VOICES OF WITNESS, MESSAGES OF HOPE: MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND TRANSACTIONAL RESPONSE IN A LITERATURE-BASED HOLOCAUST STUDIES CURRICULUM DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Alexander Anthony Hernandez, B.A., M.Ed. ***** The Ohio State University 2004 Dissertation Committee: Professor Janet Hickman, Advisor Approved by: Professor Evelyn B. Freeman Professor Anna O. Soter ________________________ Adviser College of Education Copyright by Alexander Anthony Hernandez 2004 ABSTRACT The professional literature of the Holocaust is replete with research, references, and recommendations that a study of the Holocaust, particularly for middle and high school students, is most effective when combined with an extensive use of Holocaust literature. Scholars and educators alike advocate the use of first-person testimony whenever and wherever possible in order to personalize the Holocaust lessons for the student. This study explore students’ responses to first-person Holocaust narratives through the lens of reader response theory in order to determine if prolonged engagement with the literature enhances affective learning. This study also explores the students’ sense of personal ethics and their perceptions on moral decision-making. By examining their responses during prolonged engagement with first-person narratives, herein referred to as witness narratives, and evaluating these responses based on moral development theories developed by Kohlberg and Gilligan, the study also seeks to determine whether there are significant differences in the nature of response that can be attributed to gender. Lastly, the study explores students’ views on racism, and how or if an extended lesson on the Holocaust causes affective change in students’ perceptions of racism and their role in combating it within our society. ii DEDICATION Dedicated to the memory of my father, Alexander E. Hernandez, M.D. I made it, Papi! To my loving and supportive wife, Mary Kate, you are my soul. To my children, you are my inspiration: Katherine Marianne, the joy of my life who has given me an additional joy, my granddaughter, Mackenzie. Alexander Anthony III, my personal hero U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This world needs more like you! Patrick Michael, aka “George Gibbs,” “Oscar Madison” and “Conrad Birdie” I’ve never known anyone who loves life and enjoys life quite like you! Kevin Robert Mellett, your mother said you would “keep us young,” and you have! And to Elie Wiesel and Vladka Meed, survivors of the Shoah whose lives have influenced my teaching. You have had a marked impact on my students’ learning. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS No one writes a doctoral dissertation alone, and I am no exception. With this said, there are many people I must thank, for without them, this would never have come to fruition: My wife Mary Kate, for her undying support and encouragement during the many years of teaching, studying, researching, writing, and the weeks and months spent in Poland, Israel, New York, Washington, D.C., and other places too numerous to mention in pursuit of a dream. You kept me sane. My children, Katie, Tony, Pat, and Kevin, who put up with my absences, even when I was home, and never gave up on me. Benjamin and Vladka Meed, and the staff of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, New York City, for providing the opportunity to see first-hand the death camps of Poland, and to study at the International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, and at Kibbutz Beit Lohamei Hagetaot (The Ghetto Fighters’ House) in Western Galilee, Israel. Morris Dach, Alfred Tibor, Murray Ebner, Mannè Aronovsky, and Kurt Thomas, survivors of the Shoah who over the years have selflessly shared their lives and stories with my students. iv Ron and Irene Kohr, Bradley Hoffman, Sam Nahem, and the Columbus Holocaust Education Council, who graciously provided funding and resources, as well as encouraement, over the many years of research and writing. Professor Herbert Hochhouser of Kent State University, who started my feet along the path. Elaine Culbertson, for being my colleague, my mentor, and my friend. Stephen Feinberg, Daniel Napolitano, Warren Marcus, and the staff of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. for extending their support and making available to me the immeasurable resources of the Museum. My colleagues at work, who kept encouraging me to “stick with it” over the years of trying to balance being a full-time teacher, full-time student, and full-time parent, all at the same time. Dr. Murphy Moultry, who gave up a considerable portion of his free time to edit, proofread, make suggestions, and provide encouragement. David Grube, Ellen Bisping, Hannah Edelman, Mike Madden, Noel Roni, Heather McMurray, Paula Titon, and Amiee Young. We walked the paths at Auschwitz, Majdanek, Treblinka, Jerusalem, and Galilee together - l’chaim! My committee, Professors Janet Hickman, Rudine Sims Bishop, Evelyn Freeman, and Anna Soter, without whose encouragement and more-than-occasional prodding, this dissertation would still be just a dream waiting to happen. Lastly but far from least, those students who every year fill my classroom. They are the reason we educators must strive to become better mentors, facilitators, and scholars. In particular, my very own “Dirty Dozen,” the twelve students who formed the v focus group for this research, who shared their insights, their hopes, and their innermost feelings with me, and graciously allowed me to share them with the world. They are truly the reason I look forward to going to work every day. vi VITA August 22, 1950……………………………………………………… Born, Havana Cuba June, 1975…………………………………………………. B.A., University of Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland August, 1995…………………………………………... M.Ed., The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1995 – Present………………………………..……………………...…Classroom Teacher Columbus Public Schools Columbus, Ohio 2000……………………………………………………………….Mandel Teacher Fellow United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, D.C. PUBLICATIONS Hernandez, A. (2001). “Telling the Tale: Sharing Elie Wiesel’s Night with Middle School Readers.” English Journal 91(2), 54-60. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field of Study Education Studies in Young Adult Literature Dr. Janet Hickman Studies in Multicultural Literature Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop Studies in Holocaust/Jewish Literature Dr. Evelyn B. Freeman Studies in Response to Literature Dr. Anna O. Soter vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract …………………………………………………………………………. ii Dedication ………………………………………………………………………. iii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………... iv Vita ……………………………………………………………………………… vii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………… ix Chapters: 1. Statement of Problem ……..………………………………………….… 1 2. Review of the Literature ………………………………………………... 18 3. The Methodology ……………………………………………………….. 68 4. The Findings ……………………………………………………………. 106 5. Conclusions/Implications for Future Study ……….…………………….. 197 Appendices: A. Pre-Study Questionaire ………………………………………………… 220 B. Post-Study Survey “Self and Morality” ……………………………..…. 223 C. Illustrations and Photographs …………………………………………... 224 Bibliography/Videography .…………………………………………………….. 236 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Pyramid of Hate………………………………………………………………. 7 C.1 Gas chamber monument, Treblinka death camp……………………………… 224 C.2 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial…………………………………………… 224 C.3 Auschwitz-Bierkenau………………………………………………………….. 225 C.4 “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate, Auschwitz…………………………………………. 225 C.5 Classroom bulletin board display……………………………………………… 226 C.6 With Elie Wiesel………………………………………………………………. 227 “Wall of Remembrance” Student Artwork: C.7 Alyssa………………………………………………………………………….. 228 C.8 James………………………………………………………………………...… 229 C.9 Aneesha…………………………………………………………………...…… 229 C.10 Alicia…………………………………………………………………………... 230 C.11 Kayla………………………………………………………………………...… 230 C.12 Rae…………………………………………………………………………….. 231 C.13 Alex…………………………………………………………………………… 231 C.14 Shakira……………………………………………………………………….... 232 C.15 Marie………………………………………………………………………….. 232 C.16 Felipe…………………………………………………………………………. 233 ix C.17 Martin………………………………………………………………………… 233 C.18 Walt……………………………………………………………………………234 C.19 “Wall of Remembrance”……………………………………………………. 235 x CHAPTER 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM In the Beginning My family emigrated from Cuba when I was five years old. As a result, I grew up in a very patriarchal household, and was raised with very conservative, very Catholic values. These values were reinforced through my elementary and secondary schooling, under the auspices of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Xavierian Brothers. It is a fair statement therefore that I carried these values with me when at the “young” age of forty-four I decided to leave the business world, which had been my home for twenty years, and plunge head-first into the world of the public school teacher. By this point, I had four children of my own, all of whom attended the public schools in the District where I was hired. Much to the chagrin of my two older sons, I was hired to teach Reading/Language Arts at the middle school they attended. Coming from the business world, I was convinced that I had all the answers to the problems of public education – after all, I knew what it took to survive in the real world, and I knew what the business world demanded of those seeking admission. I was not some young twenty-something fresh out of college; I had experience! 1 And