Nonfiction

For free access to these publications, please contact T.J. Altieri.

The Effects of Teaching & Discussing Gender in High School Social Studies on Student Perceptions of Gender

Publication Date: April 22, 2013

Masters Thesis - Quinnipiac University 2013

Abstract

Through a combination of prior literature and scholarly research on the topic and my own personal action research at a high school in suburban Connecticut, I aim to determine what effect teaching and discussions of gender in Social Studies classes have on students’ perceptions of gender (basic concepts as well as gender roles and relations).

The prior literature on the matter that has been researched includes investigations of the efficacy of specific gender studies classes in high school, as well as social studies classes that include a gender lens in their curriculum. In addition to course-specific inquiry, one prior study examined how gender was being represented school-wide outside the classroom and the impact it had on students. An amalgam of these studies provides a launching point for further investigation and what I extrapolate from my own research, I hope, will help draw some conclusions about how gender is taught in secondary education.

Through my own action research I plan to collect data that will validate or refute the efficacy of gender initiatives undertaken by public high schools. I will do this by utilizing different methods of data collection including student surveys, a gender pronoun fill in sheet/questionnaire aimed at gathering subconscious gender role ascription and field notes compiled from class observations. The subject population will be 18 students (9 males, 9 females) – 3 of each sex in each of 3 distinct social studies courses, as well a teacher from each course and a building administrator. The survey and fill-in questionnaire will be distributed to each student and field notes will be taken in each class. In addition, I plan to conduct interviews of the instructors of each class and take field notes from observation to supplement the data collected.

The Ancient Celts: A Concise Treatise

Publication Date: October 9, 2011

Abstract

The culmination of 14 years of independent scholarship and research on the ancient Celts; their history, art and culture, this work examines the entire Celtic tapestry, from their emergence on the European stage to modern traditions rooted in ancient rites.