Scholarship & Research
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Item Welcome hauntings: 'The Odyssey', 'How I Became a Ghost', and subjectivity production in English language arts curriculum(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Telling, Hannah Ruth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Linda KarellAnalyzing 'How I Became a Ghost' and 'The Odyssey' through the lenses of the Gothic, temporality, and memorial/monument studies offers new ways of understanding how subjectivity production and the United States' nation-building project function in English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. In particular, this study analyzes how these curricular offerings consume and produce human-ness and non-being through alt-right, Indigenous, and settler-colonial temporalities. This study gives practicing teachers and scholars a method to help students form a Gothic historical consciousness as a framework of connection, communication, and healing in order to combat curricular violence.Item Critical settler consciousness in community of practice and Indian Education for All implementation: a narrative inquiry in thresholds of transformation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Watson, Sidrah Morgan Gibbs; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersVery little work examines the role of Indian Education for All (IEFA) in shaping the college learner environment beyond teacher education programs. In fact, many faculty may not even consider implementing IEFA as a part of their teaching expectations. Despite Montana's legal mandate for "every educational agency" and "all educational personnel" working as "related to the education of each Montana citizen" (MCA 20-1-501) through IEFA, several factors may hold faculty from fulfilling this responsibility through curricular IEFA implementation at postsecondary institutions in Montana. One, IEFA is unfunded at the college level. Two, traditionally, faculty work autonomously in a system that values academic freedom. Three, most disciplines work within a traditional western paradigm that honors positivism, which may be at odds with Indigenous Knowledge Systems that center relational, spiritual, and subjective ontologies and epistemologies. Addressing this requires a system of change that can take shape through faculty communities of practice. This critical narrative inquiry delves into the experiences of non-Indigenous engineering faculty who worked within a learning community while approaching how to integrate IEFA into their curriculums. One-on-one interviews narratively encouraged participants to share their stories of implementing IEFA and their experiences engaging with an intimate, discipline designed learning community. Using the Transformational Indigenous Praxis Model (TIPM) layered with critical settler consciousness (CSC) and Culturally Disruptive Pedagogy (CDP) as a lens to participant experiences, the learning community provided a space that sparked engagement with their CSC in ways that allowed participants to move toward authentic IEFA implementation and employing transformational pedagogy. Communities of practice may be employed to help non-Indigenous settler scholars move toward authentically implementing IEFA. For these faculty, the learning community provided a space to engage in CSC development and pushed them to address their own resistances and responsibilities while in relationship with each other, working together as experts and novices to find ways their disciplines will need to engage IEFA. This project may serve as a tool or heuristic for non-Indigenous people beginning to engage their CSC in meaningful ways and requires desettling of the self and responsibility to Indigenous peoples to face and combat damage done by white supremacy and colonialism.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.Item Construction of knowledge about teaching practice and educating students from diverse cultures in an online induction program(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2005) Bice, Lawrence Raymond; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elisabeth SwansonBeginning teachers in both urban areas and geographically isolated rural areas often do not have access to a mentor teacher of the same content area or grade level in their school or district. This project is a study of learning in the online e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS) program, which provides induction for science and mathematics teachers in Montana and California. The study centered on a particular segment of eMSS called the Diversity Module. Two examinations were conducted: 1) Analysis of discourse by all participants in the Diversity Module, and 2) case study of five beginning teachers with diverse student populations. Analysis of learning by cases was conducted by examining discourse in the Diversity Module, private online discussions with their assigned mentors during a two-year period, and pre and post Diversity Module interviews and interviews of their mentors. Three frameworks were developed to aid understanding of findings: 1) discourse analysis, 2) competencies of multicultural teachers, and, 3) competencies of pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge. Cases developed their knowledge of teaching along a continuum of needs over two years of participation in the eMSS program. Initial needs expressed by mentees were in areas such as classroom management and general methods of instruction. Cases increased their knowledge in virtually all aspects of pedagogical knowledge, changing their expressed needs to pedagogical content knowledge concerns such as adapting and differentiating instruction for particular content and individual students, and building their repertoire of instructional representations. Through online discussion, teachers developed or advanced awareness of student culture and learning characteristics, and adapted their practice to foster a climate of student respect. Findings provided little evidence of adapting instruction for diverse student learning. Teachers who had a strong awareness of their own and their student's cultures advanced their understanding of multicultural teaching competencies further than those who did not. Interview results indicated that learning sometimes takes place in a non-visible manner. Growth in multicultural teaching knowledge, as well as several aspects of pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge, was clearly evident for participants who posted few messages, but read and actively reflected on thoughts of others.Item Exploring the educational histories, perceptions, and experiences of successful educators of Native American students : a multiple case study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2011) Silva, Dawn Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Betsy PalmerNative American education has gone through many phases from the assimilation practices of removing Native children from their homes, family, and culture all the way up to Native Language Immersion schools where the curriculum is taught in both English and the Native tongue. Throughout all the educational changes one thing remains; Native American students are dropping out of school at an alarming rate. In order to improve education for Native students there must be a change in pre-service teacher preparation. The problem addressed in this study is that instructors of pre-service teachers need to understand the educational histories and experiences of successful educators of Native American students in the K-8 environment in order to learn how to better prepare undergraduate education majors. This qualitative multiple case study focused upon effective educators of Native American students. The following questions guided the inquiry: What is the formal educational (academic) history of successful educators of Native American students? What is the informal educational (non-academic) history of successful educators of Native American students? What experiences in their own classrooms have teachers identified as contributing to their success with educating Native American students? This research included a questionnaire and interviews with 32 teachers working in elementary schools located on reservations in Montana. A combination of whole staff focus group and individual in-depth interviews took place. The results of the transcribed and coded interviews were grouped under the main themes which emerged out of the three research questions and a few unique questions asked of the individual interviewees. Out of the four main themes; Effective and Successful Educators of Native American Students, Formal Education, Informal Education, and Classroom experiences, 17 subthemes emerged. The findings resulted in the following recommendations for new teachers of Native Americans: mentors; real life applications and cultural integration; community involvement; relationships; high expectations; self reflection. Also recommendations for Higher Education were presented: new class creation/offering; tribal college collaboration; utilize Native Americans as a resource; include information on teaching in low socioeconomic areas; student teaching/internships on a reservation. My hope is that these recommendations will improve education for Native American students.