A Case Study Describing the Impact of Affective Instructional Interventions in a Community College Composition Course
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Affective Pedagogy: A Case Study Describing the Impact of Affective Instructional Interventions in a Community College Composition Course A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Arts at George Mason University By William T. Schutz Master of Arts California State University, Los Angeles, 2003 Bachelor of Arts California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1994 Director: Kelly Schrum, Associate Professor Higher Education Program/Department of History and Art History Summer Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2017 William T. Schutz All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Paloma, who inspires me in life, and to our daughters, Olivia, April, and Valentina. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I want to acknowledge my amazing wife, Paloma, whose unforgettable support has been absolutely essential in making this work possible. I want her to know that I truly understand the difficult sacrifices she made along the way to help make this finished product a reality. In many ways, this is as much hers as it is mine. I am forever grateful. Secondly, I want to acknowledge the tremendous help of my chair, Dr. Kelly Schrum, who worked with me regularly on an unbelievably consistent basis and always offered invaluable feedback and practical guidance which was immensely beneficial. All that I can say is that I have been incredibly lucky to have had such an invested professional as my chair. Additionally, I would also like to acknowledge the wonderful help I received from committee member Dr. Shelley Reid, whose brilliantly insightful comments on my work throughout the process were critically important and assisted in making this a final product. Thank you also to Dr. Lesley Smith, who supported me from the very start and was responsible for helping to get this project off the ground and in motion. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Jan Arminio, who was always supportive as the director of the Higher Education Program and a member of my committee. Special mention goes to Dr. John O’Connor as well who was helpful as an inspiring teacher. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 4 Significance of the Problem .......................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .................................................................................. 13 Definition .................................................................................................................... 14 Overview of Affect ..................................................................................................... 20 General Content Areas .......................................................................................... 20 English Composition ............................................................................................. 23 Critique of Literature .................................................................................................. 26 Research Studies on Affect in General Content Areas ......................................... 27 Research Studies on Affect in English Composition ............................................ 40 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................... 49 Methodological Approach .......................................................................................... 52 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 55 Site and Participant Selection ............................................................................... 56 Propositions and Framework ................................................................................ 59 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 61 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 68 Trustworthiness ..................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results ............................................................................... 78 Research Question One Data Analysis: Interventions’ Impact on Student Experiences ................................................................................................................. 79 Pre-Intervention Data ............................................................................................ 79 Post-Intervention Data .......................................................................................... 80 Post-Intervention Positive Responses (Research Question One) .......................... 84 Representative Student Responses for Research Question One ........................... 89 Conclusions About Interventions’ Impact on Students’ Experiences ................. 105 Research Question Two Data Analysis: Interventions’ Impact on Student Approaches to Learning ................................................................................................................ 106 Pre-Intervention Data .......................................................................................... 106 Post-Intervention Data ........................................................................................ 107 v Representative Student Responses for Research Question Two ......................... 114 Conclusions About Interventions’ Impact on Students’ Approaches to Learning .............................................................................................................. 129 Research Question Three Data Analysis: Interventions’ Impact on Student Perceptions of Themselves as Writers ...................................................................... 130 Pre-Intervention Data .......................................................................................... 130 Post-Intervention Data ........................................................................................ 131 Representative Student Responses for Research Question Three ....................... 140 Conclusions About Interventions’ Impact on Student Perceptions of Themselves as Writers ............................................................................................................ 156 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................. 157 Summary of Study .................................................................................................... 157 Discussion of Findings .............................................................................................. 158 Comparison of Study .......................................................................................... 159 Interpretations of Findings .................................................................................. 161 Implications for Policy and Practice ......................................................................... 168 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 171 Recommendations for Future Research .................................................................... 173 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 177 Appendix A. Outline Of Affective Instructional Intervention Procedure ....................... 180 Appendix B. Questions for Pre-Affective Intervention Written Responses ................... 183 Appendix C. Questions for Post-Affective Intervention Written Responses ................. 185 Appendix D. Survey Questions....................................................................................... 187 Appendix E. Questions for Post-Affective Intervention Interviews ............................... 188 Appendix F. List of Major and Minor Themes for Research Question One .................. 189 Appendix G. List of Major and Minor Themes for Research Question Two ................. 190 Appendix H. List of Major and Minor Themes for Research Question Three ............... 191 References ....................................................................................................................... 192 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 1 Grouping of Post-Intervention Responses (N = 20) ......................................... 132 Table 2 Breakdown of Post-Intervention Positive Responses (N = 20) ........................ 136