Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

James Jupp

Second Advisor

Jacob Neumann

Third Advisor

Uma Ganesan

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the emerging professional narratives of five educators involved in the Integrated Oceans Program at a coastal South Texas school district situated within the Trans-Nueces region. Guided by the central research question—What are the emerging teacher stories from a place-based science program in the Trans-Nueces region, and what do we learn about place-based science education from the narratives?—the study employs narrative inquiry methodology following Riessman (2008) and Bruner (1985) to investigate how educators construct meaning from their practice within a program anchored to the Laguna Madre wetlands ecosystem.

The theoretical framework integrates interpretivism (Benton & Craib, 2010), Dewey's (1902) experiential learning, Semken et al.'s (2017) sense of place framework, Freire's (2005) conscientização, and Gruenewald's (2003) critical place-based education. Data were collected through semi-structured professional life history interviews with five program educators, a member-checking focus group, institutional committee records spanning 2021–2026, and paired historical and contemporary program documents. Thematic analysis yielded eight cross-cutting themes: Place-Based Pedagogy as Ontological Commitment, Mentorship as Program Infrastructure, Non-Linear Educator Pathways as Pedagogical Asset, Institutional Constraints and Pedagogical Creativity, Student Agency and Environmental Identity Formation, Generational Legacy and the Long Time Horizon, Community and Partnership as Program Infrastructure, and Science Under Pressure and Sociocultural Navigation. Findings reveal that effective place-based science education functions as an ontological commitment rather than a portable pedagogical method, that non-linear teacher pathways constitute a structural asset rather than an anomaly, and that mentorship must be designed as institutional infrastructure to sustain program continuity across generational transitions. The study also identifies a critical tension between reinhabitation and decolonization within the program's documented practice. Implications address teacher preparation, place-based curriculum design, and the misalignment between standardized accountability frameworks and the long-horizon outcomes that place-based science education produces.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Brian C. Gabrysch. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3371138180

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