Education Commons^™

From The Lens Of (In)Visibility: A Photovoice Inquiry Into How Community Colleges Can Advance Filipino/A/X American Student Resilience, Rangel Velez Zarate

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The dearth of research on Filipino/a/x American (FilAm) community college students perpetuates the narrative that they are regarded as “invisible,” receiving limited academic and social support. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) has exacerbated the already distressing academic and racialized experiences of FilAm students.

In this qualitative study, nine FilAm students who attended a community college in the Western United States participated in an online photovoice project which visualized their personal reflections and specific academic needs through digital photos and written narratives. Findings from this study indicated …

Exploring Teacher Perceptions About Cultural Practices During Transitions, Katherine Lee Haberstroh

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This dissertation explores teacher perceptions of cultural practices and language that teachers use during transitional times between class-to-class and assignment-to-assignment. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is more to cultural practices than what current literature defines for critical life events and transitions. Artifact analysis from 18 school mission statements, semi structured interviews with eight participants, and rich observations were conducted. The content analysis defined, reviewed, and analyzed teacher perceptions of cultural practices and the language which they produced during their practices. From the exploration of the class-to-class and assignment-to-assignment, specific examples of cultural practices and language …

Applying The Dialogic Method In An Eighth Grade English Curriculum, Maggie Repko

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this thesis, I provide an analysis of Paulo Freire’s (1973) dialogic method for language education. I then synthesize his theories with the work of sociocultural and linguistic researchers who have determined the strongest activities to bring about student language development. Finally, I apply these theories to my appendices of created works that might be utilized in an eighth-grade creative writing course. This thesis demonstrates the similarities between Freire’s students and our students in the USA today and the ways that a critical dialogic pedagogy will meet their language learning needs while also inspiring their creative, critical conscientização. Paulo Freire …

Understanding Mentoring Relationships And Career Advancement In Higher Education, Nelky Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The development of administrators, faculty, and staff within higher education presumes an apprenticeship between an experienced individual (supervisor, tenured faculty, or friend within the field) and the employee (Reybold, 2003). Understanding the path to career advancement within higher education can assist in personal career aspirations (Rhoads & Tierney, 1993). However, many institutions do not recognize the need for a mentor as necessary for developing a person’s career. A professional roadmap to advancement within higher education usually consists of policies and procedures and social and cultural norms, yet without guidance, these can be difficult to master on one’s own. Studies have …

These Hips Don’T Lie: Examining The Engagement Of Latina/O Students Participating In High-Impact Practice Service-Learning Projects At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Felix Zuniga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While college access has been improved for Latina/o students, there is still the challenge of graduating Latina/o students with equitable academic outcomes (Bates et al., 2018). Hispanic-Serving Institutions are the sites that enroll the majority (67%) of Latina/o students in college; two out of three Latina/o students attend these broad-access, open-enrollment, minority-serving institutions known as HSIs (Excelencia, 2021). Universities across the United States are aware of the changing demographics of higher education but are slow to change policies and practices to become “student-ready” (McNair et al., 2016). Critical research on how Latina/o students experience higher education practices for student retention, …

Reframing The Pedagogical Underpinnings Of To Kill A Mockingbird: Queering A High School Text, Hovsep Hovannesian

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Given the current climate for social and political change in relation to identity and being, traditional high school texts like To Kill A Mockingbird are being rejected as degrading, out of touch, and even regressive and are being taken off the pedagogical shelf. This article pushes back on this outlook by suggesting that a more critical approach to such texts can make them not only useful but enlightening for the high school population asked to read them. Specifically, by proposing that high school pedagogy apply the foundations and frameworks of critical, identity-focused theories, like queer theory, to traditional high school …

Perception Influenced By Phenomena: Identify Core-Subject Teacher Perceptions Of Career Technical Education, Sheri Lynn Tucker

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the perception influenced by phenomena impacting core-subject teacher perceptions of career technical education (CTE). Studies show that CTE is highly successful at preparing California’s students for college and career (Friedman, 2006). However, some educators see “CTE maintain less value in helping to encourage student success” (Shanklin, 2014, p. 3). The phenomenological study examined the perception influencing lived experiences with focus groups and one-on-one interviews. Core-subject teachers participated in these face-to-face interviews. Findings show that core-subject teachers are biased against CTE. Analysis of the survey results determined perception influenced by phenomena experienced by …

Multicompetence, Multiple Intelligences And First-Year Composition Students, Patricia Rice'-Daniels

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine, gain, and ultimately share an understanding of certain cognitive differences, similarities, intelligence patterns, and preferences between competent monolingual (English) and multicompetent bilingual/multilingual first-year composition (FYC) college students. Within this project is an attempt to address the following questions: Do monolingual and bilingual/multilingual FYC students show different strengths and weaknesses in their cognitive abilities? Are there learning preferences and literacy differences or similarities between monolingual and bilingual/multilingual FYC students?

Primarily, two cognitive concepts were used in this examination to provide perspectives and quantitative data in response to the above questions. First, is Vivian …

Graphic Mathematical Mediated Structure: The Link For Hispanic/Latino And English Learners' Mathematical Success, Sylvia Casteloes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project’s goal is to promote and improve the mathematical literacy of fourth-grade Hispanic/Latino and English learners through the use of a graphic mathematical mediated structure. Current California Common Core data finds fourth-grade Hispanic/Latino and English learners significantly behind White and Asian students in mathematics, especially in understanding written word problems.

Research supports the assumption that as a tool, a graphic mathematical mediated structure could: 1) foster conceptual understanding; 2) build content terminology; 3) allow students opportunities to justify their solutions; 4) integrate writing in math; and 5) provide a platform for discourse. This innovative pedagogical project specifically focused on …

Developing Oral Proficiency And Motivation Through Script-Based And Improvisational Drama, Muhammet Çağrı Güzel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Utilizing drama has long been an innovative and dynamic concept as a part of a communicative approach in English classrooms around the world. Teaching languages through drama offers many beneficial opportunities for learners. Nevertheless, traditional methods are still the widely held teaching structures across the globe, which results in an increase in the number of demotivated learners who often hate and fear to practice one of the challenging skills when learning a foreign language- speaking- as it is a productive language skill. Not only do the traditional methods bring negative emotional and psychological outcomes, but it also causes a gradual …

Evaluating Intercultural Communicative Competence Using Mediated Self-Reflection In Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Hessah Khaled Alzimami

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In a globalized world, teaching English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) requires mastery of intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Deploying ICC has many benefits, especially with teaching and learning English, because it is a preeminent necessity for intercultural communication today. In ESL and EFL contexts at college and university levels, learners and instructors interface with other learners and instructors who have various languages and cultures, so there is a need for implementing ICC, because it encourages instructors and learners to communicate effectively with others using both their native and target languages, as well as …

Enhancing Language Development For English Learners, Frank L. Silva

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Previously accepted and current research has been reviewed regarding the development of English proficiency for English Language Learners. The particular areas of concern deemed crucial for language development are the domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The critical components for effective English Language Development instruction as well as the strategies considered the most effective and efficient were also investigated. The review resulted in the creation of an English Language Development unit that includes the essential components and various strategies that are considered effective in developing English proficiency for English Language Learners.

Adult Education In A Museum Setting Requires Reinforcement, Judy Ann Lowman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis addresses adult education in a museum setting and measures adult learning during and after a museum visit. While a number of studies have investigated the impact of museum visits on children’s learning, there are few studies on adult learners. This thesis is an initial effort to fill that gap. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with 24 adult visitors at the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, California. The objective was to determine which exhibits were found to be of greatest interest to the visitor. Follow-up interviews were conducted four weeks later to measure retention. The qualitative data …

Articulating A Vision: A Case Of Study Of Democracy, Education, And Prisoner Rehabilitation In A Day Reporting Center, Gregory A. Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

Unfortunately, little or no time is spent on transitioning inmates back into society, especially those with physical and mental disabilities. One support service that is being taken into consideration is the Day Reporting Center. Day Reporting Centers are highly structured nonresidential programs. Parolees report to the center on a daily basis, submit to drug tests, and are enrolled in various counseling, education, or vocational classes. Whereas most centers have strict monitoring and surveillance of parolees, one center that stands out in its alternative approach of self-governance is the San Bernardino Day Reporting Center in San Bernardino, California. There, the …

Conceptual Change Theory In Education: Using Dinner-Home Visits To Reshape Teacher Perceptions Of Students, Audrey Consuelo Hovannesian

Theses Digitization Project

This study was designed to determine a method to identify barriers which inhibit and items which foster levels of School Connectedness based on teacher perceptions of School Climate. When barriers related to School Connectedness are identified, the application of a protocol to reshape teacher perceptions may be necessary. Identifying teacher perceptions of School Climate related to students, the school environment, and themselves, is often an indicator of how connected the various elements of a school are since teachers and staff members greatly assist in the formation of a school climate. The 100 Dinners Project was a mixed methods study designed …

Script-Based Reading Lessons And Socialized Language Usage, Joseph James Spencer

Theses Digitization Project

This study focuses in particular on the connections students make to their reading as seen through contextualized language usage. Many educators and curriculum developers suggest that using these new script-based curriculum will help teachers systematize and close gaps in teaching and learning. If unwritten teacher questions and statements are used to redirect students' comprehension about texts occur during the reading lesson, these will be described and analyzed for their effects on the lesson goals and objectives.

Teaching Mathematics In The Classroom With Powerpoint Software, Robert Ward Kopp

Theses Digitization Project

This study will look at at how to better student achievement in an Algebra II course. Specifically this study examines two different modifications made during the second semester of an Algebra II course taught at a high school in Riverside County. The modifications that were made were based on a detailed literature review that suggested looking at how students learn while using PowerPoint software as an instructional tool and at the same time investigate the consequence of rearranging a fairly common and predetermined curriculum pattern.

Toward Solving The Teacher-Student Contradiction: Using Whole-Class Workshops To Crate A Student-Focused, Rhizomic Writing Community, Bridgette Mary Callahan

Theses Digitization Project

Theorists have long spoken of solving the teacher-student contradiciton, but many teachers in practice find it difficult to create depolarized classrooms, classrooms in which the roles of teacher and student overlap. One way to create such classrooms, composition teachers have advocated small-group workshops (SGWs) since the late 1960's. SGWs have become a well-established and researched part of composition theory. Compositionists have largely ignored SGW's counterpart, the whole-class workshop (WCW) despite it's benefits. This thesis examines WCWs as a new solution to the teacher-student contradiction and thus add a study of WCWs to composition scholarship.

The Effects Of Brain Compatible Instruction, Social Emotional Development And Classroom Community Structures On Students, Elizabeth Anne Glick

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was designed to gather data on the impact of several classroom structures/strategies on adolescent students. The objective of the study was to identify if an impact from these structures is positive or negative and the extent to which it exists, positively or negatively. The research aimed to answer the following question: to what extent do the practices of compatible teaching, social emotional education, and classroom community building have an impact on student behavior, achievement, and attendance?

The Effects Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports On Student Achievement And Other Outcomes, Gail Pamela Angus

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) on student academic performance and other outcomes. The participants in the study are eight middle schools from an urban Southern California school district that were mandated to implement SWPBIS in 2005.

The End Of Homework: Redefining The Default To Goalwork, Theresa Marie Gomez

Theses Digitization Project

This study examines whether setting individualized attainable goals are more effective than assigning traditional homework. The author uses the term 'goalwork' to describe individualized goals set by teacher and student which are practiced in place of traditional homework. The research question addressed in this study is whether there is a significant connection between the implementation and use of goalwork and district benchmark assessments.

Influences Of Morality In Theatre For Children, Ashleigh Merle Lutes

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this thesis is to examine current practices and suggest strategies and support for effective ways to teach morality with and through theatre. Using theatre as a moral training ground creates opportunities for children to learn to make positive choices throughout their lives.

The Effect Of Cold Calling And Culture On Communication Apprehension, Kimberly Noreen Aguilar

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether cold calling improved, maintained, or worsened students' levels of communication apprehension (CA) and sought to understand the effects that culture and cold calling may have on students with CA within the framework of Uncertainty Reduction Theory.

The Artistry Of Teaching: Commedia Dell'arte's Improvisational Strategies And Its Implications For Classroom Participation, Jean Artemis Vezzalini

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine if instructor improvisation affects student participation in the classroom. The participants in this project were professors/instructors at Cal State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) and the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.

Pinch Play Puppet Project, Carolyn Faye Mattson

Theses Digitization Project

The project was designed to investigate issues and ideas of developing a play adapted from a children's book to bring "history to life" for a modern family. The research model was designed to be a tool for the evaluation of the material presented. It was constructed to allow student practitioners to participate in the exploration and discovery of the creative process and improve their understanding of implementing theatre practices to teach required subjects.

The Impact Of Zero Tolerance On Student Academic Achievement And Retention, Paul Robert Robinson

Theses Digitization Project

This study showed that emerging trends showing zero tolerance policies having negative effects on school children, especially those of poor and/or minority background, make an elementary district's recently implemented zero tolerance style for fifth and sixth graders an interesting area of study. It is well accepted that when established and enforced with fidelity and consistency students will acclimate to new rules. The extreme cases like the tragic incident at Columbine aside school administration has a fiducuary duty to provide a safe learning environment, and many studies show that learning either does not occur or occurs at a diminished rate in …

The Effect Of Brain-Based Teaching Strategies On Continuation High School Students In Azusa, California, Georgia Lynn Martinez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of brain-compatible teaching strategies on continuation high school students. This was accomplished by comparing short-term academic achievement of one group of students, who received content utilizing brain-based instructional strategies, to a comparable group of students who received similar content trough traditional delivery methods.

An Exploration Of Playmaking Strategies Resulting In Youth Performance Scripts For Elementary School Audiences, Dana Marie Vazquez

Theses Digitization Project

The author has written four Meet the Masters scripts for schools in the Rim of the World school district in Lake Arrowhead, California. The goal of the performances is to employ children's theater techniques in order to teach elementary school students about an artist's life and work as well as improving learning and retention toward meeting the California State Board of Education Visual and Performing Arts content standards. The project is an important contribution to the field of Theater Education/ Theatre for Youth because it presents a method for utilizing the existing resources in a school district-middle school and and …

Shaping Our Children's Future: Perceived Self-Efficacy In A Montessori Environment, Candace Joan Andrews

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that students who spend more time in a Montessori environment exhibit higher levels of self-efficacy than children who have more of their school career exposed to traditional education methods. This study used a nonprobability convenience sampling where participants were selected using a volunteer process. The sample included a total of 36 children ranging from 7th to 12th grade who volunteered to participate in this study.

Multiple Intelligences In The Classroom, Julia Marie Ramirez

Theses Digitization Project

This qualitative study was designed to examine teacher feedback concerning the application of multiple intelligence methods in their classroom. The study found the theory of multiple intelligences was being implemented throughout the curriculum and students were maintaining an evident level of engagement; in turn teachers found it to be a useful intructional method.