Hyslop-Margison, Emery

Ubiquitous media communications technology necessitates democratic and
critical media literacy education for developing an active 21st century polity. This study
analyzed the context of democratic and critical media competencies in national
curriculum standards across Australia, England, and the United States. This, based on
Lefebvre’s (1991) conception of conceived space, where standards operate as manifest
educational policy and as a basis for establishing good practice.
The study employed a multi-theoretical approach to textual analysis, within
Bereday’s (1964) comparative structure of inquiry. A critical policy lens supported the
contextualization of ideological influences that frame democratic and critical media
literacies in standards, per Bay-Cheng, Fitz, Alizaga, and Zucker’s (2015) neoliberal
subscales. A purposive sample of civics and citizenship, English/English language arts,
and media arts/studies was employed. Differences across three main indicators were
identified: socio-cultural and youth-based concerns, personal growth via media production and other skills development, and reasoning and communication skills
improvement. The neoliberal influences on curricular standards were subsequently
explored across three emerging themes: identity politics, problem-based and critical
inquiry experiences, and the inclusion of digital new media in curriculum inquiry.
Though recognized in the countries’ standards as multifaceted and complex, each
obfuscates identity in some way. Both England and the United States inadequately
confront race, class, gender, socio-economic status, cultural commodification, and youthbased
issues. Though not overtly neoliberal, the Australian standards present identity
hegemonically.
The role of media is somewhat siloed from the curriculum’s conceptions of
identity and active citizenship across all three countries. The English standards are least
adept at developing learners’ understandings of the influence of media on identity
development, whereas both England and the United States over-emphasize text to the
neglect of new media understandings. An apolitical view of media literacy, accompanied
by techno-economic terminology, is pervasive in U.S. standards.
Despite a counter-critical approach to the framing of its curriculum priorities,
Australia presents the most balanced view of democratic/critical media citizenship.
England’s standards reflect neoliberal-communitarian citizenship and largely neglect
critical questioning. Whereas the United States takes a similarly cosmopolitan view of
citizenship to Australia and England, the standards fail to comprehensively explore the
links between digital democracy and political engagement.

The current qualitative study focused on understanding the process of learning to
teach. Using interviews of teacher educators, the study explored the importance of a set
of teaching activities developed as part of the Teacher Self Efficacy Survey (Tschannen-
Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) as well as the inclusion of instructional and assessment
strategies for the teaching activities and the quality of beginning teacher performance of
the activities.
Data were collected from interviews of 15 teacher educators. A process of open,
axial, and substantive coding was applied to the data to inductively identify and
categorize data relevant to the purpose of the study and to allow comparisons among and
between categories.
Findings suggested that teaching activities are critically important to and a
comprehensive description of effective teaching, and that beginning teachers struggle with differentiation and applying their learning to their practice. Further, findings
suggested that the source of beginning teacher struggles was found within the teacher
education program, within school contexts, and between the two institutions. In addition,
findings suggested that beginning teachers perform the student engagement activities and
those related to instructional strategies more proficiently than classroom management
activities, and that all three teaching activity categories were included in the curriculum,
but to different degrees and not all as part of curriculum design. A variety of pedagogies
were used to prepare preservice teachers; however, there was no reported knowledge of
assessment instruments used to measure preservice teachers’ readiness for teaching and
to obtain data on the performance of their graduates. Lastly, this study revealed that
teacher education program leaders were reluctant to participate in a study that sought to
draw direct connections between the skills taught in the program and how well beginning
teachers perform them.
Based on the findings, the researcher recommends further studies to determine the
viability of the teaching activities as a comprehensive and accurate definition of effective
teaching. Further the researcher recommends that teacher education programs and school
districts adopt the teaching activities as a consistent framework for providing preservice
education, for setting school district expectations, and for conducting teacher evaluations.

This study explored the factors expert teachers reported as influences in the
development and sustainment of their expertise as well as those that challenge it. Through
one-on-one interviews with 15 expert teachers, the generated data were scrutinized using
a grounded theory approach. The analysis protocol followed a multi-step process of three
stages – exploration, amalgamation, and conceptualization. In each of those stages, the
data were examined using a cyclical and recursive process of investigation-interpretationintegration-
illustration. By the completion of the conceptualization stage, a theory was
developed to describe the interdependence of the four influential factors that shape and
sustain teacher expertise.
Among the findings, the study revealed that both endogenous and exogenous
elements are necessary to develop and sustain teacher expertise. The endogenous factors
are more intrinsic and include energy (a teacher’s drive, commitment, and ability to extend past her/his comfort zone) and examination (reflection and goal-setting), while the
exogenous factors are more environmental and include encouragement (the succor a
teacher receives through collaboration and school leadership) and erudition (professional
learning that influences a teacher’s knowledge and skills).
The theory proposes that the evolution of expertise is neither chronological nor
linear; rather, each of the four factors plays an integral role and is interconnected and
synergistic with the others. In addition, when one or more influences is lacking or is
compromised, expertise is impeded. Impedances represent the challenges the participants
reported as their expertise evolved. These challenges interfere with their energy,
examination, encouragement, or erudition and, ultimately, their expertise. Furthermore, a
diagram depicting a quaternary gear system was created to illustrate teacher expertise in
motion. This is especially relevant at a time when teacher quality is the prominent
discourse in the field and at the forefront of educational policy. Understanding the
interdependent factors that shape and sustain teacher expertise can inform pre-service
teachers, developing and expert teachers, educational leaders, and decision-makers on the
nuances of teacher expertise as a way to optimize teacher growth and maximize student
success.

Media literacy is a competency needed for success in the 21st century yet a clear purpose does not exist that is useful in curriculum design. The purpose of this study was to investigate a combined (eclectic) approach to media literacy education according to selected international media literacy organizations. Determining an eclectic approach from subject area experts will be useful in designing and integrating media literacy curriculum.
Methodologically, this study was a qualitative content analysis and is thematic in nature using a constant comparative method of analysis. Supporting frameworks were established through standards based curriculum development and Schwab’s (1969, 1971, 1973, 1983) ideas of practical deliberation. Purposive heterogeneous sampling was utilized in identifying media literacy organizations from countries considered leaders in media education. This included organizations from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The primary approaches throughout all identified countries include an arts, critical, literacy, protectionist, and tool approach to media literacy. Through the process of curriculum deliberation, it is necessary to reconcile these approaches into one eclectic approach. Although individual subject areas may focus on one approach, it is important to consider all approaches equally during curriculum deliberation.
In comparing an eclectic approach to Florida language arts standards (modeled after the Common Core State Standards), it was discovered that an eclectic approach to media literacy is not present. These standards focus almost exclusively on a literacy approach despite state statue requiring the full integration of media literacy. Language arts standards also remain focused on print media despite acknowledging that students should be prepared for success in the 21st century. This is a media saturated world and every subject should implement media literacy principles and approaches that prepare students to succeed in it.

Numerous studies examining bullying among elementary school students and anti-bullying curricula and programs are available in educational literature. However,
little research examines the perceptions of elementary teachers and guidance counselors regarding implementing the curriculum. To address this gap in the literature, my case study focused on three elementary schools and 21 participants (18 teachers and three guidance counselors) in South Florida and their perceptions on bullying and the antibullying curriculum implemented during the 2011 school year. The data collected
included approximately 50 hours of interviews and the disaggregation of each school’s
discipline summary report. There were two major themes that emerged from the study. The first theme (elementary school bullying) addressed the individuals responsible for addressing bullying, the outcomes of bullying, the characterisitcs of a bully, the locations of bullying, and the reasons why bullying occurs. The second theme (elementary school
anti-bullying curriculua) addressed the professional development offered and what is
needed, the components within an anti-bullying curriculum and what is needed, and the
ways in which special needs students are addressed through an anti-bullying curriculum.