The task of this dissertation is to assess the popular thought of teachers on the topic of imagination and uncover how they incorporate imaginative methods into their current teaching practices. I attempt to ascertain the origination of these current perspectives through an analysis of the imagination from a historical perspective. Through portraiture, a qualitative research tool, I examine how the imagination is currently engaged in an elementary classroom setting. The research questions that guided this inquiry were as follows: 1) What is the intention of teachers who utilize imaginative teaching methods/strategies, 2) what types of instructional practices, activities, and learning environments support the use of student's imagination, and 3) how might teachers in K-12th grade make use of imaginative practices to engage students in learning? In order to answer these questions I investigated the use of imagination by teachers with classroom observations, in-depth interviews of three teachers, and developed themes and stories brought to voice through two focus group interviews.
","abstract_html":"<p>The task of this dissertation is to assess the popular thought of teachers on the topic of imagination and uncover how they incorporate imaginative methods into their current teaching practices. I attempt to ascertain the origination of these current perspectives through an analysis of the imagination from a historical perspective. Through portraiture, a qualitative research tool, I examine how the imagination is currently engaged in an elementary classroom setting. The research questions that guided this inquiry were as follows: 1) What is the intention of teachers who utilize imaginative teaching methods/strategies, 2) what types of instructional practices, activities, and learning environments support the use of student's imagination, and 3) how might teachers in K-12th grade make use of imaginative practices to engage students in learning? In order to answer these questions I investigated the use of imagination by teachers with classroom observations, in-depth interviews of three teachers, and developed themes and stories brought to voice through two focus group interviews.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shank, Perry S."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bruce Uhrmacher, Ph.D.","Andrew R. Goetz, Ph.D.","Paul Michalec","Nicholas Cutforth"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:12Z","subjects":["Creativity","Imagination","Imagine","Innovation","Education","Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"],"dc:subject":["Creativity","Imagination","Imagine","Innovation","Education","Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education"],"dc:title":["The Nature of Imagination in Pedagogy: A Qualitative Study of an Elementary School Setting"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:12Z"}