Date of Award
8-21-2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
David Holman
Committee Members
John Beineke; Tanja McKay
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2015 W46
Abstract
This study was conducted to analyze the relationship that exists between student perceptions of learning and the role of instructors in an integrated World History I and World Literature I course. The primary outcomes were to determine: (1) the normative elements between instructors that were involved in the creation and delivery of an integrated course; (2) how the integration of content and the role of the instructors changed classroom interaction, specifically with respect to the norms of communication between students and faculty; and (3) how the phenomenon of learning and student perception in an integrated setting changed. To gain an understanding of the culture of the integrated class and student perception of learning in this environment, a mixed ethnographic and phenomenological methodology was employed. An ethnographic analysis enabled the author to assemble a sketch of the normative elements that were involved in the creation and delivery of the course and how the integration of content and the role of instructors changed classroom interaction, specifically with respect to the norms of communication between faculty and students. A phenomenological approach provided an analysis of how the phenomenon of learning and student perception in the course changed. The findings indicated that creating and delivering the course required extensive negotiation and compromise, flexibility, creativity, and mutual respect on the part of the author and cooperating teacher. Instructors were required to emphasize disciplinary integration constantly and participate actively at all times. The norms of communication influenced the classroom culture by increasing interaction and creating an academic environment where classmates were perceived as partners in learning. The findings also indicated that although students initially thought of learning in terms of repetition and rote memorization, the perception ultimately changed as they discovered that there are many different ways to learn, history and literature are interconnected, and an open, collaborative, and interactive environment increased learning.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Wood, William Lee, "Blending World History and Literature: An Ethnographic and Phenomenological Exposition of Disciplinary Integration" (2015). Student Theses and Dissertations. 728.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/728
