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An expert mathematics teacher educator's noticing of preservice teachers' mathematical and pedagogical thinking : a qualitative case study.
No full textOver the last twenty years, research on teacher noticing has established the importance of those skills for effective mathematics teaching. While there is robust research regarding the teacher noticing skills of groups such as preservice and inservice elementary, middle, and high-school teachers, there is limited research exploring mathematics teacher educators’ noticing. Teacher noticing is described as the interrelated skills of attending to and interpreting students’ thinking for the purposes of making instructional decisions. Mathematics teacher educators are responsible for the development of both mathematics content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, often within teacher preparation programs. Therefore, the focus of mathematics teacher educators’ noticing skills is on both mathematical and pedagogical thinking. This study adopted van Es and Sherin’s (2021) Revised Learning to Notice Framework to develop a rich description of how an expert mathematics teacher educator notices mathematical and pedagogical thinking exhibited by preservice teachers. This study contributes to the knowledge base in teacher noticing research and is useful for the professional development of mathematics teacher educators while working toward a more complete understanding of mathematics teacher educators' noticing skills
Teaching preparation in social work doctoral programs : a national study of new social work faculty.
No full textSocial work doctoral education directly impacts the future of the profession. Faculty members who are not prepared to teach may not be well-equipped to prepare future practitioners. Research is the primary focus of many social work doctoral programs today although teaching preparation was historically a focus of doctoral programs. Past research has shown that teaching is important to social work doctoral students, that individual teaching preparation methods are beneficial, and that teaching preparation varies largely by institution. Social work doctoral graduates are likely to obtain teaching roles upon graduation, but because social work doctoral programs are not accredited, they are free to choose what to include in their curriculum. Despite recommendations from prominent governing bodies about how to adequately prepare social work doctoral students for roles they are likely to assume upon graduation, some institutions are still not incorporating ample teaching preparation into their doctoral programs. Through responses to a national online survey from new social work faculty, Chapter 2 covers the teaching preparation methods received in social work doctoral programs and the overall levels of perceived preparedness to teach as new faculty among various demographic groups. Chapter 3 utilizes a phenomenological approach to qualitative research to obtain an in-depth understanding of the shared experience of social work faculty in their first year of teaching. The data from these two studies contribute to Chapter 4, a comprehensive article about the addition of engaging in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) work in the newest version of the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs and the ways social work programs at Christian institutions are uniquely positioned to engage in this important work. This dissertation provides an overview of the methods of teaching preparation received by new faculty who are also recent graduates of social work doctoral programs to understand how social work doctoral students are being prepared to teach, what teaching preparation methods are helpful, and where there is room for improvement in the teaching preparation offered by the doctoral programs
Chronotopic contextualization : a method for explicating the analogy of action between scripture writing and contemporary proclamation.
No full textTraditional evangelical homiletics emphasizes what the biblical author says with what he writes, while de-emphasizing what he does with what he writes. Such an approach complexifies the process of contextualization for preaching. This dissertation proposes chronotopic contextualization as a corrective to this feature of traditional evangelical homiletics. I argue that chronotopic contextualization increases accuracy in contextualization by explicating the analogy of action between Scripture writing and contemporary proclamation. Further, it describes how the exegetical and homiletical cross-sections function to guide the preacher in the process of contextualization.
Chapter one introduces the thesis of this dissertation, and chapter two describes the challenge of traditional evangelical homiletics, surveys mainline and evangelical responses to that challenge and identifies chronotopic contextualization as a solution. Chapter three describes the theory behind chronotopic contextualization. I claim that paying attention to the analogy of action between Scripture writing and contemporary proclamation enables the preacher to contextualize the text’s meaning and significance for her listeners with increased accuracy.
Chapter four demonstrates the utility of chronotopic analysis for exegesis by analyzing Psalm 39:1-14, Philippians 2:6-11, and Revelation 12:1-17a on the various levels of the exegetical cross-section: the textual, Sitz im Leben, and ideological chronotopes.
Chapter five provides an example of chronotopic contextualization in preaching by demonstrating how the preacher can contextualize Psalm 39:1-14, Philippians 2:6-11, and Revelation 12:1-17a for different congregations facing specific exigencies. It describes how the preacher can navigate the homiletical cross-section via analogical reasoning to trace the analogy of action between the biblical author’s action in writing and the preacher’s performance in proclamation.
Chapter six considers the significance of chronotopic contextualization for homiletics. This chapter argues for the usefulness of the analogy of action for preaching, since it enables the preacher to contextualize the text with increased accuracy.
Chapter seven invites the preacher to pay attention to the analogy of action when moving from text to sermon, and it commends chronotopic contextualization as an interpretive method that increases accuracy in contextualization. Moreover, it provides suggestions for further research
Moral worth, virtue, and accidentally right action : towards a virtue first approach.
No full textThe contemporary notion of a morally worthy action—a right action done for the right reasons—is widely recognized as something distinct from but importantly related to acting virtuously. It is somewhat surprising, then, that the relationship between morally worthy action and action from virtue has remained largely unexplored and undeveloped. In this dissertation, I first argue against a way of thinking about the relationship that is often assumed, however implicitly. The Standard View—the thesis that virtue is the stable disposition to perform morally worthy actions—suffers from a host of issues which result from defining virtue in terms of moral worth. Chiefly, the Standard View fails to adequately describe the sense in which doing the right thing for the right reasons is doing the right thing non-accidentally. A Virtue First paradigm, however, reverses this order of dependence, defining moral worth in terms of its resemblance to virtuous activity. I defend a Virtue First view in the final chapter
Gravitational wave cosmology in general relativity and Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity.
No full textWe study systematically gravitational wave (GW) cosmology in both Einstein’s General Relativity (GR) and Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (EsGB) gravity. We first investigate the spacetime singularities of plane GWs in GR and find that only few of them are free of spacetime singularities. In particular, we show explicitly that in the BJR coordinates the singularity can be well described by the function χ ≡ (u − us)α ˆχ(u), and the spacetime is always singular except two cases α = 1/2 or 1. To study GWs propagating in our Universe, we show that in GR the spatial, traceless, and Lorentz gauge conditions can be imposed simultaneously, even when the background is not vacuum. Then, we calculate the gravitational integrated Sachs-Wolfe effects, whereby the dependences of the amplitude, phase and luminosity distance of GWs on the inhomogeneous universe are read out explicitly. In EsGB gravity both spin-0 and spin-2 gravitons exist. As a result, only the Lorenz and spatial gauges can be applied simultaneously. Assuming the speed cT of the spin-2 graviton is the same as that of photons, we find explicitly the stability conditions of the theory and then obtain the severest observational constraints found so far. The trajectories for both spin-2 and spin-0 gravitons and the amplitudes of GWs along the trajectories are explicitly obtained in homogeneous and isotropic universe. The amplitude of a spin-2 GW is practically indistinguishable from that of GR, while the spin-0 GWs remain almost constant during radiation- and matter-dominated epochs, and in the dark energy-dominated epoch it is proportional to the physical distance between the source and the observer. A careful analysis shows that the latter is due to the assumption cT = 1. When cT̸ = 1 to the extent that is consistent with the stability conditions and observational constraints, the above behavior disappears
The misunderstood Messiah.
No full textThis thesis explores Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of the origins and philosophy of Christianity followed by his psychological interpretation of its central figures, Jesus of Nazareth and the Apostle Paul, as presented in The Anti-Christ. Nietzsche argues that the true message of and nature of Jesus, of peace, radical love, and above all inner freedom, was misunderstood by his followers, and ultimately buried under the doctrines of the afterlife, sin, and metaphysics, which define Christianity today. Drawing from Nietzsche’s genealogy, and supported by the work of modern biblical scholars, the following sections will trace the evolution of Christianity, from its tribal origins, to Jesus’s lived ministry, and eventually Paul’s theological system. It will argue how the church, as shaped by Paul’s visions and doctrines, has come to represent a religion which departs from the radical ethical teachings of Jesus, in favor of a religion centered on control, life in the beyond, and salvation through faith, not in one’s way of life. In response to these claims, the final section will offer a defense of Paul based on Dr. N.T Wright’s work What Saint Paul Really Said, arguing how rather than corrupting Jesus’s message, he rightfully proclaimed his lordship to the Gentile world. Ultimately, this thesis will attempt to reconcile these opposing views and draw a path forward by drawing on the value found in both
Interactional support : a single case study exploring middle school teachers’ implementation of social and emotional learning strategies and their perceived outcomes.
No full textThe growth of the youth mental health crisis increased demand for youth mental health support. Mental health professionals could not fully meet this demand. Schools aimed to support youth mental health since youth spend most of their time there. However, schools struggled to meet the needs of all students through past support systems. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs can support youth mental health, and these programs have not reached their full potential. Less is known about interactional SEL when teachers intervene to support students’ social and emotional competencies (SECs) outside of SEL programs.
The purpose of this single case study was to explore middle school (5th–8th grade) teachers’ descriptions of interactional SEL implementation and outcomes in a large urban environment in the context of developing students’ social and emotional competence (SEC) as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework for SEL. Participants completed an artifact submission, an asynchronous interactional SEL journal, as well as a primary and follow-up interview. Using thematic analysis, I coded and categorized the data to develop four themes.
I identified key findings from the data analysis to answer the research question. Findings from themes one, two, and three highlighted specific behavioral and emotional support strategies teachers used when conducting interactional SEL to support students’ intrapersonal and interpersonal SECs. Behavior strategies from theme one included providing alternatives and redirecting actions, while emotional support from theme two focused on empathy, praise, and encouragement. Findings from theme three identified discussion and documentation to support responsible decision-making. Meanwhile, findings from theme four showcased the specific short-term and intermediate outcomes participants perceived after their interactional SEL interventions.
I identified recommendations for three key decision maker groups. First, I encourage teachers to expand their interactional SEL abilities by sharing strategies across teaching teams and tracking students’ SEC growth with protected SEL profiles. Second, I recommend that school administrators provide support to empower teachers’ use of interactional SEL. Finally, I encourage researchers to investigate students’ perspectives of SEL, the relationship between SEC outcomes and time, and the factors that mitigate SEC outcomes resulting from interactional SEL
Those waves crashed on our shores, too : Mark Twain in dialogue with the Hungarian Revolution.
No full textI argue that three preeminent Mark Twain “children’s” novels—The Prince and the Pauper, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—participate in nineteenth-century, transnational dialogues about freedom, slavery, monarchy, and revolution. I support this claim through close readings of the first-edition Hungarian translations of these three texts, as well as an archive of Twain's critical and public reception in Hungary. By examining Hungarian translations alongside the original editions, I convey how Hungarian audiences read and responded to Twain's depiction of American slavery—and, reciprocally, how Twain’s writings were shaped by the European Age of Revolution
Pharmacophore-directed retrosynthesis applied to the synthesis of curromycin A : employing designed alkynyl proteomic probes as intermediates.
No full textCurromycin A is a mixed polyketide natural product characterized by a highly functionalized γ-lactam, a spiro-β-lactone head, a pivalamide midsection, and a triene tail terminating in an allylic, C2-methylated oxazole. As a member of the oxazolomycin family, curromycin A and its related congeners have been synthetic targets since the first identification of oxazolomycin A by the Uemura group in 1985. Despite being isolated the same year from a mutated Streptomyces hygroscopicus strain, the complete stereochemistry of curromycin A remains unresolved, and no total synthesis has been achieved (nor any C16-substituted congeners). Furthermore, no studies to date have identified the cellular targets of these natural products. Given this gap in the literature and the potent anticancer activity reported for curromycin A (84 nM against P388 murine leukemia cells and 8.2 nM against MKN45 human gastric carcinoma cells), we have chosen this compound for total synthesis. Additionally, its polyketide side chain presents a novel opportunity to expand our "pharmacophore-directed retrosynthesis" (PDR) strategy by incorporating alkyne-containing intermediates as proteomic probes en route to the natural product. Through PDR, we first identify the minimal structural features responsible for a natural product’s biological activity—the ‘pharmacophore’—which then guides our retrosynthetic approach. For curromycin A, we propose that the stereochemically dense spiro-β-lactone is responsible for selective acylation of target proteins which we were able to construct utilizing our previously developed enantioselective nucleophile-catalyzed Michael-proton transfer lactamization organocascade (Chapter Three). Additionally, we hypothesize that the methylene methoxy group at C16 plays a critical role in target specificity and significantly enhances potency. Based on these insights, we designed a retrosynthetic approach that prioritizes the construction of the γ-lactam, spiro-β-lactone core and progresses through strategically designed alkyne-containing intermediates that serve as both synthetic precursors and proteomic probes. To validate the reported cytotoxicity of curromycin A and further explore its SAR, our initial focus was devoted to synthesizing a full-length analog, which lacks the C3 hydroxyl group, incorporates a more photostable Etriene, and features an alkynyl oxazole for proteomic applications. Herein, we report our successful efforts towards that target and ongoing efforts to C6-des-methyl curromycin A
Narrative identity as a foundation for bioethics.
No full textThis dissertation argues that narrative identity - the understanding of a person as the author and subject of an evolving life story - offers a more ethically comprehensive framework for clinical decision-making than traditional theories of personhood. Traditional philosophical theories of personhood often rely on lists of cognitive criteria which risk excluding patients with dementia, disabilities, or disrupted psychological continuity from the moral community. Narrative identity, by contrast, centers the patient’s story, acknowledging shifts in identity over time while preserving continuity through authorship and co-authorship.
After tracing the limitations of dominant personhood theories in bioethics, this project develops a novel account of narrative identity, incorporating elements of narrative form, co-authorship, and truthfulness. It then applies this account to medical practice, arguing that honoring patients’ narrative identities can clarify complex ethical issues such as advance directives, surrogate decision-making, and care for cognitively impaired individuals.
This dissertation defends narrative identity as a more inclusive and practically useful tool for moral reasoning in medicine - one that emphasizes lived experience, respects evolving selfhood, and is responsive to different cultural and neurological frameworks