Education Commons^™

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 …

Cultural And Gender Shifts: Trends And Factors Hmong Male Students Face In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Sai Yang Xiong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The educational trends in the attainment of Hmong American students in higher education have grown significantly over the past 40+ years. However, modern academia is still somewhat new to most United States Hmong refugees since their resettlement in 1975 after the Vietnam War. Hmong students are children of refugee immigrants who came to the United States with no formal schooling, limited English proficiency, and a low-socioeconomic background. Hmong parents believe that having an education will enable their children to seek employment, perform well in society, and gain financial stability. The purpose of this study was to analyze challenges that contribute …

Con Ilusión Y Ganas: Advancing The Transfer Rates Of Latino Male Scholars, Abraham Madrigal Barajas

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

California Community Colleges (CCC) are the largest post-secondary higher education systems in the nation, with an enrollment of over 2 million at a given year. They are also the most affordable and accessible for students after completing K-12 education. With California having the largest Latinx residents (39%), they overwhelmingly makeup 45% of the student population enrolled in CCC. Although Latinx students are pursuing higher education and enrolling in high numbers in CCC’s, they still fall short when it comes to student success outcomes, particularly transfer, when compared with their peers. Only 10 % of Latinx students transfer in two years, …

Disappearing Acts: The Declining Numbers Of African American Teachers In Public School Settings, Catherine F. Lewis-Brownfield

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

African American teachers are slowly leaving the classroom, causing an imbalance in the student/teacher ratio (NCES, 2019). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African American teachers make up 3% in California and 7% nationally. This study sought to understand the reasons for the decline in the number of African American teachers in public school settings. Due to the decline in their numbers, African American students have suffered high dropout rates, low standardized test scores, and low college attendance (Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsey, & Papageorge, 2017). This qualitative study examined the obstacles current African American teachers face and the …

A Qualitative Study Of The Lao American College Experience, Jerry Sithiphone

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The majority of the Lao American population arrived in the United States after the end of the “American War in Southeast Asia” in 1975 as political refugees. Nevertheless, as Asian Americans, Lao Americans are also stereotyped to be the “model minority” and therefore do not face the same educational and socioeconomical challenges like other communities of color. However, Lao Americans are not the model minority and face numerous obstacles as the community is overlooked and history is forgotten by mainstream America. The lack of scholarly literature on Lao Americans highlights not only the general misunderstanding of the community, but also …

Human Capital Formation And Return Migration Within Mong Communities In Rural/Semi-Rural Northern California, Chong Yang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This research uses computational grounded theory to explore the human capital formation and stay/return migration experiences of well-educated Mong adults living in various rural/semi-rural Northern California localities within Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties. Rural vitality is dependent on the return of these well-educated rural-raised adults. Out-migration of rurality’s best and brightest contributes towards a brain drain and the hallowing out of rurality’s human capital. Findings of this research is conveyed using two research articles examining two different points on the continuum of rural vitality. The first article examines 19 Mong adults’ educational experiences within their rural communities and college education. …

Speech And Language Development Of Bilingual Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Joanne J. Ryu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Due to gaps in literature exploring communication outcomes in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children with access to more than one spoken language, limited agreement on optimal language use for DHH children, and an ongoing cultural and linguistic loss in this population, the aim of this pilot study was to further the literature and comprehensively explore the impact of oral bilingualism in DHH children. Participants were self-selected and recruited primarily through relevant social media. Speech and language development in children were observed and quantified at two time points (at the time of enrollment into the study and subsequently after …

An Exploration Of College Students’ Self-Efficacy And Characteristics Of Good Language Learners In Learning Chinese As A Foreign Language, Cheng Chen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

China’s growing economic power has led to over one hundred million people speaking Chinese world-wide (Chai & Wang, 2017). Although the Chinese language may not replace English as the most popular language worldwide, it is acknowledged that the Chinese language is an indispensable part of the future world (Zhao & Huang, 2010). However, there appears to be a paucity of research into the role self-efficacy and establishing good habits as a language learner play in non-native speaking students experiencing success while learning Chinese. A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate college students who were early Chinese learners in a beginning …

Understanding The Experiences Of Underemployed First-Generation Hmong Graduates, Mong Vang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Underemployment has a rich and lengthy body of literature spanning across multiple disciplines, such as economics, business, psychology, and sociology. Past scholars studying the phenomenon have provided a framework for understanding underemployment and have identified the harm it has on organizations and individuals. Although underemployment is not a new phenomenon, gaps are present in understanding how it affects first-generation, Hmong graduates. This study provides a framework for bridging this gap. As such, this study answered three questions related to how underemployed, first-generation, Hmong college graduates describe their experience finding adequate employment after graduation, perceive the relationship between their personal upbringing …

Chicanas Completing The Doctorate In Education: Providing Consejos De La Mesa De Poder, Sandra J. Castañón-Ramirez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study described four testimonios from Chicanas who have successfully completed a doctorate in education degree, both Ph.D. and Ed.D. The literature reviewed three important areas of study. The first is a review of the systemic challenges that Chicanas must hurdle; cheap labor, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, being silenced through English-only education, and deficit thinking. The second area of review focused on ways that Chicanas create strategies for success to overcome these challenges. The third was a review of the theoretical literature through a distinctly and relevant Chicana feminist lens.

Chicanas’ strategies for success were collected as testimonios. …

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs In Relation To Perceived English Proficiency And Teaching Practices: An Investigation Of Chinese Primary English As A Foreign Language (Efl) Teachers, Yun Zhang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Research on self-efficacy has been a productive field and abundant research has shown that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs influence teachers’ actions and performances and thus affect students’ learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and even less research was set in Chinese EFL contexts. On the one hand, this study was conducted to provide a general picture of the current status of EFL teachers’ perceived English proficiency, self-rated self-efficacy beliefs and self-reported teaching practices in terms of some demographic perspectives; On the other hand, it aimed to explore the correlations among Chinese primary EFL …

The Effects Of The Flipped Classroom Model On Students' Learning In A College English Class In Shanghai, China, Xiaoying Wei

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

For many decades, college English teaching in China has been teacher-centered, mainly focusing on the enhancement of students’ four basic English language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, with little attention paid to the cultivation of students’ higher order thinking skills (Tang, 2016; Wang, Xu, & Zhou, 2016). The teacher-centered teaching approach has led to the problem that after having learned English for many years, students cannot speak English fluently (Dai, 2001). There has been a call for promoting the student-centered teaching model in China (NACFLT, 2000). One relatively new approach to support student-centered active learning is flipped instruction …

Toward Intercultural Competence : Intercultural Training For Japanese Students In The United States, Tomoko Harpster

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project explored how study abroad program administrators can help Japanese students develop intercultural competence through predeparture and ongoing intercultural training so as to improve their capacity to adapt effectively to American cultural norms. The ultimate purpose of this thesis project was to help Japanese students who were studying in the U.S. balance their involvement with their peer group from Japan and build relationships with people in the U.S. in order to fully experience American culture. To provide a context for this study, a review of the literature was conducted regarding the challenges faced by Japanese students while studying …

A Comparative Study Of The Effectiveness Of Bilingual Instruction Of Teachers With Competency Certification In Bilingual/Cross-Cultural Programs, Rafael Torres Ramirez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students in bilingual designated classes who received B/CC instruction by a teacher with a B/CC Specialist Credential have higher gains in reading and math when compared with students who received instruction by a teacher with a B/CC Certificate of Competence and a B/CC Waiver Certificate. This study measured bilingual instruction based on a statistical comparison between student achievement and the kind of bilingual certificate. Procedures. The data was collected from two school districts: Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose California and Stockton Unified School District in Stockton, California. …

The Need For English For Academic Purposes : An Analysis Of Prenominal Modification In Economics, Pat Kamalani Cafferty

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This paper shows the complexity of noun phrases within an academic text and suggests, therefore, the complexity of the reading process that the traditional approach may not cover adequately. In this thesis, we will look at the complexity of the reading and comprehension processes through an analysis of prenominal modification found in Chapter 25 (a chapter chosen at random) of Paul Samuelson’s Economics. Samuelson’s Economics is a basic text chosen for this analysis because of its introductory level vocabulary and concepts and its wide use by students in the areas of Economics, Business, and the like. Although abundant studies have …

An Investigation Of The Attitudes Which Prospective Teachers Hold Toward Bilingual Education, Berta Gonzalez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prospective bilingual teachers' attitude toward bilingual education. The study sought to determine if there was an influence on prospective teachers' attitudes by: (a) number of courses they had taken in bilingual education, (b) type of college they attended, and (c) number of years of teacher aide experience. In addition, the investigation reviewed the major curriculum areas in the Bilingual Emphasis credential programs among California institutions and sought to determine the degree of influence relative to the prospective teachers' attitude. Procedures. The survey questionnaire method was used to obtain the relevant …

Reaction To Social Pressure From Adults Versus Peers Among Mexican, Mexican-American, And Anglo-American Rural Children, Ana Maria C. Donini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to investigate whether there was a significant difference in the adherence to conventional morality and the reaction to social pressure from adults versus peers among Mexican, Mexican-American, and Anglo-American children. The instrument used was the Moral Dilemmas Test (MDT) developed by Bronfenbrenner, Devereux, Suci, and Rodgers, which measures the reported readiness of children to engage in morally disapproved behavior and their reaction to social pressure exerted by adults and peers. The subjects were asked to respond to a series of conflict situations under three experimental conditions of confidentiality, scrutiny by parents, and scrutiny by …

Curso De Español Para Estudientes Del Primer Año De Bachillerato, Normal O Comercio De La Republica De Honduras, Jose Gilberto Arita

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Un Estudio De La Enseñanza De Ingles En El Centro El Salvador-Estados Unidos, Janet Lar Rieu Pantoja

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Es el propósito de este studio presenter y evaluar el fruto de las observaciones y entrevistas realizadas durante el verano de 1969 en San Salvador sobre la enseňanza de inglés en el Centro El Savador-Estados Unidos. También es el propósito de este studio ofrecer una pequeňa contribución en el campo del inglés como Segundo idioma y tal vez estimular una investigación más amplia acerca de la enseňanza del inglés en la América Latina.

Attitudes Toward Educational Aspirations Among Selected 13-17 Year Old Chinese-American Students And Their China-Born Parents : An Exploratory Study, Jeffrey Craig Lee

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The preset study was undertaken to collect data which would help to identify any changes that have occurred concerning the attitudes and perceptions to be found between the identified generations. The study will specifically attempt to find out whether the change has in any way given the female the opportunity to strive for greater educational accomplishment and potential than was true of previous generations.

Although some research has been conducted on the China-born Chinese and their American-born children whose birth dates fall between 1940 and 1949, few studies have been reported concerning the children of the China-born Chinese who are …

Education Of The American Indian By The United States, Florence Barbee Lundquist

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

But for the Rennaisance there would be no atory of the Indians in these United States. Our American poet, Joaquin Miller, makes clear the hazards of adventurers incident to the discovery of an unknown people: My men grow mutinous day by day; My men grow ghastly wan and weak. The stout mate thought of home; a spray Of Balt wave washed his swarthy cheek. "What shall I say, • brave Admiral, say, If we sight naught but seas at dawn?" "Why you shall, say at break of day, Sail on! Sail on.