Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

The Rio Grande Valley In Text: Exploring The Borderland Within Social Studies Textbooks Via Synoptic Text, Ana Laura Escobar Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, synoptic text inquiry examines how fourth-grade Texas history social studies textbooks portray Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the U.S-Mexico border, specifically the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). This research sought to answer the following questions: How do Texas history social studies textbooks portray Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the US-Mexican border in three South Texas school districts? Within these portrayals, what historical representations/content are included, diminished, or excluded regarding the vast majority of the Mexican or Mexican American community?

Guided by the conceptual framings of Miller and Almaraz and Valerio-Jiménez (consensual history), Garza and his colleagues (critical histories), Anzaldúa’s geography of …

Writing And Witnessing Ourselves Into Being: Testimonios Of A Chicana Educator And Latine Students For Social Justice In A Writing Course At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Amy Montoya

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study of first-year writing students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) sought to understand the extent to which the practice of writing testimonios transformed how students constructed their sense of identity for social justice. Guided by the research question: How does the practice of writing testimonios in a writing course at an HSI shape faculty and student identity for social justice? This qualitative study analyzed the lived experiences of three former Latine female undergraduates and the researcher in a co - participatory testimonio methodology study. Grounded in the conceptual frameworks of decolonization (Mignolo & Walsh, 2018; Paraskeva, 2013) …

An Autohistoria-Teoría Of A Pasifika Neptantlera, Belinda 'Ofakihevahanoa Fotu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study was an autohistoria-teoría, a type of autoethnography, where I focused on my writing process as a Pasifika researcher creating a middle- grade fiction. As the researcher, my questions delved into how I engage in writing for a majority-culture dominated publication house in a Western-world writing genre while maintaining the cultural significance of the ancient Pasifika mythologies I reproduced and recontextualized in the novel. The research site was my writing process, and the data gathered came from the variety of ways I navigated cultural stimuli specific to writing the novel. The outcome engaged with the specific way Pasifika (and …

Building Bridges: Evaluating Teacher Preparation And Program Activation Of Ethnic Studies In California’S K-12 High Schools Through An Autoethnography, Jose Aguilera-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of secondary Social Science educators teaching Ethnic Studies in the early stages of program activation, with particular attention to the challenges that are often invisible to policymakers, institutions of higher education, and K-12 school districts. Using an autoethnographic approach, the research examines key elements of Ethnic Studies Program Activation, including infrastructure support, capacity building, professional development led by experienced Ethnic Studies practitioners, and teaching with fidelity. The findings aim to provide actionable guidance for educators and district leaders to support new Ethnic Studies teachers at the secondary level and to inform leadership teams at …

Teacher's Efficacy In Fostering A Sense Of Belonging In Newcomer Adolescent Students, Brenda Melendrez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Schools are continuously serving a growing population of newcomer students that face unique social, cultural, and linguistic barriers (McCabe et al., 2024). Newcomer adolescent students experience additional challenges in high school contexts, due to the academic pressures, developmental changes, and social isolation hindering their sense of belonging (Fabris et al., 2024). Teachers play a central role in fostering belonging through teacher-student relationships, daily interactions, and academic and emotional support (Ozdemir & Ozdemir, 2020). However, teachers have reported limited teacher preparation on fostering belonging among newcomer students, impacting their confidence and ability to support their students (Motitswe, 2025). Teachers have specifically …

“Do We Belong?”: Supporting Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students Through Teacher Education, Morohunkeji Orija

All Dissertations

The population of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in K-12 education continues to increase, yet the teacher workforce remains largely homogeneous, predominantly White. This imbalance creates a cultural mismatch in educational settings. In teacher education, predominantly White teacher educators prepare predominantly White preservice teachers, further increasing this mismatch. In early childhood education (ECE), which spans birth to 8 years, racial mismatch can lead to misunderstandings and misconceptions, contributing to bias and manifesting as Racial Microaggressions (RMAs). RMAs are mostly unintentional, and research is needed to examine how preservice teachers can identify and address them, given their impact on …

Exploring Clinical Reasoning In Occupational Therapy Students Using Think Aloud During Computerized Patient Simulation, Candra Selene Talylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The objective of this research was to explore the effects of the think aloud (TA) method on the development of clinical reasoning in occupational therapy students completing an online simulation assignment. The study aimed to determine if thinking aloud develops clinical reasoning in occupational therapy students as evidenced by a change in clinical reasoning skill scores and investigates the relationship between students' overall clinical simulation competency scores.

This study used a mixed methods design, combining quantitative and qualitative data to explore and measure the use of the TA strategy on the development of clinical reasoning skills. The sample from this …

The Ideological Becoming Of Elementary Teacher Candidates And Their Beliefs About Literacy Instruction, Megan Chaffin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the ideological becoming (Bakhtin, 1981) of elementary teacher candidates (TCs), specifically in relation to their beliefs about literacy, as they completed their literacy coursework and corresponding clinical experiences in their educator preparation program (EPP). Through a qualitative, multiple-case study design, I followed two groups of TCs through the last two years of their undergraduate degree. Each group of TCs completed a series of four literacy methods courses with associated clinical experiences, and one group also finished their student teaching internships. The cases in this study are situated in the context of an era of educational policies that …

Examining Dei-Related Course Syllabi To Assess A College Library Collection: A Case Study, Amy P. Eklund, Joye Cauthen, Andres Cardona

Georgia Library Quarterly

This library collection development project identified courses in the college curriculum that had diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)-related components and analyzed those courses' syllabi. The results of the project led to the addition of books to the collection that aligned with the library’s collection development policy and funding parameters. Other important outcomes included enhancements to catalog records and strengthened relationships with faculty. This strategy can be replicated to target other areas of study and help continuously develop a library collection.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Food Access, Housing, Religious Community, And Health Care Access Reflection, Celene Philip, Michaela Kizy, Haley Montgomery, Akash Dantuluri, Josh Hailo, Abdel Kareem Hilo, Shadi Charara, Sarah Schenck

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Financial And Transportation Barriers, Hassan Hachouche, Matthew Spaulding, Mark Garmo, Michael Hwang, Alondra Prado, Abigail Margolis

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Social Determinants Of Health: Food, Transportation, Healthcare Facilities And More, Eboni Sawyer, Jesse Hawkins, Sephora Dafinescu, Andrew Robinson, Dev Patel, Sara Mccurry, Lauren Collins, Brandon Rogers

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Education Access/Quality, Economic Stability, Built Environment/Infrastructure And Team Reflection, Alan Carbajo, Samiollah Mohammad, Muhammed Zahriyeh, Grace Drexel, Aster Disbrow, Reagan Recchia

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Employment, Education, Fitness, Healthy Food, Pharmacies, And Reflection, Annika Tekumulla, Vamsi Gollapalli, Sebastian Reczek, Alston Prabhu, Matthew Haerens, Ashna Mehra, Susan Dong, Madison Martin

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Observation And Reflection Of Food Availability, Housing, Public Spaces, Recreation, And Healthcare In The Community, Celestino Mangulabnan, Melanie Kajy, Gabriel Hay, George Naguib, Arya Mohanty, Schednah Laraque, Charles Dickson

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Education, Access To Healthy Foods, Neighborhood & Physical Environment, Economic Stability, Taylor Brown, Tanya Bhardwaj, Sara Komaiha, Duncan Mcleod, Jonah Harman, Jai Kukreja, Dominic Marsalese, Elizabeth O'Brien

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Neighborhood & Built Environment, Social & Community Context, Health Care Access & Quality, Courtney Alexander, Sarah Okeke, Bashar Jawich, Joshua Weiss, Shoshana Leflein, Mitchell Finesilver, Liz Ana Palacios

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Food Insecurity, Transportation, And Educational Scarcity, Cindy Shkembi, Adithi Voleti, Sumayah Ahmed, Amogh Govind, Rafid Farjo, Ravel Ray, Jerick Kim, Chidera Orabueze

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Sdoh Needs: Food And Community Spaces Reflection, Mohamed Attie, Katie Gahn, Maggie Lomasney, Emerson Woodbury, Muhammad Hatim, Justinas Sapiega, Isaac Agranoff, Braysila Ford

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Income, Education, Food Insecurity And Reflection, Tonia Jones, Habib Serhan, Shriya Karmarkar, Arham Kaiser, Mohammad Turaani, Andre Yazhbin, Jacob Kroll, Jennifer Park

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.