In this dissertation, I engage in three analytic cuts to think about/with a relational ontological orientation to data and data literacies/science education. The analysis focuses on the following question: What possibilities for teaching and learning about data are made possible when we attune to the relational, noisy, liminal, and material…

Educational reforms have a tendency to fade or divert in unproductive ways. To disrupt this cycle and understand why unwanted practices persist and new ones distort, the supports that sustain practices need to be considered. In this study, I use action research to examine the supports of institutionalized patterns of practice within the classroom…

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) project was to engage in strategic inquiry to improve teaching and learning in the interprofessional education (IPE) program at Pacific University. An action research approach was used to engage stakeholders in cycles of research to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the program, as well…

This study explores the perceptions of civic engagement among graduate students in the Ivorian higher education system, utilizing Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) as the methodological framework. The study identifies key themes through qualitative analysis, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities within the institutional…

This critical bricolage study interrogated colonial mentality (CM) among six Filipina educators who are members of the Decolonial Studies Research Network through "kuwentuhan" (storytelling) sessions and used insights gathered from the "kuwentuhan" sessions to facilitate a group ideation session with the participants on how…

The landscape of undergraduate biology education has been shaped by decades of reform efforts calling for instruction to integrate core concepts and scientific skills as a means of helping students become proficient in the discipline. Assessments can be used to make inferences about how these reform efforts have translated into changes in…

Separating students in a variety of ways from one another in school systems based on either their perceived abilities or the part they may play in the future world is a codified component of systemic public educational systems. Much pontificating and research has been devoted to reflecting on these stratifying and segregating practices, especially…

The digital turn in higher education has been described as potentially transformative for students' access, participation, and learning in higher education. However, for undergraduate students, digital literacy practices and genres are often repurposed to scaffold the reproduction of historically dominant academic literacy practices and…

As the content knowledge of the world grows, so do the demands placed upon our educational system. These demands come from a variety of sources--local, state, national, and corporate agencies. Critical to meeting these demands are the knowledge, skills, and practices teachers need to educate today's youth. Researchers in the area of teachers'…

The topic of interdisciplinarity has attracted interest and attention in academia for several decades. The intention behind interdisciplinarity is that bringing together experts from different disciplines--who have different knowledge and skills but shared interests or goals--will generate innovative ideas and novel approaches to societal and…

Developmental education is the starting point for many 1st-year college students, especially from underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations. One such 1st-year program linked block-scheduled academic skill-development courses with a required interdisciplinary general education science course where instruction was provided…

Ongoing educational reforms and the accountability movement in public education can pose significant challenges for teachers as they strive to meet a critical, social-justice vision for the social studies. Teachers' continued professional growth and learning are viewed as the main factors towards achieving this goal; however, quite often the…

This dissertation has seven chapters. In chapter one, I discuss through why I am doing this dissertation, my positionality, and how I learned from and with all of my committee members. Chapter two is where I situate my dissertation study through developing a social theory of quantitative literacy by translating a social theory of literacy (Barton…

The integration of oral health into health professions education and practice, or oral health integration, is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States health care system. Health professions faculty must be ready to engage in curriculum change to incorporate oral health clinical competencies in the education and training of future…

This study sought to understand concerns and levels of use of a group of teachers in the process of developing a project-based learning (PBL) program, and the effect of a change facilitator on these processes. The research was guided by the following research questions: One, what are the concerns of teachers regarding the planning of a PBL…