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This dissertation is published in the format a white paper series which tells the story about Butler Tech's Fifth Day Experience across six issues. FDE is a student-centered initiative that was launched in the spring of 2020, and aims to operationalize deeper learning by exploring student voice, teacher agency, equity, personalized learning and innovation. FDE also aims to serve as a catalyst to redesign schools. A mixed methods approach was used to capture the action research process. Each white paper issue ranges between 12-15 pages and focuses on different themes within the research. Each issue include narratives, trends, and patterns from the data and highlights the evolution of FDE as it moves in real-time from a 1.0 model, to the 2.0, and eventual 3.0 versions. Issue one focuses on the origin of FDE. Issue two unpacks student voice in the design process. Issue three centers on the student experiences during the implementation process. Issue four focuses on an unexpected Covid-19 influenced model. Issue five captures the structural changes and highlights the rich programming. Issue six offers an executive summary, compares the three design models and provides a vision for the future of FDE. My hope is that school leaders, policymakers, and change agents use this white paper series as a vehicle to influence their own efforts to transform the educational world. Each publication is practical, applicable and offer critical insights into the FDE journey.

Compelling evidence illustrates place-based education (PBE) as a catalyst for inspiring teachers to create dynamic curricula that energizes the student. PBE curriculum typically encompasses all traditional subjects and entails hands-on classroom and field studies utilizing the natural world and local community. The purpose of this literature review is to introduce and explain the benefits of PBE. Specifically I will summarize and evaluate PBE science curricula with regard to Marin County bird species. The literature review outlines four components: an introduction to PBE, information about the birds of Marin County, examples of current PBE in Marin County, and interviews with Marin County educators that are presently teaching about the local birds of Marin. Summaries of bird curricula available through local and national organizations, and through academic research are also included. This paper serves as an introduction and explanation of PBE and identifies and evaluates PBE science curricula with regard to Marin County bird species. The ultimate goal of this review is to furnish educators with organized and easily obtainable natural history information, curricula and resources about Marin County birds. Includes 1 appendix. [Master's Thesis, Dominican University of California.]

The purpose of this Master of Arts (MA) thesis is threefold: First, this reflective paper provides a critical literature review on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Sri Lanka. Second, this reflective paper presents seven guiding principles which will steer my English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching in an urban public university in Sri Lanka. Third, drawing from the seven guiding principles, this reflective paper presents a complete syllabus and three assignments as concrete examples (attached as appendixes) which will be implemented in a College of Humanities and Social Sciences in an urban public university in Sri Lanka. The importance of the present reflective paper can be summarized under four main points: First, the critical literature review could help researchers and practitioners to better understand the complex linguistic situation and ELT in Sri Lanka. Second, based on the seven guiding principles I will have a new syllabus which will be implemented in my ESL classes in an urban public university in Sri Lanka. After the implementation of the syllabus, I will reflect on my experience of implementing the syllabus and improve the syllabus further. Third, the seven guiding principles which will inform my future practice as an ESL teacher are transferable to English dominated post-colonial countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and so on. As a novice ESL teacher in an urban public university in Sri Lanka, one of the challenges I faced was the lack of a formal syllabus for my ESL classes. It gave rise to multiple issues in relation to teaching methodology, lesson planning, and teaching materials, resulting in the dissatisfaction of my students and myself. It was the lack of a formal syllabus for my ESL classes that motivated me to design a syllabus for an intermediate level ESL course in an urban public university in Sri Lanka. I believe that the new syllabus steered by the seven guiding principles presented in this MA thesis will create a new synergy in my future ESL classrooms.

This practicum addressed the needs of latency age children who were insensitive to racial and ethnic differences. These needs were met by designing and developing a Cultural Awareness Program, so as to increase latency age children's sensitivity to racial and ethnic differences. The program's focus was on helping the children gain an appreciation for cultural diversity and to reduce fights and physical altercations. The 90 participants were all residents in a treatment center and were of latency age, 7 to 12 years old. Many of the children came from severely dysfunctional families and had low self-esteem. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered. Records were also reviewed before and after intervention. The evaluation component included pre- and post-tests, class exams, and record data. Outcomes showed that fights were significantly reduced among the 85 participants who completed the program. Racial and ethnic slurs also decreased and participants developed a better appreciation of cultural diversity. Increased knowledge and awareness about racial and ethnic differences was a major factor in reducing fights. Most participants became more knowledgeable of the history of other racial/ethnic groups and could identify females who greatly influenced American society. Subsequently, children displayed greater harmony and respect for each other. (RJM)

A lack of adequate substance abuse information at an elementary school prompted this practicum examining at risk students. Classroom guidance lessons on substance abuse prevention were given, which included small group counseling sessions regarding self-esteem and problem-solving skills, followed by posttests. Classroom guidance lessons revealed a need for prevention programs which imparted knowledge about the use and consequences of alcohol and substances. The self-esteem small group sessions showed that students responded positively to assertiveness training and social skill enhancement. Students also benefitted from talks about responsibility, self-discipline and good judgment. Participants indicated a need for all students to join in drug awareness and a desire for more small group counseling sessions and classroom guidance lessons regarding the issues of substance abuse prevention. Parents reported that they felt excluded from their children's substance abuse programs. It was concluded that comprehensive school substance abuse prevention programs should include lessons for students regarding feelings, pharmacology, and self-awareness, as well as involve parents. Students who completed posttests on substance abuse prevention, self-esteem, and problem-solving skills performed perfectly. Contains 18 references. (Three appendices list all three posttests.) (RJM)

This dissertation investigates, in three papers, the experiences of women in engineering while participating in cooperative education (co-op). The initial research question this paper investigates is: How do women engineering students experience relational connections/ disconnections while on co-op? An additional research question was added during the dissertation process: How can a participatory method be modified for facilitation in an online environment? The first paper is a review of the modified Group Level Assessment (GLA) method used to gather data for this dissertation study. The GLA process had to be modified for this dissertation study to allow facilitation in an online format. This review provides a comparison of the traditional GLA process and the modified process. Additionally, reflection and recommendations are provided to help guide future researchers who may consider using this modified approach.The second paper is co-authored with the undergraduate women who served as part of the research team: Women for Change. This paper explores using Participatory Action Research, specifically Group Level Assessments (GLA), to explore the experiences of women in engineering who participated in co-op. In addition to the traditional reporting of findings, this paper provides narratives for each of the themes as a creative approach to convey the findings. The findings from this paper highlight the essential role that relationships play in learning and growth. The third paper is a single case study exploring the experiences of one undergraduate engineering student who participated in co-op, Sydney. The Listening Guide is utilized to analyze the interview transcripts to listen intentionally for voice within the interview. The interview with Sydney specifically looks at her experience on her first co-op rotation during her sophomore year. The findings of this study highlight the central role that relationships, especially relationship with self, play in the development of professional growth. This dissertation ends with a discussion of the findings of each paper. The results of the Participatory Action Research study are shared along with future directions for action and research.

The aim of this dissertation is to identify effective educational interventions in Sub-Saharan African with an impact on student learning. This is the first meta-analysis in the field of education conducted for Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper takes an in-depth look at twelve different types of education interventions or programs and attempts to not only present analytics on their relative effectiveness, but to also explore why certain interventions seem to be more effective than others. After a systematic literature review, I combine 56 articles (containing 66 separate experiments, 83 treatment arms, and 420 effect size estimates), and I use random-effects meta-analytic techniques to both a.) evaluate the relative impact of different types of interventions and b.) explain variation in effect sizes within and across intervention types. When I examine the relative pooled effect sizes of all twelve intervention areas, I find that interventions in pedagogical methods (changes in instructional techniques) have a higher pooled effect size on achievement outcomes than all other eleven intervention types in the full sample (e.g., school management programs, school supplies interventions, or interventions that change the class size or composition). The pooled effect size associated with these pedagogical interventions is 0.918 standard deviations in the full sample (SE = 0.314, df = 15.1, p = 0.01), 0.566 in the sample excluding outliers and including only randomized controlled trials (SE = 0.194, df = 11, p = 0.01), and 0.228 in a sample that includes only the highest quality studies (SE = 0.078, df = 5.2, p = 0.03). These findings are robust to a number of moderating factors. Using meta-regression, I find that on average, interventions in pedagogical methods have an effect size over 0.30 standard deviations (significant at the 5% level) greater than all other intervention areas combined, even after controlling for multiple study-level and intervention-level variables. Beyond this average effect, I show that studies that employ adaptive instruction and teacher coaching techniques are particularly effective. Further, while studies that provide health treatments or school meals have on average the lowest pooled effect size, I show that if these studies are analyzed using cognitive assessments (tests of memory and attention), health treatments actually produce a relatively large pooled effect size of 0.176 standard deviations (SE = 0.028, df = 2.18); this is particularly true of studies that either prevent or treat malaria. In addition, this meta-analysis examines the state of current education impact evaluation research in Sub-Saharan Africa and highlights both research gaps as well as differences in study design, methodology, and reporting of metrics by academic field. I find that the bulk of the research in this area comes from the field of economics (62%), followed by the fields of education (23%) and public health (15%). Further, the majority of this research has been conducted in a set of six countries: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Madagascar, while rigorous evaluations of education programs have never taken place in others. Moreover, topics currently under rigorous study are not necessarily representative of the major issues facing many Sub-Saharan African school systems today. For example, there are no impact evaluations of multi-grade or multi-shift teaching and only one evaluation of a bilingual education program. This meta-analysis thus recommends a shift in the impact evaluation research agenda to include both a broader geographic and topical focus, as well as an increased emphasis on improvements in pedagogical methods, without which other interventions may not reach their maximum potential impact. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation, co-conducted with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP), investigates youth leadership in youth advisory structures (YAS) in three papers. Each paper contributes to an understanding of how and why young people are involved as advisors on issues germane to them. The first paper is a review of scholarly research on YAS in the United States. The review found that while the use of YAS is increasing, YAS vary widely in format and research offers little information about their processes or engagement of youth. However, most YAS partner with marginalized youth to inform health research and programming. This review provides recommendations for best practices and informs the discussion of the following two papers.The second paper is an open source published study with the YCSP (Haddad et al., 2020), which serves as a case example of how participatory projects are carried out within YAS. The abstract is as follows: “Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers” (Haddad et al., 2020, p. 1).The third paper is a participatory study with the YCSP that explores the personal and professional impact and meaning of their experiences as council members for suicide prevention. YCSP members were involved in all phases of the research process, including the design of a storytelling workshop and interview guide. YCSP members were also invited to submit an artifact to accompany their stories and interviews. The analysis of the data revealed that YCSP members joined the council due to personal experiences with mental health. YCSP members were impacted by their experience on the council in a number of ways, such as feeling empowered to make change, having confidence to have open conversations about mental health, and making improvements to their own mental health. YCSP members validated the findings and were invited to write for publication and use the findings to inform future council activities. When pieced together, this three-paper dissertation addresses a gap in the literature around YAS like the YCSP – particularly in terms of how such groups are facilitated and the impact that this work has on young people and the community. Specifically, these three papers provide a landscape of YAS in the United States while taking an in-depth look at a local YAS for suicide prevention using two participatory research projects with the YCSP.

Runaways are rapidly becoming one of the highest at risk populations for contracting and spreading the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus. This practicum was therefore designed to provide an AIDS policy and awareness training for the employees of a state-licensed and federally recognized center for troubled and runaway youth. Its purpose is to alleviate employees' fears and increase their confidence so that they are better equipped to provide awareness and prevention education to their clients. Chapter 1 describes the target agency, its community, and the writer's work setting and role. Chapter 2 presents and discusses the problem of AIDS among troubled and runaway youth, providing statistics on the number of runaways who have contracted the disease, discussing the problems of discrimination and popular misunderstandings, and delineating the challenge posed for social service agencies who serve this population. It concludes with a review of the literature. Chapter 3 describes the goals, objectives, and evaluation techniques of the practicum. Chapter 4 discusses suggested strategies for disseminating AIDS information among employees and identifies the selected solution. Results of the practicum process, including a comprehensive personnel policy, are discussed in Chapter 5, along with recommendations. This personnel policy and the accompanying curricular materials are appended. (TE)

The first paper of three uses the nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to detail the relationship between student ability, enrollment in math or English remediation, and the probability of student transfer to a four-year institution. Using fixed effects logistic regressions, this paper finds three important findings: first, students are most likely placed into remediation due to their domain-specific ability (math, reading) but certain demographics also predict placement into remediation, such as student race, independent of ability and high school quality; second, students placed into English remediation are less likely to transfer to a four-year, especially if they are under-placed into these courses; third, summer enrollment has both a powerful positive association with vertical transfer and is particularly strong for students enrolled in remediation and with subject deficits. The second paper of three synthesizes six national databases over the span of twenty years to test the impacts of state articulation policies as they are established by examining the change in vertical transfer rates before and after a policy is enacted. After a series of careful robustness and falsification tests, there are several lessons from this analysis. First, cross-sectional analyses that utilized by these national databases may vary considerably from one database to another, although in the aggregate they support a positive association between state policy and vertical transfer. Second, longitudinal data suggests that the implementation of any articulation policy is associated with increases in student transfer rates within state, especially if analysis provides a three year grace period for the policy to take effect. Third, the strongest policy appears to be associate degree transfer agreements between two-year institutions and four-year institutions, as other policy components do not have a particularly strong impact on student transfer rates. The third paper of three examines students after they transfer to a four-year institution, paying special attention to institutional selectivity, to determine both the rate of graduation and the time-to-graduate relative to four-year natives. Results suggest that typical metrics used in the literature, such as BA attainment rates, generally show a similar rate of graduation between transfer students and native four-year students, but there are marginally significant differences depending on institutional selectivity. Further, there is a very large gap between groups in time-to-graduate metrics such that transfer students may take one to two years longer on average to graduate from a four-year.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant statistical differences between scores on constructed response and computer-scorable questions on an accelerated middle school math placement test in a large urban school district in Ohio, and to ensure that all students have an opportunity to take the test. Five questions on a placement test given in the spring of 2018 were changed into questions that could be graded by computer for students taking the test in the spring of 2021. The data was examined for each test first using whole group data. Significant statistical differences were found in each of the five questions, with four questions having a higher mean as a constructed response item and one having a higher mean as a computer-scorable item. No significant differences were found when scores were analyzed by gender, and only one question had statistical difference when analyzed by ethnicity. Correlation was calculated between each student’s placement test score and their Math 8 state test score. Similar correlations were found between the two assessments during both testing years. To ensure that all students are provided an opportunity to succeed in an accelerated math pathway, all must need to be given access to helpful pre-testing materials and encouraged to take the placement test. Recommendations were made to continue using computer-scorable questions to provide an opportunity to identify as many qualified candidates for acceleration as possible.

Implementing an iterative sequential mixed methods design (Quantitative → Qualitative → Quantitative) framed within a sociology of knowledge approach to discourse, this study offers an account of the structure of the field of Child-Computer Interaction (CCI), its development over time, and the practices through which researchers have (re)structured knowledge comprising the field. Thematic structure of knowledge within the field, and its evolution over time, is quantified through implementation of a Correlated Topic Model (CTM), an automated inductive content analysis method, in analysing 4,771 CCI research papers published between 2003 and 2021. Detailed understanding of practices through which researchers (re)structure knowledge within the field, including factors influencing these practices, is obtained through thematic analysis of online workshops involving prominent contributors to the field (n=7). Strategic practices utilised by researchers in negotiating tensions impeding integration of novel concepts in the field are investigated through analysis of semantic features of retrieved papers using linear and negative binomial regression models. Contributing an extensive mapping, results portray the field of CCI as a varied research landscape, comprising 48 major themes of study, which has evolved dynamically over time. Research priorities throughout the field have been subject to influence from a range of endogenous and exogenous factors which researchers actively negotiate through research and publication practices. Tacitly structuring research practices, these factors have broadly sustained a technology-driven, novelty-dominated paradigm throughout the field which has failed to substantively progress cumulative knowledge. Through strategic negotiation of persistent tensions arising as consequence of these factors, researchers have nonetheless affected structural change within the field, contributing to a shift towards a user needs-driven agenda and progression of knowledge therein. Findings demonstrate that the field of CCI is proceeding through an intermediary phase in maturation, forming an increasingly distinct disciplinary shape and identity through the cumulative structuring effect of community members' continued negotiation of tensions.

The global challenge of dementia has highlighted the need for a skilled workforce. Specialists and leaders in dementia care are a key sector of this health and social care workforce and this staff group require advanced education and skills that are commonly delivered by higher education providers at postgraduate level. There is, however, an underdeveloped evidence base on the specific challenges this group of staff may experience when making a potentially difficult transition to postgraduate study. A deeper understanding of the experienced challenges and strategies employed by students is required to inform the development of supportive, and effective, postgraduate dementia care education. This thesis consists of four interlinked papers which, by design, have been sequenced into four phases of research with each phase represented by a published paper where I am first author. These phases are: i) a systematic review examining student experiences of part-time post-qualified accredited study for professionals in health and social care; ii) an electronic survey of graduates (n=31) who had completed the MSc in Dementia Care programme at the University of Manchester; iii) an interview based study of graduates (n=15) from the same programme; and iv) a further analysis of the data from the interview based study, adopting a case study approach to understand processes in which students engage with the challenges identified in the preceding three papers. Findings from the four papers are individually and collectively discussed in this thesis. They conclude that, whilst the MSc in Dementia Care programme was perceived as effective in equipping graduates with the knowledge and skills needed to influence practice, many experienced challenges connected with difficult transitions to becoming a postgraduate student. These transitions included feelings of self-doubt, fear of failure, problems of juggling multiple responsibilities, and variable levels of support from the workplace. The social processes of 'navigating and negotiating the student journey', first identified in Paper 4, are further explored in the thesis, culminating in a new conceptual overview of student experience on the MSc in Dementia Care that integrates the findings from all four papers at the heart of this thesis whilst retaining navigating and negotiating as the key social processes. The discovery and reporting of these social processes hold a wider relevance for postgraduate students on other courses and fields of study. With specific regard to postgraduate dementia education, a set of recommendations are made for supporting students. These recommendations encompass academic practice, policy and further research.

Discovered in 1933 after having been hidden from the academic world for 271 years, the Hartlib Papers have been called the greatest 17th century research revelation of the 20th century. Yet 81 years later the author and collector of the papers remains a mystery and the content of the papers have been little appreciated. Who was this auctor prudens and what do his voluminous papers have to say about his time? This thesis argues that Hartlib is a critical link in a long chain of scholars who formed and shaped the development of science. An evolution which began with Roger Bacon, more fully developed into a new epistemology with Francis Bacon, is passed on by Hartlib to others who were founding members of the Royal Society. This new system of understanding, then known as experimentalism, is the empirical method which impacted the entire spectrum of modern academic disciplines.

In this age of data based decision making and accountability, parent involvement and data collection are paramount. This study represents a significant contribution to educational research by extending the understanding of home-school communication media with specific regard to daily progress reports. The purpose of this study was to compare communication scores of parents of student using paper daily progress reports with communication scores of parents of student using electronic daily progress reports. This quasi-experimental posttest only control group design research study compared survey results of parents (N = 45) of middle school students currently using a DPR as part of an intervention in a middle school located in central Connecticut. The survey instrument was the Parental Academic Support Scale (PASS) containing five subscales: Academic Performance, Classroom Behavior, Preparation, Hostile Peer Interactions, and Health. Independent t tests were conducted to discover whether the mean communication scores between groups of parents were significantly different. A chi-square (χ2) analysis was conducted to evaluate difference in media preference between groups. Significant differences in communication practices and preferences were found. Parents of children using electronic daily progress reports practiced more regular communication with teachers. Likewise, parent media preferences were significantly different between groups. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

This dissertation is a collection of scholarly papers on the implementation of the English/Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the integration of the standards with critical literacy. The dissertation is divided into five sections, including three papers intended for publication. The first section is the introduction to the dissertation. It explains the context of critical literacy and the CCSS and outlines the study to be conducted. The introduction also explains the three paper format of the collection. The second section explores the integration of critical literacy and the CCSS in one classroom. Through The Advocacy Project, students find empowerment while meeting the expectations of the CCSS. The third section is a review of current literature on the implementation of the CCSS. After noting trends in the literature, this section makes recommendations for future scholarship based on the significant limitations of current research. The fourth section of the collection discusses original research conducted in light of the gaps in current literature. In a focus group study of five middle-grades teachers, participants concluded that critical literacy and successful implementation of the CCSS are not mutually exclusive. Rather, a culture of high-stakes accountability testing poses a threat to a framework of critical literacy.

Este documento sienta las bases para una primera aproximación al concepto de reputación aplicado a las universidades, con el que se pretende abrir una línea de discusión tanto académica como pública sobre su alcance e implicaciones. Sociedad y Educación, socio de conocimiento en el proyecto “Construyendo la reputación universitaria” coordinado por la Universidad de Navarra, ha contado con la colaboración de analistas socio-políticos para la elaboración de este position paper.

This study explores the reading format (traditional paper or digital) eighth-grade boys at a rural middle school select when reading books. The researcher took a closer examination of the format choices to establish if the text was self-selected or teacher-assigned and the genre (fiction or non-fiction) of the text.

This integrated thesis investigates the effect of test preparation in educational contexts as well as students' usage of strategies when they prepare for tests. One meta-analysis and four (quasi-) experimental studies were included in the thesis, constituting three research papers. In addition to the main findings reported in the three papers, some cross-experimental analyses were added to further contribute to the overall interpretation of research findings. The meta-analysis of test preparation effects on large-scale educational tests suggested that students' test performance can be significantly improved by test preparation. The breadth of test preparation intervention, workbooks, training test-taking skills and test preparation management strategies were found to be significant moderators of test preparation effect. However, the meta-analysis found little evidence to support the notion that testing (i.e., the use of sample items and practice tests) has a superior impact on test performance over other practices (i.e., lecture or restudy), contrary to the solid testing effect reported in the literature. The effects of testing and restudy strategies for test preparation were further explored across four (quasi-) experiments, which were conducted in an educational psychology course in a teacher training college in China. The first three (quasi-) experiments manipulated three variables: test preparation strategies, the stakes of the test preparation setting, and metacognitive training and practices. How these variables affected students' performance on post-tests and delayed course tests were investigated. Under high-stakes settings, testing with feedback had significant effects on both post-tests and delayed course tests compared with the control group while restudy only outperformed the control on post-tests. Embedding metacognitive training and monitoring and control tasks during test preparation did not significantly boost the effects. The fourth quasi-experiment simulated a more realistic test preparation condition where students could choose either testing or restudy to study the materials multiple times. Students tended to use one-time testing more often, and they were reluctant to restudy a topic repeatedly. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggested that students' strategy uses were predicted by their confidence and the question type. Chinese students in this research could recognise both the direct and indirect effects of testing practice, which seems to be culturally distinctive. However, additional analyses revealed that students' blended use of the two strategies failed to enlarge the test preparation effect. Across the four experiments, students with lower prior attainment seem to benefit more from the test preparation interventions.

HIV and AIDS have the potential to surpass every catastrophe in Africa's history, because they encompass all of the past vulnerabilities. Thirty years after the identification of HIV, a transition from medical disease to social epidemic has occurred. The impact on family and community is threatening current economic, medical and social systems. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the region most adversely affected, 14 million children have already been orphaned (UNAIDS, 2008). And at the core of the burgeoning orphan crisis, children affected by AIDS (CABA) are unable to exercise their rights, based on their position in society. This paper will concentrate on the right to education. The existing failures that are challenging CABA fall under five themes: (1) international co-operation; (2) state responsibility; (3) the inherent conflicts in the law; (4) the inability of the education system to adapt to the situation; and (5) inadequate monitoring and evaluation systems to assist in the evolution of policy and practice. However, international and national law led by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) provide four guiding principles (participation; life, survival and development; non-discrimination; and best interests of the child) that set the standard for a model of action. A principle-based framework, replicable in any community, has been developed that integrates policy and practice at the international, national and community level. Action points for operationalization at each level are integrated into the model and explained in this paper.

The key to improving reading education is to continually assess the best methods and forms of reading. Paper based text has been the primary method of reading instruction for the last hundred years. Thus it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic text in terms of reading comprehension. Given this issue, this study was developed to answer the following driving question: Does reading electronic text on an iPad impact third grade students’ silent reading comprehension? Data was collected and compared from two comprehension assessments given to students after they read from two chapters on the same paper-based text and the electronic text. Another exploratory question examined was: Which features of the iPad did the students take advantage of? Data was collected through a short survey and observational fieldnotes to answer this question. The study took place over the course of two days during an hour of in-class instructional time. On the first day, half of the class read from an iPad, and the other half read from the samepaperback book. Then all students took a short six-question comprehension assessment. The next day students switched groups and the students reading the iPad read the book and vice versa. The same procedures as day one were implemented on day two of the study. However at the end of day two, once all students were finished, they answered a post suvey with four questions about their experiences with the iPad. Data were collected and compared.After analyzing the data across both groups of students using the iPad and paper-based text, results showed that the difference in comprehension was not statistically significant. These findings should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing future researchcomparing the iPad and paper-based text. The exploratory observational field notes and survey data provided insightful information to take into account when considering future use of the iPad in the reading classroom.

The strong hold of the research paper on the English curriculum over the past fifty years has created instructional and learning challenges that call for innovative solutions. Although concerned educators have developed creative variations to spark student interest and promote critical thinking, research has revealed little change in curriculum design or student performance on the research paper, even with advanced ability students (Ford, 1995; Moulton & Holmes, 2003). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how students’ perceptions of the knowledge task presented by a literary analysis research paper related to research and composing strategies for five twelfth-grade advanced students. Social constructivism (Creswell, 2003; Vygotsky, 1934/1986) and phenomenology (Schutz, 1967; Seidman, 1998) served as theoretical frameworks for the study. Three questions guided the research: 1) How might students’ epistemological views be described as they initiate the research paper process? 2) How do students’ epistemological views relate to the choices they make during the research and composing processes? 3) How do students’ epistemological views relate to the final research product? Data collection and analysis occurred over an eight-month period. Data sources included an epistemological questionnaire (Schommer, 1989), four in-depth phenomenological interviews (Seidman, 1998) conducted with each student at drafting stages, member checking, discourse analysis of free responses and essay drafts, and a researcher’s log. Constant comparative in-case and cross-case analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Miles & Huberman, 1994) were used to analyze data. Holistic and four-dimension rubric scoring (content, organization, style, conventions) was used to analyze and evaluate the final essays. Trustworthiness was established through methods that ensured credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). While participants expressed strong beliefs in complex knowledge and demonstrated high levels of reflective thinking, they differed in their views towards certain knowledge, which resulted in variations in composing strategies and essay quality. Significant relationships were indicated between knowledge views and concept formation, knowledge views and composing strategies, problem solving and the research experience, and reflective thinking and academic challenge. Prior knowledge, motivation, and gender also contributed to different outcomes. Results suggested important directions for research paper design and instruction in the language arts curriculum.

Schools are important sites of ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) for adolescents (Saleem & Byrd, 2021), where messages about race, ethnicity, and racism permeate every attribute of schooling, from instructional content and teacher-student relationship building to disciplinary policies and school mascots. Furthermore, research demonstrates that schools and teachers that promote cultural competence, critical consciousness, and other culturally relevant practices can positively impact students’ academic outcomes and psychosocial development (Aronson & Laughter, 2016; Byrd & Ahn, 2020; Byrd & Legette, 2022; Sieder & Grave, 2022). However, school ERS literature largely focuses on student outcomes and perceptions. Furthering our understandings of the positive potential of school ERS must include investigations of how teachers experience this process, including relationships between teachers’ racial identities, attitudes, and their socialization practices. This dissertation attends to this gap by contributing theoretical and empirical perspectives on the mutually influential relationship between teachers’ racial identities, beliefs, and their school ERS practices. Paper 1 proposes the dialectical model of school critical racial consciousness socialization (SCRCS). By applying the dialectical model of intergenerational transmission (Kuczynski & de Mol, 2015) in parent-child relationships to critical pedagogies of race (Freire, 2010; Jennings & Lynn, 2005), the paper conceptualizes SCRCS as a mutually influential and bidirectional process between teachers and students. Within the model, novel stimuli and contradictions that emerge during teacher-student interactions have the potential to incite revisions in their personal belief systems, or schemata, related to race and racism. The model offers a new conceptual framework for future investigations of how school critical racial consciousness socialization and ethnic-racial socialization experiences overall can shift teachers’ and students’ beliefs and values. Paper 2 utilized reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; 2022) to explore White American ninth- and tenth-grade teachers’ (N = 21) perspectives on racial mismatch in teacher student relationships. Findings indicated that participants believed racial mismatch between themselves and students of color posed challenges to relationship building. Specifically, participants felt that experiential differences with race and racism produced disconnection and misunderstandings between themselves and students. In response to these challenges, participants described adopting three primary strategies—conflict avoidance, cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998), and color-evasiveness (Neville et al., 2013). Additionally, findings indicated variation in how participants applied these strategies, in part due to differences in their personal characteristics. Of the adopted strategies, cultural humility seemed best positioned to facilitate culturally relevant educational practices among teachers.

There is growing population of college students with chronic illnesses in many higher education institutions in the United States. These students are battling their health conditions as they also maneuver their experiences on campus. Another growing population of students are international students and some of them also have chronic illness, some diagnosed even before they get to the US and others diagnosed during their time in the country. They too face different challenges concerning their health; however, they are saddled with navigating their health in a foreign country where everything is different from what they are used to. This paper discusses the experiences of international students in the US who are navigating their health and their academics. The paper focuses on international students who have studied in a US higher education system, and they share their experiences on how they have navigated their health issues and balancing their program of study. In addition, they also highlight their challenges and how they have overcome them as well as the forms of support they have utilized during their time in the US.

Alsuhaibani et al. state that 60% of the participants do not have strict or any naming standards in the workplace and developers surveyed desired clear method naming standards to promote code comprehension [2]. Martin indi-cated identifier names are responsible for 90% of what makes software readable and understandable [25] . Borstler et al. indicated readability was important to developers at every level of experience but few report their academic influences being effectively leveraged to make quality identifiers [5]. Keuning et al. surveyed teachers in programming-related fields and found that code quality although important, was not a big part of their assessment of code submissions by students [21]. The importance of crafting high-quality identifier names is widely researched, given the prevalence of identifier naming as part of software developers’ day-to-day activities. Adjacent studies have observed developers in the industry, tested students in specific identifier naming aspects, and proposed identifier naming tool-based solutions. This thesis studies the perception of undergraduates concerning identifier naming practices. The goal of this study was to understand what student software developers know about identifier naming practices, and how their understanding of these practices evolved over their college career. The findings we present can be directly applied in educational settings so that students have an easier time 1) understanding the importance of identifier naming, 2) identifying important characteristics of identifier names they create, and 3) critically analyzing the naming practices of others. Alsuhaibani et al.’s paper on method naming is the influencing academic paper for this study [2]. The grammar patterns, naming style, and the 10-part standard for naming a method identifier were influential in the creation of our survey. We discuss the results of the multi-question survey of 138 students and the findings as they relate to 3 research questions we have curated exposing a diverse experience of identifier naming education throughout the years. In the survey, we did confirm that 73% of students desired more in-classroom education on identifier naming practices. Over 90% of students surveyed agreed that identifier name quality is important to the software development process.

Sociopolitical development (SPD) – i.e., “the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, analytical skills, emotional faculties, and the capacity for action in political and social systems necessary to interpret and resist oppression” (Watts, 2003) – allows young people to engage in their communities in ways that promote justice and collective wellbeing. Participation in supportive caregiver-child relationships is theoretically and empirically linked to SPD. However, additional research is needed to investigate the mechanisms through which these relationships support SPD, especially during the under-studied developmental period of middle childhood (ages 7-11). This dissertation addresses that gap through three Papers. Paper 1 expands on the theory of SPD by proposing the related concept of sociopolitical socialization (SPS) and by applying both SPD and SPS to middle childhood. Papers 2 and 3 use survey, interview, and observational methods to investigate the sociopolitical interactions and socialization practices of liberal U.S. caregivers and their 7- to 11-year-old children. Taken together, this dissertation adds to our knowledge of children’s SPD by investigating and documenting the socialization processes that support that development within caregiver-child relationships.

Farmed animal sanctuaries provide lifelong care to formerly farmed animals. Many strive to educate their community about farmed animals and promote more compassionate lifestyles, such as veganism. Important to this is cultivating empathy and concern for the well-being of individual farmed animals. Essential to well-being is agency, which is the capacity of a living being to engage with their environments and to make choices for themselves. Farmed animals outside of sanctuaries have had their agency systematically suppressed and denied. Sanctuary educators can bring awareness to this and inspire alternative, agency-centered relationships with not only farmed animals but all living beings. To aid in this endeavor, this practice-based dissertation included the development of a resource guide for sanctuary staff and volunteers about recognizing, supporting, and teaching about the agency of farmed animals in sanctuary education. Following Stephen Brookfield’s (2021) Materials Development Dissertation outline, this paper describes the inspirations for creating these materials and the development process in detail. This process included inviting scholars and practitioners to review the materials and offer feedback, which is shared in this paper. This paper also reports on how the materials will be disseminated to have the most impact on the field. There is also discussion on the broader implications of this work in countering oppression and facilitating more equitable and compassionate ways of coexisting with all beings. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Gender is an important social determinant of health. As such, addressing gender inequities is an important mechanism for reducing health disparities and promoting well-being. This dissertation focuses on schools, an important setting for the development of ideas and practices about gender and other social inequalities. It draws on literature on the reproduction and reinforcement of gender in schools, as well as on international development discourse that focuses on schools as agents of social change, to examine how schools shape children’s ideas about gender, and how the Gender Equality Movement in Schools (GEMS) intervention creates opportunities for change. Chapter II uses data from the Adolescence and Social Change in Egypt survey to examine the association between school characteristics and student attitudes about gender. School structure, school climate, and staff attitudes are all associated with student attitudes about gender. Girls’ attitudes are more sensitive to these school characteristics, though they matter for boys for specific attitude domains as well. Chapter III, using data from the GEMS Survey in Mumbai, India, focuses on violence in schools and its association with student attitudes about violence, and examines the impact of individual and school violence on the effect of the GEMS intervention. School violence is associated with student attitudes and moderates the effects of the GEMS intervention. Both individual experiences of violence and higher school levels of violence were associated with greater endorsement of violence. In addition, the intervention was generally less effective for children who experienced violence in school, and in schools with higher levels of violence. Chapter IV explores teacher perspectives about gender equity in Mumbai public schools, describing how the discourse of gender equity is used strategically by teachers to accomplish their professional responsibilities given the gender inequities in their own and their students’ lives, and highlighting the potential for programs like GEMS, which provide a space for critical reflection, to "undo" gender. As a whole, these papers contribute to the literature at the intersection of public health, education, and gender studies, and suggest productive avenues for future research and intervention, as summarized in Chapter V.

In this multiple-case study, I developed cases describing three students‘ (Mary, Ryan and David) solution methods for algebra word problems and investigated the effect of technology on their solution methods by making inferences about their preferences for visual or nonvisual solutions. Furthermore, I examined the students‘ solution methods when presented with virtual physical representations of the situations described in the problems and attempted to explain the effect of those representations on students‘ thinking preferences. In this study, the use of technology referred to the use of the dynamic software program Geogebra. Suwarsono‘s (1982) Mathematical Processing Instrument (MPI) was administered to determine their preferences for visual and nonvisual thinking. During the interviews, students were presented with paper-andpencil-based tasks (PBTs), Geogebra-based tasks (GBTs) and Geogebra-based tasks with virtual physical representations (GBT-VPRs). Each category included 10 algebra word problems, with similar problems across categories. (i.e., PBT 9, GBT 9 and GBT-VPR 9 were similar). By investigating students‘ methods of solution and their use of representations in solving those tasks, I compared and contrasted their preferences for visual and nonvisual methods when solving problems with and without technology. The comparison between their solutions of PBTs and GBTs revealed how dynamic software influenced their method of solution. Regardless of students‘ preferences for visual and nonvisual solutions, with the use of dynamic software students employed more visual methods when presented with GBTs. When visual methods were as accessible and easy to use as nonvisual methods, students preferred to use them, thus demonstrating that they possessed a more complete knowledge of problem-solving with dynamic software than their work on the PBTs. iii Nowadays, we can construct virtual physical representations of the problems in technology environments that will help students explore the relationships and look for patterns that can be used to solve the problem. Unlike GBTs, GBT-VPRs did not influence students‘ preferences for visual or nonvisual methods. Students continued to rely on methods that they preferred since their preferences for visual or nonvisual solutions regarding GBT-PRs were similar to their solution preferences for the problems on MPI that was administered to them to determine their preferences for visual or nonvisual methods. Mary, whose MPI score suggested that she preferred to solve mathematics problems using nonvisual methods, solved GBT-VPRs with nonvisual methods. Ryan, whose MPI score suggested that he preferred to solve mathematics problems using visual methods, solved GBT-VPRs with visual methods. David, whose MPI score suggested that he preferred to solve mathematics problems using both visual and nonvisual methods, solved GBT-VPRs with both visual and nonvisual methods.

Background: Opportunities for children to be involved in the decisions made about them is a part of current statutory educational legislation. Person-centred planning (PCP) has been proposed as an appropriate method of meeting statutory requirements. However, there is a dearth of research into its application within education. Young people within alternative provisions (APs) may be prone to lacking opportunities of being heard. Methods/Participants: The first paper describes a systematic literature review of current research into PCP within education, pupils with SEMH and the associated outcomes. The second paper reports on an action research project with staff from an AP for children at risk of exclusion, who opted to trial the use of the PCP approach 'MAPs' (carried out virtually due to Covid-19 social restrictions). Evaluation of the MAPs trial involved two focus groups exploring the staff member's observations and views. Analysis/Findings: More rigorous research is needed into PCP and its effectiveness, including the use of standardised and observable outcome measures, more varied ranges of contexts and participants, and longitudinal and child-led designs. Findings from the action research indicate that (virtual) use of MAPs requires staff to carefully consider their setting's structure, needs, capacity and capabilities. Pre-meeting preparation and adapting the MAPs process with technology can improve engagement, access and provide alternative ways of working. The MAPs process provides a range of positive outcomes as a by-product of its implementation, e.g. improved relationships, increased information sharing. Conclusion/Implications: PCP appears to be an effective way of engaging children, young people and their families but research within education is currently limited and methodologically weak. A dissemination strategy for sharing the present findings with participants and the EP community is discussed.

Background: Mainstream education can be difficult for autistic children given the social communication difficulties, inflexible thinking and sensory sensitivities associated with autism. Educators can still find providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for autistic students challenging. Subsequently autistic children are at a risk of experiencing school related anxiety and school avoidance. This has led some parents to decide to home educate which is the focus of the first paper. However, this is not a viable option for all families and so the second paper focuses on the supportive factors that have helped autistic girls successfully return, re-engage and maintain their attendance in mainstream education. Methods/participants: The first paper describes a systematic literature review (SLR) of papers exploring the experiences of parents who decide to home educate their autistic children. Ten papers published between 2011-2019 were identified using the PRISMA framework and evaluated for methodological quality and relevance of focus. The second paper, an empirical investigation, reports a case study design utilising semi-structured interviews with three autistic girls, their parents and key adults across three different secondary schools. The final paper focuses on dissemination. Analysis/findings: The SLR identified a range of reasons that led parents to home educate and revealed that this educative option can have good academic and social outcomes for autistic children. The empirical investigation identified a relational approach was at the core of autistic girls re-engaging with formal education. Conclusions/implications Although not all parents may be able to home educate, this review indicates that parents with appropriate emotional, financial and social supports have found home educating their autistic children empowering. Factors that supported autistic girls to overcome school avoidance included positive relationships with key adults, friendship, psychoeducation and good autism practice including safe spaces and a flexible approach. Implications for schools and educational psychology practice are considered.

This dissertation examines the push for computers in education from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. During that time, computers were introduced into schools across America with big promises, in turn creating big dreams. Instead of the cognition, creativity, and collaboration that was envisioned with computers in the classroom, the shifting motivations regarding computers have exacerbated the datafication and standardization of our students (Cuban, 2001). The problems associated with the corporation of computers into the curriculum are widespread (Pinar et. al, 1995/2004). Following the methodology of Historiography, this paper provides a critical examination about what was promised, and by whom, surrounding computers in education, beginning with A Nation at Risk (1983) and culminating with No Child Left Behind (2001). A brief look into the future of Artificial Intelligence is also included (Rushkoff, 2019). This paper exposes the reality of pushing computers into schools, which strengthened datafication and standardization at the system level, in turn revealing how the promises fell short.

This dissertation is comprised of three articles that explore policies and practices to improve college and career readiness in the state of California, with a focus on reducing racial and socioeconomic inequality. The articles range from broadly exploring the role of charter schools in preparing student for better college enrollment outcomes, examining the effect of implementing a district-level policy to increase four-year college eligibility, and describing the inequities observed in course-taking patterns in the state of California. Findings from these three papers all show disparities in college preparedness, access, and enrollment by race, socioeconomic status, and English learner status. While the policies discussed in this dissertation may show evidence of an attenuation of inequities, large disparities remain, and are important to consider in future research efforts. The first article, Beyond Test Scores: Exploring the relationship between graduating from a California charter school and college enrollment, explores the differences in college enrollment rates between charter school students and traditional public school students in the state of California. The descriptive study provides a comprehensive comparison of college enrollment patterns, inclusive of all students in the state who enroll in public, non-alternative, traditional and charter schools. Findings reveal that students graduating from charter schools exhibit lower rates of enrollment to any postsecondary institution 12 months following high school graduation compared to their traditional public school peers. However, of the students enrolling in college, charter school students are more likely to enroll in one of California’s public four-year universities compared to traditional public school graduates. These findings contribute to the wide variation in charter school performance expressed in the existing literature. The second article, Requiring A-to-G: Examining the effect of aligning high school graduation requirements with California’s public university admissions course requirements, examines the causal effect of unified school districts in California aligning their high school graduation course requirements with the course sequence necessary for eligibility to the state’s public four-year universities, known as the A-G requirement. Findings show that requiring the A-G sequence to graduate increases A-G completion rates, graduation, and subsequent enrollment to a California public four-year university 12 months following graduation. However, results also indicate a decrease in overall college enrollment rates, which is in large part driven by a significant decrease in California Community College enrollment rates. Although overall results are similar in pattern to results for different racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, respectively, students of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged students benefit most from this policy. The last chapter, Inequality in Academic Preparation for College, is an overview of the course taking patterns of California high school students. Findings reveal racial disparities in A-G completion rates, Advanced Placement test participation, dual enrollment participation, and advanced math course taking. In addition to differences in these outcomes by race at the state level, we also find that disparities in these outcomes exist within districts and schools, suggesting that it is not merely a difference in racial composition of students across the state. This article was published by the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), an independent, non-partisan research center and co-authored with colleagues at The California Education Lab at UC Davis.Together, these articles contribute to the literature on equity in college preparedness and access, suggesting that students’ educational outcomes and trajectories are influenced by the policies, practices, and strategies taken by schools. The work included in these papers highlight the factors that education practitioners and policymakers should consider in helping more of California’s youth—particularly those from historically marginalized groups—make college enrollment and degree attainment a reality.

Accredited schools of public health are required to prepare graduate students to competently discuss how racism undermines health equity. A systematic assessment of academic public health norms is needed to clarify how graduate education structures the profession of public health to address racial health inequities. Three aims guided my investigation of common practices of knowledge transmission and production in schools of public health: (1) to determine what is taught to students regarding racial health equity; (2) to classify students’ use of race and theory; and (3) to categorize and contextualize students’ discussions of racism. In this sequential explanatory mixed methods study of existing documents, I examined accreditation self-study reports (N=34) and course syllabi (N=67) from schools of public health (Aim 1) and public health theses and dissertations published between 2018-2022 in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (N=13,797 abstracts for Aim 2; N=25 full-text dissertations for Aim 3). I conducted computational text analysis to estimate keyword distributions, manual content analysis to trace racial health equity concepts, and critical race discourse analysis to interpret patterns.Paper 1 revealed unequal exposure to race-related content. Fewer than half of the course syllabi listed learning objectives with racial health equity concepts. Two-thirds of schools of public health assigned journal articles with ‘race’ or ‘racism’. In Paper 2, 36% of abstracts from students’ dissertations and theses contained racial group and explicit theory terms; 62% omitted ‘race.’ The relative distribution of theories indicated students’ focus on proximal exposures rather than structural determinants. In Paper 3, eight percent of abstracts (N=403) contained social inequality theory and racial group terms. I identified three racism narratives within the full-text sample of dissertations: exposure to racism (N=9); potential exposure to racial inequity (N=3); and another exposure among people (N=13). Student-authors’ reflexivity and race conscious campus climates appear to promote public health research on racism. Dissertation findings can inform teaching, research, and practice approaches to racial health inequities. Exposing how everyday practices uphold white supremacist hegemony in schools of public health can accelerate the public health profession toward health equity.

We know relatively little about how undocumented immigrant youth, who entered the U.S. as children, are being incorporated into U.S. society as young adults. To fill this gap, I draw on 123 in-depth interviews with 92 undocumented and 31 recently legalized Latino young adults, ages 20-35. Unlike existing scholarship, I examine the experiences of individuals from a range of education levels and address experiences outside of educational institutions (e.g. work, family formation). I find that undocumented young adults experience incomplete incorporation because structural barriers prevent them from fully participating in society in the ways that they desire and expect, giving rise to feelings of exclusion. Specifically, I explore how their undocumented status limits their participation and feelings of belonging in educational, economic, and social institutions. I also address how educational status and gender intersect with the limitations of their undocumented status to differentiate their experiences. While assimilation theorists conceptualize immigrant incorporation as participation in various social institutions, I contend that we must also examine feelings of belonging as a distinct aspect of incorporation. Thus, I re-conceptualize immigrant incorporation as the process through which an immigrant becomes a full member of society, not only by participating in social institutions but also by asserting feelings of belonging. This highlights the understudied dimension of emotional exclusion, and demonstrates how it intersects with structural exclusion to limit incorporation.

Background: Effective post-adoption support services can enhance adopted children's experiences and achievement at school. Adoption services are undergoing significant changes, led by the introduction and embedding of Regional Adoption Authorities (RAAs); Local Authorities have an enhanced statutory duty to support adopted children in school, through the Children and Social Work Act (2017). Young people should participate in planning and evaluating services that are for them, however, research which considers the views of adopted children and young people is limited. Methods/ participants: The first paper describes a systematic literature review (SLR) to evaluate research regarding post adoption support in educational settings. Eleven studies, published between 1997 and 2017, were identified and evaluated for methodological quality and relevance of focus. The second paper reports a thematic analysis of an exploratory in-depth survey. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain the views of five adopted students, aged 16-19, about the support that they received in school. The third paper provides an account of the dissemination of the research to professional practice. Analysis/findings: The SLR found relevant studies to be limited in number and methodological quality. Aspects of effective support identified across the studies were classified under four themes: Strategies for support: Shared understanding; Communication and Monitoring. The empirical investigation identified adopted young people's views on how school experience can be enhanced by supportive approaches, supportive systems, supportive people and a positive self-identity. Adopted students' ideas about what school staff should know about adopted children and how the information should be delivered, are explored. Conclusion/ implications: High-quality co-ordinated research, involving adopted young people, is needed to inform planning of post-adoption support within educational settings and make use of funding at an organisational, school and individual level. In order to increase the impact of this research, the findings will be disseminated using strategies relevant to Virtual School (VS) staff and others who may have a role in putting the findings into practice.

This doctoral dissertation seeks to understand key underlying institutions (formal and informal) that reproduce inequality and social rigidity in Chile, mainly focusing on vicious dynamics taking place in the realm of education (school and tertiary level). Education is a key institution in society, playing a fundamental role in the reproduction of inequality through the selection of leaders (generally from privileged social backgrounds) and also via the socialisation of new generations - perpetuating worldviews, ideologies and social norms. However, it may also play a crucial role in the transformation of prevailing institutions through technical knowledge, political deliberation and/or cultural change, and thus in creating new development pathways for society. In order to analyse the role of formal and informal institutions in the perpetuation of inequality and social rigidity, taking education as a critical case study, this dissertation develops four essays from a political economy and institutional analysis approach. The first essay sets the scene by analysing the political economy of inequality in Chile from an historical perspective. The second essay investigates the political economy of the Chilean school system and its role in the reproduction of inequality. The third paper highlights the importance of informal institutions, and their role in shaping individuals' preferences. The fourth and final paper analyses the joint effect of social class and institutional horizontal differentiation of the tertiary education system on intergenerational social mobility and labour market trajectories of graduates.

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Literacy practices can be considered powerful tools used to claim a space, establish an identity, or provide a voice in various social interactions. The goals of this study were to understand the literacy practices of three female young adults who attended an alternative school prior to my study in the spring of 2008. The study also explored the purposes for the literacy practices, the outcomes of the literacy practices, and the factors that seemed to influence their reading and writing. I used a qualitative case study design method to explore the girls’ personal and school literacy. Data were obtained through observations; weekly interviews with each girl; interviews with family members, interviews with teachers, an interview with the girls’ probation officer; literacy vignettes; school documents; and the girls’ writing. Findings established that the girls participated in varied and extensive personal literacy practices including the reading of novels and informational texts and the writing of poetry, letters, and notes. The girls’ personal literacy practices helped them cope with their emotions, reflect on their life events, establish and maintain social networks with peers, and communicate with family members. Although I found the girls had well-articulated purposes for participating in their personal literacy practices, their school literacy practices were often disconnected from their lives.

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand how five female presidents of small American colleges and universities perceived and described their childhood years and the life experiences that characterized their career paths. Data was collected through a series of semi-structured, open-ended, oral history interviews and the review of personal and professional documents such as vitae, speeches, and publications. Personal narratives highlight the people, places, and experiences characteristic of each participant’s childhood years. The study presents a chronology of the life course experiences characteristic of each participant’s career path and in-depth analyses of turning point experiences and epiphanies. Themes, patterns, and meanings that emerged from the data are described. Within-case analyses revealed individual lifespan themes reflective of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The cross-case analysis revealed that each of the five participants excelled academically; described the characteristics of the era during which she grew up; explained her parents’ expectations for her to attend college; demonstrated and/or acknowledged being confident and ambitious; and received encouragement for administrative positions that eventually led to the presidency. The participants grew up amidst changing notions about women, their roles and responsibilities, their abilities, and their rights. The study revealed how each participant persisted and succeeded in spite of personal and societal challenges. A conceptual model is presented of the participants’ lives from childhood to the presidency and the continual, interactive process through which their lifespan career development evolved. The model accommodates the individuality of each participant and her experiences within a particular historical context. The model supports the belief that women’s developmental patterns and subsequent career development are unique. Career development theories relevant to each case are discussed. Implications for career development professionals and researchers; institutions of higher education; and young girls and women aspiring to careers in higher education administration are presented.

Lately, the debate over various public policies, such as immigration reform and tax policy, has heated up in the United States. This dissertation seeks to explore the different impacts that some of the policy changes have on different groups of people. In doing so, I am able to help better inform policymakers of the possible economic outcomes of future reforms. The first chapter examines the labor market impacts of two state-level immigration policies designed to reduce the presence of undocumented immigrants: E-Verify and "Show Me Your Papers" (SMYP). Using a difference-in-difference strategy, I examine the separate and combined effects of these laws on the employment and wages of likely unauthorized, working-age men and women and the groups of low-skill American workers with whom they are most likely to compete for jobs. I also look at how these laws impact state-level economic outcomes, including industry- specific GDP. I find that immigration reform reduces employment and hourly wages among undocumented men. Immigration reform also results in large, negative impacts on state GDP, especially in industries that rely more heavily on undocumented workers. The second chapter examines the questions of whether consumers respond differently to taxes of different salience levels and if there is heterogeneity in consumer tax salience across income groups and other categorical groups such as age and education groups. I find evidence supporting tax salience theory in the market for alcohol. Additionally, I find evidence of heterogeneity in tax salience effects across different education levels. In particular, more educated consumers are more responsive to changes in sales taxes. The third chapter focuses on the impacts of immigration reform on the children of undocumented immigrants. By comparing siblings in a difference-in-difference approach, I show that DACA, a policy that reduces legal barriers for young undocumented immigrants, increases the educational attainment of potentially eligible youth. Meanwhile, policies such as Alabama HB 56, which increase barriers for undocumented immigrants, reduce the enrollment rates and increase dropout rates for the children of undocumented immigrants.

Since many educators and philosophers, including Montessori and Piaget, advocate training of the sense as a prerequisite to formal learning, and since two ERIC searches failed to turn up such research it was decided to test out it the use of a multi-sensory curriculum does influence the achievement level of young children.

First essay: This paper studies the impact of Nepal’s 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency on the nutritional status of children. We employ the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The proxy for conflict intensity is killings per thousand population (KPT). The finding of our study is that a marginal increase in KPT decreases the height-for-age (HAZ) of the children by 0.0844. The loss in child health was statistically not significant in both non-poor and poor households. Therefore, the impact of the insurgency on child health is largely driven by the negative effect of the insurgency on Janajaties, irrespective of their economic status. Second essay: This paper studies the impact of the earthquake on the education of rural children. Our study uses a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach. We find that after a year of the earthquake, there is a decrease in the educational outcome of the children. Female children from 16 years old cohort are 23.4 percent less likely to complete secondary school. The earthquake has decreased the likelihood of completing secondary school among the 16 years cohort children from poor households by 17.9 percent and by 28.4 percent in poor 16 years cohort female children. Third essay: This paper studies the impact of Maoist insurgency on girls’ child marriage in Nepal. We use the difference-in-differences (DID) method to estimate the impact of insurgency. Our finding infers that the insurgency decreased the probability of child marriage among the women of age cohorts 15-20 years old. A marginal increase in KPT decreases the probability of child marriage by 3.66 and 4.16 percent among 18 years old and 19 years old age cohorts, respectively. This decrease in child marriage due to insurgency was stronger in non-poor households and urban areas. The decrease in child marriage due to insurgency was experienced by Brahmin and Chettri, Indigenous nationalities, and Dalits.