Digital Commons Network^™

Breaking Ground: Educational Identity Formation Among First-Generation Students During The Transition To College, Carrie Sue Ingersoll-Wood

Dissertations - ALL

This mixed-methods research study examined the educational identity formation of first-generation college students during the transition into higher education through participation in a six-week summer bridge program. Drawing on Community Cultural Wealth and Self-Determination Theory, the study situated identity development at the intersection of institutional entrance, cultural capital, and motivation. Survey data from 135 participants were analyzed descriptively to examine patterns of identity signaling and motivational orientation. Qualitative interviews with a purposive subsample of participants were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods to examine meaning-making related to transition, autonomy, belonging, and academic self-concept. Autoethnographic excerpts and brief reflexive statements clarified …

Adapting Phonological Awareness To Support Emergent English Language Learners', Hannah L. Zywicki

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examines how phonological awareness instruction can be adapted to better support emergent English language learners (ELLs) in their early literacy development. As classrooms become more diverse, traditional instruction designed for monolingual English-speaking students may not fully address the needs of ELLs. This study explores research to understand how phonological awareness develops in ELLs and how instructional approaches can be better adapted to support their literacy development. This literature review is organized into three overarching themes with the use of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research studies. The first theme is developmental differences between ELLs and monolingual students. The …

The Impact Of Diverse Literature On Empathy, Paige Hosley

Graduate Teacher Education

This Capstone Paper examined the role of diverse literature in supporting the development of students’ empathy across educational contexts. While literature had traditionally been used to build reading skills, its function in fostering social-emotional learning (SEL) had become increasingly significant in diverse classrooms. A review of 15 quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies spanned primary through university settings across the world, including the United States, Kazakhstan, India, Canada, Israel, and Korea. These studies provided consistent findings across varied cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic populations, although some may have not been as reliable due to the complex nature of empathy. The research demonstrated …

Teacher Orthographic Knowledge, Mary L. Leslie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

When reading is no longer taught as a separate subject, adolescent students with weak reading skills have limited opportunities to catch up to their peers and are unlikely to improve without targeted support (Wigfield et al., 2008). This descriptive case study intended to increase teacher knowledge by presenting a professional development intervention focused on orthographic knowledge using effective professional development components. This study was conducted with six teachers of adolescent students (4^th-8^th) from a private preparatory school. Analysis found that teachers increased their understanding of the role orthography plays in the reading process and increased their …

Resilience In Place Names: German-Hehe War Memories And Cultural Identity In Iringa Toponyms, Claudio G. Kisake, Sophilini M. Yisega, Spemba E. Spemba

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Toponyms, or place names, act as vital markers of historical memory, cultural identity and resilience. In Iringa, Tanzania, toponymy offers valuable insights into the enduring impacts associated with the German-Hehe War (1890–1898), and colonial encounters on indigenous communities. This study explores how place names—such as Kitanzini (‘a place with a noose for hanging people’), Ilundamatwe or Lundamatwe (‘a collection of slaughtered heads’), and Gangilonga (‘the speaking stone’)—convey narratives of Hehe war superiority, resistance, and survival. Using a qualitative approach, the research incorporates archival sources, oral histories, and linguistic analysis to investigate the stories behind naming and renaming, the role of …

A Practitioner’S Perspective On Teaching Ap Comparative Government And Politics, Edgar Díaz

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

In this paper, I share my perspective and experiences as an Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics teacher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. To engage students with the content and strengthen their literacy skills, I adopted the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC), a pedagogical framework for scaffolded instruction, in combination with technological tools. This article includes a sample lesson plan illustrating how the TLC was implemented in an AP Comp Gov course to support students’ content understanding and their ability to express their ideas through structured, purposeful writing. My goal is to highlight practical strategies for effectively …

Exploring “I Can Only Draw A Stick Figure”: The Influence Of Technology On The Creative Mind In Art Education, Tristan Stephenson

Art 895 Research Papers

Upon hearing someone is an artist, the public seems to commonly share the phrase, “I can only draw a stick figure.” To an art educator who aims to teach anyone about art, this statement may be perplexing. Even if individuals enjoy art as elementary-aged children, it appears people can lose an enthusiasm or mindset for art, regardless of ability. This phenomenological and arts-based study aims to break down why people think they cannot draw and better understand such thinking through the potential impact of today’s technology and digital culture. Information will be gathered through qualitative observations, documents, and visual materials, …

Navigating Barriers: The Career Challenges Of Chinese Non-Stem Graduates In The U.S. Job Market, Dilin Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the career challenges faced by Chinese international graduates from non-STEM fields as they transition from U.S. higher education to the job market. While prior research has largely focused on STEM graduates who benefit from favorable visa policies and high labor demand, limited attention has been given to non-STEM students navigating structural, cultural, and social barriers to employment. Guided by the intellectual capital framework—which encompasses human, cultural, and social capital—this study examined how Chinese non-STEM graduates experience and respond to these barriers within the intersecting contexts of immigration policy, labor market expectations, and cultural adaptation.

Five …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Atlas Assessment Levels And Asboa Instrumental Ensemble Concert Assessment Ratings, Daniel Cooper

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study investigated the relationship between two key forms of school accountability that relate to secondary instrumental music programs. A thorough review of relevant literature was conducted to establish a framework for analyzing how ATLAS achievement levels may predict ASBOA concert assessment ratings of bands and orchestras in Arkansas. A quantitative approach was used via a binary logistic regression to interpret the impact of ATLAS achievement levels and SES, as defined by free and reduced lunch percentages, on an ensemble's likelihood of earning a superior or non-superior rating at region concert assessment. Results found statistically significant relationships for the predictive …

The Effects Of Extracurricular Activities On Academic Achievement, Attendance, And Discipline On Hispanic Students In One Northwest Arkansas Junior High School, Michael Jennings

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Academic achievement and school engagement of Hispanic students are persistent concerns in the United States education system. Research has indicated that extracurricular activities can mitigate some of these concerns; however, limited research has examined their effects specifically among Hispanic students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of extracurricular activities on academic achievement, attendance, and discipline among junior high school Hispanic students. In this study, archival data from two consecutive academic years were obtained for Hispanic students in a public school district in Arkansas, United States.

Academic achievement was measured using state-standardized test scores; attendance was measured …

Ai-Enhanced Feedback Loops In Physical Education Teacher Education: Using Chatbots And Brisk Ai To Support Reflection And Instructional Growth, Nikki Hollett, Sheri J. Brock

Educational Practices in Kinesiology

Educating physical education teachers to deliver effective online and hybrid instruction presents unique challenges. Instructors cannot observe preservice teachers live in a gymnasium, and real-time feedback is impossible. When dozens of students submit micro-teaching videos, the traditional feedback cycle breaks down. This teaching and learning resource presents a practical, scalable model to address these constraints through integration of two accessible AI tools: Brisk AI for automated video analysis and custom-designed AI chatbots for guided reflection. Through this approach, preservice teachers record short lessons, receive immediate automated feedback on their teaching behaviors, engage in chatbot-guided metacognitive reflection, and revise and reteach …

Developing Spanish-Language Campus Tours To Enhance Accessibility And Competitive Recruitment At The University Of Mississippi, Caitlyn E. Culpepper

Honors Theses

This thesis proposes and outlines an initiative that would bring Spanish-language campus tours and visit resources to the University of Mississippi, increasing accessibility to the campus visit experience while also providing institutional benefits within a competitive recruitment landscape. Through a review of current literature on Hispanic/Latino students in higher education, institutional enrollment and recruitment data, comparative research on peer institutions, and conversations with university professionals, this project explores the role that language accessibility, family engagement, and campus visits play in the college decision-making process.

Findings suggest that Hispanic/Latino students remain an underrepresented yet rapidly growing population in higher education and …

Gendered Politics Of Pictures: How Images In A Pakistani English Textbook Homogenize Female Identities, Liaquat Ali Channa

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative multimodal analytical study draws upon Kress and van Leeuwen’s ideas about pictures and problematizes textbooks of English that supposedly teach only English in Pakistan. It aims to understand the identities of an adult female as shown in the images of an English textbook. It uses Foucault’s theories of discourse and discursive formation, and a Vygotskian sociocultural view of the development of consciousness. By following Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019), all the pictures of the My English Book 4 are first analyzed thematically. Later, O’Toole’s (1994) method of analyzing pictures is employed for a detailed examination of a representative …

An Analysis Of Web-Based Languange Learning On Students Speaking Anxiety, Alfi Syahrina, Zarfina Yenti, Monalisa Monalisa

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study explores the use of Duolingo as a web-based language learning tool and its influence on students’ speaking anxiety at MTs Nurul Falah Kota Jambi. Speaking anxiety remains a significant affective barrier in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, particularly in traditional classroom settings where students often experience communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. Employing a qualitative case study design, this research involved approximately 15 students who had used Duolingo for at least six weeks, along with one English teacher for triangulation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations and analyzed using thematic …

So All Students Learn And Thrive: An Improvecrit Analysis Of A School’S Multi-Tiered System Of Supports, Rebekah Kang

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is an integrated K-12 educational framework that addresses the needs of all students in a systematic way by focusing on prevention and the implementation of evidence-based practices (California Department of Education, 2023). The “Guide to Implementing California’s Multi-Tiered System of Support” (Orange County Department of Education, 2023) promotes the maxim “All Means All” which paints a picture of schooling where all students are receiving the supports they need to learn and succeed. However, critical MTSS researchers have argued that MTSS failed to address the needs of all students, especially students of color, because it did …

The Impact Of The Science Of Reading Initiative On Reading Test Scores Among Rural Elementary Students In Arkansas, Julie A. Ferguson

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study examines changes in reading achievement among rural elementary students in Arkansas following the statewide implementation of the Science of Reading initiative. Beginning in 2019, Arkansas required educators in kindergarten through sixth grade to receive training in evidence‑based literacy practices emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Despite these efforts, rural districts continue to face challenges related to staffing, access to professional development, and instructional resources, raising questions about whether statewide reforms have produced measurable improvements in reading outcomes.

Using a quantitative, longitudinal, quasi‑experimental design, this study analyzes ACT Aspire reading assessment data collected from rural Arkansas schools …

Pedagogy In Context: How Private School Teachers Make Meaning Of Equity-Focused Teaching Practices, Savannah Shana Scarborough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This pedagogical ethnography examines how teachers in a private school context understand and enact Culturally Relevant Education (CRE). While CRE emphasizes cultural competence and critical consciousness, less is known about how it is interpreted within private school settings, where institutional culture and community expectations shape pedagogy. This study explores how teachers engage culturally relevant commitments and how institutional context influences those practices.

A qualitative ethnographic design was used to examine classroom practice in a South Carolina private school. Data was collected through observations, semi-structured interviews, and teacher reflections from four Upper School teachers selected through purposive sampling. Analysis combined deductive …

Task-Based Language Teaching For Afghans Resettled In The United States Since 2021: Meeting Integration And Employment Needs, Madison E. Wilhelm

Senior Honors Theses

In the aftermath of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States military evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans, many of whom were resettled in the United States. This population has faced many challenges in their resettlement, including barriers to language learning and difficulty finding skilled employment. There is great diversity within this population, including individuals with limited schooling and those with valuable employment skills.

This integrative literature review explores how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can be used as a strategy for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) with the post-2021 Afghan population in the United States. It …

A Study On Community And Technical College Students' Identification Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Cynthia J. Carow Schiebe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students could identify culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and, to what extent, in a community or technical college classroom where a set of goals and strategies had been established to guide methodology. Previous research on CRP traditionally focused on the educators’ or administrators’ interpretation of what students had learned when CRP was used as a methodology to reduce the opportunity gap. Students in classrooms where CRP was used were able to identify content that was aligned with their needs and wants, bring their own lives into the class without fear, balance their …

Reducing Emergency Department Overuse Through Patient Education, Maddie Pieper, Joshua Heuertz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Background/Introduction

Emergency departments (EDs) are designed to provide rapid evaluation and management of acute, life-threatening, and time-sensitive conditions. However, EDs are frequently used for nonemergent or low-acuity concerns that could be managed in primary care or urgent care settings. This overuse contributes to rising healthcare costs, resource strain, longer wait times, and overcrowding. Underserved populations may rely more heavily on ED services because of barriers such as limited primary care access, language differences, low health literacy, restrictive work schedules, transportation challenges, and difficulty navigating the healthcare system. These factors can make the ED seem the most accessible source of care. …

Countering Negative Language Attitudes: Adopting A Critical Multidialectal Approach To Language Teaching, Farah Ali, Kristen Terry, Rebecca Pozzi, Chelsea Escalante, Tracy Quan, Xinye Zhang

Global Language Studies Faculty publications

Language attitudes have been recognized as an important area of study in sociolinguistic research (Evans & Preston, 2023; Preston, 2013), and the consequences of prescriptive ideologies and negative attitudes toward non-privileged varieties extend to language instruction. These ideologies regard certain uses of the language as unacceptable if they diverge from what is considered the “standard” variety, established through linguistic imperialism and a colonial heritage (Benaglia & Smith, 2022) and perpetuated by linguistic authorities. Adherence to a prescriptive perspective without questioning its ideological and discriminatory function leads to the reproduction of a “deficit perspective”, in which those who use alternative varieties …

Uncertain Roads, Resilient Journey: At The Intersection Of Love, Wealth, And Undocumentedness Lies A Critical Examination Of Career Development Challenges And Aspirations, Daniel Caballero

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Undocumented college students in the United States graduate with degrees in hand, but face a labor market that, for many, remains legally inaccessible. Despite growing enrollment across higher education institutions, this student population continued to navigate career development in the near minimal institutional support designed for their specific circumstances. This qualitative study examined how career services at small private liberal arts colleges responded to the needs of undocumented students, particularly those without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA; Napolitano, 2012), as they navigated career development during and after college (Kantamneni, Dharmalingam, et al., 2016; Kantamneni, Shada, et al., 2016; Morales …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (Ai) To Strengthen Mtss Within Catholic Schools, Kaitlin D. Reichart, Adam B. Lockwood, Jessica Pizzute (Kukura)

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Many Catholic schools face resource challenges that result in limitations surrounding the implementation of multi-tiered systems and support (MTSS). Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a potential tool for Catholic schools to strengthen systems of support. This article provides a conceptual analysis regarding opportunities for AI to strengthen core components of MTSS, such as identifying evidence-based interventions, developing progress monitoring tools, analyzing student data, and facilitating personalized instruction. The article also discusses the challenges and limitations of leveraging AI within Catholic schools, specifically when supporting staff and students. Although the article is focused on US contexts, there are conceptual implications that may …

Dictionary Of A Vietnamese-American* Borderland, Ngọc Hải Nguyễn '26

Senior Scholarly and Creative Symposium

This project, composed of a contextualising research paper and an autoethnographical writing creative component, explores the conceptualisation of Anzaldúa's (2021) borderlands by applying to the author's own experience as a Vietnamese-native student growing up along multiple cultural points of inquiry (primarily the American culture). The core research question of this paper is What does it mean to be at the crossroads of many cultures? In the research paper, the author first contextualises the current discourse on borderlands, along with a justification for their usage of storytelling as a mode of inquiry. The author implements a framework theorised through Loveless (2019) …

Teaching And Technology: Diagnostic Abilities Of Chatgpt For English Article Usage Errors In Turkish Esl University Students’ Academic Writing, Daniela Hong

Senior Honors Theses

This study examines how the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT can support teachers of Turkish learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in addressing one of the most persistent cross-linguistic challenges in academic writing: the misuse of the definite article “the.” Because Turkish lacks a grammatical article system entirely, Turkish learners frequently omit or misapply the definite article in ways that reflect deeper structural differences between English and Turkish rather than simple errors. Writing samples were elicited from two proficiency levels of English in Turkish university English courses and analyzed through ChatGPT to determine whether AI could accurately diagnose …

Narratives Of Cultural Wealth: Understanding What Works For Underrepresented Minority Students In Stem, Grace Long

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of underrepresented minority alumni from Galileo STEM High School who are pursuing STEM degrees at four-year universities. Guided by Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, the study focused on what worked for underrepresented minority groups (UMG) in STEM. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to learn a) what factors contributed to their STEM development and identities, b) what forms of cultural wealth were leveraged in high school and in the first years of college to pursue and persist in STEM studies, and c) experiences from Galileo STEM High School that cultivated and affirmed …

Speaking Of Language: The Relationship Between Language As Capital And Minority Language Education, Alex J. Zelaya

Politics Honors Papers

The future of minority languages not only depends on intergenerational transmission but also on support for immersive instruction in minority languages within the educational system. This paper examines the factors that influence support for minority language education, arguing that language policy is shaped by societal attitudes, which in turn reflect dynamics of power. The paper draws upon Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualization of different types of capital, including his theory on the relationship between economic, social, cultural and symbolic capital. Within this framework, language functions as a form of capital, reflecting and reinforcing social and economic stratification by conveying status or stigma. …

How To Motivate Hispanic And Latinx Elementary Students To Bridge English Language Proficiency Gaps In A Classroom, Brianna D. Uriostegui

Masters Projects

Limited resources, culturally unresponsive teaching practices, and wide differences in language proficiency levels across classrooms and schools impact minority, diverse students. These issues also affect language classroom teachers responsible for students' language proficiency. This project delves deeper into one marginalized group, Hispanic and Latinx students, by going over the history and challenges this specific group faces. This project also discusses strategies that motivate Hispanic and Latinx students in developing English language proficiency while valuing their linguistic and cultural identities.

The Effects Of Stimulus Disparity On Acquisition Of Chinese Language Learning, Siyi Duan

Thesis Projects

This study examined the effects of stimulus disparity on Chinese characters. Participants were taught Sets of similar and dissimilar characters using a Pre-test–teaching–Post-Test format with stimulus fading supports. Acquisition was measured by sessions to mastery. Results showed that dissimilar Sets were learned more efficiently than similar Sets. Error patterns include repeated use of the same responses across stimuli, and errors within sets. These findings suggest that similarity may slow acquisition and more errors may occur during early learning.

Socioeconomic Status, Motivations And Barriers To Higher Education, And The Academic Achievements Of Women Attending Postsecondary Institutions In The Freely Associated States, Laura Ann Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.