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dc.contributor.authorCassidy, Kate J.
dc.date.accessioned2013-04-10T17:11:39Z
dc.date.available2013-04-10T17:11:39Z
dc.date.issued2013-04-10
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10464/4272
dc.description.abstractIn contemporary times, there is a compelling need to understand the nature of positive community relationships that value diverse others. This dissertation is a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry into the essence of what it means to feel a sense of community. Specifically, I explored this phenomenon from the perspective of middle school teachers and students through the following questions: What meanings do students and teachers ascribe to feeling, experiencing, and developing a sense of community in their classes? To what extent do students’ and teachers’ ideas about feeling a sense of community include the acceptance of individual differences? Together these questions contributed to the overarching question, what is the essence of feeling a sense of community? As the data pool for the research, I used 192 essays and 218 posters from students who had been asked to write or draw about their visions of a positive classroom community where they felt a sense of community. I conducted 9 teacher interviews on the topic as well. My findings revealed one overarching ontology, Being-in-Relation, which outlined a full integration between individuality and community as a “way of being.” I also found five attributes that are present when individuals feel a sense of community: Supporting Others, Dialogue, An Ethic of Respect and Care, Safety, and Healthy Conflict. Contributions from this research include extensions to the literature about community; clarity for those who wish to establish a strong foundation of community relationships within formal and non-formal educational programs; insight that may assist educators, leaders, and policy makers within formal educational systems; and an opportunity to consider the extent to which the findings may point toward broader implications.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherBrock Universityen_US
dc.subjectschool belongingen_US
dc.subjectpsychological sense of communityen_US
dc.subjectphenomenologyen_US
dc.subjecthermeneuticen_US
dc.subjectstudenten_US
dc.titleThe Essence of Feeling a Sense of Community: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry With Middle School Students and Teachersen_US
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen
dc.degree.namePh.D. Educational Studiesen_US
dc.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Educationen_US
dc.degree.disciplineFaculty of Educationen_US
dc.embargo.termsNoneen_US
refterms.dateFOA2021-08-08T02:07:58Z


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