Contextualizing How Undergraduate Students Develop Toward Critical Consciousness
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Contextualizing How Undergraduate Students Develop Toward Critical Consciousness DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Kari Brooke Taylor Graduate Program in Educational Studies The Ohio State University 2017 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Susan R. Jones, Advisor Dr. Marc Johnston-Guerrero Dr. Cynthia Tyson Copyrighted by Kari Brooke Taylor 2017 Abstract The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how interactions between undergraduate students and their learning environments influenced their development toward critical consciousness. Critical consciousness represents a complex way of making meaning of one’s self in relation to one’s social world that is necessary for meeting the demands of today’s diverse democracy and that underlies the ability to demonstrate social responsibility (Freire 1970, 1973; Landreman, Rasmussen, King, & Jiang, 2007). Environments investigated in this case study included curricular and co- curricular experiences associated with a critical service-learning course, the institutional culture of a large public research university, and U.S. society at large. Two sets of research questions guided this study: (1a) What types of interactions between students and their learning environments promote development toward critical consciousness? (1b) How do these types of interactions help students develop critical consciousness? (2a) What types of interactions between students and their learning environments inhibit development toward critical consciousness? (2b) How do these types of interactions stall or interfere with students’ development toward critical consciousness? Case study, grounded upon the respective tenets of interpretivism and critical theory, served as the primary methodology. An undergraduate, semester-long course at a large public research university that focused on complex social issues associated with poverty served as the case. Data collection methods included participant-observation of class sessions; document analysis of course materials and students’ written assignments; ii and three semi-structured interviews with key participants including the lead educator, the graduate teaching assistant, and nine racially and ethnically diverse students. Data were analyzed using narrative inquiry strategies to identify both individual and sociocultural narratives regarding interactions that influenced students’ development toward critical consciousness. The outcome of this case study is a rich, nuanced description of the context of the case, which highlights the characteristics of the educators, students, and curriculum that formed the basis for the interactions that influenced students’ development toward critical consciousness. Also, from this case study, five refrains regarding how interactions promoted and/or inhibited students’ development toward critical consciousness emerged. These five refrains show how students’ beliefs about injustice, engagement in experiential learning opportunities, interactions across racial and ethnic differences, forms of communication during class discussion, and conceptualization of leadership influence students’ ways of making meaning of themselves in relation to their social worlds. This study ultimately enriches understanding of how development toward critical consciousness happens as well as how educators can help foster such development. Also, this study holds important implications for research and practice. In terms of research, this study provides a methodologically innovative and rigorous way to study development in context. In terms of practice, this study provides nuanced recommendations for how to design institutional and departmental policies that support students’ development toward critical consciousness. In addition, it describes specific ways educators can enhance their ability to facilitate learning related to complex social issues. iii This dissertation is dedicated to Dr. Wells1, the educator who made this research possible. May this dissertation help all of us who work within higher education and student affairs know how to carry on her legacy of effecting social change. 1 Because Dr. Wells was a participant in this study, this is a pseudonym designed to maintain her confidentiality. iv Acknowledgments Heroes didn’t leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn’t wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else’s. ― Jodi Picoult, Second Glance My Ph.D. journey has been filled with these types of heroes—people who bleed and bruise because they are supremely human, who listen and love because they are deeply compassionate, and who unknot and untangle because they are extraordinarily wise. Many such heroes made this dissertation possible. I am honored to take this opportunity to acknowledge these individuals. First, I am deeply appreciative of the time, energy, and insights that the LEAD 2100 educators and students invested in this research. Dr. Wells, I wish so dearly that I could hand you a bound copy of this dissertation and thank you in person—perhaps while we enjoyed a meal together and brainstormed ways to implement the findings. But I must trust now that my feelings of gratitude will make their way to you. May my actions as an educator and a scholar always serve to honor your legacy. Elon, I am so grateful for your willingness and ability to assume leadership of LEAD 2100 amidst significant challenges and engage in thoughtful reflection about teaching and learning with me. v Also, I am inspired by your vision for public libraries to function as hubs of community- based learning. Ashely, Chad, Chris, Erica, Jessica, John, Kimberley, Sarah, and Stephanie: Thank you for your authenticity and vulnerability as you discussed your processes for learning about complex social issues. It has been my pleasure and privilege to get to know each of you. I have learned a great deal from the insights you have shared with me throughout this project, and I am excited that readers of this dissertation will be able to learn from you, too. In addition, I am immensely thankful for the support of my advisor, Dr. Susan R. Jones, who has untangled everything from overly complex sentences to deep-seated insecurities as I worked to complete this dissertation. Susan, I deeply value your ability to blend a steadfast commitment to scholarly rigor with genuine compassion for the students whom you advise. Thank you for the opportunities you have provided me throughout the past four years to learn with you and from you. I made it to a successful end of my Ph.D. journey only because of your unwavering support. I also wish to thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Marc Johnston-Guerrero and Dr. Cynthia Tyson. Marc and Cynthia, thank you both for helping promote my own development toward critical consciousness. Marc, I am able to think more carefully and critically about race and ethnicity because of your scholarship and mentorship. Cynthia, I understand how to effect change within my “sphere of influence”—the field of higher education and student affairs—because of your teaching and advising. Thank you, too, to Dr. Tzu-Jung Lin whose use of the microgenetic method to study development compelled me to identify innovative ways to measure the subtle but significant strides students take toward broader ways of making meaning. vi I have also been fortunate to have many mentors who have contributed to my thinking and enhanced my learning. To Marcia Baxter Magolda, thank you for helping me bring my authentic self to my scholarship and for igniting my passion for college student development. To Peter Magolda, thank you for teaching me how to engage in participant-observation and create vivid scenes through writing. To Elisa Abes, thank you for introducing me to service-learning pedagogy and for inviting me to explore critical and diverse perspectives regarding cognitive development. To Jen Gilbride- Brown, thank you for showing me the difference between traditional and critical approaches to service-learning and for reminding me that I am “good enough.” To David Perez, thank you for allowing me to collaborate with you on scholarly projects and for offering unconditional support of my professional goals and interests. I owe thanks, too, to many communities of peers and colleagues who have helped me embark upon and complete my Ph.D. journey. To Susan Jones and members of the Ecuador research team, thank you for helping me better understand how to assess how context influences development. To Pat King, Marcia Baxter Magolda, and members of the Wabash National Study (WNS) qualitative research team, thank you for helping me cultivate the ability to listen to and interpret how students are making meaning of their collegiate learning experiences. To the staff of Ohio State’s Center for the Study of Student Life (CSSL), thank you for helping me learn how to use research and assessment to improve educational practice. I am especially grateful to my supervisor at CSSL, D’Arcy Oaks, for providing the flexibility I needed to balance my commitments as a student and a graduate assistant. To members of Marc Johnston-Guerrero’s research lab, thank you for providing a forum for rich scholarly discussions. To my peers in Ohio vii State’s Higher