Digital Commons Network^™

Culturally Proficient Teachers, Lori R. Piowlski

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Action needs to be taken by teacher preparation programs to prepare culturally proficient educators who are able to deliver equitable instruction and inspire all students to strive for greatness if the achievement gap is to be closed. Existing literature mainly describes the importance and urgency to prepare future teachers for the changing demographics with classrooms across the United States. There is not significant literature on how it is being done. Therefore the purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how university teacher education programs are preparing teachers to be culturally proficient. A cross-reference of data collected from Adequate Yearly …

The Administrative Law Judge As A Bridge Between Law And Culture, Phyllis E. Bernard

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

The Disproportional Representation Dilemma: A Meta-Synthesis, April D. Lefevere

Special Education Masters Program Theses

A disproportionate number of students, with specific identifiable characteristics like ethnic background, race and socioeconomic conditions are being erroneously referred and placed in special education and left out of programs for the gifted and talented due to problems within the systems of both regular and special education. With a shifting in the representations of the majority ethnic group and overall increases in the number of minorities attending public school, a system built with one norm (White, middle class) and matching leadership is unable to meet the needs of a diverse population of children. Teacher training programs and district in-services for …

Effects Of Reading Strategies And The Writing Process With Written Recasts On Second Language Achievement, Helen Ramirez, Don Jones

Administrative Issues Journal

This study examined the effectiveness of teaching methods used with a second language reading and writing unit. This investigation addressed discrepancies between assessment scores in the four communicative language skill areas of students in beginning-level Spanish classes at a suburban middle school. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to explore how literacy-based practices that included teaching strategies used with reading, teaching use of the writing process with a writing assignment, and teacher employment of written recasts affect second language achievement. The theoretical base of the study consisted of second language theories and hypotheses that explained how second language learning …

On Diversity And Public Policymaking: An Environmental Justice Perspective, Patrice Lumumba Simms

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Critical Conversations: Developing White Teachers For Diverse Classrooms, Omobolade O. Delano-Oriaran Ph.D, Tynisha D. Meidl Ph.D

Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education

Many White, middle-class educators experience challenges as they attempt to teach in racially diverse classrooms. This article explores and challenges a widely held and often unexamined conception of White in-service teachers as learners about issues of diversity and equity vis-à-vis voluntary professional development. This study sought to examine how White in-service teachers explore their racial identity and how identity awareness influences their ability to successfully meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Participants were part of a voluntary book discussion professional-development program offered by a community multicultural center in collaboration with surrounding school districts. The findings of …

Cross-Cultural And Multilingual Encounters: Composing Difference In Transnational Contexts, Tika Lamsal

Rhetoric and Language Faculty Publications and Research

A rapid increase in the population of cross-cultural and multilingual students and faculty in the U.S. universities has spurred the need to develop a culturally and linguistically more inclusive pedagogy in the teaching of writing. By analyzing the writing of a couple of multilingual and multicultural students from a freshman composition class in a U.S. university, this article explores the ways that help facilitate the writing process of such students. Stressing the value of students’ previous experiences based on their social, cultural, and language differences, the essay argues for the need to recognize and promote the use of multilingual and …

Promoting Language Access In The Legal Academy, Gillian Dutton, Beth Lyon, Jayesh M. Rathold, Deborah M. Weissman

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

"Promoting Language Access in the Legal Academy," details the progress made by the legal profession in meeting the needs of individuals with limited English language proficiency. The authors outlines the current need, summarizes various approaches taken by law schools, and emphasizes the value of training bilingual law students as well as mobilizing a cadre of undergraduate interpreters.

Addressing Diversity: The Construction Of Community Identifiers In The Devon Avenue Streetscape Plan, Madhuri Shukla

Theses & ETDs

There is a difference between the way ethnic communities develop an identity through lived experience, and the explicit physical representation of that identity in public place-making projects. This research examines the intersection of neighborhood identity politics, urban planning/design/art, and diversity, with a focus on. Through my experience as a participant observer on the design team of the Devon Avenue Streetscape Plan, I explore how place-making initiatives can address ethnic diversity in the creation of community identifiers. Using the tension between use value and exchange value, I consider the potential for gentrification as a result of highlighting neighborhood distinctness. I propose …

Diversity Among Latino/A College Students And Its Impact On Student Organization Involvement, Enmanuel Mercedes

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Shifting Diversity Perspectives And New Avenues For Representative Bureaucracy, Nicole M. Elias

Publications and Research

This work explores the meaning of diversity for bureaucratic representation. In light of the United States becoming an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse society, attitudes and approaches toward diversity are likewise shifting. It is important to consider the way we think and talk about diverse representation, which in turn, contributes to different actions and policies within federal agencies. To evaluate this process of meaning-making, federal policy seeking to increase representation in the following Executive Orders: 13078, 13163, 13171, 13518, 13548, and 13585 is analyzed. Prime emphasis is devoted to the most recent and comprehensive efforts, Executive Order 13583: Establishing a …

Meeting English Language Learners’ Academic Needs Through Teacher Training: A Multicultural Approach, Marjorie Ninoska Gomez Talavera

Masters Theses

Research has revealed that educators are often ill-prepared to teach culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Research suggests that in order to meet the challenges of working with diverse learners, development of multicultural education must include the promotion of sensitivity towards different aspects of diversity. This study explores K-8 teachers´ knowledge and understanding of their students´ learning needs, specific to language and culture, and teachers´ perception of preparedness to effectively deliver instruction to learners of diverse linguistic and cultural background. In this study, the researcher has hypothesized that teachers are ill-prepared to teach linguistically and culturally diverse learners. The study consists …

A Study Of K-12 Teacher Interns' Incorporation Of Multicultural Content And Theory Into Their Teaching Practices, Edith Mechelle Dzoole

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined 394 K-12 teacher interns' incorporation of multicultural content and theory into their teaching practices during a 16-week internship in schools, mostly located within a 30-mile radius of Mississippi State University. The teacher interns had completed all coursework and practicum hours required by their teacher education program. As part of their duties, the mentor teachers evaluated the interns' incorporation of multicultural content and theory, using two indicators from the Teacher Intern Assessment Instrument: "Uses knowledge of students’ backgrounds, interests, experiences, and prior knowledge to make instructions relevant and meaningful" and “Incorporates diversity, including multicultural perspectives into lessons”. …

Immersed In The Language And Culture Of The World’S Backyard: A Study On Language Maintenance And Loss, Lucilei A. Brigido

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

In this paper, I, as an educator and a language learner, examine the stories of immigrants and their immersion into a second language and a new culture as they maintain and\or create identities, while considering the society in which they are immersed, the United States, which receives people from all corners of the world. The theoretical framework I draw from is life-based narrative research, as well as literature exploring the role of identities and membership in society. Life-based narratives give real faces to the stories, helping school holders and lay people to develop awareness in regard to the complexities and …

Korean Americans And Multiculturalism: Beyond The Demographics, Gabrielle Kim

Global Tides

Samuel P. Huntington and the theory of the political good claim that any interactions between different religious and ethnic groups will bring about conflict. Therefore, “multiculturalism” only connotes the existence of more than one culture, with no hybridization between them. However, with increasing globalization and migration, it is becoming more difficult for a state to maintain one political identity. Through the example of Koreans in America and Korean-Americans, it will be shown that multiculturalism is not just a source of conflict, but actually connotes the harmonious combination of multiple cultures in one entity, becoming an identity itself.

Diverse Teacher Candidates' Perceptions Of A University's Special Education Preparation Program, Ashleigh Jay Cramer

Theses and Dissertations

As part of a four year professional development program centered on increasing cultural responsiveness at Brigham Young University, special education faculty members conducted interviews with teacher candidates who had completed the special education program. The interviews primarily focused on the candidates' experiences during their time in the program. The interviews were audio and/or videotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcriptions were then analyzed using the inductive analysis design for qualitative research (Hatch, 2002). The candidates expressed what types of learning activities as well as what professors did or did not do that helped them to be successful. Also emerging from the …

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• GSU Searches for New Hero
• OPINIONS
• Weekly SGA Column
• ARTS
• CLASSIFIEDS
• PUZZLES/COMICS
• SPORTS

Inclusion, Signing, Socialization, And Language Skills, Virginia Heslinga Ed. D., Erica Nevenglosky

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

21st-century education finds schools challenged to increase the inclusion of students with widely varying learning abilities, language backgrounds, social diversity, and skills. Educators and administrators acknowledge a need for interactive learning that engages visual, auditory, linear, spatial, tactile, and kinetic learning styles. Students’ styles for learning vary in combinations and intensity and teachers need to combine flexibility and creativity to present material and practices that will build enthusiasm for learning. Adding sign language to a classroom of heterogeneous learners that includes English language learners (ELL) will aid in generating a positive learning environment, inclusive and interactive for varied learning needs …

Chapter 8, Individuals, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

The lives of 5 different Sikaiana individuals. I give a brief description of their lives and also my different relationships with them.

A related website is at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Reclaiming Legitimate Authority In The Academy: A Critical Analysis Of Jones' Critical Pedagogy, Michael Mascolo

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

Like any good paper, Harkins and Wells’ (2009) analysis of critical pedagogy has provoked critical reflection and controversy. In this article, I respond to Jones’ (2012) defense of critical pedagogy, formulated as a response to DeCesare’s (2009) critique of Harkins and Wells’ article. As elaborated by Jones, critical pedagogy is aimed at reducing the power differential between teachers and students in order to empower the diversity of student voices on any given issue. Critical pedagogy invites dialogue among diverse and even clashing perspectives, with a mind toward resolving conflicts between perspectives without privileging anyone viewpoint (including the professor or teacher’s …

Millennial Integration: Challenges Millennials Face In The Workplace And What They Can Do About Them, Chip Espinoza

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is a monumental changing of the guard that is currently taking place in organizations due to demographic metabolism. One of the largest birth cohorts or generations in history (Baby Boomer) is beginning to retire while their predecessor (Builder) is almost completely out of the workforce. Gen X is hitting stride and on the cusp of inheriting the proverbial organizational mantle. The three aforementioned age cohorts have learned to play in the organizational sandbox together. However, a new age cohort (Millennial, a.k.a. Gen Y), equal or greater in size to the Baby Boomer cohort started entering the playground approximately ten …

U.S. Demographic Diversity And The Achievement Gap: Grappling With Nuances, Robert A. Devillar, Binbin Jiang

Journal of Emerging Knowledge on Emerging Markets

In this article, the authors examine various nuances relating to demographics on race, ethnicity, gender and income in the United States, and ways in which they relate to educational access, participation and achievement. These nuances persistently remain below the surface of our national consciousness, schooling experiences at all levels, and everyday discourse. Thus, it is necessary to make them explicit and, depending on their positive or negative influence, integrate them into our policies and practices or challenge and discard them. This obligatory culling of the wheat from the chaff is required if our attempts to move forward progressively and steadily …

Are We There Yet? Results Of A Gap Analysis To Measure Lis Students' Prior Knowledge And Actual Learning Of Cultural Competence Concepts, Kafi D. Kumasi, Renee Franklin Hill

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

This paper reports on the preliminary results from a pilot study conducted to examine library and information science (LIS) students' perceptions of their level of preparation for becoming culturally competent LIS professionals. Students participated in an electronic survey, which contained a Likert Scale measuring three areas of cultural competence: self awareness, education, and interaction. A gap analysis technique was employed to detect discrepancies between students' prior knowledge and actual learning relative to cultural competence. This article discusses student-reported gaps in knowledge for the section of the questionnaire on "Education." Students indicated that all of the concepts introduced in this section …

Teaching Social Justice Through The Lens Of Multicultural Education, Alana Cimillo

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

With public school populations growing in socio-economic and racial diversity, as projected by the Census Bureau, there is a clear need for an understanding of this diversity to occur at the early childhood level. In order to truly adopt multicultural education as an integral part of a student’s academic growth, teachers must consider the meaning of “cultural competence”. In the first years of a student’s education, fundamental values can be developed as the building blocks for future culturally responsive human beings. This presentation will review concrete evidence that supports the incorporation of multicultural education early childhood classrooms.

Teaching Outside One’S Comfort Zone: Helping Diverse Millennials Succeed, Miriam Chitiga, Patrica Chogugudza, Tinotenda Chitiga

Faculty Working Papers from the School of Education

This paper discusses some ways educators may utilize their knowledge of generational characteristics and differences to enhance their teaching and inter-generational relationships with Millennials. It cautions against over- generalizing the popularly accepted generational characteristics to diverse students; it suggests that, like any other category of social classification, generational difference should be considered within the larger context of social diversity, including race, class, and gender,and geographical region. This paper critically discusses specific strategies that educators, who are working outside their comfort zones, can employ to increase the effectiveness of the educational experiences they facilitate for diverse millennial students.

Teaching English Language Learners In Mainstream Science Classrooms: Teacher Practice And Educational Opportunity, Carlotta Dorothy Schroeder

Wayne State University Dissertations

Equal educational opportunity for English language learners (ELLs) has been a goal of the public educational system in the United States. Language policy reforms have increasedaccountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of ELLs. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment and accountability. In this study, the number of ELLs has increased significantly at the high school level and school district as a whole.

Along with the changing demographics, the findings reveal a district-wide policy of equalizing educational opportunity through equal treatment. Language policies provide critical decisions about how to measure what …

Developing Culturally Responsive Preservice Teacher Candidates: Implications For Teacher Education Programs, Rose Gilmore Skepple

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine how the teacher education program impacts preservice teacher candidates' knowledge of culturally responsive teaching and the implementation of these practices in their classroom. For the purposes of this study, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was utilized to collect and analyze data through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys. The participants in this study were (n=82) elementary preservice teachers and (n=11) teacher educators who taught a professional education course or supervised field or clinical experiences. This mixed method study was fourfold. First, this study sought to examine preservice teacher candidates' perceptions of the teacher …

The Role Of Medical Training Background In Patient Satisfaction, Mariam Zia Qureshi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The number of international medical graduates (IMG) is increasing and their ability to satisfy patients has never been studied. The purpose of this study is to examine if there is a difference between the patient satisfaction scores of US medical graduates (USMGs) and IMGs. This is a retrospective study in which 2627 returned patient experience surveys of 55 physicians working in Medical Practice in South Western Mayo Health System were evaluated. These surveys were returned from August 2009 to August 2010. An independent t-test and t-inverse test was conducted with significance level of 0.05. The results of t-test lead to …

Evaluating The Influence Of Response To Intervention (Levels 2-3) With Racially, Culturally, Ethnically, Linguistically Diverse (Rceld) Students, Reina Martinez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Ethnic Online Newspapers Vs. Mainstream Online Newspapers: A Comparison Of The News Coverage Of The 2010 Health Care Reform Debate, Masudul Biswas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the news coverage of the 2010 health care reform in a comparative context of mainstream and ethnic online newspapers. Since health care reform had consequences among all ethnic groups in the U.S., the news coverage of this policy issue warranted an analysis in a diverse media context. The importance of this study lies in the fact that diverse news media provide a wide range of perspectives to the public and policymakers for a better understanding of an issue at stake. In past studies, mainstream media coverage was criticized for emphasizing political conflict and gains and losses over …