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Neoliberalism & Critical Adult Literacy Education: Impact and Implications
No full textTeaching and Learning Department Capstone ProjectDiscussions about education tend to revolve around K-12 schooling; adult education is generally
not a part of the conversation even though it was an incubator of social change and progress at
many points in history. Much has been written about the influence of neoliberal ideology and
policies on K-12 education, but how has adult literacy education been impacted by the rise of
neoliberalism? In this paper, I explore the role of critical literacy pedagogy and neoliberalism as
“public pedagogy” in adult education and consider the interplay of these antithetical pedagogies;
I also investigate the implications of this interaction on both adult literacy educators and adult
literacy students, as well the role of the urban space. I find that neoliberalism has a pervasive
impact in adult literacy education, limiting the practice and access to critical literacy pedagogy
and constricting possibilities for adult literacy educators and students, while the context of an
urban space adds an additional layer of complexity.Department of Teaching and LearningPeabody College of Education and Human Developmen
A Communal Approach to Retention: Birmingham Southern College
No full textLeadership Policy and Organizations Department capstone projectIn attempts to understand and then maximize its student success rates, Birmingham Southern College (BSC) has asked a team of Vanderbilt doctoral candidates to conduct a study of retention on its campus. The Vanderbilt team created a mixed methodology study that aims to empirically answer two questions: (1) what characteristics distinguish BSC students as likely to persist, and (2) how do students’ perceptions about their degree of social integration affect their likelihood to persist or leave?
Guided by Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon’s (2004) Revised Theory of Student Retention at Residential Colleges and Universities, we used three methodologies: a trend analysis, a quantitative survey, and qualitative interviews. The trend analysis utilized data that BSC already collects on its students in order to derive a collection of student characteristics, or profiles, that illustrate which students persist and which departs. The trend analysis provided a preliminary understanding of BSC’s retention patterns that informed the quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative
study surveyed BSC’s entire fall 2015 student body in order to assess the policies and practices that shape students’ campus experience. Utilizing Braxton et. al. (2014) survey, we were not only able to capture students’ experiences at, and perspectives of, BSC, but we also able to assess the relevancy and accuracy of Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon’s (2004) model on a small, residential, liberal art college in the Southeast. Finally, the qualitative study used purposeful sampling to further examine the experiences and perspectives of BSC students; additionally, it collected the experiences and perspectives of BSC faculty and staff as they pertain to students’ experiences at BSC. The trend analysis and quantitative survey addressed our first study question. First, the trend analysis found that retention rates decline as students move into their second, then third, and fourth year. Retention and four-year graduation rates are highest among female students, when compared to their male counterparts. White students have higher retention and four-year graduation rates over Black/African American students. Further, students with higher high school academic achievements, such as high school GPA and ACT scores, have higher retention and graduation rates. There seems to be little sizable trend difference in retention and graduation rates among athletes and non-athletes; however, women athletes have higher retention and graduation rates than male athletes and non-athletes. Finally, students who do not participate in Greek organization have lower retention and graduation rates; and females in Greek organization have higher retention rates than males in Greek organizations and those not in Greek organizations at all. Then, our quantitative study found that students’ race and gender are significant factors in the likelihood that BSC will retain them.
The quantitative and qualitative studies addressed our second study question. Both studies found that communal potential, “or the degree to which a student perceives that a subgroup of students exists within the college community with which that student could share similar values, beliefs, and goals” (Yorke & Longden, 2004, p. 95), is a significant factor of students’ social integration, which influences their decision to persist. At BSC, communal opportunities could be found in the classrooms, student organizations and clubs.
Informed by these findings, several recommendations are offered to the BSC staff and faculty. These recommendations discuss the policies and practices of Institutional Research, Academics and academic support services, academic advising, and the Office of Student DevelopmentVanderbilt UniversityDepartment of Leadership Policy and OrganizationsPeabody College of Education and Human Developmen
A New Partner in the Process: The Role of a Librarian on a Faculty Research Team
No full textAcademic librarians have tremendous opportunity to demonstrate their worth to the institutions they serve. One successful approach is for faculty and librarians to collaborate on a research project; however the frequency of such partnerships has not been readily documented in academic library literature. This paper shows how the addition of an academic librarian to a faculty research team led to a better understanding of how faculty projects operate, and how the process can lead the way for librarians to be seen as valuable research partners in the academic landscape
Go west, [old] man: Horace Capron, Guilded Age Capitalism, and the Development of Hokkaido
No full textAfter the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese turned to Western models to modernize their government. Specifically, they hired former American Commissioner of Agriculture Horace Capron to advise the colonization of Hokkaido. Records from the Capron Mission therefore provide a window into both the history of Japanese development and the history of America's commercial expansion and foreign influence
"That's Leaving It Pretty Much Up To Jane": Gendered Citizenship, Explicit Feminism, And Implicit Racism In The 1922 Cable Act
No full textIn 1922, Congress passed the Cable Act, which allowed women who married foreigners eligible for naturalization to retain their U.S. citizenship. However, women who married aliens racially excluded from the naturalization process lost their U.S. citizenship. This study examines newspapers, periodicals, and Congressional debate from 1920-1923 to determine the presence of implicit and explicit racial reasoning in commentary surrounding the Cable Act. In doing so, this research builds upon an existing body of literature that addresses the power of racial hierarchy in gendered conceptions of citizenship. In addition, it will consider what scholars have failed to address: the absence of overt racial dialogue in public discourse surrounding the Cable Act
The Trolley Problem: The Demise of the Streetcar in New Haven
No full textThe replacement of trolley systems by buses, a process which fundamentally reshaped America's urban landscape, has long been viewed as inevitable. However, in this paper, I look beyond arguments of financial necessity to show that, in New Haven, Connecticut, a massive engineering and publicity campaign coordinated between business, government, and media was necessary to overcome structural factors favorable to the trolley and accomplish its seemingly inevitable removal
The Vietnam War as China's Watershed
No full textChina today is a rising superpower and a major challenger to American hegemony. The industrialization and modernization that other nations achieved in centuries, China has compressed to a few decades. Indeed, all too often, we forget how meager were China's origins before its recent rise. By the mid-20th Century, China remained extremely poor and militarily weakened, having suffered the Century of Humiliation and the Japanese Invasion. These trends would begin to change, however, during the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 1970s. This paper tracks how the Chinese leadership used their involvement in Vietnam to work toward three goals: first, to legitimize Mao's military theories; second, to damage Soviet international prestige in the Communist movement; and third, to secure an advantageous post-war relationship with the United States. In achieving these goals, the Chinese used Vietnam as a springboard for future geopolitical relevance and development
US-Haitian Relations: Adams through Jefferson and Beyond
No full textUS-Haitian relations had a rough beginning, as the possible American recognition of Haiti became a fixed point of tension between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in domestic and foreign policy from 1797 to 1806. Diplomats, Congresses, and changing administrations struggled to navigate the US's relationship with Haiti while maintaining positive relations with France. Domestically, the debate of recognizing Haiti, a republic of former slaves, cemented the tradition of Southern politicians impeding Congress when any question of slavery was addressed
Project Strong: Empowerment through Health Education for Elementary-school Girls in a Pakistani Public School
No full textTeaching and Learning Department Capstone Project.For my capstone experience, I designed a project-based learning (PBL) unit for implementation as an after-school enrichment program in an urban, low-income girls’ public school in Karachi, Pakistan, specifically, Government Girls’ School (G.G.S) Chanacer Goth, a school at which I used to teach. The project is designed with a two-fold objective: (1) To enable participants to become independent, empowered, self-confident learners who possess the skills they need for out-of-school success, such as creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and technology use; and (2) to help participants understand what a healthy lifestyle looks like and how to practice it. This essay narrates the rationale for the unit design. I first highlight the need for curricular intervention, by discussing the context of the school and community. Building off of insights about the failures of the explicit and implicit curriculum taught at the school, I suggest ways in which these could be reimagined to actually empower students. I then make a case for using health and nutrition as a theme for such an intervention. The next part of the paper explains the various design considerations. Here, I provide detail on how backward design was used to set objectives and plan learning experiences. Then, I provide an overview of the unit, which is attached as an appendix. Specific features of the design are picked out and justified, namely its PBL structure, structured discussions, online exploration, and focus on reflection. Notions of motivation, metacognition, and transfer came into play in framing these learning experiences. Finally, I discuss the hoped-for results of this project, its limitations and some ongoing questions.Department of Teaching and LearningPeabody College of Education and Human Developmen
Sustainable Enrollment Management at a rural Midwestern university
No full textLeadership Policy and Organizations Department capstone projectVanderbilt UniversityDepartment of Leadership Policy and OrganizationsPeabody College of Education and Human Developmen