DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/ZMFD-SE66
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6077-9341
Defense Date
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Education
First Advisor
Hillary Parkhouse
Second Advisor
Jesse Senechal
Third Advisor
William Muth
Fourth Advisor
Fantasy Lozada
Abstract
The variety of student needs in educational spaces reflects the diversity of students' cultures, races, and ethnicities. The educator-student cultural mismatch in PK-12 schooling means that students are often in educational spaces that do not reflect or recognize their culture. Even if educators receive training on working with diverse student populations in preparation programs, once teachers start their careers, they still need professional development (PD) support in this area. Proper training and support can help educators understand their beliefs and assumptions, the complex structures within educational systems, and how power structures can create and perpetuate inequities.
This dissertation’s line of research examines action research as a form of PD to support equity pedagogy and, more specifically, culturally responsive education. The first manuscript systematically synthesizes fifteen studies that use action research as a form of PD for equity pedagogy. This review lays the groundwork for developing ways to understand how to provide training and support for in-service teachers as our educational spaces continue to diversify. The second manuscript examines how critical action research can help educators develop reflexivity, which is the ability to realize assumptions about oneself and to relate those assumptions to actions or beliefs. The third manuscript uses the lens of adaptive expertise to focus on how critical action research helps educators develop enduring, culturally responsive practices. Those with adaptive expertise efficiently and innovatively incorporate effective skills, knowledge, or information into novel situations and critically examine practices and strategies to understand how or why they work.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
12-6-2023