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Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Subject "activity theory"

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    The GTA project: graduate teaching assistant development and professionalization as emerging disciplinary scholars and composition instructors
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Halseth, Madeline, author; Palmquist, Mike, advisor; Doe, Sue R., committee member; Quynn, Kristina, committee member
    Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) constitute a large portion of the teaching population in Writing Studies and Composition (WSC) programs across the country. Although GTAs have many roles, in WSC they are most often employed as instructors of record in mandatory general education writing courses, including first-year composition courses. While composition GTAs are situated within the English department, they are further positioned as emerging scholars and professionals within a specific disciplinary area under the larger umbrella of English studies, such as creative writing, TEFL/TESL, writing studies, English education, and literature. Consequently, as GTAs progress through their program and develop disciplinary and professional identities, it can be inferred that their pedagogical goals and approaches to the teaching of writing will develop as well. This study builds on research addressing the pedagogical experience and professionalization of GTAs within a context that is shaped by neoliberal values in higher education. This project addresses the two primary questions: (1) How does an English department GTA's disciplinarity and ecologies of influence affect their pedagogical goals and approaches to teaching first-year composition as they progress in their graduate program? (2) How do systems of power within the university impact GTAs' pedagogical goals and approaches to teaching first-year composition and their perception of self-efficacy and empowerment as instructors? To explore these questions, seven composition GTAs participated in a qualitative study that included surveys, interviews, and voice memos. The goal of this study was to map the complex university systems and personal factors that impact composition GTAs' development as disciplinary scholars and composition instructors. Results indicate that as GTAs progress in their disciplinary programs, they begin to approach the teaching of writing from a disciplinary perspective that aligns their disciplinary writing practices with their pedagogical goals and strategies for first-year composition courses. These GTAs are heavily impacted by their disciplinary mentors, cohort, and the complex university systems that they must navigate as they fulfill their roles as graduate students, instructors of record, and emerging disciplinary scholars. WPAs and faculty should consider the critical role of mentoring that GTAs require as they develop into composition instructors in order to support and guide future scholars and instructors in the field of writing studies and composition.
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    Training at Colorado community corrections centers: understanding and evaluating varied training approaches in the corrections environment
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Dunlap, Makayla, author; Jacobi, Tobi, advisor; Doe, Sue, advisor; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
    Most depictions of the justice system suggest an environment that is strictly punitive. However, Community Corrections, as the last step before individuals reenter their community, is uniquely situated to be responsible for building agency in and actively communicating with those who have been incarcerated. This approach requires staff to be trained differently than others in the Corrections ecosystem so that they might interact with clients in a different, more humanitarian way. The current research aims to examine existing training for Community Corrections employees using the lens of Activity Theory (Engestrom, Vygotsky) and Design Justice (Costanza-Chock, Design Justice Network). To conduct this analysis, in an IRB-approved study, 24 participants, all of whom are practitioners of training or maintain some official role in the training ecosystem, were recruited from nine Community Corrections facilities across the state of Colorado and asked about their experiences with Community Corrections training. After the interviews were conducted, a critical content analysis of the qualitative data from the interviews was done, examining how the current training aligns with the six components of Activity Theory and the ten principles of Design Justice. In doing so, Activity Theory illuminates the complex and rapidly changing Community Corrections environment that staff are being trained in, while alignment with Design Justice principles helps measure the relative success of training. This project found that Community Corrections practitioners are aware of and, to some degree, are effective in applying Design Justice principles to their work even as structural challenges impede full effectiveness. However, current Design Justice principles did not fully capture the complexity of the institution. Activity Theory additionally revealed the complexity of Community Corrections organizationally and further amplified the need for structural changes that might influence overall effectiveness. This study shows that, moving forward, both Community Corrections itself and Design Justice principles can grow and improve.