Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Understanding The Persistence And Retention Factors Among First-Generation Online College Students: A Comprehensive Study, Lakeeta Q. Prunty, Tana Palafox

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

This qualitative descriptive study examined the impact of internal institutional support on retention, as perceived by first-generation Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) online undergraduate students at a private Christian university. Institutional support encompasses academic advising, tutoring services, mental health counseling, career guidance, financial aid, diversity and inclusion programs, faculty support, and technological resources for online learning. The virtual learning environment presented unique challenges, particularly for first-generation BIPOC students, who navigate multiple layers of identity requiring specialized institutional support. Factors influencing online student attrition, including school policies, instructional methods, and personal circumstances, warrant collaboration among administrators, advisors, and faculty …

Ensuring Success And Retention: A Review Of Key Factors For Diverse Online Scholars, Leila Romeo, Cicely Ward, Jesiah Brock

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

The widespread adoption of online learning in higher education necessitates a critical understanding of factors that promote the retention and academic success of diverse student populations. This paper provides a synthesis of existing research investigating the numerous elements that influence the educational experiences of distinct student cohorts, with a particular focus on literature pertaining to non-traditional Latina students in postsecondary online learning environments. This review critically examines established scholarship to comprehend the array of challenges and prospects these students encounter, identifying critical determinants of their academic trajectories as established in prior studies. Key determinants frequently cited in the literature include …

Online Learning And Private Christian Hispanic Serving Institutions: A Narrative Review Of The Literature, Daniela A. Hernandez, Brandi R. Munoz, Stephanie Ferrell

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

This narrative literature review explores the intersection of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), online education, and the role of private Christian universities in addressing educational disparities for Hispanic students. It synthesizes existing research on the challenges Hispanic students face in higher education, including financial barriers, limited digital access, underutilization of student support services, and institutional identity issues. Drawing on social capital theory and student engagement theory, this review highlights how HSIs, particularly private Christian institutions, can develop culturally responsive initiatives and leverage federal Title V funding to support Hispanic learners. The paper also examines emerging efforts such as the “Seal of …

Authentic Leadership’S Impact On Black Student-Athletes’ Identity And Persistence, Edward Raimundi Iii, Chanel M. Bradden, Erika Stanley Wesley

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

This mixed-methods study examined the role of authentic leadership in shaping the identity development and persistence of Black student-athletes within collegiate athletic programs. Despite growing research on student-athlete experiences, a critical gap remains in understanding how leadership characterized by transparency, self-awareness, and ethical behavior influences Black athletes’ self-perception, resilience, and ability to navigate academic and athletic challenges. Drawing on surveys (Authentic Leadership Questionnaire) and semi-structured interviews with sports administrators and student-athletes, the study identified key themes: the importance of consistent communication, ethical decision-making, and holistic mentorship in fostering trust and empowerment. Findings revealed that while authentic leadership enhances athletes’ resilience …

Letter From The Editors, Jennifer Butcher, James Wiser, Cicely Ward

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

No abstract provided.

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

Bridging Literacy And Esol For Teachers Of Early Learners: Modifications Needed In Professional Development, Emily Howell, Hazel Vega, Lindsey W. Rowe, C. C. Bates, Katie M. Crook, Kavita Mittapalli, Amlan Banerjee

Publications

Although early education teachers may be highly trained in literacy practices, they need additional support reaching multilingual learners (MLs), for example, by supporting oral language or understanding connections between services identified for students, especially in states such as SC where growth for this student group has been recent and rapid. This study answers the question of professional development (PD) needed for highly trained literacy teachers, focusing on two areas. First, a needs assessment describes the demands of literacy specialists to address the literacy of MLs and connects these need areas to best practice recommendations. Secondly, we address modifications designed based …

The State Of Asian American Studies In Massachusetts High Schools, Christine Montecillo Leider, Christopher C. Martell

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

This study included a statewide survey of over 150 high school humanities teachers in Massachusetts to gather data on how Asian American studies is being included in the curricula and to learn how prepared the educators feel to teach Asian American studies content. Expanding on the survey are case studies of five Massachusetts Asian American studies teachers and their approaches to teaching Asian American studies.

The study was conducted to provide evidence-based findings to inform teacher education, education policy, and research about best practices for Asian American Studies in humanities classrooms. Three recommendations revolve around increased opportunities for teacher preparation …

Acquisition Of The Tap-Trill-Lateral Contrast By Speakers Of L1 Cantonese-L2 Spanish, José Esteban Hernández

Spanish Faculty Publications

In the present study an assessment of the on-target and off-target production of liquids (laterals and rhotics) is undertaken in a corpus of second language (L2) Spanish. The Chinese-origin participants have immigrated to Mexicali, Mexico where they have acquired L2 Spanish in a natural setting. As a major aim, a quantitative analysis of the data is performed to determine the production of on-target and off-target articulations in lateral, tap, thrill, and syllable-coda rhotic. Internal and external factors are considered in the analysis; for example, liquid production in syllable onset, coda and consonant clusters was considered. The data were subjected to …

Understanding The Afghan Newcomer Experience From The Perspectives Of Teachers And Students, Elisabeth C. Trost

Dissertations

Newcomer English learners (ELs) often arrive in the United States having fled persecution, economic or political oppression, war, or natural disasters in their country of origin. They are new to the English language, new to the American school system, at times well into their educational journey, and sometimes have missed out on significant amounts of formal schooling. Many also carry trauma from the circumstances that forced them to leave their homes. Most schools are not fully equipped to welcome these students and their families into the learning community, nor are they prepared to address the unique challenges newcomer ELs face. …

Narratives Of Latina Teacher Candidates On Subtractive Schooling Experiences And Their Language Identity, Joao Goebel

Dissertations

The subtractive nature of bilingual education in the United States has long impacted the language identities of Latinx students. Despite being raised in multilingual environments, many are schooled in systems that devalue their home languages and prioritize English-only instruction. This study explored how these dynamics influenced Latina teacher candidates’ perceptions of their own bilingualism and professional identities. The purpose of the study was to examine how Latina teacher candidates understood and constructed their language identities in the context of their K–12 and higher education experiences. The study used narrative research centered on four Latina teacher candidates enrolled in an undergraduate …

Brief Insights, June 2025: Learning And Leading Together: Highlights From A Multilingual And Mathematics Focused Research, Practice, Policy Partnership, Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas Ed.D., Linda R. G. Kaminski Ed.D., Kaivan Yuen Ed.D., Miguel Valencia, Teacher Researchers, Montebello Unified School District

Education and Policy Briefs

The Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) at Loyola Marymount University collaborated with Montebello Unified School District (MUSD) leaders and teachers in a Research, Practice, Policy Partnership (RPP) to investigate Spanish oral language production in TK to 2^nd grade students enrolled in three Dual Language Immersion Academies providing Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) in mathematics. Teacher researchers collected pre- and post-video samples of students explaining their CGI Counting Collections strategy. After establishing inter-rater reliability, MUSD teachers and the CEEL Research Team individually and independently analyzed characteristics of students’ academic Spanish oral language production using two focal California Spanish Language …

Uncovering Best Practices For Professional Learning: A Focus On Dialogic Discourse, Belinda Jaquez

Dissertations

The education system rests in a paradox with an ever-changing world and classrooms frozen in time. Though technological advancements, societal changes, and policy reforms are continuously reshaping the world, classrooms have remained anchored in traditional teaching and learning practices. This study examined the relationship between professional learning programs and the quality of classroom instruction with a focus on implementing more collaborative and dialogic approaches to both student and professional learning. This research involved a multifaceted program evaluation of the learning environment centered on the learning experiences of both students and teachers. A utilization-focused evaluation approach was implemented to ensure the …

Sociology: Culture, Marcia Morrison

Open Educational Resources

This work examine culture. It begins by examining the foundations of culture to include norms, values, language, symbols and knowledge. In looking at each, it breaks down the implication of each to the development of ourselves as well as the person in the environment. It moves on to look at contexts of culture such as dominant cultures juxtapose to competing cultural systems, and how the various elements of culture can serve to either promote or minimize the various cultural constructs within society.

Marveling At The Art Of Language: Centering Adolescents In Developing Disciplinary Literacy For Ela, Christina M. Ponzio

Michigan Reading Journal

This article explores how we invite adolescents to be insiders in the discipline of ELA by inquiring together into the art of language. I begin with a brief overview of the varied perspectives, research and frameworks about the importance of apprenticing students’ into disciplinary literacy in ELA. Next, I share examples of authentic contexts, purposes, and audiences for inquiring into the art of language with adolescents across a school year and zoom into one unit through the lens of Moje’s (2015) 5E framework for designing inquiries that foster the development of students’ disciplinary literacy. I conclude with a “before and …

Multilingual English Teaching: Challenges And Possibilities In The Secondary Mainstream Classroom, Vannessa Quintana Sarria

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how multilingual English language teachers (MLETs) reshape mainstream secondary education through asset-based, linguistically inclusive pedagogies. Using an ethnographic, participatory design grounded in second-generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), the study investigates a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) program at East Summer High (ESH), a public, four-year high school located northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. ESH serves approximately 1,394 students and offers a range of academic and vocational programs, including structured SEI pathways that support English Learners (ELs) at various proficiency levels, such as SEI-1, SEI-General Education, and SEI-Special Education. Over three years of immersive fieldwork, data sources include in-depth …

Language Teaching In Palestine: Leveraging Cultural Sustainability Through A Video Project, Layth R. Awwad, Imad Abu Dayyeh, Anita L. Bright

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

In recognition of the ways learners need to see themselves present within their curricula, and in response to the ongoing opportunity to leverage digital media, through this paper, we describe the creation, implementation, and refinement of a video project, included across multiple English language courses at Bethlehem University in the West Bank of Palestine. With cultural sustainability at the center, through qualitative methodology (Maxwell, 2013), and calling specifically upon sociocultural theory (Bakhtin, 1984) as well as figured worlds (Holland et al., 1998), we offer perspectives informed by a range of life experiences and standpoints. This study of what students and …

Challenging Dominant Mindset Ideologies: Transforming Teaching And Learning That Impact Latinx Students, Francisco Lopez

Dissertations

Teacher identity poses a central connection to social justice education as researchers call for studies to pay attention to the cultural identities of those teaching in our schools when practices like color blindness are a common practice amongst teachers that keeps racial and social power intact. Despite the overwhelming presence of White teachers nationwide, we must pay attention to the specific needs of Teachers of Color in our classrooms. The assumption is often made that teachers of Color already have the knowledge on how to enact culturally responsive pedagogy. This study investigates the relationship between Critical Race Theory (CRT) and …

Understanding And Engaging In Equity Work: A Phenomenological Action Research Study Of Community College Esol Instructors, Emily E. Packer

Dissertations

Community colleges (CCs) are regarded as accessible and affordable pathways to higher education and financial mobility, offering significant potential to promote educational equity (Fink et al., 2023). These institutions enroll the largest number of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students in adult education; however, CC ESOL students face lower rates of degree completion and transfer compared to their non-ESOL peers (David & Kanno, 2021; Fink et al., 2023; Raufman et al., 2019). While research has examined factors contributing to low CC ESOL student persistence and interventions to improve overall CC student outcomes, research on specific efforts to support …

Latinas In Higher Education: Paving & Weaving Wholeheartedly, Ariela M. Canizal

Dissertations

The deficit model in research has often framed Latinas in higher education through a lens of barriers and challenges, reinforcing stereotypes that depict them as unlikely to succeed in academic spaces. However, Latinas are actively resisting these narratives, weaving their resilience into their stories as they navigate the complexities of higher education, culture, and identity. This study examines how Latina students incorporate cultural background, familial support, and personal agency to thrive academically while challenging systemic obstacles and societal expectations. The research question that guided this study is: In what ways do undergraduate Latina students navigate identity as they experience leadership …