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Secondary Student Perceptions Of School Climate Elements And Self-Reported Academic Self-Efficacy As Factors Of School Continuous Improvement, Marianne Arzadon Torales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

State and national agencies recognize the link between school quality and student academic and behavioral outcomes. Research has shown that a positive school climate and high academic self-efficacy are associated with positive academic and behavioral student outcomes. Determining the school climate factors that contribute to academic self-efficacy will add to the limited research on the relationship between these two constructs and provide information to prospective and current school leaders in cultivating an effective school.

A multiple regression was used to determine how student-perceived school climate factors predict self-reported student academic self-efficacy and of these factors, which one provided the strongest …

Border Crossing On Sacred Grounds: An Indigenized Decolonized Educational Research Paradigm For Use In Contemporary Globalized Schooling Systems, Estella Valles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Presented in this work is an adapted quantitative research paradigm for use in the field of education, specifically designed for work with Indigenous/marginalized populations coined "Diachronic Research Methodology" (DRM). The model is grounded in a post-positivist, decolonization-model, that is embedded in feminist and critical race theory. DRM is presented as a counter-approach to the traditional empiricist, research methods; a process which, historically, has allowed for a limited and biased understanding of Indigenous/marginalized populations. DRM challenges Western epistemologies and worldviews which have promoted the idea of one-grand-narrative for all humans, a view argued as beyond problematic and unethical, particularly for Indigenous …

Morphological Production Accuracy Patterns In Younger And Older Spanish-English Bilingual Children, Isabel Angelica Cano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Clinicians require a model of typical bilingual language development. Morphological production accuracy patterns vary in Spanish-English (S-E) bilingual children considering differences in the exposure and use of their two languages compared to their monolingual peers. The purpose of the current study was to examine morphological production accuracy patterns in thirty younger (3- to 4-years old) and older (5- to 6-years old) S-E bilingual children utilizing English and Spanish Morphosyntax subtests from a bilingual language screener. Across development, older bilingual children were more accurate on all forms in both English and Spanish than younger bilingual children. Across languages, all S-E bilingual …

Brokering Social Capital: A Qualitative Case Study On How A Hispanic Serving Institution Fosters Social Capital For First-Generation, Latinx, On-Campus Student Employees, Christian Corrales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Around 80 percent of undergraduates enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions are employed (Carnevale et al., 2015; Kena, Musu-Gillette, Robinson, Wang, Rathbun, Zhang, & Velez, 2015). Research shows that student employment is one of the most critical activities that affect students' post-secondary experiences and decisions while enrolled (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Perna 2010; Riggert et al., 2006; Tinto, 1993). The present study aimed at understanding how employing organizations and workplace environments of first-generation Latinx on-campus student employees influenced their ability to build social capital and navigate through higher education.

A social capital lens was used to help understand student participants' …

Principals' Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Lead Inclusive Schools For Students With Disabilities: An Action Research Study Of A Principal Preparation Program On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Ignacio Estorga Iii

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the "age of accountability," every student counts. This includes students with disabilities. Principals play a vital role in ensuring that students with disabilities receive a high-quality education. How are university-based preparation programs preparing aspiring administrators to meet the challenges of ensuring a fair and equal education for every student, including students with disabilities? Nearly 25 years ago, a study of principal preparation programs concluded that most principals were ill prepared when they began their leadership tenure. In 2009, a study found that, although there had been an increase in the number of hours that principal preparation programs required for …

How International Students From African Countries Use Digital Text, Nadia Boahemaa Kyeremeh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis critically examines how international students from African countries use digital text across disciplines in a four-year university in the United States. The goal of this study is to explore ways in which international students' challenges with digital text can be alleviated. Critical Consciousness Theory and Critical race theories are used as a theoretical framework which fosters a better understanding of international students' previous experience with digital text and the challenges faced when using digital text. Data collected through interviews indicate that international students' struggles with digital text are much more complex than the average student because they have …

Working Memory Performance In Spanish-English Bilinguals' First And Second Languages, Jordan Allyssabeth Orozco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Working memory is important for speech understanding in that speech recognition requires the processing, temporary storage, and manipulation of information during complex cognitive tasks. Previous research has shown contradictory findings on whether bilinguals have an advantage in working memory capacity compared to their monolingual counterparts. Differences in findings have been attributed to various factors to include task-dependent effects and poorly matched samples. Therefore, the existence of a bilingual advantage in working memory remains unclear.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the working memory performance of Spanish/English bilingual individuals compared to English monolingual individuals using a linguistically …

Familia First! A Qualitiative Study On The Impact Of Latinx First-Generation College Students' Degree Completion On Their Family In A U.S.-Mexico Border Community, Luis Jaime Mendez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Completing a bachelor's degree is a major milestone. The achievement can further be heightened by those who are the first in their families to graduate. By the same token, the attainment of a degree by first-generation Latinx students, who have statistically low percentages of education as compared to other ethnic groups, is crucial.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the familial impact of Latinx first-generation degree completion. The primary research question directing the study was: How does degree completion impact families of Latinx first-generation college students in a U.S.-Mexico border community? Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) model …

The Development Of A Principal's Conceptual Framework Within An Early College High School, Edmond Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Educational leadership literature and research are dominated by linear, evidence-based methodologies to describe and guide decisions made by the school principal. These methodologies and conclusions do not examine the conceptualizations made by the principal to form the professional knowledge that makes up the framework that the principal might use to define problems, understand the problem in context and create a response. How principals form these conceptualizations by using experiences, multiple perspectives, and theories might explain how principals understand the school to address needs that are specific to the nature of the campus.

An early college high school is the setting …

Faculty Attitudes And Perspectives About Community Engaged Scholarship At An Engaged Institution, Azuri Lizeth Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Community engaged scholarship has become a method for higher education institutions to respond to public and societal needs. Decades into the establishment of the "engaged institution," studies reveal that higher education presents challenges for faculty to effectively succeed in academia while pursuing a community engaged scholarship agenda. This study employs the use of a constructivist grounded theoretical approach to explore faculty attitudes and perspectives on community engaged scholarship and the role the engaged intuition may have in their views. This study found that faculty were introduced to the term by their institutions but their views and understanding of community engaged …

Mediations Of Cogenerative Dialogues Between High School Students And Scientists, Chelsea Elizabeth Lucas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research shows that working with scientists is a great way to help high school students learn science more authentically. However, communication barriers might exist because of their different background. This study introduces how an exemplary mediator used cogenerative dialogues to facilitate their communications. The goal of cogenerative dialogues is to help participants communicate with respect and equity to improve collective practices. We drew on Riskin's mediation framework to analyze dialogues to illustrate the mediation styles. Results indicate that this exemplary mediator was more elicitive when discussing problems, directive when discussing solutions, and focused on broad topics of the issue that …

The Digital Literacy Practices Of Transfronterizx Esol College Students: Los De Esol, Laura E. Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aims to contribute knowledge to the literature about ESOL students' digital literacy practices related to educational purposes. I studied the varied digital literacy practices the students used as mediating tools to perform their university activities (e.g., crossing to come to school, communicate with classmates/instructors about assignments, completing assignments). This study takes place on the U.S. side of the borderland area of El Paso, Texas-Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The participants were 43 transfronterizx ESOL college students, who were young adults between 18-25 years of age enrolled in the ESOL program at Sun University. I draw on ethnographic and netnographic …

Caregiver Experiences With The Dyslexia Identification Process In A Borderland Community In Texas, Angela Victoria Enriqueta Owens

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994; Peoples, 2020) uses critical disability theory (Devlin & Pothier, 2006) and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) as a lens for investigating the experiences of caregivers in a borderland community in Texas during their childâ??s dyslexia identification process. I used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) which has roots in hermeneutic phenomenology (Heidegger, 1971) as a research method to answer the research question, how do caregivers from minoritized backgrounds in a Texas Borderland community experience the Dyslexia identification process in public schools. The three caregivers in this study were able to participate through face-to-face and virtual formats, due to the …

Language Ideologies And Identities: Beliefs And Practices Of College Level Spanish Students And An Instructor In A Spanish Heritage Language Classroom, Viridiana Vidana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research on Heritage Language Learners (HLLs) began in the 1970s when the term heritage languages originated in Canada (Cummins, 2005); later in the 1990s, the subfield of heritage language education was created. HLLs are defined as “students who [are] raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, who speak or at least understand the language, and who [are] in some degree bilingual in that language and English” (Valdés, 2001, p.38). From its inception, research on the education of HLLs has focused heavily on linguistic aspects (Beaudrie & Fairclough, 2012; Colombi & Alarcón, 1997; Potowski & Carreira, 2010), however, …

Geophysical Investigations Of The San Andreas Fault System And Evaluations In Geoscience Education, Sandra Hardy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chapter 1: Investigating Earthquake Cycle Vertical Deformation Recorded by GPS And Regional Tide Gauge Stations in California

Geodetic and tide gauge measurements of vertical deformation record localized zones of uplift and subsidence that may document critical components of both long and short-period earthquake cycle deformation. In this study, we compare vertical tide gauge data from the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) and vertical GPS data from the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) for 10 approximately co-located station pairs along coastal California from Point Reyes, CA to Ensenada, Mexico. To compare these two data sets, we first truncate both …

Translanguaging Practices Of Multilingual Learners In The German As A Foreign Language Class, Annabell Sahr

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Translanguaging of multilingual learners in the German classroom is a qualitative study situated at the border between Mexico and the United States. This participatory action research explores how bilingual students learn German at the university level. The data collected includes participatory observations, memos, audio-recordings of all in-class conversations for the duration of one semester. A total of three German classes participated. Furthermore, three phenomenological interviews were conducted with each participant. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed for emerging themes. Findings from the in-class conversations show translanguaging as an applied learning strategy. Findings from the …

Impact Of School Closures On Principal Leadership And Identity, Isela Pena

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation presents findings from a phenomenological qualitative study of three principals who experienced school closures. This research aimed at exploring the impact of school closures on principal leadership and leadership identity. Utilizing the Ackerman's and Maslin-Ostrowki's (2002) concept of the wounded leader, this study framed the school closure as a critical incident which caused these principals to experience a wounding, thus providing them an opportunity to reflect and create a narrative around their experience, and through this examination, potentially undergo a transformation leading to professional and personal growth. Through semi-structured interviews, three school principals who experienced school closures, shared …

Substance Use Among 7th - 9th Grade Adolescents: The Role Of Risk- Related Variables In The Probability Of Use Involving Tobacco, Alcohol And Marijuana, Susana A. Villalobos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The role of schools in preventing substance use among adolescents is a priority for public health advocates across the United States. In recent years the United States has seen an increase in prescription medication overdoses in adults and adolescents. A lack of research exists of adolescents in middle school substance use (Welsh, & Rappaport, 2018). Trends of adolescent substance use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana continue to rise. Early onset use of legal and illegal substances has proven to increase the odds of long-term use of adolescence into adulthood. Parents, educators, community advocates and law enforcement have long tackled the …

Thinking Through Children: Proposing Theory For Doing Critical Content Analysis Of Multicultural Children's Literature, Carmen Milagros Seda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Theoretical constructs underpinning critical content analysis (CCA) for multicultural children's literature as a method for education as a field are currently drawn from critical literary theory. I problematize CCA methods based on claims by contributors that the methods are applicable for classroom educators, and can be applied during critical reading in classrooms with young readers. The change in audience and purpose warrants reflection on the extant theoretical underpinnings of CCA methods. Specifically, whether extant theories account for the mental life and psychoemotive needs of children and adolescents, especially as relates to agency analysis. Using a theoretical framework comprised of Childism …

New Perspectives On Faculty Stress: Its Relationship With Work Engagement, Teaching Effectiveness, And Program Preferences To Manage Stress, Rocio Alvarenga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to analyze faculty stress with three interrelated parts. First, the study examined the relationship between work engagement, stress factors, stress outcomes, and faculty characteristics. Next, the study analyzed the relationship between students' perception of faculty stress, faculty teaching effectiveness, class size, and student classification. Finally, the study investigated faculty preferences for health and wellness programs in the workplace. The study used two anonymous online questionnaires to collect data from 45 faculty participants and 119 student participants from a U.S. public, four-year research university. For faculty, the results demonstrated statistically significant strong relationships between all …

Discourses Of Coloniality In The Understanding And Practices Of Translanguaging Pedagogy, Gabriela Dolsa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dual language (DL) education has been regarded as a means toward equity and social justice for linguistic minorities. Several studies, however, question if DL programs can, in fact, overcome inequities in the education of emergent bilinguals. This ethnographic study followed these inquiries and explored how translanguaging theory and pedagogy could transform DL education to better serve social justice purposes in this US-Mexico border context. For translanguaging to achieve this, it is fundamental to know how DL educators understand and practice translanguaging in their classrooms. This study revealed that teachersâ?? understandings and practices of translanguaging were embedded in ideologies of coloniality …