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Privilege, Power, And Marginalization: Creating Teacher Alliances For An Inclusive International School Community, Clarence Kerry Best

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

NXS began as an experimental bilingual school in a major urban city in Taiwan. Over its twenty-year history, the school transitioned from offering English language instruction for local students to a fully WASC accredited and IB authorized World School. The foreign staff grew from a few staff to comprising two-thirds of the 150-teaching faculty. Despite the size and potential impact of foreign teachers, they have no voice in the school, are excluded from setting the direction of the school, and are largely absent from the life of the school community. Limited opportunities for advancement and intense competition result from few …

Best Practice And Strategies To Effectively Support Dual Language Learners, Sydney Richardson

Graduate Teacher Education

According to Winsler et al. (2014), the fastest growing population of students entering preschool classrooms are considered Dual Language Learners (DLLs). Teachers are expected to teach these young learners, yet most of them feel unprepared to do so (Kibler, 2013). Many early childhood educators are unaware of the best practices and strategies to effectively support Dual Language Learners (DLLs) while preserving home language and culture (Hardin et al., 2010). In this review of literature, peer reviewed studies were examined for best practices teachers can utilize when working with children whose home language is not English. Results suggest that having children …

Teacher And Staff Perception Of School Climate: A Case Study, Michael Shane Hampton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine how different public-school teachers and staff perceive school climate at an achieving public middle school. The research sought to find relationships between teacher sub-groups and other staff members, and how they perceived the school climate, either negatively or positively. The researcher believed that there would be a positive perception of school climate, which coincided with high student achievement. Additionally, it was believed that there would be no relationship between teacher types or demographics, and how the climate would be perceived among the different groups. This paper also presents a review of the …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Compassion Organizing And The University Advancement Workplace, Christina Marie Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Compassion organizing has been described within positive organizational scholarship as an organization’s response to pain and suffering in organizational behavior and also the ability for organizations to flourish and promote joy and fulfillment in the workplace. Compassion organizing has been examined in organizational life through the four areas of noticing, feeling, acting, and sense-making. Previous research has focused on business and healthcare workplaces and has shown that compassion organizing is both an organizational and interpersonal social process. Because of the limited existing research on compassion organizing in the higher education workplace (and none with respect to the university advancement workplace), …

Why Culture Matters: The Importance And Effectiveness Of Creating A Multicultural Classroom When Teaching Elementary School Students In Public Schools, Haley Judith Quintana

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is to analyze the benefits of having a multicultural classroom in elementary schools. Multicultural education refers to any form of education or teaching that incorporates the histories, texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives of people from different cultural backgrounds. Teaching about multiculturalism can increase not only the teacher's knowledge, but also the students' learning. From this Capstone project the researchers learned how some teachers and parents feel about having different cultures being taught in the classroom. Based on the information that is collected the researchers found ways to incorporate multiculturalism. Upon interviewing four elementary teachers …

International Students’ Perceived Support And Barriers Adapting To The New Cultural Experience In A Southern California University, Jeanette Ayala

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenology study was to explore the lived experiences of international students’ perceptions regarding the types of support they received to adapt to a new culture experience and barriers to their successful adaptation to a new cultural experience while enrolled in a southern California university.

Methodology:

Qualitative research was the methodology used for this study because it was the approach best suited to gain a better understanding of the phenomena of international students’ lived experiences. The present study involved a qualitative design with a phenomenological inquiry approach. The technique of using semi-structured interviews is a method …

Cultural Shift From A Teacher- To A Learner-Centered Teaching Environment In An Undergraduate Nursing Program, Katalin Pere

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The changing Canadian demography—resulting in an older population with increasing health issues—coupled with the ongoing pandemic, requires nursing programs to produce graduates ready to provide safe, competent nursing care. Learner-centered teaching (LCT) is an effective approach that facilitates deep learning and the emergence of a new meaning of knowledge. However, teacher centeredness in nursing education that emphasizes memorized knowledge versus higher-order thinking is still prevalent. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to shift the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of the nursing faculty in an undergraduate nursing program in Ontario, Canada, from those of a more traditional lecturer role to those …

Home Literacy As A Way To Improve Students’ Academic Achievement And Motivation, Foster Strong Familial Relationships, And Bridge The Gap Between Home And School: A Framework For Custom Family Literacy Programs, Julia Marie Brown

Culminating Experience Projects

A child’s home environment is one of the greatest contributors to their social and cultural background, as it innately impacts their educational experiences and attitudes towards learning. Similarly, language development and literacy are deeply rooted in social, cultural, and historical experiences. Thus, the integration of literacy within home environments can strengthen families, contribute to overall academic success, and increase motivation and engagement amongst learners. While researchers and educators alike agree that fostering strong home literacy environments is beneficial for families as a whole and children as learners, many family literacy programs fail to bridge the gap between home and school …

Providing High-Quality, Diverse Literature For Kindergarten Classrooms, Tamara Powell

Culminating Experience Projects

There is a need to utilize more high-quality, diverse literature in kindergarten classrooms across the United States to ensure that students are being exposed to culturally relevant texts. The purpose of the Diverse Story Kinder Kit is to provide educators with access to authentic, culturally relevant literature that can be shared with kindergarten students to help develop identity, awareness of other cultures, and appreciation of other cultures. The project is framed under the Reader Response Theory and the Critical Literacy Theory to examine how high-quality literature has a positive impact on student response to literature that reflects students own experiences. …

Gender And Cross-Cultural Invariance Of Attitudes Toward Statistics Among Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Mihili Edirisooriya

Dissertations

Because of the wide usage of statistics in almost every field, many universities have incorporated statistics into their undergraduate and graduate curricula. Students taking statistics have often reported negative experiences and an aversion to statistics. Non-STEM students have often reported negative attitudes toward statistics (Chew & Dillon, 2014; Keeley et al., 2008). Researchers have used qualitative and quantitative approaches to measure attitudes toward statistics. The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics-36 (SATS-36) scale has been the most widely accepted measure to investigate attitudes toward statistics. Any psychometrically sound measurement instrument requires invariance across groups in its usage. Otherwise, measurement biases could …

Ohiohealth Mayo Well-Being Collaborative: Driving Associate Culture, Resilience, And Efficacy Of Practice, Bethany Gwinn

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The Mayo Well-Being Index is a validated nine-question self-assessment tool that enables individuals to better understand their overall wellbeing. The Mayo Well-Being Index is 100% anonymous, and provides individualized feedback with access to local and national resources through the tool at any time. Additionally, three process improvement questions are asked at the end of each assessment, allowing the users to share their feedback on topics such as the drivers of stress in the workplace, additional resources desired, etc. OhioHealth utilizes both qualitative and quantitative data from the Mayo Well-Being Index to identify teams in high distress as well as opportunities …

The Impact Of Teacher Leadership In Public Schools, Christopher Larson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

The system of education in the United States needs support. Schools are at a constant struggle to maintain a positive climate and culture and retain quality educators. We now live in a world where the grades and performance measures are highly scrutinized. Schools are measured against each other and society wants to see outstanding achievement data from their school systems.

Working within Moustakas’s phenomenological approach, this qualitative phenomenological study will investigate the extent to which teacher leadership advances school climate and culture. The study will be conducted in four public schools in North Dakota: Two that have teacher leadership …

Exploring Teaching Language With Culture, Sixin Fu

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio contains the author's insights into teaching a second language, which she gained while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It is organized in two major sections: teaching perspectives and research perspectives. The content reflects the author’s main focus and value on language teaching as a graduate instructor and student.

In the teaching perspectives section, the author shares the professional environment that she wants to work in, her teaching philosophy statement, and the professional development in language education through observing her colleagues’ teaching. In the research perspectives, two research papers and …

Leadership Strategies Exemplary Unified School District Superintendents Use To Create A Culture Of Inclusiveness, Lynn J Carmen Day

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe the leadership strategies unified school district superintendents used to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness through the lens of Kennedy’s five distinctive qualities of leadership.

Methodology: This mixed-methods study identified strategies exemplary public school superintendents used to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness. The study collected quantitative data from 17 superintendents via a survey and qualitative data from six of those superintendents via one-on-one interviews. Respondents were purposely chosen for their esteemed service in the field of education and based on specific criteria, including a recommendation from …

The One – Way (Agri)Cultural Mirror: A Case Study Of How Young Agriculturalists Understand And Experience Culture, Janiece M. Pigg

LSU Master's Theses

As the global economy continues to transform how society operates, cultural competence has become a buzzword in education, professional development, research, government, and healthcare (Gay, 1994; Gallus et al., 2014). Cross et al. (1989) developed the most accepted definition of cultural competence: “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enable that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (p. 13).

Despite this, little to no research has been devoted to understanding cultural competence in agriculture. Thus, a need emerged to describe the cultural competence …

Instructional Experiences: A Case Study Of Perceptions Of High School American Sign Language Teachers Who Are Hearing, Rhonda S. Leslie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A significant gap has been identified in research-based findings and classroom instructional practices of hearing ASL teachers in high schools in the U.S. (Rosen, 2015). Research has shown the absence of standardized ASL instructional guidelines, rules, and procedures has created a significant gap in teaching and learning practices at the high school level, and research-based findings about the most suitable pedagogical approaches that should be used in ASL induction and immersion programs. This study aims to understand hearing teachers’ perceptions of their ASL instructional practices and choices, using a qualitative research approach and a case study design. Based on a …

Preparing Pk-8 Teachers To Engage In Discussions Regarding Race, Mckenzie Hallstrom

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of this study is to discover what PK-8 teachers need to be prepared to engage in discussions regarding race with their students and to explore specific strategies to support teachers. Historically, Black students have been disadvantaged by the educational system and their voices silenced by pervasive racism. Using Critical Race Theory in education, this qualitative study will discuss barriers and strategies to engaging in race-discussions. This study will also discuss leadership implications for better supporting PK-8 teachers to be able to engage in race-discussions with their students. Ultimately, this study argues that PK-8 teachers are unprepared to engage …

Negotiating Multilingual Writer Identity In The Dissertation: International Perspectives On Language And Writing Practices, A. Brooke Boulton

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Globalization and internationalization of higher education have perpetuated the dominance of English as the language of production and reproduction in doctoral education. English dominance considers the status of English as a lingua franca in academia. Multilingual students for whom English is not the first language must engage in complex language and writing practices to meet university and publication standards, globally. As writing is identity work, students must negotiate thought and writing in two or more languages to achieve meaningful self-expression and to represent authentic, authoritative voices in English. Data representing students from 17 different countries and speaking 14 different languages …

Saudi Teachers’ Perceptions Of Rough-And-Tumble Play In Early Learning, Rana Alghamdi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored teachers’ perceptions of rough-and- tumble (R&T) play in early childhood education in Saudi Arabia. The literature on rough-and-tumble play in Saudi Arabia is limited in scope, and more research is needed to explore teachers’ perceptions on this type of play for early learners. The pertinent literature reveals that R&T play, which includes running, jumping, fighting, wrestling, chasing, pulling, pushing, and climbing, among other rough playful activities, can positively impact learning and development across psychosocial, emotional, and cognitive domains. Teachers’ understanding of R & T play is key, and the attitudes of Saudi early childhood teachers who are …

A Culture Of Corruption: A Case Study Of The National Culture Affecting The Socioeconomic Outcome Of Haiti, Dwindell Jean-Louis Sr

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the impact of organizational culture on Haiti from a socio-economic standpoint. The study used a case study approach in examining how Haiti’s national organizational culture influences the organizational structure of the various entities that make up the overall system. Overall, this study explored the influence that culture has in the shaping of a collective phenomenon. The established institutions are themselves products of the dominant cultural value systems, and in examining this system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, this study aims to better highlight how the current organizational structure is fueling corruption. Even with the extensive history …

“They Just Think No One Struggles Here”: A Qualitative Case Study On The Experiences Of Students With Food Insecurity At A Small, Liberal Arts College In The Midwestern United States, Rachel Costello Pridgen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Food insecurity is more prevalent on college campuses than nationwide, though many assume it is not an issue. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of students with food insecurities at a small, liberal arts college. This study particularly focuses on how the liberal arts context influences the experiences of students with food insecurities. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis and analyzed through a single qualitative case study. Five themes emerged from the research: a) the perceptions of students as well-off created unique barriers; b) student participants had limited access to food …

Teacher Perceptions Of Culturally Relevant Strategies To Promote Black Student Achievement, Kimberly Elyse Hendricks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A long-standing, race-based academic achievement gap between Black and White students has existed in a local district in the southwest United States for more than 5 years. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive case study was to explore teachers’ perceptions and experiences related to the use of culturally relevant or responsive (CRR) teaching strategies. The study was guided by Hale’s theory explaining how culture shapes a child’s cognition and learning styles, indicating benefits when the teacher used the students’ cultural assets during instruction. Research questions were written to address teachers’ perceptions of, experiences with, and the value of using CRR …

Improving Staff Knowledge Of Cultural Competence, Sherry Denise Akins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional nurses must demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of a variety of cultures within United States (US) healthcare systems. Such skillsets are needed for the provision of high-quality nursing care across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Nurses are challenged to provide holistic care that is congruent with each patient’s beliefs, practices, and culture. Guidelines from the constructs of pioneer Madeline Leininger’s Transcultural Theory was used as the conceptual framework for the proposal. The purpose of this project was to validate an evidence-based orientation module to educate nurses and nursing staff within an acute healthcare setting regarding cultural competence during hospital …

Educators’ Roles In Promoting Foster Care Children’S Sense Of Well-Being In Early Childhood Settings, Francoise Erlich Snyder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study addressed educators’ roles in promoting a sense of well-being in prekindergarten and kindergarten students in the foster care system in the southwestern United States. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory framed this exploration of educators’ roles in supporting foster children’s sense of well-being. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit nine educators from three different school settings with a minimum of 3 years of experience working with students in foster care. Data were collected during digitally audio-recorded interviews that explored how two administrators, two curriculum specialists, and five teachers with 3 to 25 years of experience working with students in …

Teachers' Views On The Intersectionality Between Culture And Student Behaviors, And Experience Using Culturally-Responsive Behavior Interventions, Toshna Pandey

Theses and Dissertations

Students belonging to racially minoritized groups experience more frequent and intense disciplinary consequences for similar rule violations as their White peers. Factors such as deficit-oriented perceptions and implicit biases among teachers have contributed to the disproportionate exclusion of racially minoritized students, thus negatively affecting their social, emotional, behavioral, and school success. Using semi-structured interviews, this study sought to explore elementary school teachers’ views on the intersectionality between race/culture and student behaviors. Additionally, it also examined their experiences using behavior interventions effective for racially minoritized students. Findings suggest that participants often attributed challenging behaviors to student-level factors such as family and …

An Exploration Of Teacher Residents’ Perception Of Culture And Their Use Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Jodi Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Urban teacher residency (UTR) programs place residents in urban schools labeled “hard-to-staff” or “under-resourced.” Enrollment in residency schools tends to be majority Brown or Black students from various cultures. Teacher residents are from diverse backgrounds and races who have a commitment to teach in Title 1 schools with the support of a residency program that coaches them how to teach using culturally relevant pedagogy. Their journeys are unique from typical student teaching experiences because they co-teach with an experienced teacher for a full school year while attending university classes on pedagogy and theory. This qualitative case study followed seven elementary …

A Comparative Analysis Of Chinese And American Cinematic Depictions Of The Female Adolescent Life Transition, Lily Li

Honors Theses

The thesis examines the representation through film of the ways social systems in Western and Eastern societies impact female adolescents’ growth. My study focuses on the transition from childhood to adolescence, from a relatively "naive" state to a reflective state of mind, filled with uncertainty about oneself and the future. In this process, there are emotions of confusion, insecurity, struggle, anxiety, and intergenerational conflicts. Some crucial factors such as friendships, family relationships, and societal pressures are influential in adolescents' formation of their personalities. This transformational process is universal across all cultures, as every adolescent experiences the transition from youth to …

Self-Reported Multicultural Teaching Knowledge And Skills Of School Professionals, Julia Kedzior

Masters Theses

Diverse learners face a variety of challenges, such as achievement gaps, behavior problems, and absenteeism. Therefore, it is important for their educators to have both multicultural teaching knowledge and skills to address these challenges and work towards a successful school experience for all students. Although research has sought to measure the cultural competence of teachers, not many studies have examined cultural competence in other school professionals (administrators, school psychologists, social workers, interventionists, instructional assistants, and other individuals who directly work with students in the school environment). In the current study, 185 teachers and other school professionals completed an adapted version …