Date of Degree
2024
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Hu, Xiaodan
Committee Members
Hutchings, Quortne; Mac, Jacqueline
Keywords
Transformative, Equity-minded, Antiracism, Critical Reflection, Andragogy, Faculty Learning Communities
Abstract
A promising professional learning practice that supports faculty transformation are Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) which have the potential to cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness, holistic critical reflection, and equity-minded andragogical changes. However, the research is limited and mostly focused on university faculty. For this reason, this qualitative case study can contribute to the much-needed research focused on the reflections and experiences of California community college faculty at West Coast College (pseudonym). The data was collected via interviews and post interview reflection recordings from nine faculty that participated in one of two cohorts of a yearlong Equity-Minded Institute at WCC. This case study was informed by the Guided Pathways & Equity framework, which was designed from the collective professional experiences, various resources from the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office vision for success, and the Lens of Systemic Oppression National Equity Project. Additionally, key terms were identified and defined including equity-mindedness, antiracism, critical reflection, and andragogy. The three major themes and findings are: (1) self-awareness of identity, positionality, and critical reflection of students’ experiences; (2) andragogical practices through collaboration and co-learning with students and colleagues; (3) and addressing systemic issues through creative action and data-informed praxis. The findings of this research can be used as a model for other community colleges that are in the process of creating and evaluating equity-minded Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) on their campuses.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Aguilar Beltran, Maria, "A Qualitative Case Study of the Equity-Minded Institute Faculty Reflections: Designing Transformative Faculty Learning Communities" (2024). Dissertations of Practice. 38.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/38
