Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

The “Trump Effect?” Challenges To The United States Hegemony In Higher Education Cross-Cultural Exchange: A Case Study Of International Students At Old Dominion University, Raven Alexandra Showalter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Scholars and politicians today fear that international student enrollment at U.S. institutions of higher education may be declining. While some attribute potential enrollment decline to domestic politics, others believe that globalization may be allowing student flows to diversify across many nations, thus limiting the U.S.’s share of students and soft-power influence. To assess the extent to which U.S. hegemony in cross-cultural higher education is being challenged, I trace the origins of educational exchange at Western colleges and universities from their earliest incarnations in the Medieval Era to the present. I also draw a parallel between the Bush administration after 9/11, …

Linguistic Interactions Of Spanish Speaking Mexican American Families, Adelfio J. Garcia

Dissertations

This study explored the bilingual linguistic interactions in Mexican families and their impact on children’s language and literacy development. This qualitative study gathered data using different methods, namely, interviews, direct observations, participant observation, and physical artifacts to examine parents’ perceptions of their own educational path in comparison to their children’s educational path in an American school system, together with their daily linguistic interactions in various social contexts, and the features, themes and roles of linguistic interactions participants. Study results assisted in gaining deeper understanding of daily conversations happening in different social contexts and their impact on the language and literacy …

Distance Learning And The Non-Native English Speaker: A Correlational Study, Cristina Cottom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In higher education, there is an increasing trend of Non-native English speakers (NNESs) enrolling in courses. In addition to an increase in NNESs in higher education, online learning also continues to rise every year. While there has been research investigating NNESs in traditional higher education courses, an opportunity remains to discover how NNESs perform in online courses. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between non-native English speakers’ (NNESs) responses on the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) and final course grades in an online research course. The participants for this study were undergraduate NNESs enrolled in …

Naturaleza Y Humanidad | Nature And Humanity, Christina R. Córdova

Toyon: Multilingual Literary Magazine

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Immigrants And Educational Institutions: Family And Student Perspectives Toward School And Education, Paul Naso, Kimberly Joyce-Bernard, Marcelo Juica, Frank Rothwell

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The purpose of this session is to bring together insights from three research studies (one completed and two ongoing) concerned with documenting the experiences of immigrant populations as they interact with U.S. educational institutions. The session is an opportunity to consider the common and distinct aspects of three qualitative research studies: an inquiry into native Spanish-speaking parents’ experiences regarding their children education; a narrative analysis of Francophone African-born adult family members’ accounts of their children’s language and literacy development at home and in early childhood programs; and a study to identify the obstacles and challenges of undocumented students enrolled in …

The Right To Dream: Educators Supporting Undocumented Students In Boston Public Schools, Heidi K. Rausch, Claudia Martinez

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Undocumented youth are among the most vulnerable groups in the United States. Their achievements are many and the obstacles they face sometimes seem unsurmountable. There are a few immigration policies that assist these students, but not nearly enough. Despite the challenges they face (financial, lack of information, institutional, anxiety, increased responsibility) and the invisibility that comes from silence regarding their immigration status, many are indeed able to achieve personal and academic success. Key to that success are the families, teachers, counselors and other adults in their lives. This presentation highlights the work of Unafraid Educators, a committee of the Boston …

The Multidimensional Connection Between Second Language Acquisition And Neuroscience, Carolyn Peterson

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The purpose of this poster is to present and analyze research that answers the question: What does the current body of research say about the impact of neuroscience on second language acquisition for adolescent and adult learners between 2009-2017? The studies provide detailed neurological information about the specific structures in the brain that are involved in second language (L2) development and the impact on language processing in adolescent and adult learners whose first language (L1) is not English. The foundational design of the studies is based on neurological imaging: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electromyography (EMG) …

Global Perspectives In The Us Social Justice Classes: Impact On Identity, Alexandra (Sasha) Watkins, Corliss Brown Thompson

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This paper is based on the experiences and reflections of the instructor and the student in the social justice doctoral-level course. Graduate-level social justice classes provide students with valuable knowledge on how power, privilege, and oppression operate in the society and its impact on individuals and communities (Boutain, 2008; Garii & Appova, 2013; Mohammed, Cooke, Ezeonwu, & Stevens, 2014; Motulsky, Gere, Saleem, & Trantham, 2014). At the same time, the scholarly material covered in the social justice classes can serve as a powerful catalyst for examining one’s personal identity (Farnsworth, 2010), thus contributing to students’ identity development (Izadinia, 2013; Trent, …

Examining Opportunities For Dialogic Talk In A Kindergarten English Language Development Classroom, Margaret Burns

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Purpose and Background

Dialogic talk, in which students are engaged in authentic, extended discourse where meaning is co-constructed and conceptual understanding is incrementally built, is an important aspect of English Language Development instruction (Gersten et al., 2007; Harper & de Jong, 2004; O’Connor & Michaels, 2007; Saunders & Goldenberg, 2010; Snow & Katz, 2010; Gibbons, 2015; Mercer, Dawes, & Staarman, 2009). Supported by Russell and Faculty Development Grants, this study examines how teacher language use in an inquiry-based science unit both facilitated and constrained dialogic talk in a Kindergarten ELD classroom in a Two-Way Dual Language context.

Specifically, I ask: …

Privileged Leadership: Teaching English Learners With Fixed Mindsets, Alexandra Lituchy

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Research was conducted over a hundred hours at a nearby public school to observe the growth or fixed mindset language of English learners as compared to native English speakers in the second grade. Observations were also made of the English learner’s teacher’s mindset language. Existing research proves that any student with a fixed mindset have poorer academic performances. Yet, very little research has been done on if the same is true for English learners specifically. Based on the research conducted, English learners are more likely to use fixed mindset language than native English speakers. English learners also demonstrate a fixed …

The Influence Of The Heritage Language On The Cultural Integration Of Second-Generation Hispanic Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Camille Schuler

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the influence of the heritage language on the cultural integration of 10 second-generation Hispanic adolescents, ages 15-19. Data were collected using in-depth interviews that asked participants to share their experiences with their heritage language, and in what situations they found themselves feeling more Hispanic, more American, and more bicultural, when speaking their heritage language. Participants also shared the formal course of language study they chose, such as Spanish, Heritage Spanish, and AP Spanish Language, why they chose it, and how that choice influenced their perceptions of the heritage language and their cultural integration. Berry’s (2005) Acculturation …

International Muslim Students Within A Globalized Educational Context, Noha Ghali

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

While previous research has revealed and documented the difficulties that international students and international Muslim students face when studying abroad, it fails to critically study and discuss the students’ perception of reasons behind these difficulties. The main aim of this study is to focus on international Muslim students and explore their social and academic experiences and challenges in a globalized educational context. Another aim is to investigate international Muslim students’ perceived reasons behind the challenges they meet, and how they negotiate such challenges. The study reviews the literature on international Muslim students in western higher education to highlight the gap …

Student Nurses Perception Of Ability To Provide Care Internationally, Cassie A. Williams

Honors College Theses

PUPOSE: With diversity expected to increase in the future, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) education regarding international nursing care and cultural competency was explored. Specifically, the purpose of this research was to determine whether current BSN students believe they are capable of providing appropriate care to international patients and/or patients of different cultural backgrounds.

METHODOLOGY: A mixed-methods survey was designed to assess student’s perception of ability to care for and interact with international patients and patients of different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, it was assessed whether students believed more cultural education should be provided by the School of Nursing.

RESULTS: …

Teacher Interculturality In An English As A Second Language Elementary Pull-Out Program: Teacher As Broker In The School’S Community Of Practice, Carmen Durham

The Qualitative Report

This case study investigated how one teacher, Lidia (a pseudonym), used her own cross-cultural experiences to socially and academically assist elementary school students who were crossing cultural boundaries of their own. This study used ethnographic interviews and classroom observations to explore Lidia’s experiences and struggles as she crossed cultural boundaries and built intercultural competence and how those experiences related to her teaching methods. Lidia used stories, multicultural images, and the students’ home languages so that her students could become confident in their multicultural and multilingual identities instead of solely assimilating. Teaching interculturally for Lidia meant empowering students to balance their …

Reading Comprehension And Strategy Use In Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers, Bailey Frid, Deanna Friesen

Western Research Forum

Individuals recruit reading strategies as they read a passage in order to support reading comprehension. Second language learners (SLLs) often experience more challenges with reading comprehension (RC) than monolingual learners (Geva & Farnia, 2012). Importantly, effective RC strategies may support SLL’s comprehension. An understanding of the reading strategies teachers engage in is critical to understanding the type of strategies teachers may model during read alouds with their students. To determine strategies readers recruit to extract meaning from a text, think-alouds are typically used. Our research questions include (1) What RC strategies do bilingual pre-service teachers use when processing texts in …

Best Practices: Supporting Refugee Students In The Classroom, Naima Ali

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

This curriculum project explores best instructional practices that support refugee students in the classrooms. The questions that guided this project were: What are effective ways for classroom teachers to engage refugee students in learning? How can teachers foster a sense of belonging and demonstrate cultural competence when working with refugee students in the classroom? What research-based best practices provide academic support for refugee students in the K-12 classroom? The literature review provides background knowledge about the best practices that support of the existing literature on the best practices that support the education of refugee students in the United States (U.S). …

2nd Annual Diversifying Stem Think Tank, Adrienne Coleman

Diversifying STEM Think Tank

Goal: To understand from the perspective of STEM professionals, educators, and diversity/inclusion officers strategies to diversify and strengthen the STEM education to career pipeline.

Analysis Of Hispanic School And College Enrollment In South Carolina, 2010 - 2014, Christopher C. Mathis Jr., Shobba R. Choudhari

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Breaking The “Fourth Wall” In Qualitative Research: Participant-Led Digital Data Construction, Nettie Boivin, Anna Cohenmiller

The Qualitative Report

This article reconstructs the typical researcher-participant focus - where the participants are doing for us - instead we followed the participants’ lead in the construction of research. Using a qualitative literacy event case study as an example, we describe how participants unexpectedly co-constructed knowledge through a participant-led digital data collection. In this theoretical article, we provide an explanation of the original study, which used observations, semi-structured interviews, and home visits as a collective qualitative case study on parental participation in social literacy practices. The original investigation led to the important shift that occurred in participant-researcher roles. In this article, using …

Latino Students’ Stories Of Advanced Placement Success: A Critical Case Study, Marcie S. Plummer

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative, critical case study identified and described culture factors Latino students in Monterey County, California, perceive influenced academic success in Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Methodology: This qualitative research design explored the phenomenon of internal and external culture factors Latino students perceive influenced academic success in AP courses. Through semistructured focus group and follow-up interviews, the researcher gathered detailed data on each factor and how it influenced academic success. Using Perna and Thomas’s (2008) student success framework, some success factors were revealed as interdependent.

Findings: Factors that influenced Latino students’ academic success in AP courses included support by teachers, …