1925 research outputs found
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Contrasting Collections: Indigenous Access to Literature for Young Readers
No full textNative American Peoples and other Indigenous Peoples have been portrayed with racial bias and the use of harmful stereotypes in literature and other media since early writings at the beginnings of imperial colonization. The issue remains pervasive in popular stories and public book collections today and impacts Native American youth in our communities. This study looks at the juvenile ebook collection of the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library (FCCCPL) at two points in time during the COVID-19 pandemic, in April 2020 and in July 2021, to assess and compare content related to Indigenous Peoples. Through qualitative content analysis, this study also compares the content of the library collection with that of a collection of books from the Oyate website, a Native American collective and bookseller focused primarily on the interests of Native American communities and featuring mainly Indigenous authors. The study finds that the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library OverDrive collection of ebooks for young readers had significantly less potentially harmful content related to Indigenous Peoples in July 2021 than it did in April 2020, however the same types of harmful stereotypes and racial bias remained prevalent over time. In contrast, the Oyate collection provides a counter-narrative to the stereotyped representations of Indigenous gendered-identity common in dominant mainstream stories and positions readers to learn Indigenous values, traditions and languages, as well as Indigenous heritage and history, while the FCCCPL collection tends to convey Indigenous experiences vis-à-vis mainstream education. These findings reflect the need for critical literacy in environments for public learning and the transformation of colonizing, oppressive communication into something altogether new via a re-centering or a shift of perspective that embraces difference using a critical and humanistic lens. This research recommends that public libraries work toward more equitable Indigenous access to literary media that conveys Indigenous voices and perspectives
“Whiteness” and relationship to land: an exploration of culture and belonging with settler-farmers in Northern Arizona
No full textThis research is focused on ideas of racial designators and how those consciously or unconsciously affect peoples’ relationships with place and land in Flagstaff, Arizona. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing five small-scale farmers and growers local to the area, and I spoke to growers who are self-identified and societally considered racially white, or white-passing in one case. I addressed the following research questions: (1) How are non-native farmers in and around Flagstaff, Arizona (a border-town with Indigenous Nations in the southwest United States) reconciling their whiteness with their land-work in a settler-colonial society? (2) Do these non-Indigenous farmers think unpacking “whiteness” would help settler growers in connecting with the land, the self, and the greater community to create robust and healthy local food systems? If so, how? Throughout this thesis I examine the vast body of literature in whiteness, settler-colonialism, and capitalism that underpin my research questions. I explore these farmers’ senses and perceptions of belonging on occupied land, and found that half of them feel they do not belong. I discuss the importance of these settler farmers disassembling their white identity in order to participate in community-based solidarity, and how they believe growing spaces can be spaces of transformative action. Finally, I explore the great unknowns that climate change carries through all of this, and how some of these farmers are considering a world in which farming must be moveable
The effects of hydration on low-angle subduction systems
Get PDFLow-angle subduction has a profound impact on subduction zone behavior. However, the mechanisms that initiate, drive, and sustain flat-slab subduction are debated. Within all subduction zone systems, metamorphic dehydration reactions within the down-going slab create conditions that allow for seismicity and melting of the asthenospheric wedge, leading to arc volcanism. In flat-slab systems, the low angle of the subducting slab cuts off corner-flow in the asthenospheric wedge, leading to a colder thermal regime inboard of the trench relative to typical subduction, and effectively shutting off arc volcanism. This allows for the stability of H2O-bound minerals well inboard of the trench. The implications of this include increased slab buoyancy, hydration of the overriding lower continental lithosphere, and a delay in slab eclogitization processes. This dissertation presents new modeling results that assess the role of water in flat-slab subduction. Thermal modeling of the Alaskan flat-slab subduction system and stable mineral assemblage calculations provide insight into the effects of hydration on slab density. Results show that an anhydrous slab is not sufficiently buoyant to maintain a low-angle subduction geometry, and would require dynamic forces (i.e. asthenospheric upwelling, slab suction) to explain the observed subduction angle. A moderate amount of hydration (1-1.5% chemically bound water) reduces slab density by 0.5-0.8%, and is sufficient to produce a buoyant slab that extends to 300-400 km from the trench.
By using the thermal modeling and mineral assemblage calculations in Alaska to estimate seismic velocities, a comparison can be made between our models and observational seismic data. Seismic velocities are sensitive to temperature, pressure, composition, hydration state, and the presence of absence of melt. The non-uniqueness of seismic data makes isolating any one of these factors challenging using only seismic observations. To overcome this, we constrain pressure, temperature, and composition states using our models in to better isolate the effects of hydration. Results indicate that approximately 3% chemically-bound H2O is present within the subducting Alaskan flat-slab.
Finally, we calculate density models of the Colorado Plateau and adjacent Basin and Range Province and Great Basin Province in the Southwestern region of the United States. Flat-slab subduction associated with Laramide tectonics is thought to have hydrated the lower crust of the Colorado Plateau lowering its density. We quantify the amount of uplift that can be associated with isostatic support in this study.
A better understanding of the role that water plays during flat-slab subduction can provide more informed interpretations of geological and geophysical data associated with regions that are current or former flat-slab systems. By using forward modeling approaches along with observational data, we can better constrain and interpret geological observations. Altogether, this dissertation presents new methods and insights into the role of water in flat-slab subduction systems, with clear implications for future research, data analysis, and data interpretation of regions affected by flat-slab tectonics
Examining the effects of teaching assistants’ responsiveness through talk moves on student explanatory rigor in an undergraduate biology laboratory course
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the ways that teaching assistants (TAs) enact talk moves in the classroom and how those enactments may change over time. Further, the TAs responsiveness to student ideas was examined in an attempt to understand how TA responsiveness impacts the rigor of student discourse. Tracking talk move patterns in TAs across time in addition to examining relationships between TA responsiveness and student explanatory rigor during an elicitation discussion has not been previously studied at the post-secondary level. A mixed-methods approach was employed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through coded and statistical analysis of classroom transcripts taken in an introductory biology laboratory course at a large research university in the United States. Results from the study show that there were not statistically significant trends in TA talk move patterns across the semesters under investigation, suggesting need for restructured TA pedagogical training. Results from the study also demonstrate a clear, statistically significant relationship between TA responsiveness, as determined by talk moves and the explanatory rigor of student contributions. Specifically, high rigor contributions can only be achieved when coupled with ambitious instructor responsiveness. Further results indicate the importance of TA language use when pressing students for explanations, the TA patterns in moving student talk from low to high rigor, and specific talk moves that contribute to the highest student explanatory rigor. Implications of this study will be of interest to postsecondary science educators, researchers, and professional development creators who work to reform and improve science education
GIS analysis of agricultural strategies and landscape use on ancient Black Mesa, Northern Arizona
No full textI investigate Ancestral Puebloan agricultural land use on Black Mesa, a grand physiographic feature in northeastern Arizona, in order to understand relationships between households/large villages and agricultural lands between C.E. 800 and C.E. 1150 (Pueblo I and Pueblo II Periods). For this investigation I use existing spatial data from 20 years of intensive archaeological survey and excavation on the Peabody Coal Company Lease Area on northern Black Mesa. Black Mesa Archaeological Project (BMAP) researchers identified over 1500 ancient archaeological sites in the study area. My current project aims to identify potential and probable agricultural field sites with respect to a sample of 369 Ancestral Puebloan settlements and the seasonal or permanent habitations on Black Mesa using human behavioral ecology and circuit theory modeling approaches. Factors that support or inhibit agricultural use of land are identified and mapped overlapping one another to identify the areas of optimal agricultural utility in relation to sites. The resulting ArcGIS predictive model seeks to identify possible agricultural landscape use patterns and interactions between permanent settlement and seasonal farming sites. The project develops new data through modern imagery classification as a proxy testing method for the accuracy of the GIS model and surveys of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers to look for spatial software research applications that may be useful in tribally driven research, with respect to ArcGIS methods. Project results include the identification of potential and probable agricultural field sites with respect to known Ancestral Puebloan settlements on Black Mesa, and understanding of the value and utility of employed GIS analyses through analysis of contemporary use in indigenous scholarship
Reimagining Community College: Measuring Faculty's Perspective on Disruption and Change Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textHigher education is at an inflection point in its long history due to various disruptions within the enterprise (e.g., demographic shifts, elimination of state funding, lack of trust within local communities). The most recent disruption, the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in broad and systemic pivots across all types of higher education institutions. While many institutions struggled with the impacts of this global disruption, some four-year institutions had made systemic changes before the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., increasing online course and degree offerings, engaging in alternative revenue enterprises, providing necessary educational supports to the local community) resulting in what has been called the academic enterprise. However, community colleges have been acutely affected by the pandemic due to significant decreases in enrollment and other disruptions such as decreased state funding.
Community colleges differ from four-year institutions including demographics, funding sources, educational intent of students, and overall mission and focus. How community colleges respond to the COVID-19 disruption will significantly affect the future of two-year institutions. The purpose of this research study was to understand how residential faculty at a large community college, Plateau Community College (PCC), both understand and operationalize concepts of the academic enterprise within their institution as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings indicate female residential faculty were more positive in understanding and operationalizing concepts of the academic enterprise, and residential faculty who were older were less positive about the concepts. The results, discussion, and recommendations provide
information and insight to institutional leaders as community colleges begin to reimagine their place in the higher education ecosystem as a result of disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
Validation and self-efficacy: a holistic approach to career exploration for the undecided community college student
No full textThe community college serves a diverse undergraduate student population and community. Since its inception over a century ago, the mission of the community college has been to provide access and to be inclusive by offering courses that support historically disadvantaged populations, university transfer students, developmental education courses to increase college-level readiness, and offer certificate and associate degree programs that support workforce development. However, being an open access institution means that many students enter higher education from a variety of backgrounds and situations, some of which can be fundamental barriers to academic success. These barriers include lack of academic preparedness, low socio-economic status, being a first-generation college student, attending college part-time, racial/ethnic minorities, and the necessity to work while attending college. Educational researchers state students’ constructs of self-concept and self-efficacy also play a role in academic functioning and in the career decision-making process. Anxiety surrounding choosing a major and career indecision can be stressful for students and affect retention and completion.
Through a case study informed by qualitative action research and utilizing narrative inquiry analysis, the researcher reviewed end of semester course surveys and interviewed a purposive sample of students from a school referred to as Desert Oasis Community College, located in the southwestern United States to inform her work. The study used the framework of Rendón’s validation theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory as a means to glean insight towards improving upon a holistic approach to instruction for career exploration and personal
development courses for students who are undecided in their choice of a career pathway. According to the results of this study, instructor validation encourages student self-efficacy in the career decision-making process
Institutional leadership and their influence on frontline management when implementing academic entrepreneurial initiatives
No full textPublic higher education institutions (HE institutions) have had to increasingly diversify their financial portfolios due of ongoing reductions in public funding allocations. One-way public HE institutions are diversifying their financial portfolios is by increasingly investing in academic entrepreneurial initiatives implemented by their internal academic stakeholders; faculty, staff and/or students. This qualitative case study incorporating components of action research was aimed to understand how institutional leadership influences frontline management (faculty and/or staff) when implementing academic entrepreneurial initiatives. The theoretical framework used for this research study is the Influencer Model. This research study took place within a large public research university, with the case bounded in a large academic department that has services pertaining to academia, and community services related to their land-grant agricultural and extension missions.
Keywords: academic entrepreneurship, influence, public higher education budget reductions, leadership, managemen
School Administrators' Perceptions of a Doctorate in Educational Leadership on Professional Preparation
No full textThis study explored school leaders’ perceptions of the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at a university referred to as GJKU and its influences on their professional preparation as well as faculty’s perceptions of the doctoral program. A case study methodology was used to investigate, describe, and analyze the perceptions of 10 students and four faculty from GJKU. The primary sources of data collected and analyzed were generated by in-depth semi-structured interviews with school leaders who graduated with an Ed.D. and a focus group of faculty. Additional data analyzed were field notes and artifacts collections, such as program mission, goals and outlines, course descriptions, and requests from the academic department. There were three major findings that emerged from this study. School leaders and faculty collectively described the doctoral program as beneficial to professional preparation. First, they noted the influence of the core curriculum in leadership, research and statistics, and foundation, described by school leaders as perceived instructional practices aligned with their position. Additionally, school leaders revealed how the correlation of courses and faculty provided relevant content outcomes that were significant factors in utilizing their learning and application. The second major finding that emerged from this study revealed that the knowledge and experience of faculty who teach in the doctoral program provided instruction that was relevant to the students’ professional preparation. The data emphasized faculty K-12 administrative experiences as important in preparing school leaders for educational leadership positions. Lastly, the third theme to emerge from this study data revealed that the cohort model for the doctoral program was a supportive and positive learning experience that contributed to school leaders’ professional preparation. The data revealed that the relationships and professional network among students created a sense of community and provided school leaders with a network of resources to draw upon professionally
Karst spring processes and groundwater storage implications in high-elevation, semi-arid southwestern United States
No full textKarst springs and aquifers are significant resources globally yet continue to be poorly understood because of their heterogeneity in porosity and response to climate variability. In semi-arid, mountainous regions where total precipitation and groundwater recharge rates will likely decline due to climate change, improved understandings of karst groundwater recharge processes are imperative to plan for future hydrologic responses. The Colorado Plateau is a high-elevation, heavily dissected region of over 2,000 m thickness of sedimentary rock units containing multiple layered karst aquifers. This is the first study to use hydrograph analyses on four springs in the uppermost regional Coconino aquifer (C aquifer) of the Colorado Plateau in Arizona to detail karst aquifer response to recharge. Coupled hydrograph and stable isotope (δ18O and δ2H) analyses document seasonal recharge and storage processes in the C aquifer. A critical relationship between seasonal snowpack timing and duration of seasonal ephemeral spring discharge indicates seasonal buffering and attenuation to drought. Hydrograph analyses show rapid hydrologic responses to precipitation in two ephemeral karst spring systems and quick drainage without extended seasonal snowmelt contribution. As climate change intensifies in drought-ridden areas of the world, aquifer and spring ecosystem conditions will significantly worsen without mitigation measures. The recharge and groundwater flow processes demonstrated in this study of a complex karst system support informed water resource decision-making on the Colorado Plateau and other climate-sensitive regions around the world