Education Commons^™

Improving The Success Of Non-Traditional Students In An Introductory Computing Course, Christine F. Reilly, Laura M. Grabowski, Gustavo Dietrich

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This Work in Progress Research to Practice paper presents a redesign of an introduction to computing course at a public, minority serving institution in the United States with a majority of non-traditional students. The course redesign was motivated by the desire to improve the success of the students in this course and in the major. Active learning during class and required attendance were the major components of the course redesign. The course policies included flexibility for the occasional absences that are expected with non-traditional students. A comparison of student performance in the experimental and control sections indicated that the requirement …

A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Its Strategic Human Capital Utilization And The Shift In Institutional Culture After The Merger, Trini Yunes

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there has been recent attention to mergers involving higher education institutions. The fact is that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are not a novel topic but more common in business. The paper will present the findings of a case study of the merger of two Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in Texas and how leadership used both legacy cultures to create a new organizational culture. The main focus of this study is to compare the relationships, as viewed by staff and faculty, between institutional performance and organizational culture. It will also determine how human capital (HC) utilization is related …

Introducing Global Citizenship In Language Teacher Education Through The Un’S Sustainable Development Goals, Ramsés Ortín

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present chapter describes a pedagogical intervention administered in an undergraduate ESL teacher training program. The purpose of this pedagogical innovation was to train future language teachers to incorporate Global Citizenship related objectives into their future practice by using the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as reference. Pre-service teachers (N = 10) taking part in this study participated in a three-phase training in which they were first introduced to the topic, then, asked to apply the discussed approach to the design of language learning materials, and finally, they completed a reflection task. The analysis of the last task …

Conceptual Insight Into The Application Of Innovative Educational Methods In Astronomy, Wahltyn A. Rattray

Theses and Dissertations

University students taking introductory astronomy courses were studied with a control group enrolled in a class with standard curriculum and an experimental group enrolled in a class with a curriculum using innovative instructional methods. Using multiple assessments, I analyzed the students’ astronomy knowledge and overall class experience to determine which curriculum was more instructionally effective. The innovative methods were developed with the ADDIE method and were based on the Karplus learning cycle which provided the framework for the astronomy curriculum. The end goal of the innovative curriculum is to produce graduates with better conceptual understanding of astronomy than with the …

Latinas And Service-Learning In Higher Education: Voices, Experiences And Perspectives, Maria Cristina Cantu-Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

This is an exploratory case study that explored service-learning experiences and perceptions among Latinas enrolled in a South Texas university. This study also addresses the challenges and benefits that are associated with Latinas and service-learning in higher education as service providers. This study provides a better understanding of Latina students' experiences and perceptions of their involvement in providing services within their Latino community.

Latino/A Student Perspectives On Literacy Practices Affecting College Readiness, Danira Vanessa Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative collective case study examines how pre-collegiate literacy practices affect Latino/a student college success. Conducted at a South Texas border-region University, this study utilized a sample of six Latino/a students enrolled in a freshman level composition course. A focus group was used to explore how academic and social literacy practices play a part in college readiness for these transitioning college students. Additionally, personal narratives were conducted as a form of counternarrative. Modeled on the theoretical framework of removing racism from school structures and closing race-related academic divides, findings included the need for social and cultural acceptance, classroom adaptability, and …

The Journey Of Selected Latina Transnational Educational Leaders: Transforming Their Lives Through Educational Achievements And Successful Careers, Raquel Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the journeys of selected Latina transnationals and how they transformed their lives through educational achievements and successful careers in the borderlands of Texas. The researcher utilized a phenomenological collective case study approach that investigated how the selected Latina transnationals overcame challenges via a series of semi-structured interviews (Creswell, 2013). Latinas are forced through their journeys to negotiate multiple systems that could possibly impact their educational trajectories (Lechuga-Pena & Lechuga, 2018). Despite Latinas being seen as the other, the object, the minority, many are able to tell their own stories and liberate themselves …

A South Texas Elementary School’S Transition To A Constructivist Blended Learning Model Of Instruction In Math: Perceptions Of Students And Parents, Ana Holland

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory transcendental phenomenological study delved into the perceptions of selected South Texas public elementary school parents and students as they transitioned from traditional math practices to a personalized pedagogy which incorporated the constructivist model of instruction—blended learning. This study focused on fourth and fifth grade students engaged in the transition to blended learning for a minimum of two years and their parents. The exclusion and inclusion parent and student survey data facilitated the selection and organization of participants into focus group interviews, which aligned with a purposive sampling (Rubin & Rubin, 2012a; Mills & Gay, 2016; Creswell, 2013). Along …

Factors That Contribute To Motivation And Student Achievement As Adolescents Transition From Elementary To Middle School Or Junior High In One Urban District In The Rio Grande Valley, Lizette Villarreal Longoria

Theses and Dissertations

This study will examine factors that contribute to the decline in achievement scores in reading and mathematics when students transition from elementary to their first year in middle school or junior high school. It will test the hypothesis that motivation is not a function of mentors, academic support, teams, parental involvement, transition experience, math perception, and reading perception for students transitioning from elementary to middle school or junior high school. In this quantitative research study, data will be collected using a multiple linear regression analysis to examine the factors that contribute to motivation and the achievement score decline in reading …

Understanding Teacher Perceptions And Experiences About Active Learning Techniques In High School U.S. History Courses At A Lower Rio Grande Valley School District, Juan J. Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of teachers about the use of active learning techniques in high school United States history courses at a lower Rio Grande Valley school district. The study employed a phenomenology design for rich textural descriptions and a systematic exploration of the phenomenon of active learning techniques. Data were collected from individual semi-structured interviews and a focus group of 8 U.S. history teachers. Teacher lesson plans were examined to further corroborate evidence coded from the semi-structured interviews and focus group.

The research evidence suggested that active learning pedagogies create a progressive learning environment, they …

Teacher Knowledge, Perceptions, And Language Orientations Towards Oral Language Instruction In A Dual Language Classroom, Lucy A. Montalvo

Theses and Dissertations

Dual language (DL) schools provide literacy in students’ native languages; however, it is unknown if there is a focus on oral language (OL) development, an essential component for emergent bilinguals’(EB) literacy development. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study is to understand what DL teachers in Virginia know about OL instruction when providing literacy instruction to EB students. This study also explored DL teachers’ perceptions and language orientations towards OL instruction in a DL classroom. The Holistic Biliteracy Framework by Escamilla et al. (2014) provided a research-based pedagogical model to compare teachers’ knowledge on OL instruction. The Language Orientation Framework …

A Study Of Faculty Perceptions Of The Quality Matters Professional Development Experience, Sarah Louise Pettus-Wakefield

Theses and Dissertations

Quality Matters certification is regarded by many American universities, including the university where the study was conducted, as the industry standard for quality online course design. Although a wide body of research has been completed on Quality Matters rubric effectiveness in changing course design, research was needed to explore faculty perceptions of the Quality Matters professional development program to determine perceived training effectiveness at preparing faculty to design and teach in a fully online learning environment. This research is aimed at Quality Matters facilitators to aide in determining the effectiveness of Quality Matters training and to help identify possible areas …

Implications Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Online Environments Where Emergent Bilinguals Participate, Myrna Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to better understand if culturally relevant pedagogy practices are happening in an early childhood dual-language classroom, and what knowledge does a bilingual teacher have of culturally relevant pedagogy. The theoretical framework is guided by the landmark theory of culturally relevant pedagogy by Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995). The research questions that guided this study were: (1) To what extend was culturally relevant pedagogy practices happening in an early childhood dual-language classroom? (2) What is the level of an early childhood bilingual teacher’s knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy? The findings in this study suggest that the teacher, who …

Effects Of Collaborative Group Activities On Students’ Interest, Course Participation, And Performance In An Online Physics Course, Airik R. Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the use of collaborative work activities in online physics courses as perceived by students. Nearly identical surveys were administered at the beginning and end of two semesters to ascertain student perception on the impact of the utilization on their level of interest, participation, performance as well as teamwork skills. The results show that the majority of the population tested strongly agree that collaborative work had significant effect on all core areas tested, and they support the notion that it should be further utilized in both lecture and lab portions …

Enhancing Student Learning Of Global Warming Through Reflective Writing, Liang Zeng, Guang Zeng

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The National Academy of Science has published studies showing strong scientific evidence that global warming is caused by human consumption of fossil fuels, yet recent surveys have shown young adults in the U.S. are disengaged or disagree with this fact. Accordingly, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published learning objectives to educate the world population on global warming and renewable energy by 2030. In this paper, we introduce a reflective writing activity physics educators can employ to foster a deeper understanding of global warming in introductory college physics and physical science courses, without overloading their teaching time.

The Limitations Of Being A Good Antiracist, Pauli Badenhorst, Jenna Min Shim

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we take up our shared antiracist identity aspirations as teacher educators and investigate how complex racialized emotions generated in interracial encounters trouble the idealized object of a good antiracist identity. Utilizing redirected antiracist psychoanalytic method to parse stories created through collective memory work, persistent emotional defenses that diminish an ability to dismantle oppressive racist structures, both internal and external, are uncovered and theorized. Later, contrary to some transmissive curricular and pedagogical texts and discourses that prioritize resolve, the contours of a relational antiracist curriculum and pedagogy that welcomes and integrates ambivalent, ambiguous emotional dilemmas present and inevitable …

High School Students’ Reasons For Disliking Mathematics: The Intersection Between Teacher’S Role And Student’S Emotions, Belief And Self-Efficacy, Jair J. Aguilar

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study presented here depicts the reasons for high school students to have a negative attitude toward mathematics. The students were asked to rate mathematics in comparison to other subjects like history, physics, or computer science. In addition, they were asked about their attitude, beliefs, and motivations toward mathematics. To this end a convergent parallel mixed-method approach was implemented using a questionnaire that combines open-ended, closed-ended (e.g., forced ranking scale, or multiple and single responses), and liker-scale items. One of the main reasons for student’s reluctancy toward mathematics is their lack of understanding and self-perception of low content knowledge, which …

The Role Of The School District In High-Performance Title One Schools In South Texas, George Padilla, Roberto Zamora, Federico Guerra

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

A mixed research study was designed and conducted to identify effective characteristics of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four South Texas Title 1 schools identified as High Performing Schools by the Texas Education Agency in 2016 were selected for the study. To be selected, these schools were also required to meet or exceed a set of criteria applied by the researchers. An effective school model, comprised of eleven characteristics and school processes, was developed based on a synthesis of effective school research and served as the theoretical framework for the study. The characteristics include Culture, Leadership, Instruction, Improvement, Home and Community Relations, …

Mario “Mike” De La Fuente: Died A Longhorn Legend, Rene Torres

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mario de la Fuente was born in 1909 in Mexico, the twelfth child of a prosperous rancher and merchant. His early life was disrupted by the Mexican Revolution, forcing his family to flee to Mexico City and later to the United States, where they faced poverty and racism. Despite these challenges, Mario excelled in academics and sports, particularly baseball, at Del Rio High School and later at the University of Texas. He became the first Mexican to earn a baseball scholarship at UT and led his team to multiple championships. After a brief professional baseball career, he returned to Mexico, …

Historias Americanas: Implementing Mexican American Studies In K-12 Social Studies Curriculum In The Rio Grande Valley, Maritza De La Trinidad, Stephanie Alvarez, Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay contributes to the growing literature on Mexican American Studies in K-12 within the broader field of Ethnic Studies. While most of the literature on the movement for Ethnic Studies within Texas and across the nation mainly focuses on the impact of Ethnic Studies courses on students’ academic success, this essay highlights a professional development program for K-12 social studies teachers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas entitled Historias Americanas: Engaging History and Citizenship in the Rio Grande Valley, funded by a federal grant. This essay provides an overview of Historias Americanas, the objectives and structure of …

Lesson Plan, 5th Grade, Johana Reséndez

Symposium Summer 2021

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 6A, 6E

Lesson objective(s): 1. Student will research origin of name. 2. Student write “All about Me” in journal. 3. Student will create a book all their information.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: Students will be able to utilize dictionary, pictures and work in pairs.

Understanding Student Learning Pathways In Traditional Online History Courses: Utilizing Process Mining Analysis On Clickstream Data, Matt Crosslin, Kimberly Breuer, Nikola Milikic, Justin T. Dellinger

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

This study explores ongoing research into self-mapped learning pathways that students utilize to move through a course when given two modalities to choose from: one that is instructor-led and one that is student-directed.

Design/methodology/approach

Process mining analysis was utilized to examine and cluster clickstream data from an online college-level History course designed with dual modality choices. This paper examines some of the results from different approaches to clustering the available data.

Findings

By examining how often students interacted with others, whether they were more internal or external facing with their pathway choices, and whether or not they completed a …

Empowered Stakeholders: Female University Students’ Leadership During The Covid-19-Triggered On-Campus Evictions In Canada And The United States, Haorui Wu, Marla Perez-Lugo, Cecilio Ortiz Garcia, Frances Gonzalez Crespo, Adriana Castillo

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of disaster-specific leadership of female university students has been largely neglected, especially during on-campus emergency eviction and evacuation. Based on the COVID-19-triggered, on-campus evictions across Canada and the United States, this cross-national partnership examined the out-of-province/state and international female university students’ leadership during the entire eviction process. Through in-depth interviews, this study revealed the female university students’ leadership behaviors during three stages: (1) pre-eviction: their self-preparedness formed an emotional foundation to support others; (2) peri-eviction: their attitude and leadership behavior enabled them to facilitate (psychologically and physically) their peers’ eviction process; and (3) post-eviction: they continued to support …

The Relationship Between Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, Leadership Style, And Student Achievement In High Poverty Schools, Roldan Castro

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study unfolds the amount of a relationship a principal's emotional intelligence, leadership style, and student achievement has in high poverty schools. Principal's emotional quotient was measured using the MSCEIT assessment in four areas: perceiving emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and managing emotions. Leadership style was measured using the MLQ 5X survey through the lens of their teachers, classifying a principal as a transformational, transactional, or passive leader. 2019 Texas Academic Progress Reports reading and mathematics scores were used for participating principals. The sample included eight participating school districts is the South Texas region, in which a range of …

A Phenomenological Collective Case Study Of Mexican American Gifted Dropouts In South Texas, Albert Irlas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the shared experiences of formally identified gifted Mexican American students that decided to drop out of high school in the south Texas region. The researcher utilized a phenomenological collective case study approach that investigated the influences that led gifted learners to drop out of high school via a series of semi-structured interviews that collected and analyzed the shared narrative data (Creswell, 2013; Degand, 2015; Seidman, 2014). Prevailing studies have found that Mexican American gifted learners are more likely to live in economically depressed communities, more likely to suffer from linguistic and cultural …

(Re) Actualizing Culturally Sustaining Read Aloud Practices: Enriching Latinx Bilingual Learners’ Literacy Development, Isela Almaguer

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Focusing on culturally sustaining literacy practices, I sought to conceptualize the integration of culturally rich literature as inclusionary practices for the reading and literacy development of Latinx bilingual learners. It is forecasted that by 2036, Latinx students will make up a third of the nation’s 3 to 17 year old learners - our school age population (US Census Bureau, 2010). Recognizing the importance of engaging with culturally sustaining read alouds and the value in learners seeing themselves reflected in the stories allows for increased opportunities for engagement in the literature used in the read alouds. I steadfastly advocate for asset-based …

Lesson Plan, U.S. History, 11th Grade, Bernice Barrón

Symposium Summer 2021

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): Economic and Social development of a region. 28B Analyzing information by applying absolute and relative chronology through sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause- and effect relationships, comparing and contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations, making predictions, drawing inferences, and drawing conclusions.

Lesson objective(s): 1.Analyze the factors that let to the economic development of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. 2.Describe the Labor, technology, crops, and demographics that were used to develop agriculture in the region. 3.Describe how the moniker "The Magic Valley," was used to attract investors willing to farm in the Rio Grande Valley. …

Lesson Plan, U.S. History, U.S. Government, 11th Grade And 12th Grade, Arnoldo Mendoza

Symposium Summer 2021

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 6B: analyze the westward growth of the nation, Manifest Destiny • 6C: explain the causes and effects of the US Mexican War and its impact on the US

Lesson objective(s): 1. Analyze the significance of the Battle of Palo Alto. 2. Examine the reason why did the US Forces use that route to go to Fort Texas. 3. Compare and contrast Mexican artillery and US artillery

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: PowerPoint, Maps, Primary Sources, Video, Textbook

Unidad Didáctica, Geografía Universal, Noveno, Ernesto Martínez

Symposium Summer 2021

Competencias y Aptitudes Esenciales del Estado de Texas (TEKS, por sus siglas en inglés): 5A: analizar cómo se relaciona el carácter de un lugar con sus elementos políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales. 14C: analizar los factores humanos y físicos que influyen en el control de territorios y recursos, conflictos/guerras y relaciones internacionales de naciones soberanas como los Estados Unidos.

Objetivos de la lección: 1. El alumno describirá la formación histórica de la frontera sur de Texas durante el período de la guerra entre los Estados Unidos y México. El alumno identificará los detalles de la Batalla de Palo Alto que …

Lesson Plan, Ap Human Geography, 9th Grade, Jennifer Torres Olmeda

Symposium Summer 2021

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): History 1A - Analyze significant physical features and environmental conditions that have influenced the past and migration patterns and have shaped the distribution of cultural groups today. History 2A - describe the human and physical characteristics of the same regions at different periods of time to analyze relationships between past events and current conditions. Geography 6B - explain the processes that have caused changes in settlement patterns, including urbanization, transportation, access to and availability of resources, and economic activities.

Lesson objective(s): 1. TLW connect industrialization in the RGV with the prevalence of Latino culture …