Thresa Stallings

Voices from a Community College Developmental Writing Classroom:: Seeking the Role of Teacher Knowledge and Its Impact Upon Student Perceptions of Authority over Academic Performance Thresa Stallings

On the surface, it would appear that a classroom offers a universal experience. In reality, however, the individuality of human beings shapes this experience within a singular perspective that personalizes it into a unique story. This dissertation research project undertook to explore the concept of teacher knowledge as it applied to a particular community college instructor and how that knowledge was communicated to a particular developmental writing class. The collected data is reported through the narrative lens, offering a powerful collaboration of teacher and student stories intertwined through a shared educational experience. Upon entering their classroom, readers will ?hear? the voices of the instructor and students, frequently offered in their original state?unvarnished, raw with emotion, and sincere.