Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Examining equity in university student conduct adjudication: a phenomenological investigation of administrative resolution(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Schuff, Emily Anne; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bryce HughesUniversity Conduct Administrators independently manage university discipline programs with minimal guidance and oversight from the U.S. Department of Education to ensure compliance with civil rights laws. Informal resolution through administrative agreement typically involves a one-on-one discussion between a conduct administrator and student in which the alleged policy violations are discussed and resolved through mutual agreement. This commonly applied traditional adjudication pathway positions the student as particularly vulnerable to the knowledge, skills, and disposition of the administrator managing their case. The Office of Civil Rights under the U.S. Department of Education has never conducted a postsecondary cross-institutional assessment for disparate discipline practices, despite having published a comparable analysis of disturbing disparities among Black and Hispanic males and students with disabilities within public K-12 institutions. This interpretive phenomenological study examines the experiences of 11 university conduct administrators who resolve university misconduct administratively to better understand the intersection of professional discretion and case context as they relate to decision making and case outcomes. Aligned with the method chosen for this study, the researcher, an in-group member of the study population, offers her pre-understanding and location to the problem of practice as reflective tools used in research design and interpretation of findings. Findings include three hermeneutic statements which are supported by themes extracted through the pursuit of the hermeneutic circle. The findings emerging from this study are bound to the experiences of study participants; it is through the interpretation and curiosity of those reading this paper that value is generated.Item Diversity awareness in education: a socially just education for all(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Mantei, Christopher James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tena Versland and Nick Lux (co-chair)Researchers argue that many P-20 educational environments operate with nineteenth- century ideas like Taylorism, limiting students' growth and success. Preservice teachers require tools demanded in twenty-first-century educational settings; currently, there is a gap in awareness, experience, and knowledge regarding diversity in current education. This study attempts to discover the resolve for two inquiries: (1) what are the dimensions and genetic epistemology of a socially just education for all; and (2) what are the participants' experiences participating in a comprehensive course framework designed to support the implementation of a socially just education for all experience? Furthermore, this study employed meta-narrative and grounded theory methodologies to effectively and efficiently discover resolve for the inquiries. Diversity is at the core of United States Education's values, including complete inclusion for all. One-dimensional thinking is the propellant that sustains the American system of averagarianism, a standardized education system. The study sought to develop a course that focused on culturally responsive practices that allow preservice teachers to create a comprehension of the historical traits of a socially just education for all. The meta-narrative findings guided the continuing development and enhanced awareness of the necessity of comprehensive teacher preparation program course frameworks for P-20 education that allow preservice teachers to create the mindset, develop an awareness of identifiers, and implement culturally responsive practices into a curriculum. The grounded theory results provided nineteen conceptual categorical codes emerging from participants' experiences in a course framework that implements a socially just education for all. In addition, grounded theory analysis produced five supporting theoretical codes with multi-dimensional awareness emerging as the core code. The robust multi-dimensional awareness theory (MDAT) model was developed through the meta- narrative and grounded theory methodologies to illustrate the dynamic transition participants experience. The study's findings support the notion that preservice teachers' and non-preservice teachers' experiences are multi-dimensional and require a course that supports their journey of creating a mindset, developing awareness, and applying praxis.