Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2011 Self-authorship in undergraduate students in a blended-learning multicultural course Vicki Rae Abel Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons Recommended Citation Abel, Vicki Rae, "Self-authorship in undergraduate students in a blended-learning multicultural course" (2011). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 12131. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/12131 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Self-authorship in undergraduate students in a blended-learning multicultural course by Vicki Ziegler Abel A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Education (Curriculum and Instructional Technology) Program of Study Committee: Patricia Leigh, Co-Major Professor James McShay, Co-Major Professor Nana Osei-Kofi Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2011 Copyright © Vicki Ziegler Abel, 2011. All rights reserved.. ii Dedication I would like to dedicate this thesis to my father and mother, Donald and Glennys (Tyser) Ziegler, who started me on this journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ vii PREFACE .............................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................. 2 Research Question ........................................................................................................ 4 Chapter Outline ............................................................................................................. 4 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 6 Self-Authorship ............................................................................................................. 7 Self-Authorship Defined ......................................................................................... 7 Learning Partnerships Model ................................................................................ 12 Diversity Education .................................................................................................... 13 Diversity Initiatives ............................................................................................... 15 Theory and Practice of Intergroup Dialogue ........................................................ 19 E-learning: Technology in Education ......................................................................... 25 Blended Learning .................................................................................................. 27 Online Discussions................................................................................................ 29 Technology and Multicultural Education ................................................................... 32 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 39 Context for the Research ............................................................................................. 39 The Course: University Studies 150: Dialogues on Diversity .............................. 39 Research Participants ............................................................................................ 42 The Participant Researcher ................................................................................... 47 Research Design.......................................................................................................... 47 Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 47 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 49 Trustworthiness ........................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ............................................................ 52 Evidence of Self-Authorship....................................................................................... 53 Cognitive ............................................................................................................... 53 Intrapersonal ......................................................................................................... 60 Interpersonal ......................................................................................................... 67 U St 150 ...................................................................................................................... 74 Facilitation ............................................................................................................ 75 Resistance ............................................................................................................. 79 Late Postings—An Explanation ............................................................................ 81 Value of Combining Face-To-Face with Online .................................................. 85 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 87 iv CHAPTER 5. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION ................................................................. 89 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 89 Support of Self-Authorship Development in U St 150 ............................................... 90 Self-Reporting of Self-Authorship Growth .......................................................... 90 Support of Online Portion for Self-Authorship Growth ....................................... 93 Insights and Recommendations .................................................................................. 98 Further Study ............................................................................................................ 100 Delimitations/Limitations ......................................................................................... 101 Summary ................................................................................................................... 102 APPENDIX A. APPROVED INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ................................................. 104 APPENDIX B. RUBRIC FOR ANALYSIS OF COGNITIVE MATURITY..................... 105 APPENDIX C. RUBRIC FOR ANALYSIS OF INTRAPERSONAL MATURITY ......... 106 APPENDIX D. RUBRIC FOR ANALYSIS OF INTERPERSONAL MATURITY .......... 107 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 108 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. A Summary of Some Information about the Six Students.........................................44 Table 2. Sources from Which Data Were Gathered ................................................................48 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who supported me in working on this research and thesis. Without my husband, Bryce, and his steady encouragement, this work would not have been completed. Our children and their families, my siblings and extended family, and our many friends have provided invaluable support. Special thanks must go to Dr. Patricia Leigh and Dr. James McShay for their questions, guidance and direction throughout the process of developing this thesis. Many other professors have provided insights and guidance. vii ABSTRACT Self-authorships provided the theoretical lens for this exploration of a blended learning multicultural course. Universities must help students develop a complex array of capacities to function effectively in today‘s interconnected world. Self-authorship provides a framework to analyze student development across three domains: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Self-authorship development can be fostered through the use of the Learning Partnerships Model. This qualitative study used the theory of self-authorship to analyze interactions in the online discussion portion of one section of twenty-one students in a multicultural course at a rural Midwestern university. The course used dialogic principles in a blended learning environment, combining face-to-face interactions with an online platform which supported online journaling, a variety of resources including articles and videos, and an online discussion