Date of Award

Spring 6-12-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Teaching and Leaning Scienes

Organizational Unit

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

First Advisor

Kimberly McDavid Schmidt

Second Advisor

Paul Michalec

Third Advisor

Marc Guerrero

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Faculty development, Hermeneutic phenomenology, Humanizing pedagogy, Shared power, Student-faculty pedagogical partnerships, Students as partners

Abstract

This hermeneutic phenomenological study, guided by Gadamer’s (2004) ideas, explored the lived experiences of student consultants and faculty members participating in a student-faculty pedagogical partnership program. Framed by humanizing pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Salazar, 2013) and students as partners (Healey et al., 2014) as the conceptual foundation, the study examined how collaborative teaching and learning relationships can promote more equitable, dialogic, and transformative educational practices. Participants included three student consultants and three faculty members at a private research university in the western United States.

Data were collected through nine in-depth phenomenological interviews (Seidman, 2019) and supplemented with written reflections and entry/exit interviews gathered by the program since 2017. A multi-stage coding process (Saldaña, 2021) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) were used to interpret how participants made meaning of their experiences in relation to four key constructs: advancing humanization and equity; fostering reciprocal teaching and learning dynamics; engaging in dialogue across varying perspectives; and eradicating power imbalances through collaboration. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of research that positions student-faculty pedagogical partnerships as a pathway toward more humanizing and equity-focused approaches to teaching and learning in higher education.

Copyright Date

6-9-2026

Publication Statement

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

Rights Holder

Kiersten Ann Hillkirk

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

223 pgs

File Size

4.5 MB

Download



Share

COinS