Education Commons^™

The Numbers Game: What An Un-Predictive Ability Of Success In First-Year Mathematics Courses And Subgroup Bias Mean To Students At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Jayme Gonzales Agozie

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the ability of standardized test scores to predict the performance of students in first-year mathematics courses, and the extent to which these tests displayed differential validity among various subgroups. Using discriminant analysis, it was established that the following percentages of students were correctly classified into passing and not passing groups, using the listed independent variables: a) SAT mathematics scores - 58.6%, b) SAT verbal scores - 50.6%, c) ACT mathematics scores - 54.7%, and d) ACT verbal scores - 56.3%. New predictive models were created using standardized test scores in combination …

Exploring Gesturing As A Natural Approach To Impact Stages Of Second Language Development: A Multiple Baseline, Single Case Study Of A Head Start Child, Guillermo I. Mendoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an increase in Hispanic English Language Learners (ELL). Poverty levels and lack of teacher training can also be stacked against the ELL population. Gesturing is a teaching technique that is used in successful methods such as The Natural Approach (NA) and Total Physical Response (TPR) in helping ELL students in English comprehension and output. This study examined the effects that increased teacher gestures have on the number of words spoken by the child in multiple settings. Data were collected in the context of a multiple baseline design across three settings. The results indicate that there was an effect …

English Language Learners In Title I Programs In New Mexico Public Schools, Gabriel C. Baca

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and subsequent reauthorizations require the United States Department of Education to distribute funding to states that ultimately goes to local school districts for the purpose of improving the academic achievement of disadvantaged students, including English Language Learners (ELLs). In New Mexico, 64% of public school students participate in Title I programs, and 16% of all New Mexico students are ELLs. However, no studies to date have explored how New Mexico public school districts are implementing Title I with respect to English Language Learners. Therefore, …

Learning Through Meaningful Experiences With Self, Others, And The Environment: A Curriculum Framework Tailored To The Needs Of English Language Learners, Haley Leopold

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Our current education system is, in many cases, failing the most vulnerable among us, including, but not limited to, the impoverished, immigrants, and nonnative speakers of English. Thus, it is crucial that curricula begin to focus on improving the educational experiences of these students so that all children may have the opportunity to succeed. Within this framework, the following aspects are outlined as they relate to the context of an inclusive, 21^st century general education classroom with English Language Learners: an overview of influential pedagogical philosophies, broad educational goals for students, sample unit summaries and lesson plans, and evidence-based …

Guiding Sixth Grade Language Development In Mathematical Content Acquisition Through Student Centered Siop Instruction, Leah Callister

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Mathematics is considered a universal language for students. However, now common core standards require students to explain their conceptual understanding through words, numbers, and verbal explanations. Student proficiency in the universal language is impeded when they do not speak the primary language. It is difficult for the teacher to teach both the academic language and mathematical concepts, when the vocabulary is not accessible to all students. Conversely it is difficult for students to follow the pacing of the class while having to translate and gain a conceptual understanding of the subject. The purpose of this study is to increase student …

Using Tops For Identification Of Gifted Hispanic Students, Barbara Martin

Dissertations

USING TOPS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED HISPANIC STUDENTS

Researchers have noted an underrepresentation of Hispanic ELL students in gifted education. A literature review revealed several problems encountered when assessing and identifying gifted Hispanics and have also suggested a variety of solutions including use of non-standardized alternative assessments. In this project, the researcher explored the attitudes of educators regarding the addition of a non-standardized tool. The TOPS is a non-standardized tool used to systematically gather and document qualitative observational data within the context of instruction (Harradine, Coleman, & Winn, 2014). The researcher used both a survey questionnaire and a semi-structured interview …

The Parent Advisory Council For Spanish-Speaking Parents: A Program Evaluation, Alison Alves

Dissertations

English Language Learning (ELL) students comprise the largest growing group within schools in the United States (Arias & Morillo-Campbell, 2008; Kindler, 2002 as in Ochoa & Rhodes, 2005). Such large numbers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students within schools has led governing institutions to mandate efforts be made to establish greater connections to these families (Tellez & Waxman, 2010). One of these mandating documents is the Illinois State Board of Education Administrative Code which pertains to Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) of CLD students. This code states that schools with a TBE program must create a parent advisory committee that …

Cultural Relevance In An English Language Learners' Classroom: A Qualitative Case Study, Katherine L. Roe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colleges and universities typically provide remedial reading coursework for English language learners (ELL) to develop academic reading proficiency. However, a disproportionate number of ELLs fail to exit remedial classes. Prior research has indicated cultural relevance can motivate and stimulate learning; however, the extent to which a culturally relevant classroom curriculum makes a difference in the ELL classroom experience has not been fully explored. This study describes the experience of cultural relevance in an academic reading ELL college class. Moll's funds of knowledge was used as the conceptual framework in a qualitative case study to examine how cultural strengths and knowledge …

The Effects Of Parent Involvement On Student Outcomes In A Minority-Serving Charter High School, Linda Varnell Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have associated parent involvement in primary schools with the improvement of grades, attendance, and the decrease of negative social behaviors. Consequently, parent involvement has improved in many primary schools. However, in secondary schools, parent participation continues to be deficient, particularly among Latino and African American communities due to language barriers, low incomes, and lack of social networks. Research is needed on how parent participation affects student achievement in secondary schools with underserved populations. Social capital theory provided the conceptual framework to help determine if parent involvement could create parent-school relationships that would lead to improved student academic and behavioral …

No Child Left Behind Leaves Behind English Language Learners, Daniela A. Canas Baena

Scripps Senior Theses

Goals 2000 and No Child Left behind have developed a new timeline for language acquisition, have promoted the practice of teaching to the test rather than the understanding of content, and High School Exit Exams have led to the widening of the achievement gap between ELL students and their Non-ELL counterparts. In additions, the policies’ narrow definition of success leads to federal sanctions that penalize schools with ELL student populations further contributing to the widening of the gap.

Exploring Teaching Approaches And Sociocultural Dynamics In The Middle And High School English Second Language Teaching Environment From The Perspective Of The Multicultural Educator, Nancy Laguna Luque

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT The act of teaching in the middle and high school involves highly complex sociocultural dynamics in challenging environments. English second language specialists are the type of educators that closely work with the most at risk students in that context. This study explored middle and high school multicultural ESL instructors’ literacy delivery approaches, the understanding they have of difficulties in their field of action, and their particular awareness, interpretation of otherness and attitudes regarding the specific characteristics of their working milieu. This qualitative study utilized participant observation and Developmental Research Sequence (Spradley, 1980) as the systematic approach to gather and …