Postcolonial Narratives: Discourse and Epistemological Spaces

By bringing together critical discourse analysis of personal narratives and postcolonial theory, this work addresses other ways of knowing in the academy and provides different lenses of discourse analysis. Specifically, this paper presents two narratives from international faculty in the U.S. academy. Drawing upon work by Phillion (2002) and He (2002), we use our narratives to enter into a discussion of how we have attempted to successfully negotiate the academy and also attempt to maintain our own postcolonial identities. To this end, we also used the lens of postcolonial theory to analyze our narratives and frame our discussions. We explore the im/possible spaces that our deterritorialized consciousness' inhabit and roam by revealing the epistemological spaces discursively produced within/against the U.S. academy (Fairclough, 1995; Foucault, 1977). Further, we explore how our intellectual neo-nomadism allows us to be simultaneously aware of, yet free from boundaries, whilst remaining conscious of the "ideological aggressivity" (MacCannell, 1994) of knowledge production for the U.S. academy. In conclusion, we suggest that the field might benefit from 'hearing' such narratives, complicated by an added layer of theory, to increase the understanding of the study of discourse and the academy

Comparaison des peurs chez les enfants lourdement handicapés et chez les enfants non handicapés

Although research on children’s fears is available, there is a gap in the literature concerning the fears of children with disabilities. We used the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-AM; Burnham, 2005) to examine age, racial, and gender differences of 404 children (ages 7–20), including 50% with disabilities and 50% without disabilities. Significant fear differences were reported across gender, age, race, and disability. For example, children with intellectual disabilities had more fears related to safety. Both younger and older children with moderate to profound disabilities had significantly more fear than their peers without disabilities. This study broadened the examination of fears in children with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities.Malgré la disponibilité d’études sur les peurs chez les enfants, on constate une lacune dans la littérature en ce qui concerne les peurs chez les enfants handicapés. Nous avons utilisé le sondage Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-AM; Burnham, 2005) pour examiner les différences d’âge, de race et de genre de 404 enfants (entre 7 et 20 ans), dont 50 % sont handicapés (à la fois intellectuellement et, dans certains cas, physiquement aussi) et 50 % ne le sont pas. On constata des différences significatives des peurs en fonction du genre, de l’âge, de la race et du handicap. Par exemple, des enfants ayant un handicap intellectuel vivaient plus de peurs en lien avec la sécurité. Indépendamment de leur âge, les enfants ayant un handicap de moyen à lourd vivaient considérablement plus de peurs que leurs homologues non handicapés. Cette étude a permis d’élargir l’examen des peurs chez les enfants atteints d’un handicap moyen, d’une incapacité grave et d’un handicap lourd

Life history of expert wheelchair and standing basketball coaches

The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on coaching and teaching by developing an in-depth understanding of the process by which expert wheelchair and standing collegiate basketball coaches acquire, develop, and implement the knowledge and essential attributes necessary to succeed in professional coaching. This was accomplished by examining, through a life history approach, the coaches' reflections about their sporting backgrounds, processes of acquiring coaching knowledge, and knowledge sources and attributes that were most meaningful toward their growth as successful coaches. One researcher observed, interviewed, and analyzed two successful collegiate head basketball coaches while focusing on the life events of each coach to illustrate how their background and experiences in coaching and sport have shaped their expert coaching practice, knowledge, application of that knowledge, and helped identify the essential attributes necessary to become an expert coach. Using analytic induction, the data analysis revealed five themes: (a) for love of the game, (b) the coach as teacher and learner, (c) the thinking coach, (d) values and principles as attributes, and (e) communication. The findings provide a glimpse into the lives of expert wheelchair and standing basketball coaches and identify the most prominent knowledge sources and attributes of the expert coach. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Images of athletes with disabilities: an analysis of photographs from the 2012 Paralympic Games

The purpose of this study was to explore how the print media portrayed athletes with disabilities during the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. An analysis was conducted of photographic images of the 2012 Paralympic Games and athletes in 12 newspapers with top circulation from 5 countries during the 12 days of competition, August 29 through September 9, 2012. Eleven categorical variables were examined to determine how the Paralympic athletes were represented in print media photographs. Chi-square analysis was used to look at the relationships between variables. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, frequencies, and crosstabs with chi-square analysis to compare the differences between the variables. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the presentation of an association between the variables. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. An overall difference in portrayal between male and female as well as between domestic and foreign athletes was found in the amount, coverage type, and disability of the athletes featured in the photographic images. Males were pictured more often than females, reinforcing hegemonic ideals of able-bodiedness and masculinity. Even though athleticism was an important theme in the photographs of female athletes with disabilities, the performance of female athletes with disabilities was often pictured with particular emphasis on medals without their disability. Domestic athletes with disabilities were more frequently portrayed in the selected newspapers than foreign athletes with disabilities, and coverage tended to minimize their adversities and visibly maximize their successful performance regardless of disabilities. The reproduction and reinforcement of traditional attitudes and perceptions were found in portrayals of foreign athletes with disabilities. Athletes with disabilities were similarly framed by gender and by national characteristics. There were similar characteristics between female athletes and domestic athletes, and between male athletes and foreign athletes except in the amount of coverage. Photographs in the selected newspapers tended to emphasize the strength and minimize the weakness of male and domestic athletes with disabilities while pointing out the weakness and balancing commendable qualities against small shortcomings for female and foreign athletes. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Navigating the whirlwind: one science teacher's experience utilizing a science fiction novel in the secondary classroom

This study was a narrative inquiry that explored the experience of one science teacher as he utilized a science fiction novel in his secondary physical science classroom. With the recent implementation of the Common Core literacy standards in Alabama, science teachers are now required to address literacy and reading along with teaching science content and pursuing scientific literacy. Since these standards originate from a language arts perspective, science teachers may not be aware of how to best undertake this initiative without the necessary in-depth training in literacy strategies. This story of one Alabama science teacher integrating a science fiction novel in his physical science classroom provided an understanding and affinity of the ideas, practices, decisions, and Discourses (Gee, 2005, 2012) that influenced the situated cognition of this novice “literacy teacher” as he tried out a new tool. This narrative inquiry was guided by the following research questions: 1) what is the experience of a science teacher as he utilizes a science fiction novel in the secondary science classroom, and 2) how does a secondary science teacher meaningfully address scientific literacy through the use of a science fiction novel in a physical science classroom? Participant selection was through purposeful sampling, and data collection consisted of open-ended and story-telling interviews, participant observation, and document review. Data analysis resulted in the re-storying of the participant’s experience as well as insights gained from the story. Major conclusions drawn from this science teacher’s experience were the representation of three differing identities-science teacher, literacy teacher, and coach- through the entirety of the project; the use of a science fiction novel is a viable curricular option for addressing both content literacy and scientific literacy; knowing student learners is essential for strategically teaching a science fiction novel; and support and professional development are required for content teachers as they address content literacy standards. The story of this teacher’s experience and the conclusions gathered will be beneficial to science teachers and all other educators incorporating new approaches or tools while navigating various directives and mandates affecting the classroom in addition to their other professional duties. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

The impact of exposure to elite wheelchair athletes: perceptions of pre-service physical education teachers

This study examined the perceptions of six pre-service physical education teachers on students and athletes who use a wheelchair. The study used qualitative techniques to interview each individual participant twice, once prior to the experiences and once following all experiences. Critical incidents were recorded following each experience, and two focus groups sections were done with all participants. The purpose of these sessions was to get an insightful understanding of how the participants viewed students who use wheelchairs. The findings of this research study have been summarized into six themes: 1) self-confidence is key to success; 2) modification provides opportunity; 3) experience is essential to competence; 4) different but equal; 5) ability levels of athletes; and 6) wheelchair athletic intensity. Although this study included only six pre-service physical education teachers, the themes found in this study could be used for future research or by curriculum designers to better inform the instruction of pre-service teachers on their view of students who use a wheelchair. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Effect of students' behavioral characteristics on teachers' referral decisions in gifted education

Research shows that biases exist in regard to teacher nominations for gifted programs in the areas of student gender, ethnicity, and SES. On the other hand, there is a lack of research regarding behavioral characteristics of the student and the impact of those characteristics on teacher nominations to a gifted program. Additionally, there is a paucity of research that has examined the collective impact of behavioral characteristics of the student in conjunction with other student attributes such as gender, ethnicity, SES, and teacher nominations to gifted programs. For purposes of this study, the behavioral characteristics discussed were positive and negative gifted characteristics found in the literature. This was a quantitative research study using survey research where participants were asked to read and respond to a case vignette. Participants were 633 elementary education teachers from two mid-size school districts in the Southeastern United States. Each participant was randomly assigned one of 16 case vignettes. Eight of the vignettes depicted a student displaying positive gifted characteristics, while the other eight depicted a student displaying negative gifted characteristics. The other student characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and SES were interchangeable among the 16 vignettes. The results of this study show that the student's behavior does play a significant role in the teacher's nomination decision for the gifted program. Results indicated students displaying positive gifted characteristics were three times more likely to be nominated to a gifted program than a student exhibiting negative gifted characteristics. When stratified by various student characteristics (i.e. gender, ethnicity, and SES), teacher nominations were significantly associated with student behavior, with students exhibiting positive gifted characteristics more likely to be nominated than those displaying negative gifted characteristics. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Emotional labor, emotional expression, and emotional control in the K-12 classroom

For quite some time, research has shown an inclination for the portrayal of teaching as a primarily cognitive enterprise (Zembylas, 2003). Though psychological and sociological research has increasingly focused on complexities of emotion and different influences in the formation and expression of emotions, little research has centered on emotional aspects of teachers' lives (Sutton & Wheatley, 2003). Nias (1996), an educational researcher, emphasized that teacher emotions should receive considerable attention since teachers invest themselves in their work and the classroom becomes a main source of self-esteem, vulnerability, and teacher fulfillment. Education research has begun to find connections between positive and negative teacher emotions and the role these emotions play in teachers' professional and personal development (Zembylas, 2003). This study builds upon such research by exploring teachers' emotions in relation to their teaching. This qualitative study took place in a small town located in northwest Georgia and was guided by the following research questions: (1) What might veteran teachers describe as emotional experiences they deem to be important to their classroom teaching practices?; (2) In what ways might a teacher's navigation of emotional experiences contribute to their proficient classroom practices?; and, (3) How might cases of teacher emotion be useful for professional learning? The study involved three highly experienced teachers who interacted with the researcher around the generation and discussion of "cases". The study was conducted over a 12-week period during the Spring semester of the 2010/2011 school year. The researcher worked with the three teachers to generate "cases" regarded as important portrayals of the emotional dimensions of being a teacher. Exploration of teacher emotion was extended by petitioning the participants to expound on particular "cases" to provide a deeper understanding of each teacher's interpretations, reflections, beliefs, feelings, and subsequent reactions to each emotional episode (Nichols & Tippins, 2004). Results from the study contribute insights useful for the emotional preparation of teachers and insights regarding contextual dimensions of being a teacher. The study also offers guidance for emotions based research methodology. The study offers timely insights which may improve teacher retention rates. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Teaching students with severe and multiple disabilities: the implementation of shared stories

This study investigated the results of employing shared story reading during literacy instruction for participants with severe and multiple disabilities. This intervention was conducted in an effort to improve independent responses made by participants with severe and multiple disabilities within a small group on a task analysis during shared stories. The participants of the study were elementary students receiving special education services who were enrolled in two schools within the local educational agency (LEA). The researcher employed a task analysis to identify correct response patterns from participants. The researcher and other professionals implementing related services employed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) techniques in an effort to augment independent correct responses within small group instruction. The UDL techniques incorporated augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and intraverbal training techniques in an effort to promote independence and participation. The researcher provided intraverbal training by presenting various styles of questions during literacy training, and the participants used AAC devices, picture symbols, communication boards, and objects relating to the story to appropriately respond to specific questions from the task analysis. The task analysis measured the students' intraverbal skills, comprehension, and participation. Only the independent responses were incorporated for inclusion into this study; however, general reactions and nonresponsiveness were recorded to facilitate improved participant engagement through UDL planning. This task analysis was employed for each participant during the baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases of the study. Professionals who attended the team planning meetings completed a checklist to ensure that all components of UDL were addressed for each step of the task analysis. The results of the current study indicated that the number of independent correct responses increased for all participants across all phases of the study. The study indicated that the participants engaged during shared story reading by attending to objects, using AAC devices to interact during the story and demonstrate comprehension of text. Taken together with the Browder, Mims, et al. (2008) study, the results of the study suggested that the implementation of UDL components with shared story reading is an effective method to promote literacy learning for students with severe and multiple disabilities. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries