Date of Award

6-15-2024

Document Type

Dissertation in Practice

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Norma L. Hafenstein

Second Advisor

Paul Michalec

Third Advisor

Shelagh Gallagher

Keywords

Advanced placement, Differentiation, Gifted, Gifted and talented, Rural

Abstract

Advanced Placement classes are introductory college courses taught in high school. Over 60% of all secondary gifted programs report utilizing AP classes as part of their program offerings (Callahan et al., 2017). Despite the prevalence of AP courses, there is no exact match between this particular type of programming and the needs of gifted learners (Gallagher, 2008). The use and occurrence of AP programs across the United States have not been equal, with subsequent underrepresentation of underserved groups, including rural students (Gagnon & Mattingly, 2016) in AP classes. Rural gifted students benefit from all the same classroom differentiation techniques that other gifted students do, including critical thinking and problem-solving, advanced content, inquiry, independent learning, project or problem-based learning, and internship and mentoring programs (VanTassel-Baska & Hubbard, 2016). There is little published research concerning the differentiation practices for gifted students enrolled in AP classes. The purpose of this qualitative educational criticism was to describe, interpret, and evaluate the differentiation practices that are presented by rural Advanced Placement teachers to gifted students. Five rural teachers engaged in virtual observations, artifact submission, and semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed using Tomlinson’s differentiation model (2018) and the instructional arc (Uhrmacher et al., 2017). Each of the five teachers observed demonstrated similar classroom pedagogy that aims to meet the unique needs of gifted students. Rural AP teachers form positive student-teacher relationships and establish positive classroom communities, although they may fail to provide specific differentiation modifications known to benefit gifted students. All participants reported being supported by their administrators, but face barriers due to poor student preparation and the threat of concurrent enrollment. As rural AP teachers occupy pivotal roles in their respective buildings, administrators and gifted program coordinators should work to establish Pre-AP or vertical preparation programs to ensure adequately prepared students enrolling in these courses. College Board, parent organization of Advanced Placement, should encourage frequent training of AP students and modify existing training to increase knowledge of specific curricular modifications required by rural gifted students. An appropriate guidebook on teaching AP classes in rural areas is necessary to improve instruction in these particular communities. Lastly, differentiation in rural areas should be modified to include place based learning to increase critical thinking and problem solving skills for rural gifted learners. Rural AP teachers engage in rigorous work within their AP classes that ensures that rural students have strong foundations for success in the future.

Copyright Date

6-2024

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Kristin M. Shapiro

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

311 pgs

File Size

4.9 MB

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