More Than a Passing Grade: My Intrinsically Motivated Undergraduate Research Journey

More Than a Passing Grade: My Intrinsically Motivated Undergraduate Research Journey

Presenter(s)

Elizabeth Krahe

Comments

10:00-10:20, Kennedy Union 207

Description

The historiography essay from ASI 120 during my first year was more than just a necessary assignment. Through my research on the founding and funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Reconstruction Era, I was motivated to learn about the beginnings of black higher education in the US and the importance of advocating for quality education for diverse populations. My value of learning and advocacy continues to drive me to pursue further undergraduate research opportunities in the field of education, including participating in the Berry Summer Thesis Institute.By 2043, the United States is projected to become an official "plurality," with the non-Hispanic White population comprising less than 50% of the total (Devine and Ortman, 2014). Schools are becoming more culturally and racially diverse, yet the teaching population remains predominantly White middle-class females. Teachers need to engage all students to promote excitement in learning. Reading and writing are central to education and tied to academic achievement. This study will explore how interdisciplinary models in high school English Language Arts (ELA) education can advance the academic achievement of immigrant, refugee, and urban students. The aim is to observe how teachers in the Dayton Public School system understand and integrate interdisciplinary models in their ELA curriculum, and the benefits or disadvantages of this integration. Using research from Gloria Ladson-Billings' culturally relevant teaching, Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and bell hooks' Teaching to Transgress, the study will be grounded in critical pedagogies for education as a tool for freedom.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Independent Research

Primary Advisor

David J. Fine, Novea A. McIntosh

Primary Advisor's Department

Teacher Education

Keywords

Stander Symposium, School of Education and Health Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Vocation; Diversity

More Than a Passing Grade: My Intrinsically Motivated Undergraduate Research Journey

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