Relational Literacy, W. Kurt Stavenhagen

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

In this paper, I propose literacy practices that further shift us from subject-object dichotomies and exclusive language practices to a focus on relationships and multimodality. Based in large part upon Indigenous Scholar Shawn Wilson’s concept of relationality, I define a relational literacy wherein we counter an undue abstraction of the environment by mapping interspecies relationships and placing them within kinship narratives.

Framing Teaching In Retrospect: A Qualitative Study Of Educational Philosophies And Teacher Socialization Through The Teach For America Experience, Angela Marie Kraemer-Holland

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the capacity of neoliberalism and organizational socialization to shape alternatively certified teachers’ preparation and understanding of their teaching roles within the context of Teach for America. Using theoretical lenses of both neoliberalism and organizational socialization, I conducted a qualitative study on Teach for America teachers’ previous educational experiences, participation in the program, and the impact of this preparation on their careers post-teaching. None of the five participants are currently classroom teachers. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and critical discourse analysis of program documents. Findings reveal how participants’ educational and program experiences challenged their initial conceptions of teaching …

Rethinking The Meaning Of Study Abroad Programs: The Learning Experiences Of Two Female Gambian Students In Taiwan, Virginie Marc

Journal of Global Education and Research

This paper is an ethnographic effort which examines the effects of oppression and social inequality on the learning experiences of foreign students in Taiwan, focusing on two female Gambian students. The theoretical frameworks utilized to interpret the learning experiences of these foreign students in Taiwan include Freire’s critical pedagogy, critical travel pedagogy, global citizenship, and experiential learning. Unstructured interviews and observations were selected for data collection, and the findings suggest these international students used their learning experiences as a tool to transform their lives and their perspectives on the future of Gambian society. The findings also show these study abroad …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Studying Spanish And Construction In Tandem, Daniel Joseph Eide

Construction Management

Does Spanish bilingualism have measurable fiscal value in the U.S. construction industry? Studying and becoming proficient in Spanish is feasible, affordable, and can be accomplished at Cal Poly in conjunction with a Construction Management major. In a dynamic industry that values versatile employees, where communication is key to success, the capability of speaking Spanish is a substantial value-add in the workforce. Using qualitative and quantitative data analysis, it is concluded that individuals who possess English and Spanish-speaking abilities in the U.S. construction industry can expect a 3 percent wage premium when compared to English-only speakers. This study weighs the costs …

Dilemma And Knowledge - Book Review Of Re-Imagining Utopias: Theory And Method For Educational Research In Post-Socialist Contexts, Jessica Zychowicz

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Voices From Within: Teacher Sensitivity In An Early Childhood Elementary School, Anjenette Victoria Holmes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using a qualitative case study approach, grounded in an ecological systems theory framework, this project sought to understand how a teacher describes her journey of becoming sensitive and uncover what helps or hinders a teacher’s ability to sensitive. This study collected and examined data from multiple data sources, which included direct and participant observations, collected documents and artifacts, semi-formal and informal interviews with school members, along with a focus-group. Data was evaluated for common codes and relevant emerging themes are discussed. Six early childhood teachers at an early childhood elementary school participated in the study. Results suggest that there are …

"Go Out To The Highways And Hedges" (Cf. Lk 14:23): Peripheral Ecclesiology, The Art Of Accompaniment, And Street Homelessness, Michael M. Canaris

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

The ecclesiological priority of cultivating the art of “walking with” the vulnerable and marginalized as informed by these ecclesiological conversations, especially regarding those “with neither den nor nest” (Mt 8:20), the homeless who can sometimes seem alone in the streets, but are always journeying with the human family (and thus the Church, of which many of our unhoused brothers and sisters are a part) through history. As Vincent puts it, the communal dimension of living the Gospel together “is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along this narrow path of Jesus Christ.”

Spring 2019

Action in Education

Dean's Corner: Together We Grow; New Degrees Expand Career Options; DePaul Is a Game Changer: For the Second Year in a Row, a COE Graduate is Named National Counselor of the Year; Opportunity Knocks: Revised Credential, New Lab Benefit Alumni; Sister Act: Catholic Initiatives; Weaving Civics into Every Discipline; In Brief; Alumnus Profile: Marcus Campbell; Student Profile: Juliana Minasian

Providing A Platform: An Examination Of How Teachers Utilize And Practice Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Hannah Storm

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

For this study, I posed the following question to guide my research: How do elementary teachers reshape and change curriculum and/or teaching practices when provided the opportunity through professional development? Specifically, the study examined K-2 teachers at two different elementary schools in Minnesota. The study aimed to determine how teachers implemented and redesigned curriculum material when provided optional professional development sessions, focused on educational equity, multiracial/multicultural read aloud(s), and culturally responsive teaching strategies. Further, this study focused on how these teachers successfully or unsuccessfully reshaped components of curriculum and teaching practice in order to be more equitable, relevant, and responsive. …

Guided Reading Framework Needs For Ell Students At The Emergent, Early And Transitional Levels, Elizabeth Evenstad

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this project was to analyze guided reading frameworks used by teachers in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, and to determine if they meet the needs for ELLs. First, key components important to the success of ELLs during guided reading instruction were identified. Then, guided reading frameworks currently in place for students reading at the emergent, early, and transitional reading levels. were analyzed. Last, the framework components were compared with the key components for ELLs in guided reading instruction. If the frameworks did not meet the needs of ELLs then new frameworks would need to be developed. The …

Developing Perceptions: Piloting A Corequisite Writing Course, Kailyn Shartel Hall

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis focuses on information gathered during Fall 2017 and Fall 2018, examining the students and the perceptions of the students in different developmental writing courses with regard to their own writing and their place in the academic community. Chapter One, “Redefining Developmental Writing Demographics,” focuses on demographics obtained from a mass survey given to students in prerequisite and corequisite sections of ENG 100 in Fall 2017 and Fall 2018. Primarily, this analysis focuses on readjusting assumptions about the demographics of students who enroll in developmental writing and how the students in prerequisite courses differed, and did not, from those …

Teacher Influence On Motivation Of Korean Efl University Learners, Marie Willyard

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

This study took place in South Korea over a four-week period in the first semester of the academic school year and focused on how professors influence the motivation of Korean EFL university students. Through faculty meetings, participants were able to share their ideas, trials and tribulations, and learn more about how teaching style and motivational techniques can be utilized to create or maintain the motivation level of their students. Participants noted that a more fluid teaching style, and techniques that create a fun and exciting environment are instrumental in motivating students. However, there is a fine line between motivating …

Using Phonics To Increase Reading Comprehension In English Language Learners, Lindsay Piekutowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

This paper discusses the implications phonics has on reading comprehension in the older English Language Learner. The subjects for this study were in the same Language Arts class in the Sheltered-Instruction Observation Protocol classroom, and they ranged from 15-20 years old. They were all in the same class because they were all Level III or IV with their language proficiency based on the WIDA ACCESS score in Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. The study used Lexile scores from the Reading Inventory test used in the READ 180 classroom as the summative assessment of reading comprehension abilities. The focus for …

Global-Mindedness In National Geographic Certified Educators, Amy Pan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this mixed methods study is to investigate the global-mindedness among National Geographic Certified Educators. The triangulation of data includes quantitative data, which is the Global-Mindedness Scale (Hett, 1993), and qualitative data, which is the questionnaire, and sample lesson plans. The survey results were based on 485 participants, with 286 National Geographic Certified Educators and 199 non-National Geographic Certified Educators. The survey was conducted through Qualtrics© with privacy protection and the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) was used for a two-tailed independent sample t-test and Repeated Measures ANOVA to analyze the data. Google Forms was …

Advances In Global Education And Research: Volume 3, Waynne B. James, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) - M3 Publishing

This is the third volume of the Advances in Global Education and Research Book Series. This volume has the following parts:

• Part 1: Adult Education
• Part 2: Curriculum and Instruction Development
• Part 3: Education in Other Specialties
• Part 4: Educational Technology
• Part 5: Global Competence
• Part 6: Higher Education and Educational Leadership
• Part 7: Human Resource Development
• Part 8: Inclusive Education
• Part 9: International Education
• Part 10: Pre K-12
• Part 11: Research Methods in Education

ISBN: 978-1-7321275-4-8

See And Be Seen: Young Adult Refugee Literature In The High School Curriculum, Patrice Splan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 25 million refugees in the world today, over half of whom are under the age of 18. As these young people adapt to new schools and communities, it is essential that all students have opportunities to see themselves represented in literature and to develop understandings of the experiences of others. This project provides an analysis of young adult refugee literature with a unit plan for application of texts in a ninth-grade Virginia English classroom, stressing the importance of education as a tool for awareness, reflection, and empathy.

Accessing Middle School Social Studies Content Through Universal Design For Learning, Megan Mackey

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Universal design for learning is intended to provide opportunities for all students to be successful. An exploration of Mr. Morales’s middle school social studies classroom reveals the universal design for learning principles of multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression infused throughout every lesson. These strategies afford access to knowledge and skill development for all students.

Writing Self-Efficacy And Student Ownership: Exploring Middle School Writing Perceptions Through Increased Ownership In The Classroom, Ruth Clark

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study explored whether increased student ownership in writing influenced student self-efficacy in writing tasks. Previous literature shows that student engagement often decreases during middle school years when students desire to have more ownership over their learning. Forty-six students participated in this six-week study in a seventh grade writing and language arts class. For this study, students were surveyed regarding their self-efficacy towards writing tasks before and after a series of interventions related to student ownership. The results revealed a measurable decrease in writing self-efficacy within the intervention group of students.

Case Study Of High School Math And Science Teachers' Beliefs About Using Writing To Learn And Their Beliefs About Themselves As Writing-To-Learn Practitioners, Virginia Elizabeth Dunker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to document and explore high school math and science teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices concerning Writing-to-learn (WTL), or students learning content through writing. Two theories guided this study: Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy and Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory. Data collection included interviews with 10 participants: five math teachers and five science teachers, a focus group comprised of three math teachers and four science teachers from the sample, and participants’ journal responses for four weeks. The setting for this study was in an urban high school in the southeastern United States. The student …

Teacher Perceptions Of Intercultural Sensitivity And Their Classroom Management Practices: An Empirical Study Among Middle And High School Teachers In A Georgia School System, Nigel Lavar Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have reported the existence of an achievement and discipline gap between Black and White students and examined factors that potentially influenced the outcomes. The researcher conducted a causal comparative study to determine if there were differences in teacher perceptions of intercultural sensitivity and classroom management practices based on gender, ethnicity, years of experience, and grade level. The present study was also designed to determine if there were differences in classroom practices based on levels of intercultural sensitivity. The data were collected using a survey instrument comprised of the following three parts: four preliminary questions to gather demographic information, the …

La Universidad Unit In A Comprehensible Input Classroom, Bailey Morley

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project looks at a specific unit taught in a Spanish classroom through the use of comprehensible input and the types of activities that were used in order to support comprehensible input in the classroom. It provides a collection of comprehensible input activities that may be used in the foreign language classroom along with providing rationale for the activities, research-supported assessment and instructional strategies, and examples of differentiation and assessment for the unit. A variety of activities were used including class story creation, running dictation, and nonverbal representation. Ways of assessment also varied throughout the unit, incorporating both formative …

Remaking Identities, Reworking Graduate Study : Stories From First-Generation-To-College Rhetoric And Composition Phd Students On Navigating The Doctorate., Ashanka Kumari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation responds to the decreasing number of first-generation-to-college doctorates in the humanities and the limited scholarship on graduate students in Rhetoric and Composition. Scholars in Rhetoric and Composition have long been invested in discussions of academic and/or disciplinary enculturation, yet these discussions primarily focus on undergraduate students, with few studies on graduate students and far fewer on the doctoral students training to become the next wave of a profession. In this dissertation, I argue that if we engage intersectional identities as assets in the design of doctoral programs, access to higher education and academic enculturation can become more manageable …

Service-Learning In An Introductory Environmental Science Course: How Participation Impacts Course Content Knowledge And Agency, Mari Rice

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Service-learning (SL) is a high-impact pedagogical strategy that has been shown to have both cognitive and affective benefits for students and has the potential to engage and involve a more demographically diverse spectrum of students into the field of STEM. However, research on the impacts of SL in STEM courses is limited, and therefore there is a great need to identify the specific outcomes linked to participation. In addition, faculty from STEM fields have been hesitant to incorporate SL into their curriculum due to perceptions that it lacks academic rigor. This purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to examine …

Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals: Professional Growth In The Age Of Compliance, Kelly Cox

Theses and Dissertations

There are differing views of what constitutes teacher learning in the field of education. The case studies presented herein provide a glimpse into the professional learning lives of two elementary school teachers of emergent bilingual students in order to gain a greater understanding of how professional learning links to instructional practices. Set in a suburban public school setting in the southwest, the study incorporated the use of narrative inquiry with data consisting of interviews, observations, reflections logs, and artifacts. Data were analyzed through the lenses of the adult learning theory of andragogy and critical constructivism. The findings of this study …

A Case Study Of Hispanic Students In Cooperative Learning, Louis Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This research is an exploratory case study in regard to cooperative group learning. The research participants are Hispanic students taking the researcher’s physics course at a higher education institution in South Texas. Theoretical framework of this research is grounded on the theories of social interdependence, behaviorism, and cognition. The main research questions to be explored are: 1) How do students perceive cooperative learning in a community college? 2) How do students experience cooperative learning in a community college? 3) How can an instructor facilitate better cooperative learning in a community college? Pre-surveys, field journal records from observation of research participants, …

Digital Literacies To Develop Biliteracy: A Case Study Of Latino Students Exploring Multimodal Writing In English And Spanish, Laura Berenice Ramos Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Schools in the United States are witnessing a rich ethnic and linguistic diversity in their student corpus. Languages spoken by these children vary from state to state; however, Spanish is the second language most spoken after English (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2015). As a nation, there is a tremendous potential for these students to become biliterate or academically proficient in Spanish and English. Furthermore, with the advent of the 21st century, the educational setting is experiencing an increased interest in the integration of technology in education and students are prompted to become digitally literate.

The aim of this exploratory …

The Role Of Technology In Bilingual Education: Developing A Culture Of Excellence, Belinda Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

According to the PEW Research Center (2014), Texas' Hispanic population comprises 39% of its overall population, twice the U. S. Hispanic population. Texas Education Agency (TEA) predicts a 14% increase in the next seven years, with a surge of about 40% in its English Language Learners (ELLs) population. Already, it reports Texas experienced a 20% student enrollment growth in the last ten years within the predominately Mexican-Americans in South Texas border. With a perpetual ELL student population increase, bilingual education programs need to consider emerging best practices. This qualitative case study explored the role of technology in bilingual education, focusing …

Writing Workshops’ Impact On Third-Grade Students’ Writing Achievements And English Teachers’ Perceptions About Using Writing Workshops To Teach Writing In An Elementary Public School, Safeya Othman Abdulla Bin Mahri Alkatheeri

Theses

The present study examines the impact of writing workshops on third-grade students’ writing achievements and English teachers’ perceptions about the use of writing workshops to teach writing in an elementary public school in Al Ain, UAE. This study also addresses the challenges that English teachers encounter when implementing writing workshops in writing classes. A mixed-method design was employed to answer the three main research questions of the study. Initially, the quantitative data were collected through the pre-post writing test which was administered to third-grade students (N=83). Subsequently, the qualitative data in the form of the semi-structured interviews were collected from …

Russian University Efl Students’ Perceptions Of A Two-Week Online Academic Writing Course, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study analyzes Russian university EFL students’ perceptions of a two-week online academic writing course. The researcher investigated 13 students’ attitudes towards an online academic English writing class offered at Kursk State University, Kursk’s oldest higher education institution, founded in 1934. In 1994 it was transformed into Kursk State Pedagogical University, and in 2003 it became Kursk State University. Along with the two-week online course assignments, the students completed pre- and post-questionnaires, reflections about the course, and participated in individual and group interviews. The findings of the study indicate that all of the participants had positive perceptions about the …

Positioning Of English Language Learners And Its Power On Classroom Learning Opportunities And Interactions, Hawraa Nafea Hameed Alzouwain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study, the researcher investigated four aspects of positioning used by teacher and ESL students in a mid-south state of the United States. This study was based on the Positioning Theory of Davies and Harré (1990). The study aimed to explore various types of positioning used by the participants and how they impacted social interactions among the students and between them and their teacher. The researcher used four questions to outline the scope of the research, focused on: 1) how ELLs’ different positioning in the ESL classroom promoted or limited their learning opportunities; 2) how the ELL teacher …