Western Connecticut State University
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Introduction of Panelists "Coming Home"
No full textIntroduction of panelists at "Coming Home" discussion with local veterans of recent wars
THE IMPACT OF HABITS OF MIND: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative, explorative multiple-case study was to explore participants’ perceptions on the impact of Habits of Mind on students. There was a total of 16 participants in the research study (n = 16). Eight of the participants were teachers (n =8) and eight of the participants were students (n = 8). The students in the junior class were selected to participate given that they have been exposed to Habits of Mind since the eighth grade and would attend the high school for another year if any follow up research were needed. The teachers of the junior class were selected to participate given that they had been familiar with and previously used Habits of Mind. The sampling procedure used in this study was a purposive sampling and involved two phases: The first phase of the study involved the purposive sample of teacher-participants. The second phase of the study involved the purposive sampling of student-participants. The case was bounded by the phenomenon of Habits of Mind. The cases were the eight teacher-participants who taught the junior class and eight student-participants in the junior class. The data collection techniques were comprised of focus group interviews for teacher-participants and student-participants, one-on-one interviews for teacher-participants and student-participants and student work sample documents. The data analysis involved two phases. The first phase involved open and axial coding. The second phase involved deductive analysis. The data were initially reviewed and analyzed for the formation of open codes. The open codes were grouped together into axial codes which were grouped into five categories which were then subsumed into three findings and their corresponding themes in order to gain a thorough understanding of the study.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
The 36th Line
No full textAbstract
The 36th Line is a full-length drama that uses humor, sometimes bordering on slapstick, to diffuse the intensity of family obligations and a daughter’s need to break free of them. It pits co-dependent behavior, an addiction to being needed, against the ancient Talmudic legend of the Lamed Vov Tzadikim (ל"ו צַדִיקִים), thirty-six righteous people, colloquially known as lamed vovnicks. The alphanumeric Hebrew letters lamed and vov equal thirty-six.
The Talmudic statement pertaining to the Lamed Vov claims there are thirty-six people in every generation whose role it is to justify the existence of mankind in the eyes of God. In his novel The Last of the Just, Andre Schwarz-Bart explains, “If just one of them were lacking, the sufferings of mankind would poison even the souls of the newborn, and humanity would suffocate with a single cry. For the Lamed-Vov are the hearts of the world multiplied, and into them, as into one receptacle, pour all our griefs.” Also known as the Tzadikim Nistarim (צַדִיקִים נִסתָּרים), meaning “the hidden righteous,” the lamed vovniks live unknown to their neighbors or even themselves. Tradition holds that if a person claims to be one of the lamed vov, it would be proof that they are not. A true lamed vov tzadik would be far too humble to believe that such a thing is even possible.
The 36th Line is a play about Shellie Weiss Lindstrom, a woman in her thirties who is struggling to break free of family obligations and perceived responsibilities, including care of her handicapped sister, Suki, a task her mother has prepared her for all her life.
Shellie is at a crossroads, having to choose between daily involvement with the demands of caring for her increasingly needy family or abandoning them and moving to Texas with her husband.
Thematically, the play asks a question: Is the need to care for others, even to one’s own detriment, divinely determined or self-appointed?
In the final moments of the play, while one daughter is released from her perceived bonds, the other, overlooked and underestimated, is poised to receive a blessing. Whether that blessing is real or imagined is up to each individual to decide.The two Hebrew letters for 36 are the lamed, (pronounced Lah-med) which is 30, and the vov, which is 6.
There is a belief, based on a Talmudic statement, that in every generation, 36 people greet the Shekhinah, the divine presence. They are the Lamed Vov Tzadikim (ל"ו צַדִיקִים), 36 righteous people. Their role is to justify the existence of mankind in the eyes of God. If just one of them were missing, the world would come to an end.
The lamed vovniks do not know that they are among the 36. Tradition holds that if a person claims to be one of the lamed vov, it is proof that they are not. The 36 are far too humble to believe that such a thing is possible.Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
Rocky Rhode: An Ice Cream Lover's Guide to Rhode Island
No full textRocky Rhode: An Ice Cream Lover’s Guide to Rhode Island features forty-seven ice cream destinations, about four hundred lodging, restaurant, and attraction destinations spread across twenty-nine cities and towns, and about fifty sidebars.
The purpose of this book is threefold: first, it provides readers with travel advice on where to find the best ice cream in the state of Rhode Island; second, it provides expertise on lodgings, restaurants, and activities available in proximity to these ice cream destinations; and third, it gives facts, history, and trivia related to ice cream in Rhode Island as well as throughout the United States and globally.
To achieve the aim of this book, research for the ice cream destination section was conducted through in-person, phone, and email interviews with ice cream shop owners, managers, and staff members. Research for the lodging, restaurant, and activities sections was conducted through the author’s own experiences as well as through web research. Research for the facts, history, and trivia sections was conducted through exploration of old newspapers as well as through web research.Thank you for your consideration of this thesis and for this degree. Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
The Science of Intolerance: Puritans and Dissention in Seventeenth-Century New England
No full textThis thesis examines the relationship between science and Puritanism in colonial New England during the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century by examining outbreaks of opposition to Puritan hegemony. It examines how the trans-Atlantic world of early modern science shaped the mind of Puritan elites to think concurrently in scientific and theological terms in defense of their faith, specifically how the application of scientific principles supplanted inward experience in pursuit of knowledge. Focusing on certain Puritan luminaries, such as John Winthrop, Increase Mather, and Cotton Mather, this thesis demonstrates that throughout the seventeenth century, Puritan leaders exceedingly defended their traditional form of congregationalism against opposition with a scientific mind . Additionally, this thesis utilizes a combination of sermons, journals, pamphlets, and publications, to uncover that for a short while in the colonial history of New England, science and religion coalesced for the betterment of both.Master of Arts (MA)Histor
Arol's Verse
No full textArol’s Verse is a novella in verse that tells the story of a mariner who leaves Denmark (identified as Dane-land) in search of the hero, Beowulf, in order to save the people of Heorot from the monster, Grendel.Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
On Good Authority
No full textOn Good Authority is a Victorian Gothic novel. It begins with two workhouse adolescents sneaking away to play a game: Marian acts the part of a thief, and Valentine arrests and punishes her. This awakens a sense of desire in Marian, but Valentine is taken away from the workhouse before she can express it.
As an adult, Marian is hired to the house of Mr. Bornholdt, who turns aggressive when she rejects his sexual advances. Meanwhile, Mr. Bornholdt’s footman is injured in an accident, and Valentine is hired on as the replacement. Marian’s old friend helps her evade her tormentor even as he presents himself to be a model servant; they make a game of it, in fact, and of course this new game leads them back to their old one. But when Mr. Bornholdt discovers their relationship, the mood in the house turns deadly serious.
This novel uses traditional gothic conventions to tell a modern story that is both feminist and sex-positive in its themes. Against the backdrop of Victorian England, it explores BDSM as a healthy, empowering practice, and illuminates the chasm of difference between the consensual and temporary relinquishing of control on the one hand, and the relentless, identity-effacing erosion of abuse on the other.Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
EDUCATORS’ PERSPECTIVES AND INSTRUCTION: FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STUDENTS’ SELF-DETERMINATION SKILLS
No full textThis study was designed to understand the factors that influence educators’ perspectives and amount of instruction of student self-determination skills. A mixed methods correlational survey design was utilized to study these factors. The primary research question was “To what degree and in what manner do primary assignment, years of experience, and educators’ ratings of importance of each component of self-determination predict educators’ total mean self-reported amount of instruction of the components of self-determination?” Quantitative analyses revealed three significant results. For Research Question One, a stepwise multiple regression for predictor variables of ratings of importance found three variables that predicted the total mean self-reported amount of instruction: (a) rating of importance of goal-setting and attainment, (b) rating of importance of choice-making, and (c) rating of importance of self-awareness and self- knowledge. The total variance explained by the model was 21.4%. For Research Question Two, correlation coefficients were conducted to test the relationship between ratings of importance, self-reported amounts of instruction and the sum of number of sources of knowledge of self- determination. Of the 136 correlations, 39 showed strong, positive correlations, 46 showed moderate, positive correlations, and 40 showed weak, positive correlations. For Research Question Three, MANOVA analyses revealed a statistically significant difference between educators working in general education, special education, and related services on the dependent variables of total mean self-reported amount of instruction and mean rating of importance. Special educators (M = 5.17) rated the components of self-determination as significantly more important than general educators (M = 4.92). Related service personnel (M = 4.85) provided instruction in the components of self-determination significantly more often than general (M = 4.20) or special educators (M = 4.45). Research Question Four was used to analyze the responses to five open-response questions and included exploratory analyses. As reflected in their definitions and identified important components of self-determination, the emergent theme of perseverance was identified with much more frequency than the essential characteristics or component behaviors of self-determination. Overall, educators differed on their amount of instruction and ratings of importance of self-determination based on role. They reported they had familiarity with self-determination and identified that it was important, but less than half of the educators believed that schools and educators support instruction in self-determination, and their definitions of self-determination did not strongly align with the operationalized definition of self-determination that supports instruction.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF NEW GRADUATE NURSES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE DEDICATED EDUCATION UNIT (DEU) CLINICAL LEARNING MODEL: A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the experiences of baccalaureate prepared, new graduate nurses who participated in the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) clinical learning model as students. These new graduate nurses had participated in a DEU clinical learning model during the senior year of their pre-licensed traditional baccalaureate nursing program. The DEU is one clinical learning model utilized in the preparation of nursing students for professional practice. Over forty years ago, Kramer’s (1974) seminal work, Reality Shock, brought insight to the challenges experienced by new graduate nurses during the transition from the role of nursing student to that of professional practice. Today, those challenges still exist. Given the complexities of the current healthcare environment, there continues to be a growing need to better prepare RNs for the transition from student nurse to professional practice. The two theories used as the framework that guided this study were Kramer’s (1974) Reality Shock Theory and Meleis, Sawyer, Im, Messias, & Schumacher’s (2000) Middle Range Theory of Transitions. Purposive sampling was employed; study participants were within their first year of professional practice. The research question guiding the study was: What are the experiences and perceived impacts of participation in a DEU clinical model during the senior year of a pre-licensure baccalaureate-nursing program on transition to professional practice? A qualitative descriptive study design was utilized. Purposive sampling and snowball technique were used, recruiting ten study participants. Initial participants represented a university and a health system. Personal interviews were conducted via FaceTime or telephone at a time convenient for study participants. Data collection was analyzed through coding and the use of NVIVO, a qualitative data analysis software. Five themes and two sub v themes emerged. These findings described the experiences of participating in the DEU and gave insight to how participation in the DEU impacted these new graduate nurses’ transition into professional practice. Participants found value in their experience in the DEU clinical learning model.Doctor of Education (EdD)Nursin
MUSIC TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL MUSIC ENSEMBLE CLASSROOM
No full textThe National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCSA) adopted new standards for theatre, dance, media arts, visual arts, and music in 2014, which emphasized that music teachers expand teaching styles and pedagogy beyond rehearsal techniques, and asked teachers and students to make connections beyond merely creating sound with instruments or voices. In a discipline that has traditionally been teacher-centered, there is limited use of constructivist instructional approaches, such as inquiry-based learning and allowing time and psychological space for students to ask questions that go beyond the realm of pure musical technique during class time. Therefore, this qualitative collective case study examined perceptions and implementation strategies of educators to instruct with an inquiry approach. Using a collective case study design, data were gathered from 11 participants who taught large-ensemble (band, orchestra, or chorus) music in a secondary school setting. Participants consented to a classroom observation and a semi-structured interview. Data were collected through audio recordings and transcripts of the interviews, and with the Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol (EQUIP) instrument. Artifacts such as field notes, artifacts, analytic memos, and a reflexive journal were collected and kept throughout the study. An inductive approach to analysis of data gathered from the interviews and observations was used to explore constructs, themes, and patterns. Four thematic findings emerged: teacher identity; philosophy, attitudes and beliefs; perceptions of inquiry; and obstacles to inquiry. The significance of each theme and its implication for music education researchers and music teacher practitioners were discussed and offered.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog