Graduates of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction engage in complex research agendas supported by our
award-winning faculty members. See examples of past student dissertations and research agendas, grouped by
doctoral track.
Arts in Education
A Balanced Curriculum for Student-Oriented Learning in Art + Design Education: Toward
Community-Based Participatory Design Research Mee Jekal, 2020
Adviser: James Bequette
How does Creativity take shape in an arts classroom? A Post-intentional phenomenological and
Arts-based study on the creation of artwork Shelagh Gamble, 2019
Adviser: James Bequette
The Other Museum: The Experience of The Interior Space at The Adaptive Reuse Museum, where the
institution meets its historically preserved building Abdulrahman (Ben) Albannaa, 2019
Adviser: James Bequette
Culture and Teaching
Teacher Life: A Narrative Inquiry into the Storied Knowledge of Teachers Jake Knaus, 2020
Adviser: Bic Ngo
Adviser: Bic Ngo Being and Belonging in America: Second-Generation Asian American Teachers’
Stories of Negotiating Identity & Culture Meghan Phadke, 2021
Adviser: Nina Asher
How Service Learning Constructs Ideal Citizens for the Nation Colleen Rost-Banik, 2019
Adviser: Vichet Chhuon
Elementary Education
Female Student Voice and Breaking the Silence: A Post-Intentional Phenomenological Exploration
of the Lived Experiences of Females Using Digital Storytelling Halah Alismail, 2020
Adviser: Mark Vagle
A Phenomenological Exploration of the Hegemonic Insider-Outsider in Teacher Education Younkyung Hong, 2021
Advisers: Annie Mason and Mark Vagle
Defining Active Learning in Online Courses Through Design Principles Christiane Reilly, 2020
Adviser: Gill Roehrig
What Would Grace Hopper Do? Reclaiming Women's Place in Computer Science Kris Isaacson, 2019
Adviser: Cassie Scharber
Literacy Education
Race Talk in the Classroom: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Antiracism Kevin Lally, 2020
Adviser: Tim Lensmire
Rereading and Rewriting Teachers’ Stories of Felt Impossibilities Abby Boehm-Turner, 2020
Adviser: Time Lensmire
Exploring Reading Motivation and Engagement in Discipline-specific Classes Yongjun Lee, 2020
Adviser: David O’Brien
Beyond Urbanization: (Un)sustainable Geographies and Young People’s Literature Nick Kleese, 2021
Adviser: Marek Oziewicz
Second Language Education
Traveling through spatial repertoires and mathematics: Dialogic nature of physics discourse
practices and socialization activities Yi-Ju Lai, 2020
Adviser: Kendall King
On Becoming the Peace Elephant Warrior Princess: Reclaiming Indigenous Rights to Spirituality,
Creativity and Orality for the Vitality of Mbòg Bàsàa Veronica Quillien, 2019
Adviser: Mary Hermes
Elementary Mandarin Immersion Students Learning Alphabetic Pinyin and Using Pinyin to Learn
Chinese Characters Zhongkui Ju, 2019
Adviser: Martha Bigelow
Bilingual educational language policies in context: A multidimensional examination of California’s
bilingual teaching authorization Kathleen Mitchell, 2019
Adviser: Kendall King
Social Studies Education
Essential Voices: The Lived Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
Individuals in a Rural School. Heather Abrahamson, 2020
Adviser: J.B. Mayo
“You Will See Yourself In This Class”: A Case Study of Rendering Absent Narratives
Visible Daniel Bordwell, 2019
Adviser: J.B. Mayo
STEM Education
Identity in Mathematics Spaces for Middle and High School Students: A Case Study Approach to the
Revealing of Identities in Formal and Informal Mathematics Spaces Elena Gullickson, 2020
Adviser: Lesa Clarkson
Growing North Minneapolis: Fostering Youth Leadership and Critical Mentorship Through
Intergenerational Work and Community-University Partnerships Illana Livstrom, 2020
Adviser: Gill Roehrig
Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof in Secondary Mathematics Teacher Preparation Foster Graif, 2020
Adviser: Erin Baldinger
Student Experiences Navigating Data Analysis Tasks in Fifth Grade Science and Engineering
Settings Aran Glancy, 2020
Adviser: Erin Baldinger and Tamara Moore
Understanding Sensemaking in Undergraduate Science Classrooms FangFang Zhao, 2020
Advisers: Gill Roehrig and Anita Schuchardt