Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Developing Culturally Responsive Preservice Teacher Candidates: Implications For Teacher Education Programs, Rose Gilmore Skepple

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine how the teacher education program impacts preservice teacher candidates' knowledge of culturally responsive teaching and the implementation of these practices in their classroom. For the purposes of this study, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was utilized to collect and analyze data through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys. The participants in this study were (n=82) elementary preservice teachers and (n=11) teacher educators who taught a professional education course or supervised field or clinical experiences. This mixed method study was fourfold. First, this study sought to examine preservice teacher candidates' perceptions of the teacher …

African American Students’ Experiences, Achievement And Outcomes; Examined Through The Lenses Of Teacher Expectations, Racial Congruence And Stereotype Threat, Carla Postell

Dissertations

The phenomenological study examined the retrospective perceptions of academic experiences and outcomes of 13 African American full or part-time college students enrolled in either a community college or university located in an urban area. For the purpose of this study, educational experiences are defined as self-reported academic achievements and perceived success levels attained by participants during high school. Academic outcomes are the self-reported academic achievement and success level attained at their colleges and universities. The researcher interviewed participants, using a one-on-one interview process to conduct the interviews.

This study examined influences of race congruence between students and teachers. This topic …

A Study Of Two Generations Of Culturally Diverse Community College Students Views On Leader Attributes In Self And Others, Paula Jeanine Hodkowski

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

One community college mission is preparing students for the expectations and opportunities of the workplace including roles as collaborators and leaders. Increasingly, representatives from “cultures” of generation, gender, and diverse ethnicities are gaining an education in community colleges. Research supports that cultural aspects and views of others impact an individual's leader identity.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine if participants representing millennial and generation X self-report leader behaviors of “modeling the way” and “enabling others to act”; and rate leader traits in others responding to “fits my image of a leader;” And to determine if their …

Increasing Cultural Awareness Through A Cultural Awareness Program, Christina Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial tension still motivates strife and violence in the metropolitan Detroit area. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of a collaborative partnership on the attitudes of a group of diverse learners regarding multicultural relations. The purpose of this research study was to investigate whether participation in the Cultural Awareness Consortium (CAC) improved the multicultural relations of diverse high school students. The 2 theoretical frameworks guiding this study were Allport's intergroup contact theory and intercultural competence theory originating from International Education and International Studies. The research questions addressed whether attending the CAC for 4 months, the treatment, changed students' attitudes …

Essential Elements Of Effective Practices For English Learners, Karen Cadiero Kaplan, Ph.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

One of the most powerful variables for English Learner success is the quality of their teachers. This policy brief published by Californians Together (1) provides a synthesis of effective practices for instructing ELs; (2) presents four research-based essential elements critical for EL program implementation, teacher reflection, and monitoring of teacher effectiveness; and (3) concludes with program and policy recommendations. Three key areas for policy action are prioritized: (1) District and state level policies must require that local and state leadership support the implementation of these essential elements; (2) Alignment of fiscal and human resources must be targeted to ensure that …

Using Peer Review To Promote Writing Development In Esl Classes, Dira Thokwane

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The aim of this Alternate Plan Paper was to explore whether peer review promote writing development in ESL classes. Recent literature on peer review presented conflicting results in relation to its use in ESL writing classes. Some studies reported that peer review had positive effect on students' academic performance; others argued that peer review could not be trusted as teaching technique. However, most of the reviewed literature argued in favor of peer review. Carr (2008) stated that peer review is an important teaching strategy in which students read and make comments about their peers' written work. Carr (2008) also stated …

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Integrating Sequential Narratives Into An English Language Learner's Curriculum, Cira Michelle Montoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The following thesis aims to explore the subject of using comics in the classroom, particularly with English Language Learner (ELL) students. Do the images, vocabulary, and contextual cues found within comics and graphic novels positively affect language comprehension and writing skills of ELL students when these texts are integrated into a tailored curriculum? Within my research I have composed an extensive literature review comprised of two major sections. The first section aims to highlight the use of comics to assist struggling readers, again focusing on ELL students. The second section compiles a list of comics and graphic novels I reviewed …

Dual Language Programs And Reforming Education In The El Paso Independent School District, Richard Varela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My thesis is a work dealing with dual language education and the current bilingual programs that are ineffectively currently implemented throughout the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD). My work calls for the reforming of bilingual education and equity in curriculum, effective programs and equity in usage of primary language.

Multilingual Theatre: Community Value And Future Education Necessity, Diana Milree Garles

Honors Program Theses

This project is the culmination of my two passions: theatre and language. For me, these two things are priceless pieces of human identity, whether used consciously or not. I imagine there are very few people who have never played a role, or portrayed a certain character to embody a facet of their personality. I believe this research presents a natural, practical option for community and educational development through the use of theatre techniques. Language is a supporting element in theatre, and theatre can use language as an educational tool for exposure and for further understanding of many different cultures and …

Collecting Culture In The 'Imaginary Musical Museum': General Music Textbooks 1971 - 2005, Corinne Ness

Dissertations

This study utilizes a museum lens to examine general music textbooks as a "musical museum." Through an analysis of twelve general music textbooks published between 1971 and 2005, this study examines general music textbooks as purposeful collections that reflect embedded values and assumptions that privilege Western ways of musicing. Utilizing a museum studies lens, this study examines the collection practices, collection poetics, and collection politics of the general music textbook in both a longitudinal study across historical epochs as well as a latitudinal study across grade levels and publishers. Despite a growing abundance of multicultural content in general music textbooks, …

Perspective Shifting In Relative Clauses By Elementary-Aged Spanish-English Bilinguals: A Cross-Linguistic Study, Xigrid Tayri Soto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Language-specific theories of sentence processing suggest that individuals interpret sentences based on the characteristics of their native language (e.g., Bates & MacWhinney, 1989). As such, competing linguistic cues are taken into account (including word order, morphology, and animacy) and the cue selected is most likely to yield a correct interpretation in the native language. However, research in this area has produced conflicting results. MacWhinney (2005) has proposed that examining the role of perspective shifting in sentence comprehension may demonstrate how cognitive and syntactic factors work together to facilitate sentence comprehension. The aim of the current study is to investigate the …

Middle School Transition: How It Affects The Achievement Of Hispanic Students Relative To Ell Status, Socioeconomic Status, Gender, And Previous Test Scores, Kevin D. Gordon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomena of middle school transition and achievement as it relates to Hispanic students. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there are more than 35 million registered Hispanic citizens. Of those, 3.6 million are public school students. The literature indicated that there was a marked regression in student achievement during the transition to middle school.

Through the use of descriptive statistics and regression analysis, sixth grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) reading and math developmental scale scores (DSS) were analyzed to determine if the mean achievement improved or declined after the transition …

Restoring Relationships: Indigenous Ways Of Knowing Meet Undergraduate Environmental Studies And Science, Nancy Leigh Rich

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As places to engage with changing and complex ideas, institutions of higher education offer a logical site for bringing Indigenous ways of knowing together with environmental studies and science. However, profound differences between Indigenous and Western knowledges, as well as ongoing colonialism, cultural biases of science, and the nature of mainstream academia, have discouraged this endeavor. Recent developments in undergraduate pedagogy now point the way.

Using critical inquiry and qualitative methodology, this comparative study developed recommendations for practice based on current undergraduate teaching practices that bring Indigenous ways of knowing together with environmental studies and science across a diversity of …

Descriptive Representation, Representative Bureaucracy And Bilingual Education Policy: Examining Implementation, Victoria Marie Ibáñez

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

In this study, I examine the factors that influence school districts’ commitment to implement ESL (English as a Second Language) education in compliance with the federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968. To explain variation in implementation effort, I focus on several features of the local implementation environment, including the role of Latino descriptive representation. Utilizing data on all public school districts in Texas, I employ a Heckman two-stage estimation procedure that accounts for factors that influence school districts’ decisions to implement bilingual education programs as well as factors that affect the amount of resources school districts are willing to allocate …

Toward A Practice-Based Approach In Foreign Language Education, Kristin Davin, Richard Donato

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

In 1999, Ball & Cohen called for a practice-based curriculum in teacher training. While content areas such as math and science have responded to this call, few studies in foreign language education have been published on practice-based teacher training. This session details a course designed by the foreign language department at the University of Pittsburgh. This course centers around three high-leverage practices (HLPs). HLPs are practices which are done frequently and which novice teachers must be able to implement in order to be effective teachers. They are often context-independent and improve the learning for all students. This presentation describes how …

Being And Becoming Public School Teachers: Career Mobility Of Chinese Overseas-Trained Teachers In The San Francisco Bay Area, Lily L. Chow

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher shortage and retention has persisted in the United States for decades. Ethnic minority teachers are underrepresented in public K-12 schools as well as teachers for English learners. Untapped pools of overseas-trained teachers who are lawful permanent residents exist but are unemployed, underemployed, or working in other fields. To earn a local teaching credential, the immigrant bears the burden of proving equivalent knowledge and skills to re-enter her or his profession in the United States. At the time of this study, there was no research about overseas-trained immigrant teachers entering the teaching profession for primary and secondary public school students …

Transcending Borders: The Experience Of Six Undocumented Immigrant Mothers In The United States, Patricia Derobles

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain meaningful insights into the experiences of six undocumented immigrant mothers as they settled in the United States while they raise and participate in the educational life of their children. Currently 10 % of California's 6 million students originate from homes where one or two parents are undocumented, poor and have limited English skills. Undocumented immigrants live in constant fear of deportation, live and work in the shadows of mainstream society, are stigmatized by the media, are criminalized by immigration law and exploited by their employers. Historically, children originating from immigrant homes have …

Our Voices: A Descriptive Account Of African American Parental Involvement In An Urban Elementary School, Charletta D. Sudduth

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Parent involvement may have implications for student achievement (Epstein, 1986; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brisse, 1987; Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). Today African-American parents are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006). African-American parent involvement can be limited due to a lack of time, monetary resources, or transportation; past negative experiences with school; a non-welcoming school environment; or a different definition of parent involvement (Epstein, 2001, Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Hill, Castellino, Lansford, Dodge, Bates, et al., 2004; Hughes & Kwok, 2007). Missing from the research of both Hoover Dempsey and …

Evaluating The Influence Of Response To Intervention (Levels 2-3) With Racially, Culturally, Ethnically, Linguistically Diverse (Rceld) Students, Reina Martinez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Disney And The Classroom: How Children's Perceptions Can Help Inform Teacher Practice, Kimberly Lynn Burken

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this research was threefold: to examine how race was represented in cartoon Disney movies, to determine if cartoon Disney movies influence racial perceptions in children, and to determine how to effectively address racial perceptions in the classroom.