Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Empowering International Students For Positive Social Risk-Taking In U.S. Higher Education, Maha Azzazi

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

During the acculturation process to their new life in the United States, international students can face challenges in building meaningful connections with their campus community due to difficulties in social integration. There has been limited research on finding effective ways to help international students overcome these challenges, despite numerous studies exploring the factors contributing to international students' disengagement, such as cultural and linguistic barriers and financial difficulties. To address this gap, this phenomenological qualitative study examines the experiences of eight international students at a US university. Among the themes that emerge from preliminary results are familiar challenges faced by students, …

Black Language Matters: Capitalizing On Black English For Educational Success Through Linguistic And Cultural Competence Training, Fritz Lauriston

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation explores the impact of culturally responsive professional development on K–12 educators’ perceptions and understanding of Black English, also known as African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The study responds to the longstanding marginalization of Black English in educational environments and its implications for academic equity, cultural identity, and student performance—particularly among African American learners. The central intervention, titled “Do You Understand Me? Linguistic and Cultural Competence Black English Professional Development,” was designed to increase teachers’ linguistic awareness, dismantle deficit perspectives, and promote inclusive instructional practices that validate students’ home language.

Using a mixed-method design, 59 certified educators participated in …

Enhancing The Metacognitive Thinking Of Middle-Grade Multilingual Learners: A Design-Based Research Study Leveraging Dialogic Teaching, Renee R. Burns

Dissertations

This study explores how dialogic teaching can enhance metacognition and self-efficacy among middle school multilingual learners (MLs) who face challenges with the academic language demands of literacy tasks. Using a design-based research (DBR) methodology, specifically formative experiment, the Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching Protocol (MDTP) was implemented over seven iterative cycles. The research questions were as follows: How do dialogic interactions impact metacognition in middle-grade MLs? How does Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching affect comprehension development in these students? And how does it influence their self-efficacy? The participants included six middle-grade MLs engaged in a Tier 2 literacy intervention who initially exhibited fake reading …

Camp Hope Professional Development, Jennifer J. Lesh, Antonella Regueiro

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

Dr. Jennifer J. Lesh, Exceptional Student Education Coordinator and Associate Professor, and Dr. Antonella Regueiro, Director, Center for Leadership and Social Impact, along with seven (7) Lynn University students, presented special education best practices to Lynn Study Abroad collaborative partner, Camp Hope staff, on June 1, 2026 in Quito, Ecuador. Dr. Lesh and Dr. Regueiro were in Quito to lead an innovative Exceptional Student Education (ESE) study abroad internship and research practicum.

The program combined coursework, field experiences, and service-learning through a collaborative partnership with Camp Hope School, which serves students with disabilities.

Students participated in classroom observations, collaborative teaching, …

Exploring The Effect Of Babble Background Noise On Learning New Patterns In An Artificial Accent Of English In Monolingual And Bilingual Young Adults, Mariana Vasilita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study examined how background noise affects the learning of novel phonetic and phonological patterns in speech. While prior research has shown that bilingual participants may learn new phonetic patterns more successfully than monolingual participants under quiet conditions, it remains unclear whether this advantage persists in more ecologically valid listening environments.

We investigated phonetic learning skills in monolingual English speakers (n = 13) and early bilingual speakers (n = 13). Participants were trained and tested on an artificial English accent presented in the presence of 12-talker babble noise (+10 dB SNR). A digit span task was also administered to …

Unfreezing Language: A Decolonial Reframing Of Translanguaging Pedagogies In English As A New Language & Dual Language Bilingual Education Settings, Cristian R. Solorza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This qualitative multi-case study examines how elementary teachers in English as a New Language (ENL) and Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) settings conceptualize, implement, and reflect upon translanguaging pedagogies, with particular attention to translanguaging rings as tools for language differentiation. Grounded in a rearticulation of language as a dynamic, socially, politically, and historically constructed subject and object, this study challenges monoglossic ideologies that position named languages as bounded systems at the center of language education. Instead, it centers students’ lived, embodied, and agentive language practices as foundational to language learning and to their participation as knowledge producers in ENL and …

Talk To Me: Exploring The Sociocultural Ecology Of Home Language And Literacy Practices Of Families In India, Surbhi Puri

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Existing research highlights the role of home language and literacy environments (HLLE) in shaping early language and literacy development, yet few studies have examined the practices of multilingual families in India. While home environments offer rich learning opportunities, broader sociocultural and policy contexts influence how families support literacy and language development. Families’ insights into home language use, literacy routines, and cultural practices remain underexplored in early childhood education research.

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the HLLE of preschool-aged children in India and examine how families support early language and literacy development within multilingual home …

Voices Of The Young: Exploring Child Agency In Heritage Language Socialization In Chinese American Families, Yiyang Guan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how young children in Chinese‑heritage families participate in heritage language development and maintenance (HLDM) in everyday family life. It asks four questions: what agentic behaviors young children display in heritage language socialization (HLS) and family language policy (FLP) co-construction; how they conceptualize language ideologies; what attitudes they hold toward HLDM; and whether differences in agency, ideologies, and attitudes relate to socioeconomic background.

Using a qualitative multiple‑case design, the dissertation focuses on seven families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data includes parent and child interviews, child language portraits, child audio diaries, parent‑recorded natural conversations, and family background …

"It's Such A Natural Fit": Integrating Reggio Emilia And Head Start For Emergent Multilinguals, Christina Bohr

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Early childhood education classrooms reflect the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of the United States where many children are raised speaking more than one language. Teachers in the early education field play a critical role in supporting children’s development of language and identity. Head Start, who serves a large population of emergent multilinguals (mls), plays an essential role in offering learning environments that foster language development in both English and their home language, among many other critical skills. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is a child-centered and community-oriented approach that promotes children’s independence, exploration, and intellectual development, and is frequently integrated …

Whose Knowledge Is Sustained?: Dominican Students’ Cultural And Linguistic Experiences Navigating White, Female, And Monolingual Pedagogical Spaces, Carminia Lissette Castillo

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how Dominican newcomer youth experience schooling in U.S. secondary schools, with emphasis on language, curriculum, identity, belonging, and students’ visions for more humanizing educational environments. Grounded in student testimonios, the study explored how school structures, pedagogical practices, and teacher–student relationships shape students’ academic engagement, emotional well-being, and sense of recognition as they navigate migration, language transition, and racialized identity formation. Informed by raciolinguistic, culturally sustaining, and critical interpretive frameworks, this study centered Dominican students’ voices as sources of knowledge about schooling, exclusion, and possibility. The findings comprise three central themes. First, students described raciolinguistic schooling …

Content-Based English Language Development Instruction Through Evidence-Based Practices Advancing Comprehensive English Language Development (Eld) Implementation Brief Series, Neida Ahmad Ph.D., Linda R. G. Kaminski Ed.D., Aline Matias, Elvira G. Armas Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D.

Center on English Language Proficiency Implementation Briefs

Advancing Comprehensive English Language Development: Content-Based Instruction Through Evidence-Based Practices is the first in a four-part series assisting educational agencies in implementing high-quality, comprehensive English Language Development (ELD) systems. This brief bridges the gap between research and practice by illustrating what implementation looks like for evidence-based practices for content-based ELD curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It introduces a framework of foundational practices—understanding students' backgrounds and aligning instruction to standards—alongside four critical domains: Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum, Interactions, Comprehensibility, and Connections. Finally, the brief outlines the leadership and collaborative systems necessary to sustain these practices and improve long-term outcomes for English Learners.

Extending The Global Impact Of Dnp Education: Integrating Scholarly Dissemination And International Practice Projects, Cynthia Plonien, Pricilla Muisyo, Deborah Behan, Kristine Cope, Cathy Brown

Nursing Faculty Publications & Presentations

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at the University of Texas at Arlington initiated a global outreach effort in 2024 through two complementary strategies: expansion of a digital repository to support dissemination of DNP scholarly work and implementation of pilot DNP projects in Kenya. Together, these initiatives represent an integrated model for global engagement that combines knowledge dissemination with application of practice-based scholarship. The repository has facilitated international access to DNP projects, demonstrating significant global reach across multiple countries. Concurrently, a pilot project in Kenya was established through a strategic in-country professional partnership, enabling culturally relevant and sustainable implementation …

Environment-Based Constructivism Learning To Increase Elementary School Students' Awareness Of Social Change, Dina Diana

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Social and natural science learning in primary schools should enable students to understand social change as a phenomenon closely connected to their daily lives. However, teacher-centered classroom practices often limit students’ ability to relate social concepts to their local environment. This study aims to describe the implementation of environment-based constructivist learning to improve fourth-grade students’ awareness of social change, analyze its success indicators, and identify supporting and inhibiting factors. A descriptive qualitative design was employed involving 20 fourth-grade students at SDN 2 Karang Jati. Data were collected through oral questioning, classroom observation, simple community interviews, documentation, observer notes, and student …

Jadughar: The House Of Magic, Dhruvi A. Shah

Masters Theses

Jadughar or the House of Magic is what people call a 'museum' in parts of South Asia. The practice of museum making, at its origin, is the act of collecting, preserving, interpreting and representing a culture’s tangible and intangible heritage to make it accessible to diverse audiences. Since the early 19th century such practices have been performed at various kala bhandars (art centers) in India, without the need of a formal or institutional organisation. The British introduced the model of a ‘museum’ in South Asia, with the aim of not only preserving ethnographic collections, but also showcasing their power and …

Elevating Voices: Exploring The Impacts And Experiences Of Required Workplace Dei Training, Marika Barto

Dissertations

Mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training is a common element institutional DEI initiatives in their response to dismantling racial inequity in government organizations; yet, the lived experiences of racially marginalized participants remain critically underexamined—particularly in government settings, where the bureaucratic structures implementing these trainings are themselves racialized. This research was conducted during one of the most politically hostile environments for DEI work in recent memory. Federal executive actions in 2025, specifically the “Bondi memo,” directed entities subject to federal antidiscrimination laws to cease DEI practices, creating immediate chilling effects that directly impacted this study and reminded us that the …

Echándole Ganas: Pláticas Of Belonging + Resistance In Art + Design, Itzanya Bravo

Masters Theses

This thesis centers the experiences of Mexican American students, alumni, faculty, and community-based artists navigating art and design higher education in the United States. Grounded in the question ¿Dónde está la gente latina?—where are the Latino people?—this research examines how representation and culturally sustaining practices shape Mexican American students' sense of belonging and creative agency in a country with systems built on white supremacy

Using pláticas as the primary methodology—a relational, conversational approach rooted in community and storytelling traditions—alongside autohistoria-teoría and Chicana Feminist Epistemology, this study draws on eight in-depth pláticas with Mexican American creatives across art + design higher …

What Teachers See: Collaborative Artmaking In Chinese And U.S. Elementary Schools, Jiayu Shi

Masters Theses

This study explores how elementary art teachers in the United States and China perceive and use collaborative artmaking with their students. Driven by my personal journey as a Chinese student and art educator now studying in the U.S., this research asks: How do teachers in these two countries compare in their views of collaborative artmaking, including its social-emotional outcomes, benefits, and challenges. I conducted semi structured interviews with three elementary art teachers: two from China (one veteran, one early-career) and one from the U.S. with experience in both rural and urban schools. Findings show that teachers in both contexts value …

Reclamando Corazón Y Voz: Latinas Speak Their Truth Through Plática As Resistance In California Community College Learning Disabilities Assessments, Maricela Becerra

Dissertations

Although California Community Colleges (CCCs) offer learning disability (LD) assessments to determine eligibility for academic accommodations, for Latina students navigating converging forces of race, gender, language, citizenship, and ableism, these assessments often surface unspoken histories of harm. This study advanced Chicana feminista DisCrit (CFDC), extending disability critical race theory through Chicana spirituality and cultural intuition to examine possibilities when an educadora situates assessments in a plática grounded in consideración—respectful, relational, and unhurried care.

Rooted in Chicana feminist pláticas methodology and authored from the positionality of a disabled Latina scholar–practitioner, this qualitative decolonial dissertation explored how Latina students reflected on …

Learning Through Lowriding: Knowledge In The Garage, Bianca Elisa Arellano

Dissertations

Lowriding culture has long been situated at the margins where state-sanctioned criminalization processes delegitimize the intellectual agency of lowriders, rendering their knowledge systems institutionally illegible. This dissertation argues that such epistemic invisibility denies lowriders the agency to define their own intellectual contributions, and it reclaims lowriding as a site of profound resourceful innovation. Grounded in Chicana feminist epistemologies, the study theorizes how nepantla—the process of navigating and living at the margins—works alongside rasquachismo, the working-class sensibility through which constraint becomes a site of knowledge production, to frame lowriding in Chicanx San Diego communities as an embodied tension where subversive, resourceful …

Archives Of The Future, Ka Oskar Ly

Masters Theses

Archives Of The Future is a practice-based thesis that invokes the archive and the future as simultaneous.

This research insists on the recentering of HMong Indigeneity and its own rooted traditions of HMong Queerness and HMong Feminism as ancestral knowledge systems.

They are the medicine. To recover their cosmological capacity is to traverse centuries of systematic eradication by empires and patriarchy.

I treat artistic making, community encounter, memory, and materials as equally valid ways of knowing and as collaborators. Field research from 2020 to 2026 moves through kinship and artisan teachings. It spans Southeast Asia, France, the United States, and …