Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Early Language Acquisition Through English And French, Rebecca C. Aguilar

Honors Capstones

Knowing that there is no singular event that leads to learning a language, and factoring in the extent an individual’s culture can affect language learning, this study emphasizes the importance of a cross-linguistic approach to continue to broaden the scope of language acquisition research. The primary objective is to identify and analyze the critical commonalities in the initial stages of learning English and French as first languages through two major categories: speech/language and culture. This project carried out an analytical review of 24 pieces of relevant literature, in both languages, in an effort to highlight key findings. Those findings include: …

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Effective Title I Eligible Schools: A Mixed Methods Approach, Donald R. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students living in poverty have historically scored lower than more affluent peers. However, research suggests that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) may be more strongly associated with student academic success than socioeconomic background. Therefore, this study identifies successful Title I eligible schools that also have high levels of collective teacher efficacy to identify methods for increasing CTE in schools. A mixed methods research study model is used to explain how two successful Title I schools were able to achieve academic success and high levels of CTE. The study finds some of the perceptions of school staff, and the actions and processes …

Cultural Awareness Application, Bharat Gupta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In an increasingly interconnected global landscape, cultural awareness and competency have become indispensable skills for individuals and organizations alike. This paper introduces a pioneering cultural awareness application, grounded in the Cultural Orientation Model—a comprehensive framework devised by Dr. Walker [8]to guide individuals in understanding, appreciating, and effectively engaging with diverse cultures. The application encompasses ten primary dimensions, each representing fundamental aspects of social life shared by members of any socio-cultural environment. Through a combination of cultural education, interactive learning, guidance on cultural etiquette, and integration of cultural events, the application aims to foster empathy, tolerance, and effective cross-cultural communication skills. …

A Classic Delphi Study: To Identify And Describe How Elementary School Teacher Leaders Create And Foster A School Culture That Supports Social-Emotional Learning, Nicole Lindemuth

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the strategies that elementary teacher leaders use to create and foster a school culture that supports the five Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies (self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, self-management, and responsible decision making). An additional purpose was to identify what teacher leaders perceive to be the most effective strategies for creating and fostering a school culture that supports these social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies.

Methodology: This study used the Delphi method to collect data from elementary teacher leaders serving Grades TK–6 to identify their strategies …

Hidden Meanings In Elementary Instrumental Music Method Books: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, Mara Hope Thompson

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Textbooks serve as the primary resource utilized to deliver curriculum in a variety of subject areas and educational contexts. However, much previous research has found that texts often convey concealed meanings in the form of hidden and null curricula. This Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) explored the musical discourses and cultural contexts of musical examples in two elementary instrumental music textbook series to investigate whose values, cultures, perspectives, and knowledge are conveyed by the texts and whose are excluded or misrepresented. Framed by the social theory of Postcolonialism, the research revealed binary ideologies of exoticism embedded in many aspects of …

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions Of Leadership And Cultures Of Engagement, Inclusion, Collaboration, And Value Through A Social Capital Theory Framework, Mary Athena Geron-Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the time of this study, there were more adjunct or part-time teaching positions at colleges and universities than full-time or tenure track positions. It is predicted this trend will persist because it is fiscally beneficial to educational institutions; adjuncts will work for a quarter of the salary and with fewer benefits, no real job security, unpredictable teaching schedules, and no commensurate voice in faculty decisions. This case study expanded the understanding of the reasons behind contingent faculty's perceptions of satisfaction and their decisions to remain in instructional positions even with the positions' blatant inequities. According to Bourdieu's social capital …

The Influence Of Independent Secondary School Heads On Shaping Organizational Culture, Ian D. Macphail

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This dissertation examined the experiences and connections between head of school leadership and culture in small, independent boarding schools in New England. This study was the result of the participation of eight heads of school from eight separate institutions, engaging in semi-structured interviews. All of the schools were secular in their practice, all-gender, and had a formal dormitory-based boarding program. Each school enrolled 400 or fewer students, focusing the impact of these leaders on a tighter, interactional lens. This study explored a relatively under-researched area of K-12 education and used exploratory, qualitative methods to gather the stories of these formal …

Self-Reported Multicultural Teaching Knowledge Of K-12 Teachers, Ailish Raftery

Masters Theses

Research continues to show that students who belong to racial and/or ethnic minority groups face a variety of challenges at school, such as disproportionate rates of drop out, behavioral problems, exclusionary discipline practices, absenteeism, placement in special education, and more. These challenges are thought to contribute to the academic achievement gap between White and racial/ethnic minority students throughout the American public school system. Therefore, it is important to assess the multicultural teaching competence of American teachers and investigate barriers to improving culturally responsive teaching practices. Past research has investigated teachers’ multicultural teaching competence, but fewer compared general and special education …