Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Pedagogía De Hablantes De Herencia: Implicaciones Para El Entrenamiento De Instructores Al Nivel Universitario, Lina M. Reznicek-Parrado

Theses, Dissertations, Student Research: Modern Languages and Literatures

This study researches the differences in pedagogical needs between learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL learners) and learners of Spanish as a Heritage Language (HL learners) at the university level. By using the UNL Modern Languages and Literatures Department as an illustrative case and based on an analysis of the Heritage Language student profile in the context of the United States, this study seeks to explore arguments in favor of providing training for university-level instructors of Spanish that responds to the specific pedagogical needs of Heritage Language Learners.

The relevancy of this study is not only based on ...

A Medical Humanities Course: A Pertinent Pause On The Medical Beat, Kathleen Welch

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This article summarizes the findings of one ethnographic study and demonstrates that, by emphasizing self- reflection and discussion, an interdisciplinary literature and medicine course provides medical students a brief but important, time for retrospection.

Quartz Hill High School Agricultural Education Program: A Guide To Restarting, Revising, And Rebuilding The Agricultural Education Program At Quartz Hill High School, Luke Gocke

Agricultural Education and Communication

At one point in time Quartz Hill High School had a successful Agricultural Education program. The program utilized the principle of Agricultural Education to develop each student to be a contributing member of society. The purpose of this project was to create a booklet on how to rebuild a high school agricultural education program. It was designed to help the author gain knowledge about agricultural education programs, to set a foundation for how one would rebuild a program, and to create new ideas on how to diversify a program of agricultural education. The booklet is designed to help the administration ...

The Play's The Thing: Embodying Moments Of Integration Live, On Stage, Patricia G. Sandoval, Jack J. Mino

Learning Communities Research and Practice

This study of an interdisciplinary learning community at Holyoke Community College, which combined adolescent psychology and theater, attempts to show that embodied learning is not only a valid means of knowledge production and integrative learning but can also function as a gateway to deeper integration of course material. The authors document instances of embodied learning with thick descriptions of student work derived from samples of student writing, presentations, seminaring, videotaped performances, and student self/peer assessments. While the findings reveal students were engaged in integrative learning of an embodied kind, the crucial intermediate steps such as improvisations and rehearsals that ...

Social And Emotional Learning Competencies And Cross-Thematic Curriculum Related Skills Of Greek Students: A Multifactorial And Triangulation Analysis., Olympia Tsolou, Vasileios Margaritis

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The cross-thematic curriculum (CTC) for school education has recently been implemented so that the quality of the Greek educational system is improved. This study aimed at assessing social and emotional learning competencies and CTC-related skills of 541 Greek students aged 11–13. Data triangulation was also used for validating these findings, having 145 school teachers reporting their perceptions on students' skills. Both students and teachers reported moderate scores of all students' skills. Multivariate analysis revealed that gender remained a significant predictor for high scores of all students' skills, and that the higher the grade level of the students, the lower ...

Asian American Studies Program: Community-Centered Commitments And Pathways In The Asamst Curriculum, Asian American Studies Program, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

UMass Boston offers the most Asian American Studies courses, faculty, and community linkages of any university in New England. Through culturally-responsive instruction in the classroom and holistic practices of mentoring, community-building, service-learning, and advocacy, we address the social and academic needs of students as well as the critical capacity-building needs of local Asian American communities. Our alumni include teachers, social workers, health care providers, business entrepreneurs, and leaders of local Asian American community organizations where we sustain vital, long-term partnerships.

Creating Cultural Empathy And Challenging Attitudes Through Indigenous Narrative Project, Toni Wain, Moira Sim, Colleen Hayward, Juli Coffin, Donna Mak, Cobie Rudd

eCULTURE

The gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is too large to ignore. This has been attributed to social and economic disadvantage, access to health care and lack of cultural appropriateness of health services and providers. Creating culturally secure healthcare requires that we explore new ways for health professionals to relate to Aboriginal people. This article describes the development, implementation and early results from the Creating cultural empathy and challenging attitudes though Indigenous narrative project. The purpose of the project is to collect and trial narrative resources to engage students in stories of Indigenous people’s perceptions and ...

The Pitiful Bellringer: The Implications Of Representations Of Disability In Media & Literature, Elizabeth A. Dolski

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

This project investigates how throughout history, those who were different or atypical were often relegated to a marginalized life; this perspective was indicative in literature of previous eras as well as in historical documentation. As indicated in this research, even though literature and media has moved away from personifying disability in an overwhelmingly negative light, it has consequently moved toward characterizing people with disabilities as the antihero worthy of pity. The unintentional, prejudicial view of people with disabilities in popular culture perpetuates the idea that disability is something that must be overcome. This disconnect hinders student awareness and acceptance, and ...

Exploring Gender Differences Across Elementary, Middle, And High School Students' Science And Math Attitudes And Interest, Julie Christine Legrand

Education Doctoral Theses

The issue of female underrespresentation in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology careers and courses has been well researched over the last several decades. However, as gender gaps in achievement close and representation becomes more equitable in certain academic domains, research has turned to social and cultural factors to explain why fewer women persist in STEM studies and careers than men. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in science and math attitudes and interests from elementary school, to middle school, to high school. To examine possible gender-specific shifts in students' interest and attitudes in science and math ...

Student Characteristics And Targeted Based Cognitive Tier Ii Interventions, Patrick M. Billups

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Tier II student characteristics and outcomes on a standardized reading assessment. Ninety students who scored in the lowest third on a Virginia standardized reading test were placed into one of three instructional groups: 1) a control group consistent with instruction from previous years, 2) a “teacher selected” treatment group in which teachers determined students’ cognitive processing deficits and administered a chosen intervention, and 3) a “tested” treatment group in which students were administered the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) and assigned interventions based on the results ...

Middle School Students' Perceptions Of Bullying And The Effects Of An Anti-Bullying Policy, Ann M. Jones

Education Doctoral Theses

The problem of bullying in schools is an issue of national importance. Research points to an abundance of negative impacts on students involved in bullying and require the attention of adults to address and resolve bullying incidents between students. This study, giving credence to the voices of eighth graders in one central Massachusetts middle school, sought to uncover not only student perspectives about bullying but also to determine what these perceptions revealed about the effectiveness of the school district's anti-bullying policy. Using a mixed methods design, employing a survey instrument and focus group discussions, this study found that about ...

Education's Perfect Storm: A Case Study Of The Transformation Of Worcester Technical High School, Sheila M. Harrity

Education Doctoral Theses

The purpose of this case study is to investigate how a low performing urban vocational technical high school transformed to become a national model for vocational technical education. Distributive Leadership and Organizational Change Theory are the two theories that informed the design and analysis of the case study. In addition, a literature review of vocational education and school change is also provided to inform the study. The research questions are as follows: (1) How did Worcester Technical High School become a high performing school?; (2) How did leadership in the school contribute to this school becoming a high performing school ...

Understanding The Persistence Of Low-Income Students In Postsecondary Education: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Paul Devries

Education Doctoral Theses

In contemporary America, postsecondary education has now become almost a prerequisite for anyone wishing to matriculate into a higher socioeconomic class. Over the last five decades there has been a steady increase in the number of high school students entering college and university, with now over 75% of high school graduates enrolling in some form of postsecondary education. Unfortunately, extensive research indicates a student's chances of persistence in postsecondary education are far from equitable, a construct that is largely delineated by socioeconomic status. Current graduation rates of colleges and universities in the United States indicate that low-socioeconomic status students ...

Afterschool Participation And School Engagement: A Case Study Of An Urban East Coast Public Elementary School, Rafaela Mano Defigueiredo

Education Doctoral Theses

Students attending schools in urban areas with high concentrations of poverty are at risk for academic failure. Besides being more likely to live in poverty, urban students in comparison to suburban students are more likely to be English language learners and to be exposed to violence and other health and safety risks linked to negative school and life outcomes. Without meaningful intervention, many of these students will fail, presenting a problem for the student, their family, and society. The theory and empirical base that is termed "positive youth development" suggests that providing opportunities for youth to enhance their cognitive, behavioral ...

Acculturation And Identity Development Of Deaf Ethnic Minorities, Glennise Candice Schlinger

Masters Theses

This study examined whether experiences in the family and the education systems could influence Deaf ethnic identity development. Data were collected via administration of the Deaf Acculturation Scale (DAS). Participants’ responses were assessed as outlined by the developers of the DAS (Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2011). Results suggested that parents’ attitude towards their child’s deafness may affect the deaf individual’s identity development. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with four deaf ethnic minority participants: One Venezuelan American and three African American. Two hearing parents (both mothers) also participated in the interview: one Venezuelan American and one African American. Thematic analysis was used to code and identify patterns among the participants’ responses. Some themes discussed were: the role of spirituality and how it shaped deaf ethnic minority parents’ attitudes toward their child’s deafness; the impact of educational experiences and Deaf identity development, and what factors determined whether an individual identified with their ethnicity or Deafness first. The study suggests that familial/parental attitude toward deafness and experiences in the education system strongly influence Deaf identity development. Limitations and suggestions to further research are also discussed.

Academic Freedom & Religious Control: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Into How Seminary Faculty Make Sense Of Academic Freedom, Aaron Burgess

Education Doctoral Theses

There is a lack of qualitative research on how seminary faculty members perceive and make sense of academic freedom. This interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) aimed to deeply understand how faculty members at a Church of Christ seminary make sense of and attach meaning to the concept of academic freedom. Three seminary faculty members were identified through criterion sampling and interviewed to understand how they make sense of academic freedom in regards to teaching, researching, and publishing in a seminary that uses a confessional statement as a means of religious control. Three salient super-ordinate themes emerged from an IPA of the ...

Literacy Coaching Roles In Diverse Contexts Of Teaching And Learning: New Ways Of Working, Lisa J. Van Leent, Beryl Exley

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As the demands placed on the literacy coach have evolved, so too have the roles of these educational providers who are often responsible for working with school teams to turn around student performance on standardized literacy tests. One literacy coach based in a Queensland primary school recounts her experiences via open-ended interview over a two year period. We offer a theorisation of the newways of working as a literacy coach in a context of teaching and learning marked by diversity.

Public Acts Of Self-Deliberation: Preparation For Discursive Democracy In Education, Vonzell Agosto

Vonzell Agosto

This conceptual essay forwards self-deliberation as an act to be included in the preparation of educators and administrators. Self-deliberation is defined as a public act of deliberation that can be instigated pedagogically to prepare students for difficult dialogues on enduring issues in education. Self-deliberation provides another pedagogical method for preparing aspiring educators to participate in deliberative or discursive democracy. Narrative vignettes are used to illustrate the acts of self-deliberation performed by aspiring teachers of color as they consider controversial issues such as affirmative action, racial segregation, and culturally relevant education.

The Language Of Money: How Verbal And Visual Metonymy Shapes Public Opinion About Financial Events, Theresa Catalano, Linda R. Waugh

Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education

Much recent work on metonymy has concentrated on its definition, properties and functions (Benczes, Barcelona & Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, 2011) but few studies have examined the combination ofverbal and visual metonymy or the benefits of multimodal metonymical analysis in issues of social justice. In this paper eleven news articles regarding issues in financial discourse such as the financial crisis, fiscal cliff, underwater homeowners and entitlements are examined visually and verbally from a variety of online newspaper sources. Results reveal intricate visual and verbal metonymies such as EFFECT FOR CAUSE, RESULT FOR ACTION, INSTITUTION FOR PERSON, DEFINING PROPERTY FOR CATEGORY and ...

The Dropout Crisis: A Phenomenological Study Of High School Dropouts And The Acquisition Of Literacy, Cynthia O'Connell Kelly

Education Doctoral Theses

As the federal law No Child Left Behind (NCLB) fast approaches its goal of 100% proficiency for all students by 2014 and over thirty states have applied for waivers to provide relief from the law's adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements, more attention is being paid to the increasing number of students choosing not to graduate from high school (Lauren & Gaddis, 2012). Failure to graduate has been termed a national crisis by many, including President Obama (Obama, 2010). This doctoral research project describes this phenomenon by investigating the lived experiences of students who dropped out of high school and their ...