Curriculum and Instruction Electronic Theses and Dissertations (UMKC)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Division of Curriculum and Instruction. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Kansas City. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Translanguaging in the English medium instruction classroom: a heuristic critical ethnography(2025) Parisi, Michaela C.; Barger, RitaThis heuristic critical ethnography explores the experiences of both multilingual and monolingual students in an English Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom implementing translanguaging pedagogy (TP) at a linguistically diverse public high school in the Midwestern United States. The study investigates how TP shapes student engagement, identity, and academic experiences by encouraging the use of students’ full linguistic repertoires within classroom instruction and interaction. The translanguaging classroom itself serves as the unit of analysis, providing a lens into the social, emotional, and academic dynamics that emerge in EMI spaces where language is treated as a resource rather than a barrier. Grounded in translanguaging theory (García & Wei, 2014), sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978), and critical theory, this qualitative study utilized classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to capture nuanced perceptions and practices. Data analysis revealed four central themes: Building Classroom Community, Teacher as Reflective Practitioner, Language as Identity, and Equity Tensions. These themes demonstrate how translanguaging not only supports linguistic access and identity affirmation for multilingual learners but also facilitates inclusive collaboration and empathy among monolingual students. The teacher’s reflective practice emerged as instrumental in fostering an environment where translanguaging was embedded in both pedagogy and classroom culture. At the same time, findings illuminated persistent equity tensions, including linguistic hierarchies and systemic barriers that affect students’ access to language resources and participation. These findings underscore the potential of translanguaging pedagogy to advance equity in EMI classrooms, while also highlighting the institutional limitations that constrain its full implementation. This study contributes to the growing field of research on translanguaging in secondary EMI contexts, offering implications for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers seeking to foster more inclusive, linguistically responsive educational environments. It calls for professional development, structural support, and policy reform that center students’ linguistic and cultural resources as assets for learning and belonging.Item Multidimensional predictors of English language proficiency: MSEM analysis in Saudi EFL students in higher education(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2025) Aljubran, Mohammed Saeed A.; Wei, Michael, 1968-Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and the PERMA well-being framework, this multilevel study surveyed 3,980 Saudi English-major undergraduates nested within 185 professors and 91 academic advisors to examine how student characteristics, professors’ need-supportive teaching (NST), and advisors’ well-being jointly influence English Language Proficiency (ELP). Earlier age of English acquisition negatively predicted ELP, whereas higher motivation, favorable personality traits, and positive attitudes showed significant positive effects; a reading-oriented learning style had a small negative association and gender effects were nonsignificant. When professor-level variables were added, instructional involvement emerged as the strongest NST dimension, significantly boosting student proficiency. Advisor analyses revealed that advisors’ positive relationships dimension uniquely elevated ELP after accounting for student and professor factors. Collectively, the integrated model explained nearly half of the variance in proficiency, underscoring that motivated learners achieve higher ELP when guided by involved professors and relationally engaged advisors within Saudi higher education.Item Who do you think you are? An arts-based narrative inquiry of teacher personal identity and professional learning(2025) Smith, Yalonda Chanell; Davis, Donna M. (Donna Marie); Schlein, CandaceThe connection between identity and teacher professional learning is fundamental, as teachers’ development of effective classroom practices is intricately linked to their sense of self. Teachers’ self-concept plays a vital role in shaping their professional goals and actions, encompassing aspects of their professional identity, self-hood, and future aspirations. Current approaches to professional learning often lack a focus on teachers’ lived experiences, which are essential for understanding their capacity to both learn and teach. As a result, district and school leadership practices might be questioned whether there is adequate consideration of the personal “self” when planning professional learning opportunities. Using arts-based narrative inquiry grounded in heuristic and soliloquy methodologies, this study engaged eight teachers from an urban Midwestern public school district. Participants completed multiple data sources: a demographic survey, the Twenty Statements Test (TST) surveys, an "I Am From…" poem, and a semi-structured interview. Data were analyzed using narrative and thematic coding across all sources, drawing on Clandinin and Connelly’s three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework. This proposed research study explored one central question: How do teachers describe their professional learning experiences? This exploration includes two sub questions: (1) How do teachers define professional learning? (2) How do teachers perceive their own personal identity? This study contributes to the field by centering teacher voice and identity in discussions of professional learning. It suggests that effective teacher development must move beyond surface-level pedagogical training to include reflective, identity-informed, and culturally responsive practices. These findings have implications for school leaders, teacher educators, and policymakers seeking to design sustainable professional learning that affirms teacher identity while fostering instructional growth.Item Quenching mechanisms in recently quenched elliptical galaxies: insights from neutral hydrogen studies and environmental analysis(2025) Deo, Deepak Kumar; Rulis, Paul Michael, 1976-; Schlein, CandaceRecently Quenched Elliptical galaxies (RQEs) represent a critical phase in the transition from star-forming to quiescent galaxies. However, the mechanisms driving their quenching remain elusive. We conduct a multi-wavelength analysis of 695 RQEs, along with their precursors (preRQEs) and descendants (postRQEs), focusing on their neutral hydrogen (HI) content and star formation properties. Contrary to conventional quenching models emphasizing gas depletion, RQEs retain substantial HI reservoirs (fgas ≥ 17%), suggesting that quenching is not primarily driven by gas exhaustion. We identify a critical halo mass threshold at log(Mhalo) = 12.1 M⊙, delineating different evolutionary pathways for RQEs. This threshold aligns with the transition from cold-mode to hot-mode gas accretion in theoretical models. RQEs in lower-mass halos (log Mhalo < 12.1M⊙) likely experience rapid quenching, possibly initiated by major mergers, followed by brief AGN activity and sustained LINER emission. We propose two evolutionary pathways: (a) rapid quenching via major mergers followed by AGN/LINER activity and passive evolution, and (b) rapid quenching followed by rejuvenation through minor mergers before evolving into more massive, long-term quenched ellipticals. These results challenge the conventional understanding of galaxy quenching, especially in low-density environments where RQEs typically reside. Our findings suggest that while RQEs may follow a rapid quenching pathway, their evolution is influenced by interactions between gas accretion modes, feedback mechanisms, and environmental factors. Future observations with advanced radio interferometers like SKA will be crucial for elucidating the quenching mechanisms in RQEs and their role in galaxy evolution.Item Whatever you can do is the best thing: insights into how youth in personalized learning environments perceive civic engagement(2024) Schmer, Bevin N. L.; Strekalova-Hughes, Ekaterina; Skidmore, Max J., 1933-An engaged and active citizenry is essential to a functional democracy. Historically, the purpose of public schools has been to prepare young people with the knowledge and skills to be civically engaged. However, the civic education pedagogy and curriculum often do not use approaches likely to meet this goal, whether due to narrowed curriculum due to standardized testing, or due to not being culturally responsive to the learner. At the same time, research had not been done on newer approaches that may better support civic engagement in youth like personalized learning. Currently there is a narrative in the research that young people are civically disengaged or are unprepared to be active and engaged citizens. Despite this narrative, there is evidence that youth may be participating in ways not traditionally measured. There is a need for additional research, centered around youth voices, to gain a better understanding of how youth perceive civic engagement and how they believe they develop civic engagement. This phenomenological qualitative study used surveys and interviews to gain insight into how Generation Z high school seniors in personalized learning environments perceive civic engagement and its development. This study was guided by two research questions: 1. How do high school seniors in a personalized learning environment perceive civic engagement? and 2. How do high school seniors in a personalized learning environment believe they develop civic engagement? The theoretical frameworks guiding this study were empowerment theory and experiential learning. This study was set in a personalized learning program within a school district. Thirty-three survey responses were collected and 10 interviews were conducted. Data was analyzed using a qualitative analysis spiral, codes were identified, and themes were developed. The eight themes were (a) informed agency, (b) civic engagement as a current, persistent, and collaborative action, (c) emphasis on civic skills over civic knowledge, (d) developing civic engagement from a broad spectrum of classes, (e) developing civic engagement through experiences outside of school, (f) developing civic engagement through self-directed continuous learning, and (g) learning aligned with personalized learning. This research provides support for national and state level agencies to re-evaluate the role, support classroom teachers in cross-curricular learning experiences by creating cross-curricular crosswalks, adjust graduation requirements to allow for more release time for internships and other outside of the classroom learning experiences, and explore shifting curriculum from content based to a more skill-based approach. Teachers in the classroom could use the results from this research to shift from a deficit view of students to recognizing the bodies of knowledge youth are bringing to the classroom. Teachers could also work across buildings to identify common skills, use common vocabulary to teach those skills, and model research skills often in their classroom. Future research could identify teachers and practices that support how youth are perceiving and developing civic engagement and work to communicate that clearly to current classroom teachers to support these shifts.