Education Commons^™

Self Portraits: How The Arts May Be The Key To Equitable And Authentic Engagement For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Student Populations, Betsy Sostak

Dissertations

As the linguistic and cultural diversity across America’s classrooms steadily increases, educators are searching for ways to meet the needs of their students. The linguistic and cultural resources our students bring are a tremendous asset, yet our country has not been able to fully realize the potential of a diverse population. While multilingual students are often perceived to lack background knowledge, connections to school, and linguistic resources, the arts have the capacity to increase engagement, connect to diverse cultural backgrounds, and transcend language barriers. In this study, I explore the ways in which educational equity may be achieved to a …

The Effects Of The Esol Program On African American Vernacular Speaking Students Reading, Marquice Clark

All Dissertations

South Carolina’s public education system is broken. For the past several years, the State of South Carolina and the nation have somehow managed to do the nearly impossible. Both have produced more English Language Learning (ELL) students to be proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) (i.e., reading, writing, and usage) than native English speakers. The issue of low black performance on state and national standardized assessments has always been a cumbersome task for America's public school system. Although Black students comprise more than 30 percent of the total student population in America, more Limited English students are demonstrating a higher …

Impact Of Using Gagne’S Nine Events Of Instruction On Student’S Academic Achievement And Satisfaction In An Online English Course For French Speakers, Yara Olive Paterne Loua

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

This dissertation explored the effect of Gagne's nine events of instruction on student academic achievement and satisfaction during an online English class for French speakers. A group of 30 Facebook users from French-speaking countries in North and Sub-Saharan Africa participated in the research. They were divided randomly into two groups: one receiving traditional instruction through an asynchronous online lecture with PowerPoint presentation, and the other using instruction utilizing Gagne's nine events of instruction integrated with an LMS designed for this purpose. This mixed methods study explored several hypotheses related to academic achievement and satisfaction in the two groups. While the …

Exploration Of Privilege And Preschool Teachers’ Demographics Associated With Teachers’ Self-Efficacy In Culturally Responsive Classroom Management, Katherine Madison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every child in America is entitled to a free public education; however, racial disparities in academics and discipline continue to grow in America’s school system (Glock et al., 2019; Muñiz, 2019). These racial disparities begin in preschool, following the students throughout their school years. African American students, specifically African American males, are three times more likely than their Caucasian peers to be suspended in preschool (CRDC, 2016; Musu-Gillette et al., 2016). Suspension at an early age correlates with students entering juvenile detentions, prisons and incompletion of schooling (Love, 2014; Meek & Gilliam,2016; Muñiz, 2019). Culturally responsive teaching and classroom management …

“I Became Myself”: Exploring Cultural Learning Through Stories And Storytelling., Leah Halliday-Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite broad acknowledgement in education that culturally responsive teaching is essential to meeting learners’ needs, defining and operationalizing culturally responsive teaching remains a challenge. Along with being designed to meet the needs of students from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds who have traditionally been underserved, one commonly identified feature of culturally responsive teaching is building on students’ cultural assets to promote their learning. And while stories and storytelling are among the most common teaching tools, storytelling pedagogies tend to use stories to deliver content or to assess student learning. This dissertation explores collaborative story sharing as an approach to helping …

Benefits Of Learning Without Homework For Middle School Students, Ashley Garcia Marquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this senior capstone is to examine the benefits of learning without homework for middle school students. The research draws on the experiences of teachers in Monterey County, who provide personal input and teaching philosophies on this topic. Throughout the use of the literature review, three teacher interviews, and fifty anonymous student surveys, the findings indicate that learning without homework is essential, and in-class workshops have a positive impact on middle school student's academic success. Thus, teachers should recognize that learning without homework and in-class workshops plays a vital role in educating the growing minds of middle school …

Challenges Encountered In The Implementation Of The National Literacy Acceleration Program (Nalap) In The Abura Asebu Kwamankese District, Ghana, Julius Arhin-Asamoah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The National Literacy Acceleration Program (NALAP) aims to enhance early grade primary school pupils' literacy rates, yet national evaluations reveal widespread deficiencies in reading proficiency in both the local language and English. This study examines challenges in implementing NALAP in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese district, Ghana, focusing on the teacher and resource-related issues. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed. The study covered 12 basic schools in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese district. In all, 61 respondents comprising 50 teachers and 11 circuit supervisors were involved in the study. The findings highlight teacher-related issues such as inadequate pedagogical practices, low motivation, …

Linguistic Diversity From The K–12 Classroom To The Writing Center: Rethinking Expectations On Inclusive Grammar Instruction, Zoe Esterly, Hannah L.W Swoyer, Bridget A. Draxler

Writing Center Journal

Language expresses our values and identities, but in educational spaces, multidialectical and multilingual students’ voices are often silenced in favor of Standard English (Lockett, 2019). As writing tutors and future language arts educators, we have developed a research-based inclusive grammar curriculum and classroom-based resources to expand the conversation surrounding linguistic inclusion. Guided by the principle that all students should be offered the opportunity to learn the conventions of Standard English, we advocate for inclusive teaching of Standard English grammar in K–12 classrooms and writing centers (Godley et al, 2015). Using previous research on multilingual students, linguistic inclusivity, and dialectical diversity, …

The Puzzle Of Debutant Ingo Participation In Guatemala’S National Reading Program Leamos Juntos: A Comparative And Multi-Sited Case Study, Jacob A. Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

The dynamics of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) working in Guatemala can be understood as processual, evolving with and being shaped by social and cultural events in Guatemala and around the world. Central to understanding these dynamics is NGOs’ historical relationship to the State, which has ranged from collaborative to homicidal. However, as the number and activity of NGOs increase globally and in Guatemala, specifically within the education sector, some scholars characterize them less by their opposition to the State and more by their provision of education and myriad affiliations with the State. The purpose of this dissertation is to situate …

Investigating Relationships Between Muslim High School Students’ School Belonging And Career Decision-Making, Nour Alhiyari

Dissertations

Muslim Americans have been subjected to systemic oppression and unjust experiences, such as discrimination, racism, hate crimes, and stereotypes, for generations in the United States. Although ample research has investigated relationships between systemic oppression in society and its impacts on marginalized students in public school environments, little research has directly investigated Muslim students' school experiences. Additionally, studies and scholarship have explored the long-term impacts of systemic oppression on marginalized groups to develop a comprehensive understanding of minority groups’ experiences in the United States. This study investigated Muslim students’ experiences in public high schools regarding their sense of belonging and other …

Reviving 90s Sitcoms To Teach Black Linguistic Justice Concepts, Teaira Mcmurtry Phd

New Jersey English Journal

In this article, the author elucidates two teaching and learning possibilities in the high school ELA classroom when leveraging Black sitcoms of the 1990s (Family Matters and Amen) to prioritize Black Linguistic Justice.

Crossing Schools, Language, And Migration Borders: The Experiences Of Latinx And Caribbean Emergent Multilingual Mothers In K-12 Public Schools, Michelle Angelo-Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anti-immigrant sentiment and "English-only" ideologies have a significant impact on educational policies, practices, and processes. This includes parental engagement, the quality of education and life opportunities offered to immigrant children, and families’ well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine how Latinx and Caribbean mothers in Florida with various immigration statuses (i.e., undocumented, asylum seekers, refugees, international students, and mixed-status) and often with limited financial resources attempt to steward their children through the U.S. educational system. The research question was: How did emergent multilingual immigrant mothers experience the K-12 education system in Florida? The sub-question was: How did schools …

Teacher Anxiety And Resilience As Socio-Ecological Experience: A Critical Ethnography Of Early-Career English As An Additional Language Teachers In Post-Pandemic Ontario, Canada, Aide Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This critical ethnographic study investigated the anxiety and resilience experiences of English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers in Ontario, Canada during their early careers after the pandemic. The study drew on literature regarding the TESOL profession’s precarious nature, resilience and anxiety concepts, pandemic impacts on language education, and debates on native-speakerism. It employed four-level theoretical frameworks, including the theories of critical praxis (Freire, 1970), reflexivity (Byrd Clark, 2020), ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner,1979), and the community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) for its design and implementation. Four pre-service and three in-service English language teachers participated, providing weekly reflective journals for …

Book Review It Takes An Ecosystem: Understanding The People, Places, And Possibilities Of Learning And Development Across Settings, Denise Montgomery

Journal of Youth Development

It Takes an Ecosystem: Understanding the People, Places, and Possibilities of Learning and Development Across Settings, edited by Thomas Akiva and Kimberly H. Robinson, is a call to take a holistic and dynamic ecosystem approach to thinking about, designing, developing, and investing in the allied youth fields to more equitably and effectively support young people’s learning and development. Published in 2022, the volume outlines a vision for out-of-school time programs and systems, schools, community-based organizations, and the public sector to move beyond focusing separately on individual systems to a learning and development ecosystem approach that more accurately and inclusively reflects …

Ecuadorian English Teachers’ Perspectives On Their Professional Development, Consuelo Marisol Gallardo

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

Ecuadorian English Teachers’ Perspectives on Their Professional Development, Consuelo Gallardo, Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 2023

Professional development (PD) plays an important role in one’s ability to perform at a high level in a job (Mizell, 2010). As such, an increased emphasis on ongoing and varied PD opportunities to support educator’s professional growth has been described as an effective approach since it pays direct dividends for teachers’ self-efficacy and prepares them to help students surpass basic academic standards (Anderson, 2018; Borg, 2018; Tanveer et al., 2021).

However, PD opportunities for English teachers, who work at Ecuadorian public high schools (grades 8-13), …

Learning To Teach For Equity, Diversity, And Social Justice: A Mixed Methods Case Study Of Initial Teacher Education In Ontario, Canada, Kate Paterson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing on critical race theory, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy, and ecological systems theory, this mixed methods case study explored the integration of equity, diversity, and social justice across one initial teacher education program in Ontario, Canada. Survey data (n=272) provided insight into prospective teachers’ endorsement of social-justice-related beliefs at program entry and exit. Demographic data were collected to obtain a current snapshot of initial teacher education representation rates, addressing a dearth of such data in the Ontario context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teacher candidates (n=15) and key stakeholders (n=4) to gain an understanding of how equity was conceptualized …

Teachers-As-Designer In Culturally Revitalizing And Sustaining Indigenous Education, Joshua Colin Krause

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Despite centuries of colonial attempts to assimilate and eradicate Indigenous ways of life and tongues through the institutions of schooling, communities, students, and teacher-designers are embracing culturally sustaining and revitalizing pedagogies to design curricula from community-driven outcomes backward. Sustaining and revitalizing curricula are place and people-specific and cannot be bought off the shelf, and research in original curriculum design points to the complexities that teacher-designers contend with as they seek community input and put pen to paper to design teaching and learning that is rooted in student identity, holistic wellness, and academic preparedness toward community ends. Research into expert teacher-designers' …

Exploring Ableism Through Teacher Identity And Empowerment: Teaching About Disability Through A Campus Common Reader, Alma Contreras-Vanegas, Amber Godwin, William H. Blackwell

School Leadership Review

This study was conducted to find how teacher candidates at a southwestern regional university understood ableism and empowerment based on their reading and interaction with the campus common reader. This work was important to help future teachers form healthy instructional practices that are inclusive of all students, regardless of ability in their future classrooms. The findings of this study showed evidence that this reading experience was transformative in helping teacher candidates form a teacher identity that was not only inclusive and welcoming of all, but also empowering.

An Equity Framework To Engage Community College Preservice Teachers In Black Liberatory Practices, Denise Farrelly, Joanna Maulbeck, Laura Scheiber

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

While representation of teachers of color remains startlingly low nationwide, it is critical to recognize that increasing diversity is not enough to increase access to an inequitable system. Centering the strengths of Black students, on both an individual and institutional level, through culturally and historically-responsive pedagogical and curricular practices is a crucial step toward equitizing the teaching workforce. Using a culturally and historically-responsive literacy (HRL) framework, we discuss and reflect upon practical classroom-based approaches to engage community college preservice teachers in responsive pedagogical practices that are aligned with the legacy of Black literary societies. The paper is divided into four …

Graduate Student Instructors Coping Strategies And Concurrent Impact On Learning, Teaching, And Research, Razak K. Dwomoh, Boatemaa Tawiah-Sarpong

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Acculturation stress is ubiquitous among international students. There is a preponderance of the use of social support in dealing with stressors by international students. This paper investigates Ghanaian graduate student instructors’ (GGSIs) coping strategies for mitigating stress in learning, teaching, and research. Primary data collection was in-depth semi-structured interviews. Focus group discussions served as complementary data. Seven participants were purposefully selected using a criterion-based selection from a midwestern U.S. public university. Thematic analysis yielded substantial results. The results show that GGSIs use social support for learning, not teaching or research. Preferable strategies for teaching are professional work ethics and setting …

Teachers’ Work: Communicating On Difficult Knowledge In Ontario Schools, Zsofia Agoston Villalba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative …

Decolonizing French: Afrophonics In Ken Bugul’S Aller Et Retour (2013), Hapsatou Wane

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This article explores the innovative language strategies employed by Senegalese writer Ken Bugul in her novel Aller et retour to construct a dynamic and interconnected linguistic landscape that challenges fixed language boundaries. Ken Bugul's "langue fabriquée" combines elements of French, Wolof, and English, reflecting a transglocal dimension that embodies the essence of afrophonics—a poetics of resistance that empowers local cultures in a globalized context. Through a detailed analysis of Ken Bugul's linguistic choices, including the use of quotation marks, footnotes, and arbitrary transcription, the study reveals how she creates a language that defies categorization and decolonizes French without resorting to …

درجة امتلاك معلمي اللغة العربية لمهارة بناء الأهداف التعليمية في مديرية تربية لواء الجيزة, Majed Salem A. Abual Kheil

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال البحث في درجة امتلاك معلمي اللغة العربية لمهارة بناء الأهداف التعليمية في مديرية تربية لواء الجيزة من وجهة نظر المعلمين و المديرين، تمّ توزيع الاستبانة بشكلها الإلكتروني، وتمّ استرداد (85) استبانة، اعتمد الباحث على المنهج الوصفي، وقام الباحث بتطوير أداة استبانة، وتكوّنت الاستبانة في صورتها النهائية من (41) فقرة موزعة على محورين، وتم استخدام برنامج الحزمة الاحصائية (SPSS) لتحليل البيانات والحصول على النتائج، وتوصلت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج أبرزها لا يوجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى معنوية (α≤0.05) في درجة امتلاك معلمي اللغة العربية لمهارة بناء الأهداف التعليمية بأبعاده في مديرية تربية لواء الجيزة تعزى لمتغير …

How Teachers Use Data: Description And Differences Across Prek Through Third Grade, Amanda Witte, Lisa Knoche, Susan Sheridan, Natalie A. Koziol

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The use of data to inform instruction has been linked to improved student outcomes, early identification of intervention needs, and teacher decision-making and efficacy. Additionally, data are used as a means of accountability within educational settings. However, little is known about data use practices among early grades teachers. The purpose of the current study is to describe the data use of PreK to third grade teachers and to investigate differences in data use and support across grade levels. Participants were 307 early childhood teachers in PreK and early elementary school. Analysis of survey data revealed, overall, most teachers across grade …

No. 12, October 2023. The Impact Of The Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program: Expanding Opportunities To Grow The Profession, Linda R. G. Kaminski , Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz , Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas , Ed.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research brief presents a study on the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program (BTPDP), a legislature-approved initiative to help California schools meet the growing demand for bilingual teachers in alignment with increasing state policies promoting multilingualism. The BTPDP funded eight grantees to support their preparation and professional development of bilingual educators. The study examines the BTPDP implementation from 2017-2021 to document trends in program impact and develop policy and program recommendations that address bilingual teacher shortages. Key findings revealed successes in increasing the bilingual teacher workforce as well as challenges that must be addressed to ensure the state’s vision can …

Estudiantes Mapuche Universitarios: El Desarrollo De Conciencia Crítica Dentro La Sistema De Neoliberalismo Multicultural, Silvia Carias-Centeno

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The current education system in Chile has adopted a multicultural neoliberal model, in which education both as an institution and as a practice is conducted with neoliberal ideologies. Mapuche movements in Chile have largely battled against neoliberalism, which operates in conjunction with colonial practices. The identity of Mapuche people thus operates on a contradiction of neoliberal practices. This paper, centralizing critical educational literature and three interviews with Mapuche university students, strives to analyze this tension between Mapuche identity and student experiences under this neoliberal context. More specifically, this paper grapples with the political intention behind multicultural neoliberalism, and how it …

An Analysis Of Paid Agent Contracts Utilized In The Recruitment Of International Students At University System Of Georgia Institutions, Jeremiah Lee Pitts

Theses and Dissertations

Many colleges and universities view international student recruitment as the solution to their financial pressures, but they lack the ability to effectively reach international markets. While many students desire to study internationally, they lack the knowledge and resources to explore their options. Paid agents bridge the information and opportunity gaps between institutions and prospective international students. However, the use of paid agents is fraught with many dangers. Paid agent contracts govern the relationships between these entities in the absence of regulations. This study explored the paid agent contracts employed by colleges and universities within the University System of Georgia to …

English Language Learners And Their Access To Postsecondary Education: Examining Their Achievements And College Readiness Through Educators’ Experiences And Perspectives, Anna Kalinowska

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the …

Using Reciprocal Teaching Strategies To Improve Reading Comprehension For English As A Second Language Students With Learning Disabilities, Hana M. Almohamadi

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

Students who have problems comprehending textual material tend to experience failing grades, peer rejection, and even social isolation. Furthermore, students with poor reading comprehension demonstrate poor academic performance in all subjects, not due to difficulty in learning specific subject content (i.e., math, history, etc.), but rather their inability to comprehend reading passages related to that subject knowledge. Reciprocal teaching (RT) is an effective tool for teaching children with Learning Disabilities (LD) to improve their reading comprehension abilities. These multiple cognitive strategies can meet the needs of many students in terms of more deliberate, directed, and self-regulated learning through students’ interaction …

Using L1 Student Narratives And Peer Teaching To Increase Secondary Education Mathematical Understanding, Marco Antonio Martinez Leandro

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This phenomenological study research presents an option to use both discourse in the native language and technology as an alternative to improve the understanding of mathematics in secondary education. 13 students whose native language is Spanish attended a high school in a large urban school district in the Southwest of the United States, participated in this study.

The study's main objective was to observe the effects of using students' discourse in their language and the support of technology to increase their academic literacy in mathematics. Solution-based pedagogy was central to helping students achieve the Development of Academic Literacy in Mathematics …