The objective of this research was to develop a model for an embodied-artistic approach to analyzing interview data that could contribute to an enhanced narrative account and/or offer an alternate perspective. A new model was formulated by adapting and/or critically applying a combination of previously developed analytical frameworks. Dance/movement therapy skills that encompass ways of listening through an embodied, empathic, aesthetic manner; and a movement observation and assessment tool, Laban Movement Analysis were at the core of this explicatory process. The (...) researcher’s movement preferences were identified in the preparatory phase with a certified movement analyst as a source for reflexive knowledge. Interviews were conducted with two subsets of dance/movement therapists to: develop the approach in the induction phase ; and test the approach in the validation phase. In the induction phase, the video footage of the dances was shared with a CMA and the participants for peer review. The approach was revised. In the validation phase, this new model was tested with a different subset of dance/movement therapists. The analysis was inherent in the process of dance creation. The findings highlighted that interpreting interview data through a dance brings forth the researcher’s values, biases and intersubjective phenomenological experiences. By moving, emotional resonance and dissonance were brought to the fore. The agreement between researcher and participant on the essence of what was communicated in the dance appeared to be determined by a shared aesthetic and emotional consensus. Additionally, the dance analysis articulated the participants’ aspirations and ideas about themselves that they had not verbalized in the interview. The relational and aesthetic focus of the dance approach can reveal intent, justification, and feelings of purpose that would not be discovered through traditional content analysis of written transcriptions. The complex nature of the experience is reflected in the aesthetics with emphasis on the relational manner in which meanings emerge. (shrink)

Given that a review of the available literature suggests links between the problems of school safety (both physical and emotional) and low student achievement, effective school reform needs to address both issues simultaneously. Most education reformers, though doubtless concerned about safety, have, in the wake of the outcomes-based movement in American education, focused mainly on raising student test scores through increasingly standardizing school structures. As well intentioned as outcomes-based reformers may be, they are only seeing part of the puzzle of (...) student achievement. There exists a wealth of programs and curricula that have been shown through research to reduce school violence and to increase feelings of student security; precious little research has been done, however, on the effects of these programs on students' academic attainment. Social Constructivist theory provides a framework to suggest that school environments that encourage peace would also encourage student academic achievement. There exists a wealth of programs and curricula that have been shown through research to reduce school violence and to increase feelings of student security; precious little research has been done, however, on the effects of these programs on students' academic attainment. Social Constructivist theory provides a framework to suggest that school environments that encourage peace would also encourage student academic achievement. This study examined the potential impact of three "peaceable schools" programs (Get Real About Violence, Teaching Students to Be Peacemakers and Conflict Resolution in the Middle School) on 37 eighth grade students in an urban middle school in Eastern Massachusetts. Both cohorts shared the same Math and English Language Arts teacher; in a pseudo-experimental model, one cohort received the peaceable schools treatment while the other did not. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a variety of measures over the full school year. The treatment class, while starting behind the comparison class on all indicators, showed a greater rate of academic attainment and essentially caught up to the comparison class by year's end. Analysis showed that in the Math class, some of these gains were significantly correlated with being in the treatment group, most notably a correlation at the .041 level of significance in regards to percentage gains in bimonthly standardized exams. (shrink)

Efforts to prepare students with skills necessary to compete in a 21st Century global, digital economy require technological literacy, but many teachers are inhibited by antiquated models of education and epistemological beliefs that leave them reluctant to integrate educational technologies in their content instruction (Dunn & Rakes, 2010; Mouza & Wong, 2009). At the most basic level, apart from time constraints influenced by contradictory school improvement plans, elementary school teachers must contend with the barriers known to hinder the integration of (...) information and communication technology (ICT) including: access, familiarity, training and support (Collins & Halverson, 2009, Levin & Wadmany, 2008). This case study consisted of face-to-face interviews with 10 elementary teachers and two elementary administrators who have seemingly overcome these established barriers, are actively using ICT in their personal life, but remain reluctant toward implementation in the classroom. Results from this study show that there was no connection between ICT integration and teachers high levels of ICT use in their personal life or between those who were born prior to or during the digital era. This is significant because it means that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are influenced more by their own experiences and traditions than by the dominant culture that may influence their personal lives. It was also found that teachers’ epistemological perspectives are significant for shaping their attitudes toward integration as adult learners, and directly influence their perception of teaching and learning and their pedagogical practices. Understanding teachers’ cognition and epistemic beliefs is an important first step for planning professional development opportunities for technology integration and beyond. With many classroom teachers being familiar with ICT use for their personal lives, training focuses should be less on the how-to and more on the integration of technology and the transformative process of teacher practice. (shrink)

This study focuses on identifying the primary concerns parents have at school entry for their children. The investigation is a qualitative analysis of data derived from a series of ten parent focus group sessions conducted in a large northeastern school district. The ten sessions were conducted over a period of four months for a total of twenty hours of data. Regular members of the focus group included four parents who had 4 and 5 year old children in an early childhood (...) literacy program, a volunteer community member in the program and the researcher. Each session was audio taped then transcribed verbatim to facilitate understanding of the developing topics of interest. The original question for the participants was meant to prompt parents to discuss activities embedded in the curriculum that they perceived as facilitating growth in their children. The study took an immediate turn from the original research question when one of the parents rephrased the question and changed the perspective from which the program would be viewed. Concerns related to the needs of school entry became more important. These concerns clustered around child and academic development and how each unfolds in the early literacy program. The primary research question became, “Do these two dimensions of learning, the developmental and the academic, sit comfortably together or are there conflicts between them from the parents’ perspectives?” The study found three conflicts. The first is the configuration of time and task in the classroom. Academic work is very advanced and children engage in many different tasks. Parents do not have a clear understanding of this and it causes tension. The second element is behavior. When their children do not follow classroom protocol, parents would like their children to discuss and resolve the matter quickly with the teacher. They become apprehensive when this does not happen. The third element concerns the desire to plan an event that would begin a dialogue with teachers around common goals. Although the school gives tacit approval, it is difficult to find time to work on plans with the administration and this contributes to the tension parents feel. (shrink)

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of three veteran teachers in an elementary school in which there was an explicit commitment to fostering children's reflection about their own learning.

This dissertation examines teacher supervision and reflectivity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the integration of contemplative practice into higher education. The intention of such integration would be to facilitate a students ability to hear and follow an intuitive call. Intuition was defined as an immediate, unmediated or tacit way of knowing; calls or callings as inner directives towards meaningful life pursuits. Intuition and calls were seen as overlapping and interchangeable terms. The literature review for this study explored relevant trends in higher education. One trend (...) involves academic shifts towards professional readiness, or marketable skills, away from personal quests (such as following a call). Paradoxically, another trend suggests that undergraduates, across all majors and disciplines, are specifically searching for ways to incorporate personal quests into the college experience. Heuristic research, a phenomenological approach, was applied to the experience of intuitive calls. The study reviewed over 300 emails and letters related to calls; interviews with an undergraduate about her experience with contemplative practice and of intuitive calls; that students journals; and finally phone interviews and face to face meetings with Gregg Levoy, author of Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life. In addition to the phenomenological study, a case study surfaced during data review. The results of the investigation on contemplative practice, intuitive calls, and higher education revealed two newly identified variables. The first variable involved students developmental readiness to follow an intuitive call; the second addressed the role of tension or a disorienting dilemma in the motivation to follow an intuitive call. Also included are discussions regarding ways in which brain activity bridges contemplative practice, intuitive calls, and disorienting dilemmas. This study, and supporting literature, suggests that contemplative practice (which has been shown to impact brain activity), along with developmental readiness and the presence of a disorienting dilemma facilitate a students ability to hear and follow an intuitive call. (shrink)