Education Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Bullying In The Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Vanessa Cristina Cantu

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this paper was to describe the study concerning special education students in middle school who were bullied. Many students in the special education program are being bullied, whether it is due to their disabilities or other factors (Mishna, 2003; Rose, Espelage, & Monda-Amaya, 2009; Coloroso, 2008; Christensen, Fraynt, Neece, & Baker, 2012). While several quantitative studies have been conducted addressing this worldwide phenomenon, few qualitative studies have been performed. A phenomenological approach allowed the participants to share their own experiences with bullying. Twenty-five students from several middle schools (6th, 7th, 8th grades) in a city in the …

A Study On Hispanic College Students' Mathematics Anxiety, Study Habits, And Academic Performances On Mathematics, Luis M. Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mathematics anxiety has been described as a feeling of apprehension, fear, tension, and discomfort when confronted with mathematics. Mathematics anxiety has also been shown to interfere with mathematics performance; therefore, for our research we investigated what portions of individuals seem to suffer higher levels of mathematics anxiety and to what extent they are affected by it. We also investigated the study habits of the students and how these affect their mathematics anxiety levels and overall mathematics performance. Our data was obtained from Hispanic undergraduate students (n=405) who took Elementary Algebra (Math 1300), Intermediate Algebra (Math 1334), College Algebra (Math 1340) …

Facilitación De Actividades Colaborativas De Parejas Bilingües En Un Aula De Primaria: Analizando Su Efectividad En El Aprendizaje Estudiantil, Otilia Rivas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Para este estudio de acción se implementaron diferentes estrategias para optimizar la colaboración de parejas bilingües. Asimismo, se observó el impacto de éstas en el desarrollo de lectoescritura dual en cuatro estudiantes de tercer grado. La meta de este estudio es el desarrollar habilidades facilitadoras que promuevan la optimización de lectoescritura dual durante actividades colaborativas. Las estrategias que se investigaron son enfocadas en el desarrollo de habilidades colaborativas de parejas bilingües para mejorar su productividad y así su desarrollo del bilingüismo académico. Los resultados mostraron que la productividad y el desarrollo bilingüe académico de estudiantes bilingües mejoró significativamente con la …

Theory Of Mind And Inhibitory Processing Among Bilingual Mexican American Young Children, Sarah E. Stegall

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Bilingual children have been found to demonstrate advantages on tasks dependent in part or in whole on inhibitory processing compared to their language dominant and/or monolingual peers. This study examines relations among performance on theory of mind (ToM), inhibitory processing (FF), and performance on an ambiguous-figures (AF) tasks among monolingual and bilingual children. Participants included 135 Hispanic children ages 4.5 to 8 from predominately low-income families. Results revealed a relationship between FF and AF performance with ToM performance and found no differences in performance between monolingual, language-dominant, and balanced-bilingual children.

Educational Practices, Funding, And The Implementation Of A Reading First Program, Maria Maricela Rodriguez-Salaiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000) found that too many children struggle with learning to read. Through a Congressional mandate, the panel identified key skills and methods that were central to reading achievement in the grades kindergarten through third grade. According to the United States Department of Education (USDE) Summary of Discretionary Funds (2008b), over $6 billion were allocated to the schools to implement the research based strategies from 2002 to 2008. States throughout the country showed gains from the states’ first year of implementation to 2008 in grades 1-3 in comprehension assessments. The Reading First: Student Achievement, Teacher Empowerment, …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Parental Involvement And Home-School Connections In A South Texas Border Town, Cynthia A. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Latinos have a high amount of individuals residing in poverty, and, yet, are still the fastest growing minority group in the nation (Gandara & Contreras, 2009; National Council of La Raza, 2014). For some families, living in poverty and the need to earn a living prevents parents from being actively involved in their children’s education (Moreno & Gaytan, 2013). Therefore, the need to form alliances with parents is critical. Partnerships with parents must be formed to better understand the necessities of these children. Consequently, educators should convey to parents the significance of forming links between the home and school. Moreover, …

Strategy, Politics And Latino Graduate Education: A Descriptive Policy Analysis Of The South Texas/Border Initiative, Emily Calderon Galdeano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Prior to 1987, appropriations to universities along the Texas-Mexico border were much less than in other areas of the state. As a result the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Richards lawsuit was filed, claiming inequities for higher education funding. Between 1989 and 1995, the Texas Legislature approved a group of bills known as the South Texas/Border Initiative (STBI). The goals of this initiative were to: 1) provide equitable funding to nine universities along the South Texas border; 2) merge these regional institutions with the larger university systems in the state; and 3) create additional graduate programs at …

Factors That Contribute To Hispanic English Language Learners' High Academic Performance In High School Science In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas: A Multicase Study, Antonio Elizondo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to identify, discover, uncover, examine, and document factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners’ (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One science teacher and school administrator from the respective schools also participated in this study. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas was selected to participate. School officials …

An Evaluation Of Alternative Methods For Online Survey Recruitment: The Equivalency Of Data Collected Through Amazon Mechanical Turk And Second Life To Traditional Undergraduate Student Samples, Elizabeth M. Briones

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A major proportion of psychological research uses subjects from undergraduate populations. Increasingly, researchers are exploiting the Internet to reach beyond the traditional undergraduate sample. The current study sought to compare data obtained from a conventional undergraduate student sample to data collected via two online survey recruitment platforms: Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing site and the virtual environment of Second Life (SL). Data obtained via these online recruitment platforms was statistically equivalent to the data obtained from the college sample, based on standardized measures of psychological stress and sleep quality. Additionally, correlations between the sleep and stress measures were not statistically …

School Principals' Perceptions Of Bilingual Education And Their Relation To English Language Learners' 8th Grade Reading Performance On Staar, Imelda Mares

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research examined school principals’ perceptions of bilingual education to determine whether perceptions were a function of gender, age, years of experience, level of academic knowledge of bilingual education, and language discourse or bilingualism. Moreover, this study explored whether principals’ perceptions of bilingual education were related to English language learners’ 8th grade reading performance as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Thirty-one middle and high school principals in five school districts from south Texas and one district from southeast Texas responded to an electronic survey that solicited demographic information, perceptions of bilingual education, and academic …

Benefits Of Using Reading Strategies In Elementary Bilingual Classrooms, Diana Arely Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study focused on the benefits of reading strategies used by second grade students. What strategies they can use to comprehend tasks, what textual cues they attend, how to make sense of what they read, and what they do when they do not understand a word. In this study, a questionnaire was given to the students. The questionnaire had a list of reading strategies in which students chose the strategy they felt more comfortable to use whenever they needed in order to comprehend a text. The data collected was analyzed and served its purpose of helping one reach the …

Conocimiento De Los Padres Acerca Del Programa De Educación Bilingue [Parental Knowledge About Bilingual Education Programs], Eliaber Jimenez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Para la realización de ésta tesis se utilizaron diversas fuentes bibliográficas que apoyan la implementación del programa bilingüe en las escuelas, y la necesidad de informar correctamente y con precisión a los padres de familia acerca del programa bilingüe. Para llevar a cabo este estudio cualitativo se revisaron varias fuentes informativas que investigan y dan amplios resultados en la aplicación del programa bilingüe en Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. Dichas fuentes, son consideradas fidedignas ya que están realizadas en investigaciones reales realizadas anteriormente. Durante el periodo de investigación de las fuentes de información, también se tomaron opiniones a padres de familia, …

Bicultural Self-Efficacy, Student Achievement, And Persistence Of Mexican American College Students, Richard Kirk

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This mixed methods study will explore the relationship of bi-cultural self-efficacy with student achievement and persistence for first generation Mexican American students enrolled at a two year college. The Bicultural Self Efficacy Scale for Minority Adults (BISES-MA ) will be used to collect quantitative data from a study group and control group. The study group will participate in a student success course using high engagement strategies developed by Advancement Via Individual Determination for Higher Education (AHE). Analysis of variance will be conducted to determine the degree of difference between the study and control groups on bicultural self-efficacy and student achievement …

Graduation As A Function Of Attendance And Discipline Of Students In The Student Success Initiative Of Texas In One South Texas Urban School District, Maria Luisa Trevino-Guerra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examined the trends and patterns across time of grade placement committee students on the dependent variable, graduation. Longitudinal data for independent variables, attendance and discipline was collected for 173 students from 2005 to 2013. The independent variables of attendance and discipline were examined to determine whether or not high school completion is dependent on these two measures.

The Grade 5 students of 2005-2006 in one south Texas large urban school district who were retained in the fifth grade or advanced to the next higher grade by the grade placement committee in accordance with the Student Success Initiative (SSI) …

Estrategias Utilizadas En Aulas Bilingues En La Ensenanza De La Lectura En Espanol, Maria Marquez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Para este estudio se observaron las diferentes estrategias utilizadas en aulas bilingües en la enseñanza de la lectura en español. Asimismo, este estudio cualitativo observó las diferentes estrategias utilizadas por los maestros en los salones de clase bilingües donde se enfocó la lectura en español. La meta de este estudio es que los maestros bilingües del preescolar rebasen todos las expectativas de la enseñanza en la lectura, que estén capacitados para la enseñanza en español y que faciliten las estrategias de la lectura para promover la fluidez lectora. Las estrategias investigadas son aquellas que promueven la fluidez y la comprensión …

Metodos De Lectura En Espanol [Reading Methods In Spanish], Maria T. Almanza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

En la actualidad existe una deficiencia enorme en la educación de un país tan desarrollado como es Los Estados Unidos, y siendo lectura considerada una pieza fundamental en el éxito o fracaso de la educación, este estudio fue enfocado en recabar información acerca de las diferentes metodologías de la lectura en español. Este sirve como tal para que el docente analice los diferentes métodos de lectura. Se han elegido los métodos de lectura en español debido al gran influjo de inmigrantes hispanos a este país y muchos de estos hispanos están siendo educados en su lenguaje vernáculo. A partir del …

Shifting Policies Of Educational Desegregation And Its Effects On The Resegregation Of The Aldine Independent School District, Tonya Elisette Juarez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the desegregation process for the Aldine Independent School District located in Houston, Texas. Beginning with an analysis of the development of public education in Texas, this study observes the educational conditions for blacks and Mexican Americans prior to the end of de jure segregation. Thereafter, it assesses the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision that required desegregation of American public schools. I argue that the shifting policies that occurred after Brown requiring mandatory integration resulted in white flight in the school district. With the end of mandatory integration, Aldine I.S.D. reverted back to …

Miguel A. Nevárez: A Life History Of Educational Leadership, Rolando Avila

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze Miguel A. Nevárez’s educational leadership style by focusing on his notable contributions to The University of Texas-Pan American. The researcher defined leadership style as actions by the leader. After examining Nevárez’s background to place his motivations and actions in proper context, this study analyzed what Nevárez did, how he perceived his actions, and how others perceived his actions. The life history written by the researcher was primarily based on data collected through 25 interviews; however, the researcher also utilized other available published and unpublished sources to supplement the interview data. The …

Case Study Of A District's Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Social Studies Curriculum, Dagoberto Eli Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Texas districts approved Update 93 from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in spring 2012. The policy update called for use of culturally relevant materials in school districts’ implementation of their instructional program. The policy uses seventeen words to describe resources necessary to deliver, support, enrich, and assist in implementing the district’s educational program: materials that “represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups and their contributions to the national heritage and world community”. Using a qualitative case study approach in a Texas school district, this University of Texas-Pan American Educational Leadership Doctorate Degree research project investigated how and to …

An Analysis Of An Exemplary South Texas Charter School, Mario H. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Charter schools have emerged as a powerful force in American school reform. When first introduced in 1991, charter schools came with two distinct promises: to serve as an escape hatch for students in failing schools, and to create and incubate new educational practices. Through qualitative inquiry, this study examines a charter school’s best practices and how some of these practices can be applied or emulated in a traditional public school setting. The goal is not to replace traditional public school practices with charter school practices, but to emulate charter school practices that have shown to be successful. The Chief Executive …

The Effects Of Principal's Transformational Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Leadership Development And Teacher Self Efficacy, Socorro M. Espinoza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Leadership has been identified as an essential ingredient of educational reform aiming to ensure that every student gets the education they need to succeed in an era of high accountability. Transformational leadership in the educational context is conceptualized as a process of building commitment to meet the challenges faced by professionals in education everyday while empowering teachers to become leaders in the process of educating our children. The purpose of this study was to examine how much of the total variance of teacher leadership development and teacher efficacy can be accounted for or explained by their principal’s transformational leadership behaviors …

Efficacy Beliefs Of Beginning Hispanic Teachers And The Organizational Health Of Schools In A South Texas School District, Gisela S. Saenz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy and school organizational health. Teachers’ sense of efficacy was measured using three dimensions of teacher efficacy: efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Organizational health was measured using dimensions of school health for elementary, middle, and high school including: academic emphasis, institutional integrity, collegial leadership, resource influence, teacher affiliation, morale, principal influence, resource support, consideration, and initiating structure. The sample consisted of 498 beginning Hispanic teachers with one to five years of teaching experience. The sample included, 255 elementary, 126 middle school, and …

A Historical Snapshot On The Progression Of Educational And Social Opportunities For Mexican American Students In The San Benito Public School System, 1909-2009, Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates the barriers Mexican American students encountered in educational and social opportunities within the San Benito Public School System from 1909 to 2009. This qualitative research study was organized chronologically by collecting information on the city, school district, and students who attended the San Benito Public School System. Personal and telephone interviews, as well as emailed questionnaires/surveys were used to gather firsthand information from former students, and current/former teachers, administrators, and board member of the district. A review of school board minutes, high school yearbooks, newspaper articles, books, and other related materials were also included for use in …

Cross Case Analysis Of Three Middle School Mathematics Teachers, Sandra Quiroz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This cross-case analysis was designed to investigate the instructional practices middle school mathematics teachers use in classes with English language learners (ELLs); how the different practices result in differential student achievement; the types of professional development middle school mathematics teachers attend; and what effect the mathematics teachers’ academic background have on the academic achievement of ELLs. The study was facilitated by the use of data from lesson plans, observations, interviews, academic background, and professional development sessions for three seventh-grade mathematics teachers and their students’ proficiency on the seventh-grade mathematics state achievement. Investigation of the lesson plans, observations and classroom culture …

The Effects Of Labeling Hispanic English Language Learners As Learning Disabled, Sandra Irma Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

English language learners (ELLs) are often placed in special education due to lack of knowledge on the part of educators of the language acquisition process and because of the pressures educators face to meet state and federal accountability standards. Once in special education, many students’ experiences lead to negative outcomes for those students including stigmatization, inadequate academic preparation, and few opportunities for a successful professional career potential. The purpose of this cross case study was to investigate the effects of labeling English language learners as learning disabled (LD). Three ELLs with normal intelligence who were labeled as LD and placed …

The Impact Of Interest On Reading Motivation For A Struggling Mexican American Adolescent Reader, Abelardo Lopez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This single subject qualitative case study investigated the impact interest had on reading motivation for a struggling Mexican American adolescent reader from the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas. Moreover, the study’s findings found several factors that impacted the subject’s motivation to read; factors which impacted the subject’s reading motivation were associated with his home and school life environment, his attitudes towards literacy activities, and the teaching and learning engagements which occurred throughout the study.

Academic Rigor In High School Curricula, College-Readiness, And Post-Secondary Performance, Sharon A. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In light of the alarming statistics relating to the Hispanic population to be researched and the questions elicited with respect to the overall focus of preparing students not only to be “college-ready” but to be successful in college, the primary purpose of this study is to determine to what extent native cumulative grade point average and cumulative college credit hours during the fourth semester of postsecondary studies are a function of the level of high school English, math, science, and social studies courses, grades in these courses, standardized test scores in these courses, and gender and socioeconomic status for students …

A Study Of A High Performing, High Poverty Elementary School On The Texas-Mexico Border, Cynthia Iris Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Transforming low performing schools to ensure the academic success of Hispanic children situated in poverty remains an educational challenge. External factors impacting student learning are often targeted as the main reasons for poor academic achievement, thereby advancing the culturally deficit model. This study is about an elementary school that defied the deficit model as evidenced by its distinguished academic accolades. This instrumental qualitative case study examined a high performing elementary school on the Texas-Mexico Border in which high poverty Hispanic students made dramatic increases in academic achievement. Data were collected from interviews, observations, documents, and other media. Findings for the …

Knowledge, Skills, And Dispositions Influencing Middle School Teachers' Decision Making In Planning Social Studies Instruction In A Hispanic Serving School, Angela Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The issue of highly qualified teachers as the key to improving the educational system in the United States has become a primary focus in education. The federal educational policy No Child Left Behind Act 2001, describes what it means to be a highly qualified teacher in core subject areas, and all states are required to use this criterion for defining what teachers should know, and be able to do. Accordingly, certified teachers in today’s public school classrooms must possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions so that all students, including those students who have been historically disadvantaged and those who are …

Self-Determination, Success, And College Readiness Of First Generation Students In A Higher Education Institution, Manuel Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare if self-determination factors differed in first and non-first generation college students and success levels. Additionally, comparisons of college readiness levels were measured, and finally a measure of factors that contribute to college success based in first and second semester grade point averages were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Using a Self-Determination Theory framework of human motivation, helps identify a basic psychological need for autonomy as a central feature for understanding effective regulation and well-being (Moller, Ryan, & Deci, 2006). The target population in this study was 1,586 returning students …