s (1969) model of teacher development. Fuller’s model indicated that teachers develop their educational behaviors in an orderly manner that forms a predictable pattern as they gain experience. This model was based on an analysis of teachers’ concerns and posits three stages of development that begin with (1) concerns about self, then (2) concerns about tasks, and, finally, (3) concerns about students and the impact of teaching. The instructors began with concerns heavily focused on themselves while they were novice, underprepared instructors. Through their experiences, their focus shifted from themselves to being concerned about the challenges and the tasks they faced. Ultimately, as their relationships with their students grew, their concerns shifted to the impact they had on their students. The instructors began in the field with beliefs and practices that they based on their own prior educational experiences to guide them. Through their experiences, the instructors learned that their initial beliefs and practices were ineffective, so they sought learning activities on their own to help themselves cope with the challenges they faced. Once they were successful in overcoming challenges and saw their students succeeding, they began to view themselves as professionals who have a positive impact in the lives of their students. The second conclusion of this study is that the adult ESL instructors developed a sense of self efficacy, and their beliefs and practices were transformed through their activities as learners. The instructors took the initiative to plan their own learning activities once they realized they were underprepared and that there was little or no support from their employers. As the instructors began to critically reflect upon their situations and engage in learning activities, they began to redefine the way they constructed their meanings about teaching, their students, and the field of Adult ESL. During this process, they also began to believe in themselves and evolved from scared, timid teachers into beliefs of themselves as confident, self-assured instructors.
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    Voices of Promise: Understanding African American Student Academic and Social Perceptions of Experiences in Military Base Schools
    (2010-04-20) Martin-McCoy, Audrey K.; Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Dr. Susan Bracken, Committee Member; Dr. Andy Overstreet, Committee Member; Dr. Lance D. Fusarelli, Committee Chair
    ABSTRACT MARTIN-MCCOY, AUDREY K. Voices of Promise: Understanding African American Student Academic and Social Perceptions of Experiences in Military Base Schools. (Under the direction of Dr. Lance D. Fusarelli). The establishment of the Department of Defense domestic dependent elementary and secondary schools was provided by Congress under 10 U.S.C. 2164 (a) (1) (2). This legislation allowed for the construction of schools to educate the children of armed service personnel and civilian employees for the federal government residing on domestic military bases. Today, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a network of elementary and secondary schools that serve military dependents worldwide. The research literature states that the average academic performance of students in military base schools is high compared to the performance of minority students, particularly African American students and tends to be among the highest in the nation as measured by standardized test data. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to describe the African American students’ perceptions of experiences in military base schools. The goal of this qualitative study is to understand the academic/classroom experiences of African American students through their perceptions of the learning environment in an effort to determine the characteristics that contribute to the positive learning outcomes and school success that have been documented in the research. The research describes the lived experiences of individual students while revealing common elements of experiences across the group of students. It also attempts to capture their perceptions of the educational quality of schools military base sponsored schools. The site selected for this study is a domestic military base school system located in the southeastern part of the United States. Eleven African American students ages fourteen through eighteen participated in this study. Data was collected from the participants by way of a student biographical activity, a semi-structured individual interview, and a focus group interview to gain a clearer understanding of how these students perceived their academic and social experiences. Meaning in the responses was derived by initially examining each narrative independently and subsequently focusing on similarities of experiences. Data is displayed through the use of direct quotes from the participants, capturing the voice of the student to structure meaning from the individual’s lived experience. Results center on themes that emerged from the data surrounding the academic and social perceptions and experiences of these students. Participants reported that they perceived their academic and social experiences in military base schools to be more favorable as compared to experiences in public schools. The participants also reported to perceive that military base school teachers demonstrated more caring, affective behaviors than public school teachers. Participants perceived from their experiences that military base school attendance had a positive impact on their personal performance in terms of school quality indicators (such as student pass/fail rates, standardized test scores, graduation and college preparation) and offered challenging opportunities to prepare them for the future.