Date of Award
6-15-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
School Name
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Department
Education
Major Advisor
Dr. Mary Ann Cahill
Second Advisor
Dr. Caitlin Murphy
Third Advisor
Dr. William Wells
Abstract
The pursuit of social justice through education, or ensuring that all students receive equal access to a quality education, has long been the focus of policies and practices at the national and local levels. However, opportunity gaps still exist in America, in particular among socioeconomic and racial lines. This qualitative case study aimed to discover if job-embedded professional development in the area of adolescent literacy could build collective efficacy within a faculty in order to promote social justice.
The study took place in a private middle school whose mission was to serve students in low-socioeconomic circumstances, and typically students of color. The study focused on seven teacher participants throughout one school year as they engaged in job-embedded professional development and coaching in adolescent literacy. Of the seven participants, five were uncertified teachers. Data collection included professional development sessions, coaching sessions, individual interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, and document analysis.
Results of the study suggested that the policies at the school, most notably, the hiring of uncertified teachers to make up the majority of the faculty, was a significant barrier to collective efficacy in adolescent literacy. The study uses an antiracist lens to suggest that policies, especially those which may negatively impact students of color, should be urgently addressed.
Recommended Citation
Van Eps, Stephanie, "The Implications of Well-Meaning Policies on Social Justice: A Case Study on Collective Efficacy in Adolescent Literacy Amongst Majority-Uncertified Teachers" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones. 104.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/tdc/104