A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Efficacy in Career and Technical Education Coaching and Mentoring Programs

School districts are tasked with improving teacher performance in response to an overwhelming need for students who are both college and career-ready (Brand, Valent, & Browning, 2013). A lack of quality professional development programs specifically designed for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers that promote the development of teacher efficacy and instructional skills is a significant concern. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences with self-efficacy of CTE teachers who have participated in the Vision of Excellent Instruction in Career and Technical Education Coaching and Mentoring Program in Northeast Tennessee. This research study utilized Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (1986) related to the experiences of CTE teachers’ participation in the Vision of Excellent Instruction in Career and Technical Education Coaching and Mentoring Program and the perceived impact of the program on teacher self-efficacy. Self-efficacy guided the study as self-efficacy is influenced by mastery or non-mastery of experiences and is based on an individual’s perceived capabilities (Bandura, 1977). Purposeful criterion-based sampling was used to select Career and Technical Education teachers to participate in the study. Data were collected through a qualitative survey, individual interviews, and focus group. Qualitative analysis indicated factors such as self-awareness, professional growth, collaboration, and relationships impacted CTE teacher perceptions of efficacy in the classroom. Recommendations for future research include analysis of the perceptions of lived experiences of the CTE coaches

Empowering Film Sound Practice: Countering visual hegemony and industrial ideology with reference to the short-film ‘Fade’

This thesis examines the possible marginalisation of sound practices in contemporary mainstream film and television, the fundamental reason for which amounts to a dominant, delineating visual culture (a visual hegemony) that is proliferated within filmmaking practice via ideological and technological means. Evidence for the discussion consists of historical and anecdotal accounts. The discussion is framed by broader concepts of ideology and industrial structures by philosophers: Antonio Gramsci, Dick Hebdige, Louis Althusser and Theodore Adorno. The central contention is that due to the belief that sound is ‘passive’ and a ‘secular’ sphere of film production; it is frequently underrepresented and provided as a ‘sweetener’ to make the visual elements more tangible. The term secular here refers to sounds often segregated and subordinate position in comparison to metaphorical ‘deification’ of visual practices. My assertion is that this ideology, reinforced by industrial constraints, can belittle the expressive power that sound offers. The practical work builds from this a philosophy that empowers the soundtrack in production and reception, by exploiting the subjective, emotive and sensorial nature of sound to create an aesthetic that demands further engagement from the receiver. This is achieved by engendering experimentation and discourse between picture and sound edits. Ultimately this is framed by a guerrilla filmmaking process of film production and a subsequent exploitation of the freedoms of workflow during postproduction that working as an auteur affords

Authentic learning in interactive multimedia environments

The instructional technology community is in the midst of a philosophical shift from a behaviourist to a constructivist framework, a move that may begin to address the growing rift between formal school learning and real-life learning. One theory of learning which has the capacity to promote authentic learning is that of situated learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate the way students learn from an interactive multimedia package and learning environment based on a situated learning model. To do this, it was necessary to identify the critical characteristics of a situated learning model based on the extensive literature on the subject. An interactive multimedia learning environment for university level students was then designed according to these characteristics of a situated learning model. The learning environment comprised an interactive multimedia program on assessment in mathematics, together with recommended implementation conditions in the classroom. Specifically, the research sought to investigate the way preservice teachers used interactive multimedia based on a situated learning model, how they responded to the critical elements of the situated learning environment, what types of higher-order thinking they used as they worked with the program, and whether learning transferred to their professional teaching practice in schools. The research took the form of an interpretive, qualitative study. The major methods of data collection were videotaping of preservice teachers using the interactive multimedia program, observation, and interviews with both the preservice teachers and their supervising teachers in schools. Data was analysed using techniques of qualitative analysis recommended by Eisner (1991) and Miles and Huberman (1994). Findings suggest that the use of the situated learning model was a successful alternative to the system models frequently used for the development of interactive multimedia, and one that enabled students to freely navigate a complex resource. When implemented with all the characteristics defined in the model, it appeared to provide an effective framework for the design of an environment for the acquisition of advanced know ledge. Students used a substantial amount of higher-order thinking, relatively little social and lower order talk, and a moderate amount of procedural talk as they worked with the assessment program. While on their professional practice in schools, the students used a variety of assessment techniques to assess children\u27s learning, and they were able to speak knowledgably and confidently about the issue of assessment, supporting the view that they had incorporated their learning deeply into their cognitive structures. According to the beliefs of the students themselves, the multimedia program appeared to influence the types of strategies they employed and their thinking about assessment as they taught mathematics and other classes during their professional practice. The major implication of the research is that new learning theory can inform the instructional design of interactive multimedia. For implementation in contexts of advanced knowledge acquisition, an instructional design model based on situated learning is an effective substitute for the traditional instructional systems model. Further implications are that excessive intervention by the developer in providing interaction between the program and the learner is not necessary, and that multimedia materials are best designed and implemented socially, not as independent instruction for individual learners. At the conclusion of the thesis, extensive recommendations for further research, both systemic and analytic, are provided

Can You Hear Me Now? : The Role of Hip-Hop in the Identity and Personal Epistemology of Black Girls

Hip-hop has been shown to be a significant force of identity, knowledge, and cultural development, particularly for Black youth (Brown, 2009; Emdin, 2010; Hill, 2009; Love, 2012). Building on research surrounding identity and knowledge development within hip-hop, this Black/hip-hop feminist research study seeks to understand the role that hip-hop plays in the lives, identity and personal epistemology of Black adolescent girls. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What role does hip-hop (i.e., rap, dance, and graffiti) play in the lives of Black girls? (2) How does hip-hop inform racial and gendered identity for Black girls? (3) How do Black girls negotiate their racial and gender identities through hip-hop? (4) How does hip-hop inform Black girls personal epistemologies and worldviews? 6 Black girls from an urban city in the mid-southern region of the United States participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and researcher journals were collected and analyzed using thematic analysis (Saldana, 2016) to understand how these cultural mechanisms influence identity, worldview, and knowledge for Black girls. Results showed the following themes: hip-hop as a coping mechanism, hip-hop as a critique of hegemonic ideologies of Blackness and Black girl/womanness, hip-hop as community, and hip-hop as negotiating knowledges. This research study demonstrates the importance of hip-hop in promoting resiliency, challenging/critiquing/creating racial and gender identities, and using hip-hop as a community for learning. This study also demonstrates the importance of identity development in the epistemic process

Creativity for the Common Good: The Case for Fair Use of Prosthetics Patents

This Note examines how patent law inhibits accessibility to prosthetics, and how a fair use defense for patent infringement will make them more widely accessible. Part I will explain the basics of patent law, including its history, scope, and process of infringement. Part II will discuss the fair use defense against copyright and trademark infringement and explain why this defense should also be enforceable for patent infringement. Part III will provide an overview of 3D printing. Part IV will focus on 3D prosthetics, specifically on the story of two young prosthetic recipients, Griffin Matuszek and Evie Lambert. Finally, Part V will examine the current state of accessibility to prosthetics, common barriers to accessibility, and resources for low-income patients

An Exploration of the Lived Experience of Novice Adjunct Nursing Faculty as They Transition from Clinical Expert to Novice Educator

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe and understand the lived experiences of novice adjunct nursing faculty teaching in the United States in undergraduate nursing programs as they transition from clinical practice to academia. The theories that guided this study are Meleis’ transition theory and Schoening’s nurse educator transition model which provide a framework for the transition experiences for novice adjunct nursing faculty. The central research question is: What are the lived experiences of novice undergraduate adjunct nursing faculty transitioning from clinical expert to novice nurse faculty? Purposive sampling and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants who were novice adjunct nursing faculty teaching in undergraduate nursing programs in the United States. Interviews were recorded and transcribed to understand the transition experience of ten study participants. ATLAS.ti software was used to analyze, code, annotate, and identify emerging themes of the collected data. Colaizzi’s seven-step approach to data analysis was utilized to develop themes and subthemes. Themes included lack of formal orientation, organizational challenges, lack of sense of belonging and isolation, and personal development. Subthemes included feeling unprepared, the ideal transition, dealing with difficult behaviors, navigating the instructor role, seeking mentorship and guidance, self-preparation, and giving back to the profession. The study\u27s findings provided an exhaustive description of the transition process for novice adjunct nursing faculty and aligned with previous research recommending formal orientation and mentorship programs for this group transitioning into academia. This can aid in the retention of novice adjunct nursing faculty and help the nursing faculty shortage