Education Commons^™

Barriers To Individuals Of Entering The Field Of Education, Jamie Williford

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Institutional racism is prevalent in our society. It is the researcher’s belief that we must acknowledge the effects of racism in order to address the needs of individuals of color. The schools in our nation are an important place to start. The goal of this research is to create a list of barriers to individuals of color entering the field of education. Mixed methods research data collection and literature review aid in solving the research question: What are the barriers to individuals of color entering the field of education? A significant race gap has been noted by the researcher and …

American Indian Ethnic Studies: A Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Approach To Teaching An American Indian Ethnic Studies Unit, Bryan K. Deiman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Ethnic studies courses are designed to tell the stories of ethnic groups who have historically been marginalized in all or many aspects of society in the United States. The purpose of this study was to create a unit for an ethnic studies high school course centered on the American Indian experience. Adhering to the theory of culturally sustaining pedagogy, or culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, the unit for this course was designed to decentralize whiteness and focus solely on the American Indian perspective. This unit was created with a strong emphasis on community outreach, seeking input on content for lessons …

What Are Teacher Perceptions Of An Equity Committee?, Isabel Rowles

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study takes a constructionist approach to answer the research question: What are teacher perceptions of an equity committee? This research study was done using a combination of direct observation, field notes, a survey and interviews. The data from these instruments was analyzed by broadly identifying three common themes that emerged through each data collection method. Limitations, implications and recommendations are made for future research.

Texts In Reading Intervention Programs: Are They Culturally Representative Of English Learner Populations?, Lisa N. Marquardt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a total of 52 reading intervention texts were examined for cultural representation and authenticity; the texts under analysis were from Fountas and Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention and Hasselbring’s Read 180. There were four major, interrelated research questions addressed by this work, two of which dealt with cultural representation in the texts and the extent to which they aligned to the regional population and national publishing statistics. The second set of research questions addressed the level of cultural authenticity through a comparative analysis of each program’s texts. The author concludes that, in this sample of texts, Read 180 …

Malp® In The Classroom With A Focus On New Activities For Learning To Improve Linguistic Complexity In Writing For English Learners Seventh-Grade Students, Jehan Hanna Rehayem

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to answer the following question: Can MALP® help raise the ELP of our EL students in writing by focusing on new activities for learning to improve linguistic complexity? Based on the existing literature, I designed my study to incorporate tried strategies pertaining to the implementation of MALP® in Writing with a focus on linguistic complexity in the classroom. I carefully documented my students’ progress using established assessments. At the end of five months, more than fifty percent of my students rose to the next level on the ELP rubric for Writing, a much more promising progress …

Valuing Multilingualism: Differences In Perceptions Of Students In World Language Classes Versus Students In Esl, Kazusa Yamashita

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

With globalization, the need and benefits of multilingualism become increasingly clear (Diamond, 2010). This study aims to identify how multilingualism is valued in a school by comparing the teachers’ perceptions of students taking world language classes versus those taking ESL classes. By understanding the perceptions of teachers towards students engaged in becoming multilingual, the study provides information on how multilingualism is perceived by the school community. Students taking world language classes are praised for their language acquisition but ELs are viewed with a deficit perspective, their potentials overshadowed. Even though the school overtly promotes multilingualism, ELs may be marginalized due …

Defining The Correlation Between Multicultural Training For Pre-Service Teachers And Their Effectiveness In Implementing A Multicultural Curriculum In The Classroom, Lynne Chung

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

As educators, we must hold each other accountable. It begins with how we are initially trained and the ideas we foster into actions that transcend textbooks and ultimately put into effective lessons. More often times than now, pre-service training reflects the values of the dominant society that may lead to perpetuating the status quo. This study aims to define the correlation between multicultural training for pre-service teachers and their

effectiveness in implementing a multicultural curriculum in the classroom. Through in- depth interviews with five practicing teachers in their first- through third-year of

teaching, the study documents their personal experiences with …

Southeast Asian American Community: Improving Students Literacy Performance Through The Involvement Of The After School Literacy Enrichment Program, Kalia Lee

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research was influenced by the Author’s personal experience with literacy practices and education. The question addressed in this capstone is, how to improve third grade literacy performance through the involvement of the After-School Literacy Enrichment Program? The capstone explores a sense of encouraging positive behavior, self-esteem, and motivation with our culturally diverse students as well as connecting with our students on a genuine level. The capstone cover the history of the two Southeast Asian groups; Hmong and Karen/Karenni leading onto the disparities and challenges in the United States. By providing a culturally responsive classroom as well as becoming a …

Equity And A Quality Education: Perceptions Of Suburban And Urban High School Graduates, Leanne Kampfe

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study utilized grounded theory analysis through a critical lens and within a qualitative paradigm to research how students define the quality of their education and its connections to equity. The study focused on a small sample of students, all of whom graduated from one suburban and one urban high school in a Midwestern, metropolitan area. Focus groups, elite interviews, and document analysis were all used to collect data. The theoretical concepts that emerged from the data illustrated the negative impact of white supremacy with regard to the achievement of an equitable, quality education by all students. The data …

Preparing White Teachers To Teach In Racially Diverse Schools, Cristina Benz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

My personal experience as a White educator in racially diverse classrooms led me to choose my capstone topic and develop my research question: “What core knowledge, essential skills, and experiences do White teachers believe have effectively prepared them to teach racially diverse students?” Based on my literature review, I chose five concepts and theories that I considered connected to my research capstone. Critical Race Theory was the overarching theory that provided related concepts of Racial Realism, Critical White Studies, and Colorblindness. A newer concept that I included, Equity Literacy, provided tools for teachers to consider and use. I used a …