Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

College of Education

First Advisor

Melissa Bradford

Abstract

With a focus on transformation within what educational philosopher and Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda termed the life-sized paradigm, this interpretive qualitative study drew heavily upon arts-based research practices to explore how dialogue with, through, and about art shaped student value creation and the development of global citizenship dispositions in an online graduate course. This study sought to address the need to explore curricular structures and pedagogical practices which center our humanity and cultivate epistemologies missed or minimized by traditional teaching methods. As this study focused on the activities of a particular class, purposeful sampling was used to recruit seven participants. Three sources of data were triangulated: recorded semi-structured interviews with class participants, recorded dialogues between the researcher and the course faculty conducted throughout the summer, and student assignments, including art they created and shared in dialogue. Data analysis included interview coding and art analysis recorded in a commonplace book, a format which allows for both fluidity and analysis of a variety of media. This study found that student value creation was deeply relational, and that students utilized a variety of synchronous and asynchronous platforms to connect. Participants described their experiences sharing and creating art in dialogue as value-creative, finding that dialogue can transpire through many mediums and that bringing art into dialogue enhanced their value creation. As an individual, yet also relational process, student value creation was a manifestation of each student’s inner self, context, and relational experiences in class and beyond.

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