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Full-Text Articles in Education

Math Vocabulary & Number Sense: Instructional Strategies For Upper Elementary English Learning Students In The Math Classroom, Matt J. Cavanaugh Dec 2023

Math Vocabulary & Number Sense: Instructional Strategies For Upper Elementary English Learning Students In The Math Classroom, Matt J. Cavanaugh

Doctorate in Education

Recent studies show that English learning students are a growing population within the United States school system. Language barriers have been shown to negatively influence reading scores as well as math scores, and math scores are a predictor of future academic success in many subject areas. This qualitative action research study demonstrates the difficulties many upper-elementary English learning students have understanding number sense (numeracy) in a math classroom setting in Minnesota, United States. The purpose of this study was to explore whether intentional teaching of math vocabulary could alleviate the difficulties upper-elementary English learning students have in understanding, applying, and …


Hmong Parents' Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of Hmong Language And Culture Programs, Lia Vang May 2023

Hmong Parents' Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of Hmong Language And Culture Programs, Lia Vang

Doctorate in Education

In this dissertation, I examined Hmong parents' perspectives on the effectiveness of Hmong language and culture (HLC) programs in helping their children maintain the Hmong language and cultural practices. It was guided by three research questions that sought to uncover Hmong parents' experiences with heritage language shifts (HLS), their perceptions of their children's experiences, their perceived effectiveness of Hmong language and culture programs, and the roles they believe home and school play in the language and culture maintenance process. Drawing from a phenomenological research approach, narratives from semi-structured interviews with nine Hmong parents from two Hmong charter schools brought forward …


Creating Inclusive Differentiated Classrooms For English Language Learners, Jenifer Geisler Jun 2022

Creating Inclusive Differentiated Classrooms For English Language Learners, Jenifer Geisler

Graduate Teacher Education

There are many English language learner (ELL) students in United States schools. These students have varying needs and abilities, yet they legally and ethically have the right to an equal education. The purpose of this research was to find ways to best meet the needs of ELL students in inclusive classrooms. Research of fifteen studies related to this important topic have been analyzed and synthesized in order to better understand what schools and educators could do to meet the needs of ELL students. These studies included information on ELL family systems and mental health. The research continued with studies related …


Family Engagement And English Language Students, Megan Beuch Feb 2022

Family Engagement And English Language Students, Megan Beuch

Graduate Teacher Education

Families are a child’s first teacher. Preschool students are learning and developing rapidly, while becoming accustomed to new school rules and routines. Dual language learners are a growing population in the United States. As children are learning English as a second language, parents, alongside early childhood educators, play an impactful role in each child’s development. When families and teachers work together, students will see more academic, social, emotional, and linguistic success during the early years. This paper explored a multitude of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies regarding dual language learners, family engagement, and the importance of fostering positive home …


Alleviating Oral Communication Anxieties In College French Classes: The Impact Of Professor-Student Connections, Claude Cassagne May 2021

Alleviating Oral Communication Anxieties In College French Classes: The Impact Of Professor-Student Connections, Claude Cassagne

Doctorate in Education

Oral communication anxiety (OCA) is a challenge for many college students studying a foreign language. This phenomenon has yielded many studies explaining OCA exists, relating it to personality traits and concluding educators play a large role in either reducing or aggravating such anxieties. However, research is lacking in the role professor-student rapport and connections play in affecting OCA. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to seek student perception on (through their worldviews), and recommendations for, professor teaching practices as it relates to anxiety and rapport-building. The participants are and were students of French in an undergraduate private liberal …


Blended Learning Showing Gains, Jessica Lynn Becker Jul 2020

Blended Learning Showing Gains, Jessica Lynn Becker

Graduate Teacher Education

In light of what is known about how children learn and the use of technology in society, blended learning is proving to be an effective teaching strategy to improve student academic achievement. Blended learning is a combination of digital technology with face-to-face direct instruction. The purpose of blended learning instruction is to combine the benefits of face-to-face direct instruction with the personalization and collaboration of digital technology. Blended learning comes in many different models that meet the many needs of teachers and school districts. It has succeeded in improving student academic achievement in different subject areas by allowing students to …


Social And Emotional Development To Foster Academic Growth In English Language Learning Preschoolers, Donna Mangone Jun 2020

Social And Emotional Development To Foster Academic Growth In English Language Learning Preschoolers, Donna Mangone

Graduate Teacher Education

The fastest growing population of students entering preschool classrooms are English language learners (Winsler et al., 2014). Not only is the population of English language learners growing (Winsler et al., 2014), but there is a steady increase in the academic achievement gap. Further, the growth of ELL students corresponds with the gap. Related to both is social and emotional development. Social and emotional skills provide the apparatus for all learning. The early childhood educator is well-versed in teaching these skills. Therefore, an early childhood educator teaching social and emotional development to English language learners provides opportunities to remedy the academic …


The Language Outcomes Of Hmong Dual-Language Immersion Program, Chao Vang May 2020

The Language Outcomes Of Hmong Dual-Language Immersion Program, Chao Vang

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a K-12 Hmong dual-language immersion program on kindergarten through fifth-grade Hmong students’ academic performance in the category of reading Hmong and English. Moreover, the parents of those students were investigated concerning specific factors they used in choosing a dual-language immersion program for their child. Hmong bilingual students have different perspectives about their cultural identities, retaining the Hmong culture, and learning English when the Hmong language was used as the instructional language. It was also imperative to determine the most prevalent factor that parents consider when selecting a program with …


Dual Literacy Practices For Dual Language Learners, Darlys G. Garcia-Marty Apr 2020

Dual Literacy Practices For Dual Language Learners, Darlys G. Garcia-Marty

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

In early childhood academic settings, literacy practices play a crucial role in the development of emergent literacy skills. Many of the available practices for developing these foundational pre-reading skills are not often inclusive to second language learners. Educators who enter classrooms where dual language exposure is necessary to their curriculum are limited to the types of practices they can utilize to support the development of literacy in two languages. The purpose of this case study was to explore what literacy practices teachers could implement to improve dual literacy development in second language learners. The study began with a foundational understanding …


Beneficial Approaches To Working With Migrant Students, Pete Cade Dec 2019

Beneficial Approaches To Working With Migrant Students, Pete Cade

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The migrant student population in the United States continues to rise. This increase in numbers places this unique group of students in thousands of classrooms across the country. Their mobility rates can significantly increase the number of classrooms affected and the number of teachers who must understand their plight. This single qualitative case study explored migrant students’ academic experience, for the purpose of establishing best practices for the educational system to best support them. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and multicultural education as the theoretical framework, the researcher analyzed the perceptions of effective practices from twelve college-educated professionals who were …


Problem-Solving Versus Solving Problems From The Esl Math Teachers’ Point Of View, Christopher Lacy Dec 2019

Problem-Solving Versus Solving Problems From The Esl Math Teachers’ Point Of View, Christopher Lacy

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Krulik and Rudnick (1996) defined problem-solving as explaining how math tasks contain the potential to provide intellectual challenges to enhance the mathematical mindset and development. English as a Second Language (ESL) students must learn math, increase their English language use, and grow literacy skills all in one setting. ESL teachers must examine how ESL students solve, make real-world connections, and build upon learned behavior with rigor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to comprehend how math teachers of ESL students apply problem-solving to benefit the overall educational experience of these students. The research question guiding this study asked: What …


Leading Through Ambiguity: A Phenomenological Examination Of Chief Diversity Officers, Shawn L. Washington Nov 2019

Leading Through Ambiguity: A Phenomenological Examination Of Chief Diversity Officers, Shawn L. Washington

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the experiences of chief diversity officers (CDOs) with leading through ambiguity in their roles. It is critical to provide support and structure to senior-level administrators leading diversity efforts at colleges and universities. “Ambiguity,” for the purposes of my study and main research question, relates to a CDO’s experience with an ill-defined organizational structure that governs their role. A qualitative phenomenological study was employed to document the experiences of 14 CDOs in higher education. Open-ended interviews facilitated capturing the essence of the lived experiences of CDOs leading despite the ambiguity in their …


Improving Literacy Outcomes For Adolescent English Language Learners, Grace Diaz-Peterson Jun 2019

Improving Literacy Outcomes For Adolescent English Language Learners, Grace Diaz-Peterson

Graduate Teacher Education

As the population of English Language Learners in United States public schools has risen significantly in recent years, the unique academic challenges these students faced, particularly in middle and high school, became more apparent. A widening reading and vocabulary gap between English Language Learners and their native English-speaking peers posed particular barriers in secondary content area classes, where many teachers reported feeling ill-prepared to meet the specialized linguistic needs of their English Language Learner students. This paper analyzed a mix of recent, available qualitative and quantitative research on best practices to improve literacy outcomes for adolescent English Language Learners. As …


A Multiple Case Study On The Implementation Of The Bilingual Education Program In Private Schools In Oman, Florian Ciprian Baciu May 2019

A Multiple Case Study On The Implementation Of The Bilingual Education Program In Private Schools In Oman, Florian Ciprian Baciu

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative multiple embedded case study was to explore the implementation of the Ministry of Education (MoE) bilingual education program in private schools in the Sultanate of Oman in light of the factors that impact students’ sociocultural, linguistic, academic and cognitive learning processes in the dual language instruction context. Data gathered through semistructured interviews and classrooms observations from 26 different bilingual private schools nationally, were analyzed in light of a conceptual framework based on the prism model and on effective international bilingual education implementation approaches, presented through the literature review. The data collected were crosschecked with the …


Creating Grace And Space: The Foundation On Which Progressive Educators Build A Sense Of Belonging And Safety For Marginalized Gender And Sexual Diverse High School Students, Lisa M. Ortiz Apr 2018

Creating Grace And Space: The Foundation On Which Progressive Educators Build A Sense Of Belonging And Safety For Marginalized Gender And Sexual Diverse High School Students, Lisa M. Ortiz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This descriptive case study focused on a single high school community which is intentional in its efforts to craft a school culture, fostering belonging and safety in students who are Gender and Sexual Diverse (GSD). The researcher examined the perspectives of classroom-based and non-classroom-based educators, as they strove to articulate how they address the needs of this student-population without negatively impacting academic and other school priorities, and how they incorporate understandings regarding this population into their practice. Through a multi-phase process including interviews, observations, focus group, and document analysis, the researcher explored how seven educator-participants navigate changing demographics both personally …


The Influence Of The Heritage Language On The Cultural Integration Of Second-Generation Hispanic Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Camille Schuler Mar 2018

The Influence Of The Heritage Language On The Cultural Integration Of Second-Generation Hispanic Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Camille Schuler

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the influence of the heritage language on the cultural integration of 10 second-generation Hispanic adolescents, ages 15-19. Data were collected using in-depth interviews that asked participants to share their experiences with their heritage language, and in what situations they found themselves feeling more Hispanic, more American, and more bicultural, when speaking their heritage language. Participants also shared the formal course of language study they chose, such as Spanish, Heritage Spanish, and AP Spanish Language, why they chose it, and how that choice influenced their perceptions of the heritage language and their cultural integration. Berry’s (2005) Acculturation …


Culturally Responsive Classroom Management In An Urban After-School Program, Marcie Duez-Curry Aug 2017

Culturally Responsive Classroom Management In An Urban After-School Program, Marcie Duez-Curry

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This action research study used the Guskey Model (2000) to evaluate the effects of a professional development program on an urban after-school program staff. The purpose of the 15-week professional development was to increase staff self-efficacy in classroom management, to improve student-staff relationships, and to decrease serious discipline events at the program. The impact of the professional development program was investigated with a diverse sample of seven after-school program staff participants who were studied through semi-structured interviews, surveys, class observations, and aggregated student behavior and academic records. The variety of data sources were concurrently triangulated to find that the professional …


Freshman Student Perception Of Institutional Engagement Strategies, Donald J. Comi Jul 2017

Freshman Student Perception Of Institutional Engagement Strategies, Donald J. Comi

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Technology, socio-economic disparities, and an increasingly diverse population base have changed the nature of American communities and thus the educational and occupational landscape. Access to higher education is functionally the gatekeeper for technical and professional careers. The gap between the number of students starting a four-year degree and the number completing a degree is discouraging. As a student transitions to college, many factors influence personal resiliency. Familial support, pre-college preparation, peer-to-peer relationships, and institutional connection all influence a student’s resiliency. However, higher education’s traditional engagement and transitional programming does not always engender connection nor promote academic success. This qualitative case …


Encountering The American School System Through The Eyes Of First- And Second- Generation Vietnamese Immigrant Parents, Khanh P. Le Apr 2017

Encountering The American School System Through The Eyes Of First- And Second- Generation Vietnamese Immigrant Parents, Khanh P. Le

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

As the immigrant population increases in the United States, it is important for American administrators and teachers to form effective partnerships with immigrant parents. With these partnerships, schools can encourage greater direct parental involvement from immigrant parents. Active parental involvement positively correlates with academic success; however, active parental involvement is not seen as much in Asian parents compared to other ethnic groups. Current literature shows lack of direct parental involvement in Asian parents due to barriers such as cultural differences, language, education level of parents, absence of knowledge about American schools, and school-based barriers; however, little is known about Vietnamese …


Encouraging Latino Students Through Relational Teaching: A Case Study In Lawrence, Massachusetts, Ohilda Difo Jan 2015

Encouraging Latino Students Through Relational Teaching: A Case Study In Lawrence, Massachusetts, Ohilda Difo

MA IDS Thesis Projects

Within the next 10 years, the majority-minority ratio in the United States will shift, and people of color will outnumber white Americans. In 2014, for the first time in history, a majority of students in K-12 were children of color. Although the student demographic of public schools has changed, the demographic of teachers and the style of teaching remain archaic and catered to white students. This qualitative study focuses on the lowest educated population in the U.S. – Latino youth. The project is a case study on a highly concentrated Latino community in the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, where 71% …


Applying Intercultural/International Education Towards Creating Sustainable Peace In Sub-Saharan Africa, Bella Cheptoo Kimutai Jan 2015

Applying Intercultural/International Education Towards Creating Sustainable Peace In Sub-Saharan Africa, Bella Cheptoo Kimutai

MA IDS Thesis Projects

The aim of this thesis is to assess the benefits and progress that intercultural education would create towards peace building and reconciliation if applied in school curriculums in sub-Saharan Africa. With the support of published literature and in-depth research in three countries, this research will argue for interculturalism, through international and intercultural education, as a strategy for peaceful coexistence both in stable and unstable situations. The country case studies in this partic-ular culminating project will be Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria. Particular emphasis and stress will be placed on the importance of intercultural education in schools and how it will help …


Sex, Gender, And Culture: The Emergence Of Structural Violence While Seeking A Sexual Health Transformation In Uganda, Leah Pauline Jan 2015

Sex, Gender, And Culture: The Emergence Of Structural Violence While Seeking A Sexual Health Transformation In Uganda, Leah Pauline

MA IDS Thesis Projects

With the 2nd highest fertility rate in the world and the 5th highest population growth rate, Uganda’s ever increasing number of inhabitants is becoming a hindrance to the nation’s ability to develop socially and economically. Despite the push for increased family planning services and sexual health services by the international community and national government, translating words into effective action has been met with cultural beliefs and behaviors blocking the road to changing sex practices within Uganda. Through conversations with the employees of Musana Community Development Organization in Iganga, Uganda, this research explores the complexity of the barriers standing in the …