DALIBORKA C. PADON, PhD
Specialized in Academic, Developmental, and Technical Writing
Current Projects
Project 1
"Systemic Tensions: An Activity Theory Analysis of Writing Teacher Responding Practices"
​
Summary
This project presents eight case studies of writing teachers’ responding activities. By utilizing Engeström’s version of Activity Theory, I uncover the systemic tensions between the field’s expectations of college writing outcomes and the institutional and personal standards that guide teachers’ responding activities. I argue that these tensions arise from process ideologies that have created a gap in teacher preparation and practices, ultimately shaping responding approaches that neglect to consider how rhetoric and meaning are reflected in the grammatical aspects of writing.
Project 2
"Teachers in the Role of Non-Traditional Students: A Framework for Preparing Teachers to Respond to Linguistically Diverse Students"
​
Summary
In this project, I expand my research on how teachers have been prepared to respond to students by utilizing the lens of Knowles's Adult Learning Theory. In the context of teacher preparation programs, teachers take on the role of adult learners and are then taught a generalized set of best practices for responding to their student writers. By analyzing surveys, interviews, and teacher-preparation materials according to the elements of Knowles's Adult Learning Theory (such as internal motivators, self-responsibility, immediate relevance to work, and others), I propose a framework for teacher preparation programs in order to facilitate and enhance teachers' responses to diverse student populations.
Project 3
"Teacher Perceptions of Students, Student Performance, and Student Retention"
​
Summary
This collaborative project examines marginalized post-secondary students (such as developmental and first-generation students), whose sense of identity as college students—along with a sense of belonging to the academia—may not have been developed yet and may thus affect their confidence in reading, writing, and computer literacies. The collaborative lens includes perspectives from scholars specialized in developmental reading and writing (Stephanie Barnett, PhD), academic and professional writing (Daliborka Padon, PhD), and psychology (Jennifer Morey, PhD). The project seeks to understand how teacher perceptions of such students might affect student performance and, consequently, student retention.