Date of Award

1-1-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education

First Advisor

Bruce Uhrmacher, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Kathy Green

Third Advisor

Nicole Joseph

Keywords

Culturally responsive teaching, Educational travel, Low-income youth, Middle level education, Mixed methods, Transformative paradigm

Abstract

This transformative, explanatory, sequential mixed methods study addresses a gap in the literature regarding the meaning of educational travel in the lives of urban youth in a low-income neighborhoods. The framework for this study stems from educational travel, culturally responsive teaching, effective middle level education (AMLE), and experiential learning. First, a quantitative phase examined data from former travelers (n = 344) compared to non-travelers (n = 6,100) at Harold Middle School from 2003 to 2011. Academic achievement data examined consist of: American College Test (ACT) scores, Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scale scores, and grade point averages (GPA). School engagement data examined include: graduation rates, attendance rates, and suspensions. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the travelers and the non-travelers in all variables except CSAP. Next, a qualitative phase consisting of interviews with former travelers (n = 9), and an adult chaperone focus group (n = 8) provided insights into the meaning of travel. The findings of the qualitative phase provide design structures and outcomes for short-term educational travel with middle school youth. The data analysis and integration is viewed using the transformative paradigm (Mertens, 2009).

Publication Statement

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

Rights Holder

Carrie Arlene Olson

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

638 p.

Discipline

Middle School Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Evaluation

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