Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Experiences Of Hispanic/Latine Graduate Students In Unco’S Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology Programs Within A Hispanic-Serving Institution Context: Qualitative Thematic Analysis From A Moderated Focus Group, Ashley Fuhrman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Existing literature has examined workforce diversity in healthcare as a factor that may shape patient rapport and the delivery of culturally responsive, patient-centered care. Given the increasing demand for audiologists (AuDs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with diverse and multilingual backgrounds, it is important to understand how graduate programs prepare students to serve linguistically and culturally diverse populations. This qualitative study examines the experiences of Hispanic/Latine graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), a recently designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The study explores students’ perceptions of training, support, and experiences in serving diverse populations. …

Mita Y Mita: Bilingualism Beyond Identity Borders, Belén S. Yudess

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

“Mita Mita” asks audiences to reflect on the often discordant nature of identity development and how language, culture, and community impact this understanding. This piece is inspired by Gloria Anzaldua’s creation of the “mita y mita” framework in relation to border identity and politics theory as a way to conceptualize the doubling of identity that occurs between binaries. Through this lens, I attempt to dismantle the borders I have constructed around my identities by analyzing how reclaiming my name has begun to mend my sociocultural insecurities. As you engage with this material, I encourage you to let down your guard …

Expanding The Multivocal Video-Cued Ethnographic Method To Sow Seeds Of Conscientization In Teacher Attitudes And Practice, Kiyomi Sánchez-Suzuki Colegrove, Molly Ellen Mcmanus, Christian E. Zúñiga

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to present a methodological extension to video-cued ethnography, a qualitative approach that combines ethnography with a stimulus video to conduct focus groups, and share methodological insights drawn from our experience. In this extension, we center the knowledge of Latine immigrant parents and create dialogic opportunities between parents and teachers. We illustrate how the extension works by presenting a study that explores if and how this dialogical experience shapes bilingual/ESL teachers’ ideas and attitudes towards parents as educational partners. We share data samples that demonstrate an emerging process of conscientization through markers of humanization, such …

Breathing Life Into Sel: A Practitioner Inquiry On Hā, Belonging, And Multilingual Learners In Hawai‘I, Mylia Briggs, Monica Gonzalez Smith

Journal of Practitioner Research

This practitioner inquiry explores how a Pacific-oriented social-emotional learning (SEL) framework, Nā Hopena A‘o (HĀ: BREATH), can affirm the cultural identities and emotional well-being of Filipino multilingual learners (MLs) in Hawai‘i. Implemented over a 15-week period in a third-grade classroom, the study draws on culturally adapted SEL lessons, student exit tickets and focus groups, and teacher reflections to examine how SEL shifts when grounded in Indigenous values, heritage language use, and community knowledge. Findings reveal three key themes: (1) Cultural Connection Fosters Belonging, (2) Language Visibility Promotes Emotional Safety, and (3) Identity-Affirming Practices Build Confidence and Voice. While students responded …

Addressing The Hidden Curriculum Through Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive Teaching For Multilingual Learners, Gabrielle Moeggenborg

Masters Projects

Multilingual learners (MLLs), including refugee, transient, and culturally and linguistically diverse students, often enter schools with experiences of trauma that impact academic performance, behavior, and sense of belonging. Additionally, the hidden curriculum in U.S. schools reinforces inequities for these students. The purpose of this project was to develop a high-quality, research-based educational handbook integrating trauma-informed practices with culturally responsive teaching to better support MLLs and mitigate the effects of the hidden curriculum. This project involved an extensive review of peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary research on learning theories, trauma, culturally responsive teaching, and multilingual education. Historical and contemporary literature was synthesized to …

Interpreting Mandates Through A Bilingual Lens: Dual Language Immersion Teachers’ Experiences With Georgia’S Structured Literacy Law: A Mixed Methods Study Of Policy Implementation In Georgia Dual Language Programs, Grethel Pedroarena

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study investigates how Georgia’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) teachers interpret and implement state literacy mandates, specifically House Bill 307 (HB 307). The research addresses a critical gap in policy-to-practice understanding, as current structured literacy requirements are primarily grounded in monolingual English frameworks that often overlook the instructional realities of bilingual classrooms. The study is theoretically anchored in Translanguaging Pedagogy, Sociocultural Theory, and Teacher Agency Theory.

Data were collected through a statewide survey of 38 DLI teachers and five in-depth phenomenological interviews. Findings reveal that teachers’ interpretations of the mandate are shaped less by the legislative text …

Teaching The Rainbow: An Educator's Guide To Implementing Lgbtq+ Inclusive Curriculum In The Early Childhood Classroom, Alice Prosser

Honors Projects

This resource serves as a guidebook for early childhood educators interested in implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in their classrooms. The guidebook includes rationale, addresses common objections educators may have, and provides examples of standards aligned lesson plans by grade level, as well as additional resources and suggestions.

Book Review Of Suburban Refugees: Class And Resistance In Little Saigon, Phoebe T. Pham

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

In Suburban Refugees: Class and Resistance in Little Saigon, Jennifer Huynh challenges the common view that refugee resettlement follows a straightforward path toward assimilation, stability, and upward mobility. Focusing on Vietnamese refugees in Little Saigon, Orange County, California, Huynh examines how refugees navigate displacement, housing insecurity, and political exclusion in suburban spaces often idealized as homogenous and prosperous. Drawing on extensive data, the book presents suburban resettlement as a prolonged process shaped by structural forces and community resistance. Huynh situates her analysis within growing suburban inequality and enduring racialized policies that limit refugee opportunities long after formal resettlement. Her …

From Stories To Speech: Cultivating Cultural Competence And Linguistic Awareness In Future Slps, Alexis Lawton

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This manuscript reports on a pilot study examining how storytelling and linguistic diversity may cultivate cultural competence in graduate students in speech-language pathology (SLP). Through engagement with traditional folk tales, students explored the cultural significance of narratives and the linguistic features that shape them. The assignment emphasized adapting stories for diverse audiences while highlighting culturally relevant vocabulary, dialectal variations, and the complexities of language use. Facilitated discussions following student presentations prompted reflections on how these elements influence communication and understanding. Preliminary findings suggest that narrative exploration can foster both cultural and linguistic awareness, equipping students with emerging skills to provide …

When Science Of Reading Policy Meets Classroom Reality: The Nonsense Word Problem, Lisa Dewing-Birno, Luis Lopez

Occasional Paper Series

A central feature of many Science of Reading (SoR)-aligned curricula is the use of nonsense words in early literacy assessment to measure a student's ability to decode unfamiliar words using knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. However, the research base for using nonsense words as an instructional tool is much weaker and more contested. Through two narratives, we illustrate how the implementation of SoR instruction with nonsense words can be particularly problematic. We argue that effective literacy instruction demands what we call pedagogical clarity, the ability to integrate pedagogical practices with deep understanding of individual learners, their cultural and linguistic resources, and …

La Gran Historia De Dilly Meets The Science Of Reading: A Cuento Of Scripts, Skills, And Silenced Selves, Elenita Irizarry Ramos, Ysaaca D. Axelrod

Occasional Paper Series

This article offers a deep dive into two lessons of a structured literacy curriculum to interrogate how current SoR–aligned mandates materialize in a Spanish dual-language first-grade classroom. Using Critical Discourse Analysis and Curriculum as a Discourse as both our conceptual frame and analytical method, we examine (a) La gran historia de Dilly—a retelling of The Ugly Duckling translated into Spanish—and (b) the teacher-facing lesson plan supplied by a major commercial publisher. Four patterns emerged: (1) reading is reduced to quantifiable skills (Lexile badges, sight-word drills) while the tale naturalizes biologically ‘correct’ identities, erasing hybrid selves; (2) scripted directives recast teachers …

The Future Of Dual Immersion In California: Analyzing California’S Global 2030 Goals, Jonathan Tejeda, Kamila Campos, Robert Emmans

School of Public Policy Capstones

California's Global 2030 initiative set an ambitious target: half of all K-12 students to achieve bilingual proficiency by 2030. This qualitative study examines whether Dual Language programs (DLPs) in California's major metropolitan areas are positioned to meet that goal. Drawing on ten semi-structured expert interviews with researchers, administrators, teachers, and nonprofit advocates, the study identifies four central challenges: inadequate student preparedness, chronic underfunding, insufficient teacher training, and a failure to connect students to their cultural heritage. The findings reveal that California lacks the infrastructure, data systems, and financial commitment necessary to achieve the 2030 goals. The authors recommend establishing a …

Social Emotional For Secondary English Language Learners, Summer E. Wallace

ASPIRE 2026

A presentation about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), it's importance, and how to implement it in the classroom. Specific considerations are included for secondary English Language Learners. Parts of lesson plans created for this population of students on the topic of SEL are included, as well, to show how this type of instruction can be effectively implemented in the classroom.

Generative Ai In An English Language Program: Practitioner Action Research In A Community Of Practice, David Patent, David T. Lind, Amy M. Walker, Olga Oganesyan, Jeff W. Jiang, Haley L. Berl, Tara K. Manion, Kelsey Rae Gillette

College of Professional Studies - All Scholarship

Generative AI (GenAI) adoption in English language programs (ELPs) has outpaced training and institutional support. This practitioner action research (AR) study investigates how eight professionals in a university-based ELP navigated GenAI integration through structured inquiry within a Community of Practice (CoP) framework (Wenger, 1998). Following Burns's (2010) cyclical AR model and Whitehead and McNiff's (2006) living theory approach, participants engaged in a semester-long AR cycle (January–April 2025). Data comprised transcriptions of three recorded meetings and four researcher journals, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Five themes were identified: implications of GenAI on professional practices, personal and professional …

The Design Of Chatbot Learning Media For Arabic Vocabulary Learning For 7th Grade Students At Mtsn, Rizki Alifia Putri, Alif Cahya Setiyadi

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Arabic language learning at the Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTsN) level often faces challenges such as limited curriculum time allocation and the dominance of conventional teacher-centered methods. This research aims to produce a design for chatbot-based learning media using the Smojo.Ai platform, focusing on vocabulary (mufradat) mastery for 7th-grade students. The approach used is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation); however, this report is limited to the Design and Development (expert validation) stages. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, documentation studies, and validation questionnaires. The results indicate that the characteristics of the "Mufrodaty" chatbot integrate …

A Nudge For Marketing Education To Be More Intentional About Inclusion, Mario Norman

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

2026 Diversity Climate Survey Report, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Resources

No abstract provided.

No Hablo Español, But My Students Do: A Self-Study To Understanding How Teacher Positionality And Experiences Manifest In Pedagogy And Praxis, Kaitlyn E. Herling

Education Doctorate Dissertations

As a middle school science teacher in a predominantly Hispanic classroom, I explore how my positionality as a White female educator and my experiences both inside and outside the classroom shape my teaching practices. This study examines the integration of culturally based teaching practices into the science classroom. By reflecting on my positionality, curriculum choices, and pedagogical methods, I aim to better understand how to create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment that resonates with my students’ cultural backgrounds. Through self-study and narrative inquiry, this research highlights the importance of connecting students’ lived experiences with academic content to foster …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence For Transformative Education: Challenges And Recommendations, Papia Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

The sheer force with which GPT models are inundating business, education and economic fields speaks to its ability to not only transform the ways in which we interact and act but also disrupt these ways. This systematic literature review applies the PSALSAR method to synthesize findings from 72 articles on AI applications in education, emphasizing its transformative potential across various domains. AI is transforming personalized learning by customizing content and feedback to individual needs, addressing challenges like data privacy and ethical concerns. It enhances administrative efficiency through automation and data-driven decision-making, improving institutional performance while managing biases and maintaining human …

English Diphthongs For English Learners: The Same, But Different, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

In any language, diphthongs need to be reckoned with, but teaching diphthongs to learners of English as a new language requires greater insight and special skills. In this column, we take a look at English diphthongs, why they matter, and how they might be best handled when teaching English language learners.