Education Commons^™

International Doctoral Student Experiences In Educational Administration Programs In The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Ping Robert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: In recent years, more international students are enrolling in Educational Administration (EA) programs in the United States. While EA programs wish to recruit and retain international students, more research is needed on supporting international graduate students in graduate education programs and EA programs specifically. Purpose: The present phenomenological study aims to understand the experience of international doctoral students in U.S. EA programs. The present research was guided by the question: “What is the essence of international postgraduate student experiences in EA programs in the United States?” Methodology: The present study used hermeneutic phenomenology to describe and interpret data from …

The Vigor Of Creative Materialism: Making The Hidden Stories Of Underrepresented Engineering Students Visible, Katherine A. Robert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of initiatives, engineering education continues to lack diversity. The proportion of women, BIPOC, LGBTQA+, low-income, first-generation, and disabled students in engineering education remains below national population levels. The culture of engineering is a barrier to increasing participation in engineering for students from these communities. The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences of underrepresented engineering students as they are socialized into the culture of engineering. I theorized a novel conceptual framework called creative materialism that combines culturally responsive methodologies, new materialist theory, and arts-based research methods. Two research questions were used to guide the study. …

The Not-So-Silent Period: Testimonios Of Recently Arrived Latinx Students, Teri M. Hutchinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and amplify the experiences of recently arrived Latinx¹ students as interpreted through their testimonios in educational borderlands. Through increasingly xenophobic discourses around immigrants and their children (Pérez Huber, 2015), U.S. public schools have become entrenched borderland spaces wherein the humanity of recently arrived students is voided through silencing them with labels of linguistic deficiency and cramming them into one-size-fits-all educational programming (Fine et al., 2007; Flores & Rosa, 2015). There is demand for research that explores the experiences of these children, especially in light of their continued marginalization through neoliberal programming …

Islamic Studies Teachers' Perspectives Of Applying Technology In Saudi Arabia Elementary Schools, Amal Abdulmohsen Alsaif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the use of technology in education has been on the rise around the world, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. The integration of technology in Saudi education has the potential to enhance the quality of education, increase access to education, and provide students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. It also has the potential to facilitate collaboration between students and teachers, both within and outside the classroom, and to promote lifelong learning.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate Islamic Studies teachers' perceptions of using technology in their classrooms …

Relationships, Relevance, And Reflection: How White Teachers Are Working To Dismantle White Supremacy In Their Classrooms Through Culturally Responsive Education, Zion W. Gezaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the multitude of ways in which White supremacy manifests in the education system and examines how White teachers specifically are working to dismantle White supremacy in middle school classrooms through culturally responsive education. This educational criticism and connoisseurship study focuses on the interactions of White teachers in relation to their Black students, along with observations of their teaching and planning methods. The following research questions guided this research: How are White teachers implementing a culturally responsive classroom environment for Black students? How do White educators plan and enact a culturally responsive curriculum for Black students? How do …

Opportunities And Challenges For Rural Educators: A Mixed Methods Study Of Emergent Bilingual Studies In Rural Colorado, Andrea Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over nine million students in the United States attend school in rural school districts, with a growing percentage of these students identified as emergent bilingual. The purpose of this study is to examine the national emergent bilingual literacy trends and to determine how the opportunities and challenges that rural educators encounter, impact emergent bilingual education in rural schools. Utilizing a theoretical framework of culturally sustaining practices and funds of knowledge, this study uses a convergent mixed methods design to answer the following research questions: What are the national trends in emergent bilingual reading test scores? What opportunities and challenges do …

Experiences Of Chinese American Psychology Trainees In Multicultural Education, Helen Weng-Ian Chao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although research has established that students of color have unique experiences in their multicultural training, few studies have examined the experiences and needs of specific subgroups of students of color. This study examined Chinese American psychology trainees’ experiences in multicultural education. Qualitative data was collected from individual semi-structured interviews with Chinese American doctoral students (N = 6). Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand participants’ perceptions of their experiences in multicultural courses. Data analysis resulted in four themes: the (1) burden of being minoritized, (2) Chinese American identity inflection points, being (3) sidelined by whiteness, and (4) …

Exploring Opportunities For Supporting Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: A Path Forward Through Expanding Graduate Training In School Psychology, Erica L. Gleason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School psychologists are equipped with a dynamic skill set and an ethical and moral responsibility to support the diverse needs of all youth. While juvenile justice-involved youth may not be a primary subpopulation served by all school psychologists, they are a high-needs group that requires special consideration and attention. As a professional entity, school psychologists’ knowledge and expertise are not optimally applied to serving these youth. Consequently, school psychologists may be forgoing an opportunity to improve rates of successful school and community reintegration and overall positive life outcomes for justice-involved youth. The first manuscript of this dissertation presents precipitating and …

Addressing Racial Disparities Through K-12 School-Based Culturally Relevant Interventions, Dina Malala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This meta-analysis systematically identified culturally relevant interventions for Black students in K-12 school settings to determine (a) the effect of culturally relevant reading interventions on reading comprehension and reading fluency (b) the effect of culturally relevant behavioral interventions on student behaviors (c) the extent to which culturally relevant interventions impact cultural identity and awareness (d) how cultural identity moderates academic and behavioral outcomes. Twelve studies were identified. Overall, there was a statistically significant combined effect across the twelve studies (g = 0.96, p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant effect of culturally relevant reading interventions on reading outcomes (g =1.174, p < 0.05), a statistically significant effect of culturally relevant behavior interventions on behavior outcomes (g = 0.889, p < 0.05), and a statistically significant effect of cultural identity interventions on cultural awareness and identity (g =0. 914, p < 0.05). The primary limitation of this meta-analysis are the mainstream and standardized dependent variables. Future intervention research is needed that utilizes both culturally relevant independent and dependent variables to better support this population.

Making The Invisible Visible: Redefining Giftedness To Include Ell Students’ Community Cultural Wealth And Funds Of Knowledge, Molly I. Pargas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used improvement science methods to investigate a problem of practice surrounding the underrepresentation of ELL students in GT programming. This research addressed how teachers define giftedness using their underlying knowledge frameworks. The researcher conducted empathy interviews with parents of ELL students and a team of teachers to determine what the underlying issues are regarding the underrepresentation of ELL students in GT. The parent empathy interviews were coded using the combined conceptual framework of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) and funds of knowledge (Moll et al, 1992). Through this process the types of capital and funds of knowledge were …

Juntos Luchamos: A Postcritical Ethnographic And Photovoice Study On Latinx Student Civic Engagement Practices At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Liliana Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Situated at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), this postcritical ethnographic and photovoice study sought to explore how Latinx students define and practice civic engagement. Theoretically framed by Latino Cultural Citizenship (LCC), the study explored how current Latinx student civic engagement practices inform a Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ civic engagement efforts. Data collection took place over the 2021-2022 academic year and an exhibition of the study’s findings was made publicly available at the culmination of the study. Findings from the study indicate that Latinx postsecondary students define civic engagement as knowledge and resource sharing (KRS) and achieving success. Findings for how Latinx postsecondary students …

Exitosas On Their Own Terms: Centering Latina Testimonios To Understand Latina Undergraduates’ Student Success Beliefs, Lauren R. Contreras

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing testimonio methodology grounded in LatCrit and Chicana Feminism, this research centered the voices of 11 Latina undergraduates attending a 4-year private, predominantly white institution in the Western U.S. to understand how they defined and measured their own success in higher education. Traditional success measures focus on the institution's dominant measures, such as graduation and persistence rates. These success measures do not fully represent Latina/o/x values nor how Latinas undergraduates define their own success in higher education. This research revealed that Latina undergraduates define their success by academic achievement, career attainment, Latina/o/x values of familismo and comunidad, and their …

Engagement And Development Of Professional Skills Among Low-Income, High-Achieving Students: A Structural Equation Model, Nasser Alresaini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation tested the effect of academic engagement and social engagement on developing soft professional skills for low-income, high-achieving students in higher education. Using the publicly available data of GMS scholarship, the analysis was consisted of EFA and SEM. The general effect model gave a general idea about the tested population, whereas the conditional model highlighted the groups' specific significance. Low-income, high-achieving students continued their academic and social engagement growth during their school years. Academic engagement positively enhanced students' soft professional skills for students who did not receive the GMS scholarship, students from educated and uneducated parents, Asian and Hispanic …

Instructional Coaching For Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Kelly Shorb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growing up with a global perspective and teaching in highly diverse schools has fueled my desire to understand how instructional coaching and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy work together in education. This case study examined the current practices of instructional coaches to understand how they incorporate components of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Through observations and interviews of three coaches and a director this study explored the interactions, behaviors and language of coaches as they engaged with teachers to explore and understand prior knowledge, beliefs and current incorporation of CRP with teachers. The literature review provides an in-depth description of each of the components …

Culturally Responsive School Leadership Agility: A Journey Through Critical Self-Reflection, Deborah Mckelvey Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how school leaders can differentiate their approach using a self-reporting psychometric instrument called the Emergenetics® Profile when engaged in critical self-reflection. Using a multiple case study approach, three urban school leaders engaged in the deconstructing and reconstructing of knowledge frameworks specific to deficit thinking. The Emergenetics Profile served as a lens to critically self-reflect in order to differentiate their approach to the disrupt deficit thinking practices in their schools (Browning 2007; Khalifa, 2018; Shields, 2018). This study integrated these insights from critical self-reflection and the awareness gained by school leaders through their Emergenetics preferences to change their …

An Lre Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Lre Placement In Defining Disproportionality Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students In Special Education, Arti Sachdeva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school …

Gifted Identification In Young, Historically Underrepresented Populations: A Phenomenological Study, Meryl A. Faulkner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the implications of the low numbers of identified gifted young, historically underrepresented students. The research questions that guided this study were: what are educators’ experiences of the gifted identification process of young, historically underrepresented students? What are parents’ experiences of the gifted identification process for their young, historically underrepresented child?

Participants were parents of a student from an underrepresented population (American Indian or Alaskan Native, Latinx, Black or African American, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) identified gifted in second grade or younger or educators who were involved in the …

Culturally Familiar Texts To Improve Reading And Writing Outcomes For High School English Language Learners: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Taryn Courtney Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that culturally relevant pedagogical strategies are essential for improving culturally and linguistically diverse student achievement. However, there is little research about which specific strategies provide the largest impacts. And there is even less research on which strategies help LatinX English Language Learners achieve academic success in the areas of reading and writing. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of utilizing culturally familiar text, as compared to culturally unfamiliar text, on reading comprehension and summary writing outcomes for secondary LatinX ELL students. This study sought to determine if there were statistically significant differences in reading …

Caballerismo In Latinx Men In Higher Education, Victor Carrasco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinx men continue to be marginalized in higher education, and more research is needed to understand how to retain them using anti-deficit frameworks (Cook et al., 2012). Studies have investigated caballerismo as a protective factor for LatinX men. Caballerismo is defined by egalitarian beliefs, affiliation, positive family relationships, and empathy (Arciniega et al., 2008; Neff, 2001). Despite its promise as an anti-deficit framework, little is known about how caballerismo informs Latino students’ experiences in higher education. Therefore, this study addresses the following research questions: a) How does caballerismo manifest in Latinx men in higher education, b) how does caballerismo intersect …

An Examination Of Relational Health, Belonging, And Self-Compassion In Chinese International Students, Elizabeth A. Harris Shaffner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinese international students (CISs), the largest segment of international students coming to the US to study at institutions of higher education (IIE, 2016), are reported to experience more acculturative stress than other international students because of the vast differences in social and cultural norms between the United States and China (Li & Glasser, 2005; Yeh & Inose, 2003). The present study used Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) as the framework to explore the ways undergraduate CISs struggle and thrive in the face of acculturative stress and to understand how positive and negative outcomes are associated with their relational health, sense of campus …

Exploring The Moderation Mechanisms Of The Association Between Acculturative Stress And Social Self-Efficacy Among Asian International Students, Jinzhao Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asian international students account for 70% of international students in the U.S., which makes 4.3% of total population enrolled in American universities and colleges. They experience stress related to adapting to mainstream culture in the U.S. (i.e., acculturative stress), which negatively impacts their mental health and view of self. The negative impacts also include willingness and ability to perform social behaviors and to maintain interpersonal relationships (i.e., social self-efficacy). Previous acculturation studies proposed from a theoretical perspective that several factors may alleviate the negative impact of acculturative stress and enhance Asian international students' social self-efficacy. These factors include acculturation orientation …

Interrogating Racialized Scripts: Parents And Students Organized For Leading Educational Justice, Stefanie Iona Gurulé

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative critical case study portraiture examines several racialized scripts found in family engagement, educational leadership, and social justice literature regarding under-resourced parents and students of color as leaders for educational justice. These scripts, or dominant narratives, discuss racially-minoritized parents and students as deficient in character and culture. They also deem that educational leadership for social justice is too complex an issue for these parents and students to have any positive effect. Therefore they are viewed in the literature as being only passively active in their own education. Analyzing a successful and authentic parent and student activist organization that focused …

Critical Consciousness Of Educators: The Development And Psychometric Validation Of A Measure Using Structural Equation Modeling, Melissa Peterson Schneider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a measure of critical consciousness (CC) of educators created by the author, based on the concept of CC as seminally developed by Paulo Freire. A three-factor conceptual model and measurement scale are developed and validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings and limitations are discussed, as well as implications for the fields of CC measurement and development in educators.

Assembling A Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Campus Landscape Analysis Of A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Brenda Lee Jimenez Sifuentez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Post-secondary educational spaces are often thought of as a backdrop to where education takes place. Architectural designs are seen as neutral sites; however, higher education institutions are sites of ideological production and therefore, fundamental exercises of power (Ford, 2017). The study of campus landscapes is relevant to uncovering and illuminating larger social issues of (in)equality in higher education. Literature regarding campus landscapes is scarce and this study seeks to demonstrate how the study of campus landscapes is both materially "real" and socially constructed. This study takes place at a four-year institution of higher education that has received the Hispanic Serving …

How Colonization Impacts Identity Through The Generations: A Closer Look At Historical Trauma And Education, Michelle Garcia-Olp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the lived experiences of 26 New Mexicans, this inquiry investigates how colonization impacts identity through the generations, particularly looking at historical trauma and education. The findings demonstrate the importance of decolonizing spaces within educational settings. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the need for viewing educational systems and spaces through a Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit) and Indigenous Storywork lens that lead Indigenous students in finding face (one’s identity), finding foundation (one’s greatest potential/full expression) and finding heart (one’s flow with the creator). The lens of TribalCrit enables the creation of a space where Indigenous students are empowered by their educational …

Academic Resilience In Newcomers, Jacquelyn M. Carrillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to transform demographically, economically, culturally, and linguistically, as it has for several generations. At the forefront of this change are the educators, struggling to make sense of how to teach students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.

The main research question guiding this study was: What factors support or constrain the academic resiliency of Newcomers? The purpose of this study was to examine the academic resilience of Newcomers at an urban high school in Colorado. This qualitative study utilized case study methods of data collection. This study took place in four stages. The first stage encompassed …

Newcomers: Portraits Of Immigrants Raising Academically Achieving Gifted Children, Kipling E. Wiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, few research studies have focused on the home environments and specific strategies used by immigrant families to successfully parent gifted youth. This dissertation explores the parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants raising academically achieving gifted children in the United States. Using data from home observations and interviews, the study attempts to detail the cross-cultural parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants and what role these play in nurturing the academic success of gifted children. The study also examines the influential role of traditional values from the country of origin on these beliefs and practices. Using the qualitative method of …

Race Matters: An Examination Of The Study Abroad Experiences Of African American Undergraduates, Karyn L. Sweeney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As U.S. colleges and universities face increasing pressures to prepare graduates to succeed in a global environment, African American students continue to be underrepresented in study abroad participation. In-depth interviews and a critical race theory framework were utilized to examine how six African American undergraduates experienced study abroad. Findings were organized around participant backgrounds, motivations, and goals for study abroad; lived experiences abroad, with an emphasis on the effects of race and racism; expectations; and meanings and outcomes ascribed to study abroad by the participants. The study findings offered a counternarrative to deficit-based discussions of African Americans and study abroad …

Teachers' Perception Of The English Language Curriculum In Libyan Public Schools: An Investigation And Assessment Of Implementation Process Of English Curriculum In Libyan Public High Schools, Salem Altaieb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the advent of globalization and technological development, English has become a necessary tool of international communication in many areas such as education, business, politics, commerce, science, and technology throughout the world. Also, English has become the most widely taught foreign language in the world (Kachru &Nelson, 1996). Moreover, the issue of successful implementation of the English language curriculum has been the focus of a number of studies. In the case of Libya, however, little research has been conducted on teachers' perceptions of the new English language curriculum in Libyan high schools. Thus, teachers' voices have not been examined or …

Finding Their Way: Teacher Journeys Toward Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Krista Keogh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hawley & Nieto (2010) indicate that students’ race and ethnicity influence teaching and learning in two important ways: how students respond to instruction and curriculum, and teachers' assumptions about how students learn and how much students are capable of learning. Research has indicated that the most significant factor in student success is the classroom teacher (Goldhaber & Brewer, 1997; Gordon, Kane, & Staiger, 2006; Jordan, Mendro, & Weerasinghe, 1997; Marzano, 2007; Nye, Konstantopolous, & Hedges, 2004; Rivkin, Hanushek, &Kain, 2002; Rockoff, 2004; Rowan, Correnti, & Miller, 2002). Teacher professional development regarding culturally responsive pedagogy has been promoted to help teachers …