Invoking Student Voices As a Third Space in The
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INVOKING STUDENT VOICES AS A THIRD SPACE IN THE EXAMINATION OF A NATIONAL IDENTITY A Dissertation Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Teresa Gilmore-Mason May, 2015 INVOKING STUDENT VOICES AS A THIRD SPACE IN THE EXAMINATION OF A NATIONAL IDENTITY Teresa Gilmore-Mason Dissertation Approved: Accepted: ________________________________ _________________________________ Advisor Interim Department Chair Dr. Brad Maguth Dr. Peggy L. McCann ________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Interim Dean of the College Dr. Alfred Daviso Dr. Susan G. Clark ________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Interim Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Suzanne MacDonald Dr. Rex D. Ramsier ________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Date Dr. Jennifer Milam ________________________________ Committee Member Dr. Renee Mudrey-Camino ii ABSTRACT This research was designed and conducted in order to examine the life experience of secondary students as they negotiate government/civics course work in the development of a national identity. Critical to a nation’s future, it is an exercise of a civic obligation to (a) examine the language and discourse of government/civics programs of study and the historical metanarrative of required K-11 civic education as social constructs with the narrative potential to affect the identity and agency of youth and (b) better understand the impact of “pedagogical places” on students’ structured consciousness of a national identity. Within the framework of a social constructionist epistemology, this qualitative investigation employed a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology complemented by the data collection tool of in-depth interviewing with the intent to understand the lived experiences of the students and the meaning students ascribe to a specific experience through storytelling. The conversation generated at the intersection of the interview and the resulting narrative revealed that students’ structured consciousness of a national identity is consistently influenced through their knowledge of conceptual interpretations and relationships, a search for association between identity of self and identity of country, and a knowledge of other as encountered during government/civics coursework while only indirectly affected by the historical metanarrative of required K-11 social studies coursework. iii Interestingly, “pedagogical places” as a Third Space for civic education manifested through student voice, appear to play a competitive role to the traditional civic education classroom in the students’ structured consciousness of a national identity. These findings (a) profoundly address the gap in the current body of civic education knowledge that underrepresents the voice of students and (b) suggest greater attention should be paid to the opportunity for student self-discovery and to the durability and trustworthiness of content material as vital in the civic education of students. As the civic education of students continues to expand beyond the traditional social studies classroom to other “pedagogical places” for learning, to compete, civic-related curriculums must incorporate space for student agency, interest, and lived experiences. iv DEDICATION For my Dad From whom I learned – To appreciate solitude and the gift of living every single day, perseverance and courage in the presence of adversity, and love. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my Mom whose sage advice, “Know your worth,” has guided me throughout my entire life. To the nuns at St. Patrick’s Elementary School, whose dedication to teaching inspired my lifelong love affair with education and the classroom. To Gayle Smith and Brenda Smith Lumpkin, my cohorts in crime and social studies, respectively, throughout college. To Dr. Sarah White, my Qual II professor at The University of Bath (UK), whose near perfect mark on my final exam/project spoke faith and confidence in my academic ability besides the fact that it was just a “really big deal.” To Dr. Andy Stables, my Independent Research professor at The University of Bath (UK), who taught me the most valuable qualitative concepts for producing meaningful knowledge—interrelatedness and intersubjectivity. To Natalie, Helen, Gozda, Amelia, and Sara, my MRes collaborators and accomplices at The University of Bath – misery does love company, only kidding. To Dr. Renee Mudrey-Camino for agreeing to serve on my doctoral committee and for writing the most inspirational comments on my numerous papers in her class. vi To Dr. Suzanne MacDonald, I value our conversations about education, the concept of space as it influences our lived experiences and how we see the world, and =your valuable advice throughout the dissertation process. To Dr. Al Daviso, your energy is infectious! The phrases “get it done” and “50 percent” will never mean the same again to me. Thank you, thank you for your faith in my ability and work. To Dr. Brad Maguth, I am eternally grateful for your inestimable command of civic education, generosity of spirit and time, willingness to respond to my incessant emails, and saying “yes” to Jenn’s request. For all this, my dissertation just might be worth reading. To Dr. Jenn Milam, what a serendipitous pairing—doc student and advisor! You know, as do I, how very special you are and how enriched I am by knowing you. To my mother, my daughters Jennifer and Kristin, and my sister Lynne, thanks for continuing to phone and email even though I was always in the midst of writing, researching, organizing or reading. Your support, faith, and at times, consolation, in this prodigious academic endeavor were and will always be considered gifts of love. Jennifer, really, it is not worse than an enema. To Greg, I am forever grateful for your staunch belief in my tenacity to accomplish my dreams, your inspiring words at just the right time, and all that you have done to support this life-altering project of self-discovery. To Josie, your friendship has always sustained my attempts at normalcy, including this one. vii Lastly, to Anne, my editor, confidant, dictionary and friend for over 31 years, your endurance is amazing. I owe you more than time will permit me to repay, I am sure. Thank you for always being there. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 3 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 4 Research Question ................................................................................................ 5 Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................... 6 National Identity and Civic Education ............................................................. 7 Lived Experience .............................................................................................. 8 Structured Consciousness ................................................................................. 8 Pedagogical Places ........................................................................................... 8 Third Space ....................................................................................................... 9 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................... 11 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 12 II. LITERATURE AND PREVIOUS RESEARCH REVIEW ..................................... 15 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 15 Civic Education ..................................................................................................... 16 ix A Global Perspective ........................................................................................ 18 A National Perspective ..................................................................................... 21 A Local Perspective .......................................................................................... 30 Status of Civics Education PK-12 .................................................................... 31 Standards and Curriculum as Narratives .......................................................... 36 National Identity ................................................................................................... 39 From an International Perspective .................................................................... 40 From an American Perspective ........................................................................ 43 Summary ............................................................................................................... 50 III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 52 Introduction ..........................................................................................................