Motives for Dissertation Research at the Intersection Between Rural Education and Curriculum and Instruction

• In Event: Literatures of Marginalization and the Marginalization of Literatures

Abstract

Dissertation literature focusing on C&I issues in rural schools has substantially increased since 1987. What motivates these studies, in what ways do they engage the rural, and what are the implications for rural education research in the future? This study identified 194 legitimately rural C&I dissertations and analyzed them in their entirety to address the research questions. Kenneth Burke’s A Grammar of Motives supplied the theoretical framework to define “motive.” Analysis used a priori coding based in 55 constructs drawn from the rural education and situated learning literatures as well as from Burke to characterize the studies. Preliminary analysis suggests that the dissertations primarily engaged rurality as a context for technical questions about teaching and learning.

Authors

• Craig B. Howley, Ohio University - Athens

• Jacqueline Yahn, Ohio University - Eastern

• Aimee A. Howley, WordFarmers Associates