Date of Award
5-31-2026
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education/Leadership in Urban Schools
First Advisor
Dr. Patricia Krueger-Henney
Second Advisor
Dr. Patricia Paugh
Third Advisor
Dr. Tricia Kress
Abstract
ABSTRACT
TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING: PRACTICING EMANCIPATIONTHROUGH CO-CONSTRUCTION, AND DIALOGUE IN WORKPLACE TEACHING ANDLEARNING
June 2026
Lisa A. Roe, B.A., University of Maine
M.Ed., Suffolk University
Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Boston
Directed by Professor Patricia Krueger-Henney
This dissertation investigates how emancipatory and creative practices can transform vocational high school classrooms into spaces of shared power, dialogue, and mastery-based learning. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I examined my practice as a vocational educator in information technology over the course of an academic year.
Grounded in Wheatley’s fractal organization theory, Kincheloe’s critical constructivism, Lave and Wenger’s situated learning, and dialogic pedagogy, the study explores how power dynamics, co-construction, and creativity shape classroom culture and learning outcomes. Findings suggest that when students directly participate in co-developing grading policies, cocreating classroom norms, and collaborating on projects, they demonstrate greater accountability, resilience, and ownership of learning. Creativity was expressed not only through technical innovation but also through problem-solving, risk-taking, and reimagining learning pathways.
The research also documents the teacher’s parallel transformation, shifting from authority to influence and from control to co-learning. This reorientation of power supported a classroom culture where creativity, dialogue, and mastery learning worked in tandem to foster emancipatory practice.
Implications for teacher education, vocational pedagogy, curriculum design, and education policy suggest the need to move beyond accountability-driven models toward approaches that prioritize dialogue, creativity, and shared agency. Ultimately, this work positions vocational classrooms as dynamic communities of practice where knowledge is co-constructed and both teachers and students engage in emancipatory transformation.
Recommended Citation
Roe, Lisa, "Transformative Teaching and Learning - Practicing Emancipation Through Co-Construction and Dialogue in Workplace Learning" (2026). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. 1157.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations/1157
Included in
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Comments
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