Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Student Enrollment In The Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion Program: Leveraging Marketing And Outreach Within A Strategic Enrollment Management Framework, Na Zhang

All Dissertations

This study examines the impact of marketing and outreach strategies on enhancing family awareness and increasing enrollment in a Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion (DLMI) program in South Carolina. The history of bilingual education has shown an increased interest in recent decades. At the same time, Mandarin immersion programs continue to face challenges and under-enrollment. This study employs a mixed-methods design to collect data from surveys and interviews with parents of children entering kindergarten. The data collection also includes interviews with Mandarin Immersion teachers and attending community events. The purpose is to identify effective practices and ongoing barriers to enrollment. Informed by …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Undergraduate General Chemistry, Destinee J. Cooper

All Dissertations

General chemistry is a foundational course for advancement in most undergraduate STEM programs, but unfortunately, many students do not continue in STEM after their experiences in their general chemistry course. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has the potential to increase students’ positive experiences in general chemistry by centering their needs, identities, and backgrounds. However, this pedagogical approach has not been widely studied in the college general chemistry context. As such, my four-paper dissertation broadly aimed to explore both the implementation and outcomes of CRP in undergraduate general chemistry.

The first paper reviewed the literature on culture-based pedagogies across the full undergraduate …

Empowering Employability: Voices Of Black Women Leveraging Community Cultural Wealth In An Undergraduate Agricultural Program, Rose Marie Somers

All Dissertations

Across the nation, agricultural industry professionals have bemoaned the shortage of qualified professionals, expressing an expanding need for graduates with a blend of discipline-specific and employability skills to advance the sector. Research indicates that the future of the US agriculture sector hinges on a diverse and skilled workforce. Yet, a paucity of literature exists on Black women's enduring legacy, experiences, and how they understand and develop 21st-century critical transferable professional competencies needed to address complex challenges in modern agriculture. Black women have a long tradition in agriculture and a wealth of cultural knowledge, skills and innovations that are untapped. This …

Student Supports For Achieving College And Career Readiness, Edward C. Fletcher Jr., Turhan K. Carroll, Bo Hyun Lee, Carrie Burggraf

Journal of College Access

School community members help to foster students’ college-going mindsets by creating and facilitating a college-going culture within the school. Based on our findings of a school district composed of a majority ethnically and racially diverse student body, we found the district to be successful in promoting social capital by way of a school stakeholder community. The school stakeholders leveraged social capital to promote a college and career going culture within the context of career pathway programs. This culture promoted a sense of belonging where students felt supported in achieving their goals of being college and career ready. Most notably, the …

Professional Pathways In Business: The Role Of Social Capital For Latinx Students, Maritza S. Campo, Manuel Pech, Teresa Madamba

Journal of College Access

Latina/os currently represent one of the most significant contributors to the United States economy, possessing $3.78 trillion in purchasing power. Despite constituting the second largest demographic group in the nation, Latinx representation in business graduate programs and corporate leadership positions, including board memberships, remains below 5%. As Latinx enrollment and graduation rates in higher education have consistently increased over the past decade, it has become increasingly imperative to examine how Hispanic-Serving Institutions can more effectively support Latinx students in their transition from academic to professional careers in business. This study investigates the impact of initiatives implemented by one Hispanic-Serving Institution …

Learning English On The Border: Identities, Investment, And Imagined Futures In El Paso, Texas, Jennifer Lyn Mansour

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explores how adult English language learners living along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas experience language learning, identity formation, and social positioning within a bilingual community. Drawing on Norton's (1995, 2013) theoretical frameworks of identity, investment, and imagined communities, the research investigates three central questions: (1) How does the relationship between English learners and the social world of a bilingual community on the U.S.-Mexico border impact their ideas about their possibilities for the future? (2) How does the use of English construct worlds that are different from those constructed in their first languages, and do learners …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Classroom Practices, Stem Identity And Stem Interest In Latinx Secondary Students, Laura Corral Carrillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Latinx students remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields despite representing a growing portion of the U.S. school population. Research suggests that inclusive classroom practices (ICPs) that affirm students' cultural and linguistic identities can play a critical role in shaping STEM identity and fostering interest in STEM pathways. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between ICPs, Latinx high school students' STEM identity development, and their interest in pursuing STEM careers in the Texas borderlands. The study employed a convergent design, integrating quantitative survey data from 52 students and qualitative interview data from four secondary science teachers. Quantitative …

Bilingual Program Implementation And Programming In The Midwestern And Southeastern United States: Lessons Learned For Application In Arkansas, Susan Wallace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As of 2025, the state of Arkansas has no state-approved bilingual or dual-language education programs, despite passing legislation in 2021 to allow for their creation. This literature review synthesizes findings from recent empirical studies conducted in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States—regions with demographic and policy contexts more similar to Arkansas than states with long-time bilingual programs. This literature review explores both beneficial and complicating factors in bilingual program implementation, addressing themes such as policy, leadership, stakeholder involvement, program design, and prevailing ideological mindsets, before summarizing lessons learned from these studies. The implications are clear: effective bilingual programming requires intentional, …

The Impact Of A Multilingual Learner Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy And Student Perceptions Of Teacher Support, Mark A. Bryan

Dissertations

The population of multilingual learners is struggling to adapt to mainstream classes because the educational system has failed to support them on the same level as native English speakers. The gap in achievement and lack of teacher preparation demonstrates a clear need to support teachers who educate them. This study, a nonequivalent (pretest and posttest) control-group design combined with a cross-sectional survey design, addressed the effectiveness of a professional development series focused on best practices for teaching secondary math to multilingual learners. The professional development intervention consisted of one 45-minute initial session followed by twelve 15-minute mini lessons throughout the …

Carrying Light In The Shadows: Four Portraits Of Critical Literacy Teacher Agency In Unlikely Contexts, Cassandra Schroeder

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This qualitative study utilizes portraiture methodology to explore how educators in politically conservative and predominantly White schools enact critical literacy teacher agency. Using a theoretical lens of critical literacy and second-wave Whiteness studies, this research examines the lived experiences and instructional moves of four veteran English/language arts teachers. Through cross-case analysis, the study traces how teacher agency is contextually responsive and dependent on their professional identity, awareness of sociopolitical issues, and traditional school curricular expectations. The findings highlight how educators assess risk, navigate community norms, and maintain critical literacy through dialogic pedagogy and strategic adaptation. The four teachers in the …

Rhetorics Of Encounter: Toward A Biocentric Theory Of Discourse, Matthew D. Whitaker

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Encounters with more-than-human identities are transformative moments that stand to affect dispositional and bodily change in individuals. From close brushes with wild animals in National Parks to everyday interactions with local ecologies, encounters invite us to feel and think differently about the nature of our realities. In Rhetorics of Encounter: Toward a Biocentric Theory of Discourse, I draw from interdisciplinary perspectives to disrupt the idea of rhetoric as a representational medium, arguing that rhetoric occurs not just through textual exchanges of words and symbols, but through embodied moments of contact with other responsive beings. Invoking George Kennedy’s theory …

Improving Reading Proficiency Through A Structured Mtss Framework: Bridging The Gap Between Evidence And Practice, Meghan N. Greer

All Dissertations

This dissertation, Improving Reading Proficiency Through a Structured MTSS Framework: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Practice, investigates the efficacy of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in enhancing reading proficiency among students. Despite extensive research supporting the effectiveness of targeted reading interventions, a gap remains between these findings and their practical implementation in diverse classroom settings. The Reading Wars—a longstanding debate between whole language, balanced literacy, and phonics-based instruction—have significantly influenced reading instruction in the United States. A growing body of research supports explicit, systematic phonics instruction as a critical component of early reading development (Foorman et al., 2016; …

Using Parent Empowerment Groups To Increase Academic Success In Kindergarten Multilingual Learners, Sarah C. Deloach

All Dissertations

This study examined how parent empowerment groups influence the academic success of kindergarten multilingual learners. With increasing immigration across the United States, schools need to work with families to ensure students develop the skills required for academic achievement at each level. The identified problem is that the current multilingual learner program at Boyd Matthews Elementary does not adequately meet parents’ needs in building a strong home-school connection, placing the full responsibility of learning on the school and leaving students without critical academic support at home. Parent empowerment groups were held with multilingual kindergarten parents to share practical strategies for supporting …

Transgressing Linguistic Supremacy: Reimagining Public Speaking Through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Sergio Fernando Juárez

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay reimagines public speaking education through a culturally sustaining and transgressive lens that challenges dominant norms of language, professionalism, and communication competence. It critiques the ways in which public speaking courses often reinforce linguistic supremacy by privileging standardized English and marginalizing multilingual and culturally grounded speech practices. Drawing on concepts such as translanguaging, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP), and transgressive pedagogies, the author calls for a shift in pedagogy that centers students’ lived experiences, community-rooted knowledge, and linguistic norms. Rather than asking students to conform to hegemonic standards, this approach empowers them to speak on their own terms, resist assimilationist …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2025

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Funds Of Knowledge And The Transition To School: A Scoping Review, Amelia Ruscoe, Leanne Lavina, Lennie Barblett, Fiona Boylan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children's funds of knowledge (FoK) were recognised in the initial iteration of the Australian Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in 2009, the mandated framework for educator decision-making, and their significance was further emphasised in EYLF 2.0 in 2022. However, a unified understanding of children as knowledgeable individuals and how to effectively incorporate their diverse knowledges into early childhood education is still evolving. Recent evidence highlights the link between engaging with children's FoK and supporting successful transitions to formal schooling. Given that childhood is experienced differently across cultures and contexts, achieving consensus on the nature and value of FoK remains a …

Foundations Of Quality: A Toolkit For Professional Growth In Infant/Toddler Classrooms, Amber A. Hulin

Masters Projects

This project aims to tackle the issue of inconsistencies in the educational experiences provided by many early childhood programs. This project focuses primarily on the infant/toddler age group. Chapter 1 identifies a key contributing factor in these inconsistencies: a shortage of high-quality teachers due to lack of infant/toddler focused content in teacher preparation programs and further professional development. Chapter 2 reviews the literature including what a high-quality educator is and how a high-quality educator impacts a child’s development. It also identifies the various teacher preparation programs and highlights the lack of infant/toddler content in professional development. Chapter 3 presents a …

A Collaborative Teaching Approach: Teaching Emergent Bilinguals In Higher Education, Erika Oliveros

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation examines the collaboration between two college instructors, one in writing and one in psychology, to enhance support for emergent bilinguals at a private university in the northeastern United States. While collaboration among educators is widely encouraged in K–12 settings, it is far less common and studied in higher education, particularly in relation to language-minoritized students. Through an action research model, this study examines how our informal exchanges evolved into a more intentional and reflective collaboration over time. Grounded in the frameworks of translanguaging (García, 2009) and community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), the study traces the evolution of our …

Examples Of Mathematics Personified, Amenda N. Chow

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Synesthesia is a cognitive condition in which multiply senses are stimulated at once. There are different types of synesthesia. For example, in a documented study [9], a person with synesthesia when considering the number three associates it as a male and a jerk. This association is persistent, always the same and automatic. Presented here are a variety of examples about mathematics in personified form. These examples focus on using personification as a way to better understand and appreciate mathematics.

Introducing The Linear Poem, Cristian Ramirez Rodriguez

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article I introduce the linear poem, a poetic form I developed in fall 2023 as a pedagogical tool for high-school students. The linear poem is a poem which represents an integer valued linear function, treating the line numbers as inputs and the linguistic units in a line as outputs. Two examples of linear poems are given as well as the steps taken to produce them. By interpreting poetic forms as integer-valued functions as is done in this article, interdisciplinary pedagogy can be achieved, allowing educators and students to express mathematical ideas such as slope-intercept form in a creative …

Exploring Commutativity In A Hindi Language Classroom, Kumar Gandharv Mishra

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Commutativity is an important concept in mathematics. However, not much emphasis is given to it in the elementary or secondary school curriculum, as there is a lack of interesting noncommutative examples at this level. Since most examples of binary operations provided deal with numbers, commutativity appears trivial. In this article we offer an interesting example of noncommutativity that is familiar to Indian school children from a different context. Students in India study a chapter based on the joining of vowels in Hindi grammar. This process is analogous to producing commutative as well as noncommutative operations. When we bring in mathematical …

Enhancing Reading Comprehension And Critical Thinking Skills Through Lms Integration In An English For History Course For Non-Efl Undergraduate Students, Izzatul Fajriyah, Silvi Nur Afifah

Higher Learning Research Communications

This study addresses the challenges faced by non-EFL undergraduate students in enhancing reading comprehension and critical thinking skills within an English for History course. While existing research has explored reading comprehension and critical thinking in EFL contexts, there is a notable gap in understanding how these skills can be developed in non-EFL students through the integration of learning management systems (LMS). The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of LMS on improving reading comprehension and critical thinking skills among non-EFL undergraduate students who are enrolled in an English for History course. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, …

Becoming Culturally Responsive: Cultivating Reflexive Ethics And Inclusive Practices In Qualitative Research, Tito Dimas Atmawijaya

The Qualitative Report

Maria K. E. Lahman's An Introduction to Qualitative Research: Becoming Culturally Responsive (2025) offers a compelling framework for conducting qualitative inquiry with cultural humility, reflexivity, and ethical rigor. This review examines how Lahman interweaves theory and practice across three parts—foundations, data collection, and making the most of qualitative data—to guide researchers toward inclusive, justice-oriented scholarship. By analyzing the book’s structure, key themes, and pedagogical features, this review highlights its transformative potential for scholars, students, and practitioners committed to meaningful, culturally responsive research.

“Not Conducive To Good Education”: Insights From Interviews With High School Math Teachers About The Academic Impacts Of Covid-19 In The Classroom, Thomas G. Holtmeier, Brook K. Batch, Rebecca J. Allen

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This study explores the academic impacts of COVID-19 and virtual learning on high school math students in the United States. Previous research has found that COVID-19 led to significant declines in engagement and test scores, alongside a widening opportunity gap among students of different backgrounds. This study interviewed high school math teachers from two private schools to understand what they have observed of students both during the pandemic and now. The findings reveal that the virtual learning experience had a limited negative impact on most students in these two schools, but teachers expressed concerns about the limitations of the …

Envisioning Transgender Equity: Amplifying Global South Narratives Through Inclusive Archives And Education, Saloni Walia, Sukanya Mondal

Journal of International Women's Studies

In their 17 Sustainable Goals (SDGs) for 2030, the United Nations (n. d.) places the goal of “achieve[ing] Gender Equality and empower[ing] all women and girls” at the fifth spot as SDG 5. However, reports from 2016 reveal that the SDGs mainly focus on issues concerning heterosexual cisgender women and girls, with no reference to the LGBTQ community (United Nations, 2016). This oversight raises concerns about the inclusivity of SDG 3, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” (United Nations, n.d.), but its application to people with diverse gender identities remains unclear. This …

Belonging Starts With You: Exploring Trust, Belonging, And Spiritual Connection In The Success Of Culturally Diverse Students In Higher Education, Moises Aguirre

Theses and Dissertations

Cultivating trust and belonging is essential for student success in higher education, particularly for students from diverse cultural backgrounds (DCB) who face unique challenges in developing these connections. Research highlights lower levels of trust reported by DCB students toward peers and institutions, adversely impacting their academic performance and social integration (Van Maele & Van Houtte, 2010). The urgency of these issues is underscored by the demographic evolution in Utah's educational system, with projections indicating significant growth of students' diversity by 2065 (Hollingshaus et al., 2019). Because of these projected developments, this study investigates how DCB students conceptualize and experience trust …

Promise In Practice: Building Belonging And Persistence Through Academic Advising, Mary E. Lawrence

Masters Projects

Promise scholarships were created to remove financial barriers to higher education, but financial support is not enough to help students succeed. This project focuses on developing an academic advising office at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) to support students receiving the Grand Rapids Promise Zone (GRPZ) Scholarship. Using Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Model and Sanford’s Theory of Challenge and Support as a foundation, the project outlines a culturally responsive and student-centered advising framework. The goal is to improve student retention and persistence, increase academic advising, and build meaningful relationships between students and advisors. Project components include an advising handbook, a …

Beyond Memorization: Developing Three-Dimensional Assessments For Earth Science Through The Carbon Cycle Unit, Stephanie Kay

Masters Projects

This Master's project addresses the critical need for improved assessment strategies in science education, particularly within the context of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Traditional summative assessments, often relying on multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions, frequently fail to evaluate students' higher-level thinking and comprehensive understanding as required by the NGSS's three-dimensional learning framework (science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas). This disconnect can hinder accurate student knowledge evaluation and limit the development of essential 21st-century skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. The project aims to enhance effective assessment by developing a high school Earth Science unit …

The Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Curricula: A Moral Obligation, Kira I. Vasquez

Masters Projects

Culturally responsive education has long been accepted as critical to supporting students’ academic, social and emotional success at school–particularly for those from historically marginalized communities. Under the current presidential administration, however, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have come under attack, and many educators avoid their professional and moral obligation to implement culturally responsive curriculum for fear of political and professional repercussions. Grounded in Gloria Ladson-Billing’s theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Gholdy Muhammad’s framework of Culturally and Historically Responsive Education (CHRE), this project aims to reaffirm the value of culturally responsive teaching and learning. Chapter One outlines the problem, …

Making The Macc: Communities Of Practice And Cultural Citizenship In Austin, Texas, Cassie Lynn Smith

Anthropology ETDs

Meaningful community engagement is a challenge for local governments without a thorough understanding of constituents’ histories and their relationship with City government. This dissertation investigates the City of Austin’s (COA) Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) in Austin, Texas, to understand how this culture and arts institution engages with and is influenced by its patrons. This study analyzes the role of the MACC’s community of practice (Lave and Wenger 1991)—an evolving group of educators, activists, artists, and COA staff—in shaping public policy and educational programming as well as creating places of belonging for marginalized people in the city. …