Doctoral Candidate Brochure: Melanie D. Kirin
Doctoral Dissertation Defense
of
Melanie D. Kirin
For the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Curriculum and Instruction
Understanding the Language Literacy Landscape of Novice Career Technical Educators
October 14, 2025
1:00 p.m.
White Hall Room 403
Understanding the Language Literacy Landscape of Novice Career Technical Educators
This study explored the language literacy landscape of novice Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers in Ohio. It examined how new teachers define their role in teaching literacy, the factors influencing their attitudes, the barriers they face, and the instructional strategies they successfully implement. The goal was to better understand how diverse personal and professional experiences shape literacy integration in CTE classrooms.
Using a multiple case study design, data were collected through surveys, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups with novice CTE teachers enrolled in Kent State University’s Career Technical Teacher Education licensure program. Quantitative data from the Vaughn Attitude Scale (1977) complemented qualitative findings.
The findings revealed teachers described literacy as extending beyond reading and writing to include workplace communication, technical vocabulary, and applied writing. While confident in teaching technical skills, many felt uncertain about literacy instruction and cited barriers such as limited training, unclear expectations, and inconsistent institutional support. They successfully embedded literacy when using contextual strategies tailored to their content areas. Cross-case analysis revealed a progression: confidence was lowest among teachers without bachelor’s degrees, moderate among those with non-teaching degrees, and highest among licensed teachers, who most strongly linked literacy to student achievement.
Findings highlight the urgent need for intentional literacy preparation in CTE teacher licensure programs. Supporting novice teachers through targeted training, mentoring, and professional development can improve literacy instruction in technical classrooms, ultimately strengthening outcomes for CTE students. This study also provides a baseline for examining the impact of legislative changes with reduced pedagogical training requirements for new CTE teachers.
µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø the Candidate
Melanie D. Kirin
M.Ed., Career-Technical Teacher Education
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 2015
B.S., Business Administration
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 1999
Melanie Kirin is a Lecturer in the School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum at Kent State University, where she has served as a faculty member since 2022. She supports and instructs credentialing courses in the Career Technical Teacher Education program, has mentored and observed more than 75 new teachers, advised undergraduate students, and developed widely used resources for CTE educators.
Prior to joining Kent State, she spent nearly a decade as a secondary marketing and entrepreneurship instructor, earning recognition as the Ohio Department of Education’s Career Technical New Teacher of the Year (2017) and Bedford City Schools’ Teacher of the Year (2019). She has presented at national and state conferences, and her professional background includes over 20 years in strategic marketing, business development, and leadership roles in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings.
Her research interests focus on literacy integration, teacher preparation, and work-based learning in career-technical education. She strongly advocates for the preparation of high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers to advance the success of CTE students, whose education is essential to the strength of the future workforce.
Doctoral Dissertation Committee
Co-Directors
Lori Wilfong, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Scott Courtney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Interim Director
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Committee Member
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
Associate Professor Emeritus
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Outside Program Area
Amy Damrow, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Graduate Faculty Representative
Jennifer Roche, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Health Sciences
College of Education, Health and Human Services