Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Elizabeth Currin
Abstract
This action research dissertation describes my effort to expand access to the arts for my high school students with IEPs through a culturally responsive poetry workshop. For this qualitative study, I used ongoing content analysis to explore how the experience impacted my students and me, drawing insights from artifacts, field notes, and interview data. Predetermined categories of student identity, writing, and poetry yielded themes like positive self-talk, family, voice, and reimagining to illuminate the students’ experiences. As I analyzed my own experience, two categories of pressure and political impact emerged, characterized by freedom, growth, struggle, burnout, and hope. In addition to describing the workshop and elaborating on these outcomes, I discuss the implications of the study. Specific recommendations include incorporating poetry in everyday instruction across content areas, artist-teacher retreats in the summer to promote collaboration, and designating a role for a special education arts facilitator at the district level to provide enriching arts experiences across schools.
Rights
© 2025, Danielle Ann Verwers
Recommended Citation
Verwers, D. A.(2025). Positive Self-Talk, Politics, and Poetry: The Impact of a Culturally Responsive Workshop in a High School Support Lab. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8514