Education Commons^™

Creating Cultural Competency Curriculum: How Diverse Are Your Jellybeans?, Noah Boggs Riley

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

As college enrollment continues to grow and diversity becomes more prominent, it is crucial to recognize the importance of nurturing cultural competence in campus communities. Cultural competence refers to the ability to build relationships with individuals from both similar and diverse backgrounds. In order for students to be successful in their future careers, they must develop knowledge and skills to effectively collaborate with people from different backgrounds. As college students actively engage in conversations about multiculturalism, cultural awareness, and the significance of appropriate accommodations, it is imperative that multicultural education plays a more significant role in college settings. This thesis …

Transcultural Perspectives In English Language Education: Teaching English In The Czech Republic From An American Lens, Bailey Price

Honors Projects

This project aims to provide a thorough examination of the English language education landscape in the Czech Republic, shedding light on key aspects such as the age of initiation, fluency attainment expectations, and the influence of various educational tracks. It delves into the sociocultural factors shaping English language acquisition, including the perceived necessity of learning English, parental language practices, and generational differences in proficiency. To capture the perspectives of American English teachers working in the Czech Republic, my research explores their attitudes, expectations, and challenges. This considers factors such as the necessity of knowing the Czech language and the perception …

Cornrowed Literacy & Lives: A Qualitative Case Study On Teachers Lived Experiences Through Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction, Ashley N. White

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative case study explores the lived experiences of thirteen certified elementary educators who teach literacy to students of color. The theoretical framework that guides this study is Abolitionist Teaching (Love, 2019). This study’s data collection is based on teacher surveys, conversational interviews and an artifact analysis. This study was centered on the following questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of certified elementary educators who teach literacy to students of color? (2) What are the lived experiences of certified elementary educators in planning and implementing culturally responsive literacy instructional practices? The themes that emerged from this study were teachers' …

Language Positioning Within Peer Discourse In Dual Language Classrooms, Sophia Jones

Senior Theses and Projects

Bilingualism and biliteracy represent one of the goals for dual language education, but prior research shows that the separationist manner through which programs are structured contradicts this goal. To understand these problems, this study applies a critical framework. Through the lens of positioning theory, I explore peer discourse to discover how students are positioned as bilingual or monolingual speakers in peer interactions in order to understand the nuance of bilingualism within dual language classrooms. This is important for the group of students researched in this study because the language positions they continually undertake ultimately have long-lasting impacts on their emerging …

Parent Experiences Navigating The Hartford Youth Scholars Program Application, Maria Vicuña

Senior Theses and Projects

In the United States, large disparities in education and educational attainment across racial and ethnic groups continue to exist. To combat this disparity, families may look for opportunities that will help their child succeed such as academic programming/enrichment. Hartford Youth Scholars (HYS) is one such program, located in Hartford, CT. While programs such as HYS exist, these programs are usually in demand and unfortunately, due to lack of resources and funding, there are only a limited number of students programs have the capacity to admit. While this is the case, it’s important that all families have a fair shot at …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Parent And Family Engagement Programs On The Academic Success Of 4th Grade Students In Title I Elementary Schools, Farah Leila Henderson

Dissertations

Parent and family engagement has become an essential part of education reform for schools across the United States. There were over 50 years of research on the topic and its impact on student achievement. The purpose of my evaluation was to study how implementing specific parent and family engagement activities at Title I elementary schools affected the reading achievement of fourth-grade students. The context of this inquiry was a large urban public school district where Parent Engagement Liaisons (PEL) were placed in Title I schools to coordinate the district-directed Parent and Family Engagement (PFE) program. I used a mixed-methods design …

Improving The Ninth Grade On-Track For Native American Students, Charles Summers

Doctor of Education (EdD)

I conducted this improvement science dissertation in practice (ISDiP) to determine what strategies could be implemented to improve percentage of the ninth-grade Native American students on-track for graduation. This study provides high schools with information that can be used to positively impact Native American student success in their freshman year of high school. I implemented a strategize, implement, analyze, and reflect (SIAR) cycle with at-risk freshman Native American students to support them at staying on-track with their credits as they moved through their ninth-grade year. A networked improvement community (NIC) met throughout the cycle to collect and analyze data, strategize …

More Than Just Checking A Box: Teachers' Experiences Of Transformation In Equity-Focused Professional Learning, Melissa E. Moxley

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Pennsylvania has the largest disparity between student and faculty demographics. In fact, over half of Pennsylvania schools employ zero teachers of color. As student demographics change and teacher demographics remain the same, there is an ever-increasing need to train in-service teachers on diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets. Training teachers to be culturally competent requires them to alter their understandings in a transformational way. Often, cash-strapped districts attempt to produce training sessions in-house, developed by administrators who may have little training in the area themselves. This leads to professional learning that is left in the conference room once teachers leave. Research …

Portraits Of Hispanic And/Or Latino Leadership Development In The Military, Michael Lugo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The study presented denotes a continuous transition among the Hispanic and/or Latino demographics in the military and the cadet accounts of military inequality incidents while in the military (Cabrera et al., 2017; Eckel & King, 2004). To assist Hispanic and/or Latino needs based on demographics and environment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Military leaders contribute to growing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable military force for all ethnic groups. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the most racially and ethnically diverse workplace in the United States (Daniel et al., 2022). Nevertheless, racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination in the military continue …

Culturally Integrating Nuestra Juventud: Understanding Spanish-Speaking Multilingual Learners Through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Mallie C. Culpepper-Yablonsky

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Over the last decade, public schools in the United States have seen an increase in the number of Multilingual Learner (ML) students, a majority of whom speak Spanish as their first language. The academic gap between ML and their English-speaking peers persists due to various factors, including limited professional development opportunities for teachers to enhance their skills in educating ML. This action research study utilized a mixed-methods design to investigate teachers' understanding and perception of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy based on two of Pennslyvania's Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education competencies and the potential impact when teaching Multilingual Learner students. Utilizing a ten-question …

Software Developers’ Experiences With Call In The Context Of The Four Language Competencies (Reading, Writing, Listening, And Speaking) And Teacher And Learner Fit: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Artem Kalyanov

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how CALL software developers identify and describe their experiences with developing CALL software in the context of the four language competencies: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, along with teacher and learner fit.

Findings: The analysis of the collected data revealed six key findings that shed light on the developers’ experiences. The findings related to how CALL software developers combine different language competencies; how they implement continuous testing and evaluating of key elements of the language competencies; and how they ensure the development of a CALL program that is both …

Culturally And Socially Responsive Teacher Professional Learning At The American Museum Of Natural History, Jessica Correa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project consists of a series of professional learning sessions to support teachers in their implementation of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) using the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a resource and case study. Through the lens of Historically Responsive Literacy, the series also seeks to reestablish social science as a critical element of natural history for teachers. This series can help teachers see the museum as not only a place to explore life and physical science, but also a place to explore identity, social/emotional development, cultural studies and American History. The project includes resources and directions for …

Teaching In The “Home Language” Is Not Enough: Navigating Spanish Raciolinguistic Ideologies In A Dual Language Bilingual Program, Gladys Yacely Aponte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This ethnographic case study examines how fourth graders in a New York City Spanish/English dual language bilingual public school navigate hegemonic language ideologies about Spanish. Drawing on the scholarship of raciolinguistic ideologies—those that position the language practices of people of color as inherently deficient (Flores & Rosa, 2015), I analyze the discourse of seven Kiskeyanx students to examine how they navigate the widespread raciolinguistic marginalization of Kiskeyanxs— a demographic that is racialized as more Black than other Spanish-speaking groups.

As a first-generation Kiskeyana-New Yorker, a bilingual teacher educator and researcher, and a former dual language bilingual public-school teacher, it …

Student Perceptions Of Icc Development And The Reasons For It During Casa@Auc, Stephen Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Research has described how studying abroad has become a major goal in the Arabic world, focusing on understanding the ideas and way of life of another culture and people. Study abroad programs increase students' “Intercultural communicative competence” as indicated by researchers like Maharaja (2018) and Lee and Song (2019). The current study is a case study involving three participants. It focuses on students' perceptions of the influence of the CASA@AUC study abroad program on their intercultural communicative competence (ICC) as reflected by ACTFL performance indicators they are capable of executing. Results of the study indicate that they have reached advanced …

Students' Perceptions Of Non-Native Arabic And Native Arabic Teachers, Mohamed Firgany

Theses and Dissertations

Educators teach Millions of Arabic language learners worldwide, most of whom are not native speakers. Despite their efforts in teaching, developing educational materials, and significant contributions to scientific research, there is a lack of research on them within the context of the Arabic language.

In this project, I explore students' perceptions of teaching practices for native-speaker teachers (NSTs) and non-native-speaker teachers (NNSTs), along with the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Additionally, I aim to understand the impact of certain variables such as gender, age, nationality, language proficiency, and the purpose of studying on these perceptions.

Through 173 survey responses …

Culturally Responsive Teaching And Learning Achievement, Jose Rivera

Education Dissertations

Over the last decades the United States demographics reflect an increase in student diversity and multilanguage learners have changed the landscape of the education system. Educators are having a difficult time connecting, reaching, and teaching many of these diverse and multilingual learners. As a result, culturally and linguistically diverse students are not successful in school and are pushed out of secondary schools at an alarming rate. The United States educational system faces a glaring discrepancy of teacher and student demographics. In America 84% of teachers are White not Hispanic, only 6% of teachers are Latino/Hispanic, 8% are Black and less …

Cross-Linguistic Awareness In 90/10 Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs, Patricia Mondragón-Doty

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify, describe, and recommend the specific cross-linguistic connection instructional strategies that teachers in TWBI 90/10 programs have found to be most effective for fostering language and literacy development.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored how teachers of TWBI 90/10 programs perceived the use of specific cross-linguistic connection instructional strategies to better serve emergent bilingual learners (EBLs) and what implications cross-linguistic connections had on dual language instruction. To determine what best instructional strategies support bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement and cultural competence, in-depth semi structured interviews were conducted. Ten teachers were selected to …

Ripe Spoils, Yan Cynthia Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Chen’s practice primarily focus on sculptures and installation. She explores the interplay between the idea of nature and the constructed environment, by examining how language informs what we know. The central thesis, "Ripe Spoils", employs citrus fruits as symbols for bodily experiences and personal identity, investigating their cultural and historical significance. Her sculptures summon the qualities and embedded meanings in materials like paper pulp and clay, wax and citrus fruits, often resulting in abstracted forms evocative of the human body. This thesis paper and exhibition reflect on themes like mortality and the essence of self.

Chinese-English Dictionary Enable Select Search …

Educating The Multi-Ethnic Population On The Municipal By-Laws: City Of Windsor, Mohammed Shiblee

Major Papers

Although more difficult to articulate than implement, educating the multi-ethnic populace about municipal by-laws is among the most difficult tasks for any Canadian administrative institution, whether provincial, federal, municipal, or even grassroots. When considering such circumstances, the present state of the Corporation of the City of Windsor, or the City of Windsor as a whole, offers both a challenge and an opportunity. In terms of challenges, Windsor is home to a vibrant, multi-ethnic community comprised of local, diaspora and minority populations, which often encounters various socio-cultural obstacles concerning the understanding and upholding of municipal by-laws. From an opportunity standpoint, the …

Coalescence: A Carnivore Coexistence Curriculum That Braids Indigenous & Western Ecological Knowledge Into A Relevant And Experiential Learning Opportunity For Youth, Stephanie Anne Barron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) begin to reoccupy more of their historic range, and as humans and large carnivore populations continue to increase, incidences of human carnivore conflict are on the rise. A decolonial curriculum designed in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife biologists stands to increase awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge and teach youth about the importance of coexistence with carnivores. Additionally, this project could greatly influence youth perceptions of grizzly bears and other large carnivores. This research project examines the development and implementation of a carnivore coexistence curriculum for youth that is guided by …

La Emergencia De La Inteligencia Artificial En El Aprendizaje Del Español: ¿Una Suplementación O Sustitución?, Sam Goldfein

CMC Senior Theses

Abstract:

The recent emergence of widespread generative artificial intelligence – alongside the sudden demand for an improved online learning experience – questions the validity of current language learning models: could we improve old language learning models with the new, powerful technological capabilities that we’ve suddenly been granted, or is it time to scrap the old practices entirely and embark on a new technological journey void of professors and traditional classroom environments? This thesis stresses the importance of learning languages and specifically emphasizes the advantages of knowing Spanish as a second language in the United States. To determine the best methods …

Lineamientos De Política Educativa Intercultural: Aportes Críticos Desde La Diversidad Estudiantil Indígena En La Educación Superior Convencional En Colombia, Ana María Núñez Henao

Doctorado en Educación y Sociedad

El preámbulo de la Carta Constitucional colombiana de 1991 reconoce que un componente esencial del territorio nacional es la diversidad y, en este orden de ideas, conceptos como la pluralidad étnica, religiosa, de costumbres, tradiciones y formas de vida de la población deben ser transversales en los diversos procesos de desarrollo de la sociedad. No obstante, a pesar de este reconocimiento en el caso de las Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) se viene presentando una falencia ya que se ha perpetuado la exclusión de las comunidades indígenas al no incorporar en sus planes de estudio la perspectiva intercultural, aduciendo la …

Examining Differences In Self-Concept And Language Between Monolingual And Bilingual Undergraduate Students, Marilyn Vega-Wagner

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The literature is lacking in studies that examine self-concept and language status among individuals older than adolescence. The purpose of this study is to conduct a quantitative nonexperimental comparative design to examine differences in self-concept and language status (monolingual or bilingual) between male and female undergraduate students in California. A total of 97 participants were examined in the study. The researcher conducted descriptive statistics on the demographics as well as a MANOVA and an ANOVA to answer the proposed research question. Based on the findings presented, the researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis of research question 1: There is …

Decolonization Of The Writing Classroom: Creating Space For Decolonial Theory, Tools, Anti-Racist Pedagogy, And Methods To Improve The Emerging Bilingual Student Experience, Desiree L. Brown

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the author addresses the colonial roots of the secondary writing classroom and the origin of standard academic English which enables strict standardized testing and writing assessment requirements that in-turn incite linguistic violence towards emerging bilingual students. The author frames her study within the framework of April Baker-Bell and Asao B. Inoue through a reflective/reflexive study of her teaching in a ninth grade writing classroom in a primarily Hispanic school district in South Texas, which is assessed by the state of Texas through STAAR. This study seeks to identify instances of linguistic violence being perpetuated in the writing …

Making Space For Adolescents Of Refugee Background In Public Libraries, Danielle S. Dejonge

Culminating Experience Projects

Refugee adolescents go through multiple transitions that affect identity while settling in their new country of relocation. The ability to recognize the complexity of identity in a healthy way is fostered by safe spaces of belonging that encourage agency. Libraries, as spaces already effectively serving diverse populations including refugee youth, have the resources to be a safe space for these adolescents. One resource that has been trending in libraries is a makerspace. Makerspaces offer multimodal activities, whether they be arts-based or STEM-based, that not only encourage critical thought, but also allow for development of belonging and agency for healthy dynamic …

Math Vocabulary & Number Sense: Instructional Strategies For Upper Elementary English Learning Students In The Math Classroom, Matt J. Cavanaugh

Doctorate in Education

Recent studies show that English learning students are a growing population within the United States school system. Language barriers have been shown to negatively influence reading scores as well as math scores, and math scores are a predictor of future academic success in many subject areas. This qualitative action research study demonstrates the difficulties many upper-elementary English learning students have understanding number sense (numeracy) in a math classroom setting in Minnesota, United States. The purpose of this study was to explore whether intentional teaching of math vocabulary could alleviate the difficulties upper-elementary English learning students have in understanding, applying, and …

We Have Arabic At This School?: The Impact Of Neoliberalism And Orientalism On Arabic Education In The United States, Ella V. Pastore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research examines Arabic education in the United States at the undergraduate level, highlighting the question: How do forces such as Orientalism, globalization, and neoliberalism affect the way that the Arabic language is taught and recognized in the United States? The Arabic programs of three highly accredited American universities are presented, in relation to their Japanese programs. While Japanese is a language that faces its own Orientalisms and imperial history with the West, Japan is currently not a country that is prioritized through national security interests, with Arabic being designated as a “Critical Language”. Through examination of the advertisement of …

Engaging Older Immigrants To Learn English: Advocating For Late-In-Life Learning For Everyone, Susan Marie Filous

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the United States, late-in-life and aging-in-place immigrants require basic English language skills to support their ability to independently access economic, medical, housing, legal, and social services. Older immigrants typically rely on family members, potentiating the risks of neglect and dependency. There is an opportunity to expand their agency in society by increasing their English proficiency.

Foreign language geragogy supports differentiated educational strategies for older learners. There is no upper age limit on the ability to learn a new language, and there are new methods and practices to teach foreign languages to older students. It is insufficient to mainstream older …

Addressing Linguistic Isolation Through Community Based Esl And Emergency Preparedness, Lisa Guay

Master's Projects and Capstones

Linguistic isolation acts as a barrier to the well-being and social integration of Limited English Proficient (LEP) adults. Community-based English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, designed with learner-centric curricula, may help LEPs gain access to social and navigational capital in the form of English proficiency, confidence and social integration. Community-based ESL programs provide adult English Language Learners (ELLs) with a path to English proficiency and social integration, but curricula should be geared toward ELLs’ needs. There is a need for ESL curricula focused on emergency and disaster preparedness, curricula which may contribute positively to adult ELLs’ speaking skills and …

Narrowing The Achievement Gap: Culturally Responsive Teaching For African American Students, Haylee Batzer

Culminating Experience Projects

It is no surprise to educators that classrooms are filled with children of all different backgrounds. Most teacher preparation programs try their best to prepare educators to teach students of diversity and support inclusion in the classroom. However, educators are still finding themselves lacking the skills needed to incorporate culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into their classrooms. Students of all backgrounds need inclusive practices to be successful. It is important to all students that they feel supported and seen in the classroom, without these practices schools start to see a decline in graduation rates and an increase in dropout rates. Many …