The objective of this action research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a six-month financial education intervention for Appalachian artists by measuring and observing changes in financial knowledge, financial self-efficacy, and financial behaviors and by assessing participants? perception of the program. By all measures, the financial…

There is little research on the historical significance of how and why Black visual artists made the choice to eradicate racism and dismantle inequitable, dehumanizing, and racialized education policies and practices. The methodology of this qualitative study was anchored in the constructivist learning theory; reality pedagogy; and technological…

This dissertation discovers a hybrid collaborative curation and creation exhibition project at the Florida State University's Museum of Fine Arts. This research serves as a tangible application to integrate the third place theory (Oldenburg, 1997) and constructivist museum practices (Hein, 1998) under the umbrella of participatory action research.…

Integrating contemporary artmaking practices, specifically approaches to matter (which includes materials, objects, bodies, spaces, etc.) within PK-12 art education, has potential to open pathways for artmaking, meaning, and identity formation. However, art education literature suggests that translation of contemporary artmaking practices into…

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree has been the terminal degree in music performance, composition, and conducting in North America since the early 1950s. Originally met with criticism, some of which continues to this day, the DMA continues to serve as the gateway for applied music-makers that wish to join the academy. This document…

In an ever-changing environment, higher education must be able to adapt with the times, and key players will be administrators who are prepared for the future. Artists have special skill sets and perspectives which uniquely prepare them for leadership roles, so the purpose of this qualitative dissertation in practice was to identify traits of…

How might teacher educators build a reflective and supportive community of practice with pre-service teachers? How might a visual (intermedia) journaling practice support critical and reflective thinking? How might an arts-based intermedia approach to analysis inform teacher educator pedagogical methods? These questions evolved and emerged…

Illustrators of children's books work in a unique profession: Their practices are at the intersection of various, sometimes opposing, forces including their personal, artistic vision, their professional conventions, and the social, educational functions of their books. Involving five accomplished contemporary illustrators of children's picture…

There exists a cognitive dissonance between the current state of educational delivery systems and the preparatory needs of the non-traditional student who desires a professional life outside of the cultural norm. The aspiring professional painter, musician, poet, actor, novelist, photographer, or dancer all fall into an educational category that…

This phenomenological study examined how students at a large, urban community college experienced being an artist, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also investigated the ways these students made meaning of their arts experiences. The research design was based upon the model outlined in "Interpretative Phenomenological…

This arts-based inquiry explores historical and contemporary configurations of state-sponsored transnational teachers, or those who teach overseas in programs that are financially and/or programmatically supported by their home government. In the U.S., some examples of state-sponsored transnational teaching programs include the Peace Corps, the…

Through intentionally designed authentic professional learning experiences, artist-teachers can be provided with opportunities of value. The purpose of this qualitative study is to increase understanding of the indicators of professional learning experiences within a community of practice that create value for arts educators. This qualitative…

Given that arts integration and engaging in arts processes is a productive pathway to helping learners make deeper connections to content and making sense of their world, the work to be done is supporting a shift in teaching practices. This dissertation examines artist/teacher partnerships across periods of planning, teaching and reflection to…

Documents pervade modern life, and the nature of these documents influences the way we understand and engage with reality. Among these documents are ones we create about ourselves, as evidence of some aspect of the self--such self-documentation is increasingly salient. This dissertation is a phenomenology-of-practice study of one form of…

STEM is a well-known acronym describing the intersections of science, technology, engineering, and math. Emerging from this paradigm is a relatively new interdisciplinary model entitled STEAM. STEAM endeavors to intersperse "the arts" into the sciences with the expectation of increasing student engagement and skills within the sciences.…