Personal Narratives as Reflections of Identity and Meaning: A Study of Betrayal, Forgiveness, and Health

As evidence suggesting both emotional and physical benefits from forgiveness continues to mount, scientific interest focuses on the intra-psychic dynamics and interpersonal processes that distinguish forgiving individuals from their non-forgiving counterparts. By studying the transformation of hurt and resentment into understanding and compassion, researchers hope to clarify further the cognitive and affective changes that characterize forgiving hearts and minds. As the nuances of this potentially healthful expansion of perspective become known, clinicians hope to integrate their newfound insights into therapeutic formulations and interventions that target ever-widening populations for whom forgiveness might prove beneficial. Analysis of the very personal and often lengthy process of forgiveness requires attention to habitual tendencies and situational reactions, general beliefs and specific attitudes. Personal narratives, as reflections of individuals\u27 patterns for integrating their immediate experiences into the stories of their lives, serve as natural maps of the inner workings of forgiveness. Thus, by studying these narrative maps, it may be possible to gain a better understanding of the process. of forgiveness and its effect on physical health, while exploring the ways that individuals of all ages story the events of their daily lives into healthy, adaptive identities. One hundred eight undergraduate students completed self-report measures of state and trait forgiveness and told stories of betrayal experiences while physiological measurements of heart rate and blood pressure were recorded. Their unscaffolded and scaffolded narratives were coded for coherence, richness, conflict formulation , and story-based forgiveness. Four questions were addressed: (1) What is the effect of interviewer scaffolding on narrative characteristics and does forgiveness status alter this general pattern?, (2) What are the relationships between objective self-report measures and the four narrative codes?, (3) How confidently can one predict forgiveness, as both a trait quality and a state-like decision, from the characteristics of personal narrative ?, and (4) What are the relationships between narrative characteristics and physiological measures of blood pressure and heart rate? Results indicate that interviewer scaffolding has significant effects on richness and coherence, though in opposite directions. Neither of these structural variables was meaningfully associated with state or trait forgiveness, but conflict formulation showed a significant correlation with state forgiveness. In addition, conflict formulation and narrative-based forgiveness were positively related, further suggesting that the former tapped a situational perspective rather than a general philosophy. Analysis of the predictive power of narrative qualities relative to forgiveness yielded a significant model for state forgiveness but not for trait forgiveness. Narrative-based forgiveness was the only predictor variable to obtain significance, although the conflict formulation variable evidenced a marginal contribution . Finally, both coherence and richness displayed significant correlations with key physiological measures. Life story coherence was negatively related to resting diastolic blood pressure, while richness was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure levels during active reflection of betrayal episodes. Results are discussed in light of study limitations and existing research on forgiveness and narrative development

USING THE TUTORIAL APPROACH TO IMPROVE PHYSICS LEARNING FROM INTRODUCTORY TO GRADUATE LEVEL

In this thesis, I discuss the development and evaluation of tutorials ranging from introductory to graduate level. Tutorials were developed based upon research on student difficulties in learning relevant concepts and findings of cognitive research. Tutorials are a valuable resource when used either in-class or as a self-study tool. They strive to help students develop a robust knowledge structure of relevant topics and improve their problem solving skills. I discuss the development of a tutorial on the Lock-in amplifier (LIA) for use as both an on-ramp to ease the transition of students entering into the research lab and to improve student understanding of the operation of the LIA for those already making use of this device. The effectiveness of this tutorial was evaluated using think aloud interviews with graduate students possessing a wide range of experience with the LIA and the findings were uniformly positive. I also describe the development and evaluation of a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) that focuses on quantum key distribution using two protocols for secure key distribution. One protocol used in the first part of the QuILT is administered to students working collaboratively in class while the second protocol used in the second part of the QuILT was administered as homework. Evaluation of student understanding of the two protocols used in this QuILT shows that it was effective at improving student understanding both immediately after working on the QuILT and two months later. Finally, I discuss the development and evaluation of four web-based tutorials focusing on quantitative problem solving intended to aid introductory students in the learning of effective problem-solving heuristics while helping them learn physics concepts. Findings suggest that while these tutorials are effective when administered in one-on-one think-aloud interviews, this effectiveness is greatly diminished when students are asked to use the tutorials as a self-study tool with no supervision. In addition, the development and evaluation of four sets of scaffolded prequizzes for introductory physics on the same topics as the tutorials is discussed. These prequizzes are designed to mimic the structure of the web-based tutorials and can be implemented in the classroom

Toward a deeper understanding of text: Students controlling and developing inquiry skills through small-group discussion.

No abstract available.The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b129543

Using content and process scaffolds for collaborative discourse in asynchronous learning networks

Discourse, a form of collaborative learning, is one of the most widely used methods of teaching and learning in the online environment. Particularly, in large courses, discourse needs to be \u27structured\u27 to be effective. Historically, technology-mediated learning (TML) research has been inconclusive with often conflicting results. To address this issue, TML research needs greater breadth and depth in pedagogical grounding. The purpose of this research is to build and test an original, technology-mediated, discourse-centered model called the Asynchronous Learning Network Cognitive Discourse Model (ALNCDM) grounded in pedagogy. Cognitive discourse is defined as discourse on conceptual subject matter. The model is aimed at structuring discourse to effect conceptual mastery at the Application level of Bloom\u27s taxonomy. The ALNCDM applies pedagogic principles to provide content and process scaffolding during discourse to increase learning. (Scaffolding is defined as providing support for the learner at his/her level until the support is no longer needed.) The content scaffold consists of a concept structure in the form a matrix, which is unfolded in a sequence following the Veeheuristic. The process scaffold consists of an individual process, modeled after Gagne\u27s Nine Events of Instruction, embedded within a group process, modeled after Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson\u27s Critical Thinking Model. A research approach was designed and a field experiment conducted to validate the ALNCDM. In the research approach, content and process scaffolds formed the two manipulated variables while the dependent variable, learning effectiveness, was measured using a combination of cognitive and affective assessments. A motivation measure, self-expectancy, was also included in the dependent variables. The main study, a 2X2 between-subjects, pre- and post-test field experiment, was conducted between Fall 2004 and Spring 2005, yielding 172 participants in 58 groups. A major finding from the study is students with SynthesisAnalysis learning approach performed significantly better in two out of three cognitive assessments. While the ALNCDM research approach requires further refinement, correlation/contextual analyses support the overall ALNCDM. Another finding from the study is the lack of undergraduate student motivation

Introducing Computational Thinking in K-12 Education: Historical, Epistemological, Pedagogical, Cognitive, and Affective Aspects

Introduction of scientific and cultural aspects of Computer Science (CS) (called "Computational Thinking" - CT) in K-12 education is fundamental. We focus on three crucial areas. 1. Historical, philosophical, and pedagogical aspects. What are the big ideas of CS we must teach? What are the historical and pedagogical contexts in which CT emerged, and why are relevant? What is the relationship between learning theories (e.g., constructivism) and teaching approaches (e.g., plugged and unplugged)? 2. Cognitive aspects. What is the sentiment of generalist teachers not trained to teach CS? What misconceptions do they hold about concepts like CT and "coding"? 3. Affective and motivational aspects. What is the impact of personal beliefs about intelligence (mindset) and about CS ability? What the role of teaching approaches? This research has been conducted both through historical and philosophical argumentation, and through quantitative and qualitative studies (both on nationwide samples and small significant ones), in particular through the lens of (often exaggerated) claims about transfer from CS to other skills. Four important claims are substantiated. 1. CS should be introduced in K-12 as a tool to understand and act in our digital world, and to use the power of computation for meaningful learning. CT is the conceptual sediment of that learning. We designed a curriculum proposal in this direction. 2. The expressions CT (useful to distantiate from digital literacy) and "coding" can cause misconceptions among teachers, who focus mainly on transfer to general thinking skills. Both disciplinary and pedagogical teacher training is hence needed. 3. Some plugged and unplugged teaching tools have intrinsic constructivist characteristics that can facilitate CS learning, as shown with proposed activities. 4. Growth mindset is not automatically fostered by CS, while not studying CS can foster fixed beliefs. Growth mindset can be fostered by creative computing, leveraging on its constructivist aspects

Positioning and Identity in the Academic Literacy Experiences of Elementary English Language Learners

This study investigates the academic literacy experiences of elementary English Language Learners (ELLs) in first grade, fourth grade, and sixth grade. Participants included students as well as their reading/language arts mainstream teachers and their English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers. Informed by both cross-sectional cross-case study and narrative inquiry methodology, this study used positioning theory and identity theory as complementary analytic lenses. Students' positionings, both reflexive self-positioning and interactive positioning by others, were identified and named through analyses of their interactions in academic literacy events during reading/language arts. In order to consider the ways that students' positionings may afford or constrain their access to and engagement with academic literacy events, the researcher created an analytic framework naming student positions. Additionally, positions were considered in light of the ways that they mediated students' levels of engagement as literacy events unfolded. To investigate the construction of students' literate identities, the researcher examined students' patterns of positioning during literacy events and considered interview data from students and teachers as well as field notes that documented conversations with participants. The researcher also gathered two self-portraits from student participants, including one self-portrait showing the student engaged in an academic literacy task at school and one showing the student engaged in a fun activity outside of the school context. The study demonstrated that students' positionings, both positive and constraining, may work to construct and re-construct students' literate identities even as students' literate identities may inform the ways that students take on and negotiate positions in a recursive process. The study also found that students with strong literate identities bridging home and school contexts took on more positive positions thus engaging more deeply with academic literacy tasks than students with striving literate identities. Students with striving literate identities often took on positions of constraint in strategic moves that allowed them to get through literacy tasks without engaging deeply. Finally, this study demonstrated the powerful ways that teachers may support students' deep engagement with literacy tasks through positive positioning and following through on their lesson implementation by offering opportunities for re-positioning and the use of scaffolds

Textual Transactions: Recontextualizing Louise Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory for the College Writing Classroom

This dissertation explores the history of Louise Rosenblatt’s transactional theory and its implications for college-level instruction in literacy, broadly conceived as a critical and a cultural practice. I argue that Rosenblatt’s work proves most significant for framing explorations of reading and writing as two dimensions of a single educative project: this against the many institutional and scholarly trends by which text-based reception and production are understood as belonging to largely separable programs of study. Indeed, it is English studies’ long-standing disciplinary habit of disaggregating the work of the writing classroom from the work of literary and cultural study that I see as the fundamental problem that Rosenblatt’s work helps to reframe and begin to resolve. As intellectual history and recontextualization project, this dissertation maintains that the promise of Rosenblatt’s work remains untapped if only understood through the lens of the disciplinary schisms that have long structured English studies; and that Rosenblatt’s insights gain new relevance when re-situated in their originating philosophical context of the nineteen-thirties. I reconstruct this context—and its significance for Rosenblatt’s later transactional theory—through an investigation of Rosenblatt’s overlooked early career, output, and key influences, most specifically by reviving the dialogues that her first works of scholarship initiated with a richly interdisciplinary and transatlantic range of early-twentieth-century pragmatic-progressive thinkers, including Franz Boas, Fernand Baldensperger, I. A. Richards, and John Dewey. Such a recovery shows Rosenblatt’s oeuvre, from its earliest scholarship to its final statements, to have constituted a sustained inquiry into an ecological concept of “transaction”—whereby knowledge is understood to emerge from the mutually conditioning interplay between agents, situations and texts—and into the import of “transaction” for a theory of literacy, of literature, and of the reading-writing benefits enabled by what she later terms an “aesthetic” stance. Moreover, the milieu of thinkers consolidated by Rosenblatt’s work—all studying various forms of cultural-knowledge-in-transit—offers a provocative challenge to English studies’ usual narratives about its reading- and writing-oriented subfields’ historical and purportedly proper divisibility. This recovery also supports my final theoretical intervention—the argument that Rosenblatt’s inquiries into transaction and stance are particularly pertinent to current writing studies questions concerning literacy knowledge transfer. I show that Rosenblatt’s “aesthetic” and “efferent” stances, once viewed through the lens of her seminal philosophical commitments, offer a newly integrative explanatory model for the dynamics by which learners not only make meaning from texts, but also reinvest and repurpose (“transfer”) their literacy knowledge, and not only across new contexts and tasks, but also across the dimensions of text-based literacy itself (reading and writing). Based on the new genealogy I construct for her work, I further posit that Rosenblatt’s transactional theory presents literacy as an expansively cultural practice, a paradigm that encourages learners to draw more purposive, self-reflective, and critical connections between their reading and writing, and that helps learners to realize and leverage the ways that culturally supported literacy practices can themselves work to transform cultures in their turn.PHDEnglish & EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143921/1/ehutton_1.pd

Content Area Teaching in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

Educators and teacher educators in the United States have worked for decades to provide English language learners (ELLs) and other linguistically diverse students access to education. While ELLs’ rising high school graduation rates suggest that efforts have helped ELLs access schools, classrooms, and scholastic tasks, more steps need to be taken toward ensuring that linguistically diverse students can also meaningfully access college or 21st century careers. This qualitative study is at the nexus of language, culture, academic content, literacy, teaching, and teacher education and uses a bricolage approach to examine the teaching of four secondary science and mathematics teachers recognized as “successful” teachers of ELLs. The results show that the content constructed in the teaching went beyond the teaching of the facts, topics, and concepts of the school curriculum to also include the accepted and expected ways of thinking and communicating used in the discipline. This suggests that the teaching was preparing all students to access both the school curriculum as well as disciplinary spaces such as college or careers. Findings are presented in two chapters. The first findings chapter offers a complex and multifaceted way to view content, including the facets of academics, logos, and expectations. The second findings chapter focuses on teaching and documents how the teaching observed deconstructed disciplinary knowledge to teach students to notice and use content as a language. Together, these two chapters outline what I call PARALEXICAL teaching, or teaching that pays purposeful attention to realizing academics, logos, and expectations integral to content as a language. I argue that PARALEXICAL teaching, through its explicit attention to disciplinary language, can unveil aspects of the hidden curriculum in ways that more equitably prepare all students, especially ELLs, to graduate from high school and enter disciplinary spaces like college or careers

Democratizing the Data Stream: Creating an Equitable Transfer of Research Vessel Data from Scientist to Student

With the emergence of big data and the Open Data Movement, and the wide availability to the public of large databases, Data Literacy is a necessary learning goal for students. Understanding the data process in its entirety is now a vital skillset required across industry, government, and scientific disciplines. The newest ships in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, the Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRVs), are being built with the aim to support data literacy through a forthcoming real-time data portal that is intended to foster outreach and engagement. Research for understanding how the new RCRVs may support data literacy occurred in two phases. The first phase research investigated the transfer of real-time oceanographic data from researcher to K-12 classrooms and “The Data Stream” was identified. The second phase research, explained here, expanded upon the first phase through interviewing experts in the field of data literacy and shipboard education. In addition, specialists in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the geosciences were interviewed. The objective was to determine promising practices in data literacy education and shipboard outreach that are also culturally responsive. The expert interviews illuminated numerous educational strategies which may facilitate building a student’s data literacy. One prominent strategy is student-driven community action research, in which students collect and evaluate data to create local change. An eight-week afterschool program, Mar Adentro, was developed where students could examine the presence of microplastics in their local watershed. The pilot program was tested with seven students from Oregon’s Latina/o community. Students ultimately emerged from the program with a deeper understanding of the data process. The program also demonstrated the value of providing second-language students informal learning spaces where they can comfortably utilize linguistic capital and engage with one another in their first language