Digital Commons Network^™

Latinas In Stem Education: Paying It Forward, Evangelina Guillen

Theses and Dissertations

Hispanic female students are the minority population when it comes to taking higher level classes in the Science Technology Engineering and Math fields. According to Hinojosa, Rapaport, Jaciw, and Zacamy (2016), “STEM fields are defined here as majors in computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, biological and biomedical sciences, math and statistics, physical sciences, and science technologies” (p. 3). Traditionally, more boys enroll in STEM courses than girls. Hispanic and minority students, specifically Hispanic women, have been underrepresented in STEM education fields and careers. Why does STEM education matter for Hispanic female students? Because it gives Hispanic students …

A Comparative Study Of Principals' Perceptions Of Bilingual Education In School Districts In South Texas, Enrique H. De La Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

At a time when school leaders are held accountable for academic achievement and student growth, this study served to inform school leaders, who implement bilingual education programs, on the influence their perceptions have in their students’ academic success. This study examined and described elementary principals’ perceptions about bilingual education in a district implementing an early-exit bilingual program and in a district implementing a dual language bilingual program and its effectiveness to help ELLs achieve academic success. The study focused in determining if elementary principals’ perceptions were a function of their bilingual proficiency or language discourse, level of academic knowledge of …

Investigating The Use And Effectiveness Of The Istation Advanced Reading Program With Fourth-Grade At-Risk Struggling Readers, Andres Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer-based-instruction (CBI) and multimedia when used as an intervention with upper elementary students experiencing reading difficulties on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading Assessments. The researcher employed a quantitative, causal-comparative research design for this study. A Texas supplemental reading program, the Istation Advanced Reading Program, was used as a Response to Intervention (RTI) for those at-risk students of failing their Reading STAAR Test in the fourth grade and to sustain an effective reading program district-wide.

Archived data was collected from three South Texas Title I …

Teachers' Attitudes And Perceptions On Bring Your Own Device Programs In The Secondary Classroom, Michelle Marie Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations

Cavazos, Michelle M., Teachers' Attitudes and Perceptions on Bring Your Own Device Programs in the Secondary Classroom. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), March 2019, 105 pp., 3 tables, 4 figures. The purpose of this research is to investigate teacher attitudes and perceptions of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) on learning in the secondary classroom. The study was completed as a qualitative narrative inquiry. The study took place in a high school that has had BYOD policies in place since the beginning of the establishment of the campus. The manuscript brings forward the themes and reflections that represent teacher attitudes and perceptions …

Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals: Professional Growth In The Age Of Compliance, Kelly Cox

Theses and Dissertations

There are differing views of what constitutes teacher learning in the field of education. The case studies presented herein provide a glimpse into the professional learning lives of two elementary school teachers of emergent bilingual students in order to gain a greater understanding of how professional learning links to instructional practices. Set in a suburban public school setting in the southwest, the study incorporated the use of narrative inquiry with data consisting of interviews, observations, reflections logs, and artifacts. Data were analyzed through the lenses of the adult learning theory of andragogy and critical constructivism. The findings of this study …

A Case Study Of Hispanic Stem Teacher Preparation, Pamela L. Groves

Theses and Dissertations

There is a shortage of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers in the US (Aragon, 2016; National Science Board, 2003). Hispanics are underrepresented in STEM teaching (Aragon, 2016; Texas Education Agency, 2017; US Census Bureau, 2016b; US Department of Education, n.d.). In order to improve the state of STEM teaching in the US we must tap into this underrepresented group. This exploratory case study examined the experiences of Hispanic students pursing STEM teacher preparation and how the UTeachRGV program impacts student persistence and retention.

UTeachRGV is a STEM teacher preparation program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley …

The Role Of Technology In Bilingual Education: Developing A Culture Of Excellence, Belinda Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

According to the PEW Research Center (2014), Texas' Hispanic population comprises 39% of its overall population, twice the U. S. Hispanic population. Texas Education Agency (TEA) predicts a 14% increase in the next seven years, with a surge of about 40% in its English Language Learners (ELLs) population. Already, it reports Texas experienced a 20% student enrollment growth in the last ten years within the predominately Mexican-Americans in South Texas border. With a perpetual ELL student population increase, bilingual education programs need to consider emerging best practices. This qualitative case study explored the role of technology in bilingual education, focusing …

Digital Literacies To Develop Biliteracy: A Case Study Of Latino Students Exploring Multimodal Writing In English And Spanish, Laura Berenice Ramos Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Schools in the United States are witnessing a rich ethnic and linguistic diversity in their student corpus. Languages spoken by these children vary from state to state; however, Spanish is the second language most spoken after English (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2015). As a nation, there is a tremendous potential for these students to become biliterate or academically proficient in Spanish and English. Furthermore, with the advent of the 21st century, the educational setting is experiencing an increased interest in the integration of technology in education and students are prompted to become digitally literate.

The aim of this exploratory …

Teachers' Perceptions And Practices On Using Educational Technology As An Instructional Tool In The Classroom, Amanda Lee Resendez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapid expansion of educational technologies in primary schools, recent research has shown that many teachers are not taking full advantage of these new tools. This study was designed to address the problem of the lack of effective technology integration in the classroom, particularly in grades third thru fifth at two school districts in the Rio Grande Valley. The purpose of this study was to examine primary teachers' perceptions of implementing technology in the classroom. Framed by Koehler and Mishra's technological pedagogical content knowledge model (TPACK), the study was guided by research questions that involved teachers' perceptions of the …

Complex Trauma: Counselors' Self-Efficacy And Treatment, Breeze Valenska Rueda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory mixed-method study was twofold: to explore counselors’ perceptions and knowledge regarding complex trauma and, assess counselors’ perceptions regarding their level of confidence when working with this population. The study determined what relevant factors were related to counselors’ perceived self-efficacy concerning complex trauma. Although complex trauma is emerging as an important issue, there is limited research regarding counselors’ experiences with complex trauma. The current study explored participants’ perceptions when providing services to individuals with prolonged and cumulative trauma and provided a greater understanding of counselors’ recognition and selfefficacy when working with this population. A …

Early Educator Awareness Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Preschool Hispanic Populations, Karla Cecilia Vidaurri

Theses and Dissertations

Christensen et al. (2016) highlights how "there are disparities by race/ethnicity in estimated ASD prevalence, particularly for Hispanic children, as well as disparities in the age of earliest comprehensive evaluation and presence of a previous ASD diagnosis or classification, suggesting that access to treatment and services might be lacking or delayed for some children" With an increase in autism prevalence and Hispanic population, there's a crucial demand for effective servicing and referrals for early identification of Autism.

The aim of this study was to analyze how prepared early educators are in identifying children that fall under the category of autism …

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors' Experiences, Perceptions, And Readiness Related To Self-Employment Of People With Disabilities, Deborah Ashley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences, perceptions, and readiness (EPR) of vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) supporting people with disabilities (PWD) in self-employment. While PWD are twice as likely to be self-employed than the general population, self-employment case closure rates within vocational rehabilitation remain historically low around 2%.

Descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical analysis were used to investigate the EPR of 205 Certified Rehabilitation Counselors across the nation via an online survey, the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Self-Employment Process Survey (VRC-SEPS). The VRC-SEPS consists of demographic items, two Likert-type scales examining experiences and readiness, and a set …

Factors Contributing To Successful Employment Outcomes For Individuals Who Are Hard-Of-Hearing, Sergio Cuevas

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between demographic variables (gender, race and ethnicity, age, level of education, and secondary disability), state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and VR employment outcomes among individuals who are hard-of-hearing. This study also explored what VR services contribute to employment outcomes for individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Data from The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Service Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) FY 2014 was used to focus on individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Logistic regression, Chi-square, and Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analyses were used to analyze the RSA-911 dataset.

Graduation As A Function Of Mobility, Attendance, Discipline, Math, English Language Arts/Reading, And Parental Educational Attainment Of The Cohort Group 2015 In One South Texas Urban School District In The Rio Grande Valley, Nancy Lopez Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the trends and patterns across time over the cohort 2015 on dependent variable, graduation. Aggregated longitudinal data for independent variables, mobility, attendance, discipline, math achievement, reading achievement, and parental educational attainment was collected for 98 students from 2010 to 2018. The independent variables of mobility, attendance, discipline, math achievement, reading achievement, and parental educational attainment were examined to determine whether or not high school completion is dependent on these measures.

The freshmen cohort 2015 in one south Texas urban school district in the Rio Grande Valley was the focus of the study. Exploratory and confirmatory analysis statistical/data …

Redefining The Mfa: Artistic Pragmatism For The Twenty-First Century, Cristina Ann Correa

Theses and Dissertations

The twenty-first century economy demands a culturally-adaptable and technologically-innovative workforce. Despite the expansion of creative industry, at least half of academically-trained artists will work in fields unrelated to their studies. Statistics reflecting employment changes every three years parallel twenty-first century, pragmatic realities. Job seekers must consistently adapt and add to acquired skill sets to remain marketable.

Visual artists constantly engage in research and experimentation to move their practice beyond comfort zones. While many artistic processes can be learned through the internet, books, and observational study, the road to a career in academia must begin with a Master of Fine Art …

Investigating Faculty Across The Disciplines Perceptions And Practices Of Reflective Writing In Community Engaged Courses: A Comparative Study, Marcela Hebbard

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, research in composition studies and Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) has focused on understanding better how student reflective practices assist on their transfer of writing knowledge across contexts (Yancey et al., 2014; Taczak & Robertson, 2017, Lindenman et al., 2018). However, not much research has been done that investigates faculty beliefs and practices about reflective writing, how they use it to measure student outcomes and achievement in community engaged courses and the implications this might have for the transfer of knowledge and practice of writing. This study draws primarily on activity theory to better understand whether there is a …

A Study Of Counselor Trainees' Self-Perceived Competency In Social Justice Advocacy, Mary Ann Rocha

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the social justice advocacy competencies of rehabilitation counselor trainees. The study aims to explore rehabilitation counselor trainees’ self-perceived social justice advocacy competencies. More specifically, counselor trainees’ demographic and training variables will be examined to understand the process of social justice advocacy competency. Also, the study will explore the correlation between social justice advocacy competency and ethical awareness. A convenience sample of counselor trainees who are in a master’s-level or doctoral level rehabilitation counseling program or related counseling program was utilized for this study. In total, 132 counselors in training completed the online …

Writing Development Of Emerget Bilinguals: School-Wide Contextual Factors, Alma Rosa Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) measures Texas public school students’ knowledge and skills in many areas, including fourth grade writing. This system requires that students meet a certain performance standard score in writing to be successful. This state mandate impacts many Texas districts, teachers, and students. Districts must be prepared with necessary resources and tools to meet the writing needs of all students, including emergent bilinguals.

This case study focused on investigating how a bilingual teacher in a bilingual campus taught writing to her emergent bilinguals. Using the writer’s workshop approach, which many districts implement to …

Outcomes Teacher Mentoring Has On Professional Learning And Delivery Of Instruction, Susana A. Zapata-Burguete

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study using grounded theory was conducted to discover how educational mentoring was transferred to subsequently transform instructional delivery in the second year of teaching for novice secondary school teachers. The study was conducted in a Deep South Texas public school district during the 2017–2018 academic year. After concluding a year of mentoring, interviews were conducted to reveal how the mentoring phenomena helped transform their present day delivery of instruction. Data was gathered through face-to-face interviews with seven participants. During this second year, the novice teachers primarily relied on both what was learned through their mentoring experiences and networking …

The Relationship Between The Distance Of An External Focus Of Attention And Lower Body Power In Rugby Athletes, Donald Pump

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the relationship between the distance effect on power output during countermovement jumps in Rugby athletes. Hypothesis Testing was conducted utilizing a Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM ANOVA) at a .05 significance level. A Pairwise comparison was conducted to determine if one variable had a greater amount of quantitative property. Statistical insignificance was determined after all data was analyzed Results were unable to show a positive relationship between the distance of an external focus of attention and lower body power output in rugby athletes.

Higher Education Social Responsibility: An Empirical Analysis And Assessment Of A Hispanic-Serving Institution's Commitment To Community-Engaged Scholarship, Student Integration And Sense Of Belonging, Juan Salinas Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Current efforts in higher education institutions to increase persistence and success among Hispanic students continue to be ineffective and thus new conceptual frameworks need to be explored. Data from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities asserts that increasing the number of Hispanics that graduate is vital for our country’s future. In turn, Hispanic-Serving Institutions need to nourish and nurture their students to ensure that they graduate and institutional frameworks would benefit from cultural and epistemological congruence with Hispanic students, their families, and their communities.

Educational leaders have urged educators to take on the responsibility and commitment to students’ success …

The Role Of Teaching Presence On Academic Achievement In Fully Online Asynchronous And Hybrid Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Shaghayegh Azadi Setayesh

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate how mathematics student perceptions of teaching presence differ by course delivery mode and student achievement. Online learning has had a steady growth in higher education, and mathematics courses are also offered in fully online and hybrid modes, but the research on online mathematics learning and academic achievement is limited. In order to contribute to the body of research in this field, the focus of this study was on teaching presence and academic achievement in two delivery modes: fully online asynchronous, and hybrid.

The Community of Inquiry was the theoretical framework of this study, where …

Children's Physical Fitness And Academic Performance: A Challenge For Leaders In Title I Schools In The Rio Grande Valley, Maricela Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between physical fitness, body mass index and academic performance in Hispanic children enrolled in grade 5 from a district in the Rio Grande Valley. A total of 547 participants were selected from 11 elementary schools from a school district in the Rio Grande Valley. The dependent variable, academic performance, was measured by children’s gain score on the STAAR Progress Measure for Reading and Math assessments. The independent variables of physical fitness were measured by scores on cardiovascular fitness and body mass index from the FITNESSGRAM assessment.

The literature review …

Using The Rhetoric Of Video Games To Teach The Praxis Of Critical Analysis, Jeffrey B. Doyle

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that video games can be successful at teaching concepts and skills to students at various grade levels. To explain how this might work, theoretical work is done to connect the concept of flow from psychology to procedural rhetoric. With the inclusion of Foucault’s theories of power, video games are shown to not be isolated experiences but connected to the power dynamics of society. In video games, these dynamics can be seen through the problematic portrayals of marginalized peoples as well as the hostile community that has developed online surrounding video games. To account for these issues, but …

Linguistics In Secondary Education: Teachers' Perceptions Of Linguistics In The Classroom, Ayla Aizza Galvan

Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical linguistics is an area of English study focusing on the abstract components of language: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. By 11th and 12th grade, students in the United States have been tested on linguistic concepts, as per state examination standards. English Language Arts teachers can introduce theoretical linguistic investigation and terms to their students, but this is not happening. The paper reviews why theoretical linguistic analysis is not thoroughly implemented in classrooms, successful classroom linguistic investigation in other countries and some U.S., and how linguistic investigation can be part of classroom curriculum. The research incorporates survey data from …

Underrepresentation Of Hispanic Bilingual Students In Gifted And Talented Programs: The Role Of Teacher Expectations, Melissa I. Leon Leal

Theses and Dissertations

There is currently an underrepresentation of Hispanic and bilingual students in Gifted and Talented (GT) programs. The present study examines the role of teachers’ expectations and preconceptions of what constitutes a gifted student as possible contributing factors to the underrepresentation of Hispanic and bilingual students in GT programs. Participants will include approximately 100 pre-service teachers and currently practicing teachers in the community. Measures will include a demographic survey, vignettes for identifying giftedness which describe bilingual and monolingual potential gifted students across three ethnic groups, and a survey about student qualities that includes both quantitative and qualitative items. Results and implications …

A Father's Dream: "Mi Hija Va Ser Maestra" An Autoethnographic Study Of The Cultural, Familial And Community Experiences That Informed An Instructional Leader, Eva T. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an autoethnography which will identify major ethnographic influences that I, as a female Mexican American educational leader, feel have been significant in the course of my career in education. The study will focus on culture, family and community as factors which developed and engendered characteristics, behaviors and experiences that contributed to my development as an educator. These will be relayed through narratives, memoirs, organic artifacts and documents, lived experiences, pláticas, and other forms of text presented here as story, an acceptable autoethnographic method of data collection. I place myself in the center of these narratives in autoethnographic …

An Exploratory Factor Analysis: Factors That Influence Employers Disposition To Hire And Retain Persons With Disabilities, Javier Nazario Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the laws that are in place to ensure equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, there continues to be a disparity in employment rates for persons with disabilities when compared to persons without disabilities. Understanding factors that influence employers disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities is the first step towards developing a guide for professionals that provide direct job placement services to this population in developing an educational intervention plan that is conducive to employers being more receptive to hiring persons with disabilities.

Currently there are many studies that focus on employers’ attitudes towards hiring and retaining …

In- And Out- Of-School Literacy Practices Of Student Refugees: A Cross-Case Analysis In A South Texas Middle School, Maria L. Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

As the leading U.S. state currently welcoming all kinds of refugees, Texas has a public school system that offers a formal education to refugee students (Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, 2015). For many student refugees, formal schooling begins in this system. Thus it is important to understand how Texas public schools support the linguistic and academic development of these diverse learners. In order to fill this research gap, this study examines student refugee school-based literacy interactions in the U.S. public school system and how these practices connect or do not connect with the literacy practices these students experience in …

Early Childhood Teachers' Perception Of Their Principal's Leadership And The Relationship On Their Own Job Satisfaction And Self-Efficacy, Maria F. Rincon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between Early Childhood teachers’ sense of job satisfaction and their sense of self-efficacy. Teachers in this study participated voluntarily and answered a set of questionnaires that collected data regarding their current opinions and perceptions of their school principal’s leadership, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy beliefs.