Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2018
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542224886343478 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15422248863434782021-08-03T07:08:53Z Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces Merkle, Jacqueline Powers Education Educational Leadership Multicultural Education autoethnography educational leadership power resistance K-12 schooling suburban education administration diversity curriculum The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms by which domination and resistance operate within suburban schooling spaces. Situated within a body of research focused on power, resistance, and social justice leadership in education, the author explores the following question: How can district administrators utilize autoethnographic research to name expressions of power and illuminate avenues for resistance within schooling spaces? Two theoretical frameworks guide the analysis within this dissertation: Amy Allen’s Rethinking Power (1998) and Meyerson and Scully’s Tempered Radicalism (1995). Written from the unique perspective of a district administrator supporting work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and curriculum, this dissertation utilizes autoethnography coupled with grounded theory methods to capture interactions, observations, and reflections that reveal practices of domination. The primary source of data for this dissertation was the author’s journal, which was written over the course of sixteen months. After engaging in an extensive incident-by-incident coding process, the analysis revealed two major findings. First, the data demonstrates that acts of domination and acts of resistance operate simultaneously and oppositionally within suburban districts. Vignettes are utilized to demonstrate the routine and unconsidered ways in which power is enacted within school systems, while also revealing how resistance is employed as a response to acts of domination, marginalization, and oppression. When faced with dominating behaviors, policies, and practices, the author captures three primary responses: disengagement (e.g., self-silencing), fear, and active resistance. Concurrently, when presented with acts of resistance, teachers and district leadership members showcased two common reactions: re-centering the majority voice and placing blame outside themselves. Second, the data suggests that there are multiple avenues of resistance that provide possibilities for creating systemic change. This study demonstrates how both tempered and radical approaches to resistance are viable methods of enacting change in suburban school districts. For individuals committed to resisting oppression, the data demonstrates the important role that spaces of temporary safety can play in sustaining activists in their work.This study advocates for a shift towards a Critical Administrative Resistance approach to research, which calls upon district administrators to leverage their insider-status to name the ways in which power operates and to illuminate avenues for resistance in schooling spaces. This dissertation contributes to social justice leadership research by demonstrating what Critical Administrative Resistance looks like in one suburban school district. Furthermore, it demonstrates the potential of utilizing authoethnographic research to reveal the ways in which oppression is reinforced, enacted, or disrupted by district leaders. 2018 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542224886343478 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542224886343478 restricted--full text unavailable until 2023-12-17 This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Education Educational Leadership Multicultural Education autoethnography educational leadership power resistance K-12 schooling suburban education administration diversity curriculum |
| spellingShingle |
Education Educational Leadership Multicultural Education autoethnography educational leadership power resistance K-12 schooling suburban education administration diversity curriculum Merkle, Jacqueline Powers Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| author |
Merkle, Jacqueline Powers |
| author_facet |
Merkle, Jacqueline Powers |
| author_sort |
Merkle, Jacqueline Powers |
| title |
Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| title_short |
Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| title_full |
Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| title_fullStr |
Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Rocking the Boat, While Staying in: Navigating Domination and Resistance in Suburban Schooling Spaces |
| title_sort |
rocking the boat, while staying in: navigating domination and resistance in suburban schooling spaces |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2018 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542224886343478 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT merklejacquelinepowers rockingtheboatwhilestayinginnavigatingdominationandresistanceinsuburbanschoolingspaces |
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1719454878499078144 |