Education Commons^™

The Role Of Education In Post-Conflict Kosovo: A Proposal For An Analysis Of How Experts Understand The Role That Education Has Played In Peacebuilding, Kristal Mitra

Capstone Collection

This study seeks to answer the following research question: What is the relationship between Kosovo's education system and the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia? This study uses a mixed purposeful sampling strategy that includes purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The researcher interviewed five different individuals from the following ethnic backgrounds represented in Kosovo which are one Bosnian, one Serbian, two Albanian Kosovars, and one Romani Kosovar. The results showed that education played many roles before, during and after the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo’s education system has historically been used as a tool to promote the political agendas of …

Masters Abroad, Sebastian Chavez

Capstone Collection

The research focuses on gaining the perspective and experience of students attaining a master’s degree abroad. The overall study is to answer the following questions: 1) What is the reasoning behind gaining a master’s degree abroad? 2) What kind of impact does a master’s degree have on the identity of students? 3) How might a master’s abroad experience aid international relations? Among the key findings, specifically, students’ main incentives ranged from career development in wanting to advance career objectives or real-world experiences of living and adapting to a new cultural environment. Following identity transformation, students experienced self-growth or discovered new …

International K-12 Schools Seeking U.S. Accreditation: An Analysis Of The Rationales Involved In Earning Accreditation Through The Western Association Of Schools And Colleges, Kerri Knapp

Capstone Collection

The international K-12 school market is growing fast, and new international schools are opening every year. Hundreds of those international K-12 schools seek out accreditation to help validate their institution’s authenticity. Accreditation allows potential students and families to trust that the education provided is legitimate according to a set of principles and standards provided by the accreditation organization. Colleges and universities, particularly those in the United States, where thousands of international students strive to be accepted, typically require students to matriculate from an accredited school. With this market growth comes a need for accountability, and therein lies accreditation. The United …

The Radical Imagination: Exploring The Intersection Of The Youth-Led Climate Justice Movement And Education, Calla Sneller

Capstone Collection

This paper explores the crossover of the youth-led climate justice movement and education, utilizing The Experiment Digital Climate Change & the Environment as a case study to investigate this crossover globally and locally. A 6-week virtual exchange program designed to connect 100 high school students from 23 countries, The Experiment Digital Climate Change & the Environment aimed to equip youth with radical tools to address the scale of the climate crisis. The study drew on the neo-institutionalism and systems thinking approaches to globalization. Employing qualitative research methods, including a questionnaire and individual interviews, the findings revealed that international relationships improved …

Education Policy And Practice In Nepal: An Exploration Of Education Quality Of Private Primary And Secondary Education In Context Of A Decentralized Education System In Kathmandu, Nepal, Tashina Mcneil

Capstone Collection

As a strategy for improving the country’s education sector and meet national development initiatives, the government of Nepal has implemented decentralization measures. Similarly, the government has committed to the Sustainable Development Goal 4, the premise of which is ensuring by 2030 all Nepalese school aged boys and girls have access to quality education. Decentralization, as defined, is the transfer of authority over school management to local governments, the private sector, and local communities. Decentralization, however, is not a panacea for all and when incorrectly implemented the consequences can be deleterious.

Therefore, this study sought to answer this research question: In …

Global Changemakers - Hope For The Future, Ann Flanagan

Capstone Collection

This exploratory qualitative research study explores the journey of changemakers and the role of formal and informal curricula in shaping students' understanding of social change and motivating them to take action. In addition, it investigates transformative experiences encountered through critical reflection and experiential learning and the steps universities could take to equip future changemakers with the necessary tools, skills, and mindset.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three male and two female students as well as one female teacher at Ritsumeikan University. The findings suggest that formal and informal curricula significantly shape students' understanding of social change and motivate them to …

System Support For Early Grade Teacher Mentors In Cambodia, Jana Scislowicz

Capstone Collection

The early primary education system in Cambodia is working to expand its teacher mentoring network. This quantitative and qualitative study examines the motivational factors of school-based early grade literacy mentors and master mentors who have played these roles in a pilot program implemented by a United States Agency for International Development-funded project during the 2021-2022 academic year in Cambodia. The study finds that mentors are motivated to perform the mentoring roles for intrinsic reasons such as improving student education and peer learning. It also finds that there are areas of improvement for mentor selection, workload assignment, financial remuneration, and recognition …

Identity (De/Re-)Construction: A Shifting Scale Of Identities Moving Abroad And Its Teaching Implications, Matthew Francis

MA TESOL Collection

Language learners who relocate voluntarily to different countries where their native tongue is not the primary spoken language, often uncover and learn aspects of who they are, that is, their identity and user agency. Through personal experience relocating, I intend to share the phenomenon of identity de/re- construction being immersed in another language and culture, moving in between my ‘original’ home country and the ‘new home,’ all while not being able to experience both former and latter identities at the same time (physically). This study will explore what I coin as an ‘identity spectrum’ through first person narratives (interviews) to …

U.S. Student Motivations To Study Abroad In East Asia: A Regional Comparison, Nadezhda Braun

Capstone Collection

Many factors influence student motivations to study abroad. This qualitative study examines U.S. student motivations to study abroad in East Asia (Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), through the lens of push-pull theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study finds that both theories accurately portray student motivations to study abroad in East Asia and that there are important distinctions between student motivations depending on their choice of host country.

Bridging Knowledge Systems In The Peruvian Andes: Plurality, Co-Creation, And Transformative Socio-Ecological Solutions To Climate Change, Domenique Ciavattone

Capstone Collection

In the current era of anthropogenic climate change, Quechua farmers in the Peruvian Andes are some of the most impacted by, yet some of the lowest contributors to global warming. Dominant Western systems alone have proven insufficient in tackling the climate crisis, and there have been increasing efforts to elevate and center Indigenous voices and epistemologies when addressing climate change. Researchers and communities are calling for a bridging of knowledge systems, in which Indigenous and Western methods collaborate to co-create innovative solutions to climate challenges. This research sought to explore methods and successes in bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems …

Opportunities For Healing Through Storytelling And Storylistening, Danielle Kennedy-Lareau

MA TESOL Collection

In this training material project, I explore the purpose of stories in the English language classroom. How can we use stories to teach and offer healing and catharsis to students who want it? Working with a group of 9 teachers from the YWCA Tulsa, we used Dina Nayeri’s memoir The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You, to explore how practical it would be to use a story as a source of material for students, and how we could use a story to help others tell their stories. The paper begins with a literature review describing my rationale for …

Australian-American Fulbright Alumni: An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Australian-American Fulbright Program On American Awardees, Maya Kozarsky

Capstone Collection

The Australian-American Fulbright Commission was established in 1949 in Canberra, Australia. Remarkably, the Commission had never before conducted an alumni impact report in its 72-year history. Thus, it was vital to carry out this study as soon as possible so as to hear from as many alumni as are willing and able to participate at this time. This study sought to answer the following research question: How have Australian Fulbright scholarships impacted the lives and careers of the American alumni? The research drew on the analysis of secondary survey data and through semi-structured interviews. The major findings of the study …

Supporting Lgbtq International Students Through Resource Visibility: Examining Washington State Community Colleges, Abigail Fredrickson

Capstone Collection

College is a time when many students begin exploring their sexual orientation and gender identity. Washington State, and Seattle in particular rank high in support for the LGBTQ community, according to the Municipality Equality Index put out by the Human Rights Commission. The schools that are represented in this study serve approximately 2,000 international students annually.

LGBTQ international students are a demographic that inhabits two minority groups – international students and LGBTQ students, and there is a lack of ongoing support and access to resources to aid these students in their personal growth during their time in community college. This …

Beyond Field Trips: Partnerships Between Schools And Tribal Museums, Lauren Cooke

Capstone Collection

This study emerged from a desire to understand how schools and tribal museums collaborate with one another to increase access to tribal museums for K-12 students. For this project, I had the opportunity to work with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum, and the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center to further understand each institution’s educational programming and partnerships. The question examined was, how do schools and tribal museums collaborate with one another to increase access to tribal museums for K-12 students? Interviews were conducted with staff members to discuss the work of these …

Perspectives On Sustainability In Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs, Amanda Staton

Capstone Collection

Sustainability is a relatively new topic to the field of International Education. Despite this, its importance is tantamount for the continuation of the industry for future generations. The industry’s significant negative environmental impacts from international student mobility poses a real barrier to the continuation of the industry due to climate change. This research emerged due to the lack of existing research on sustainability in Study Abroad, especially short-term faculty-led programs, which are currently the most popular modality of Study Abroad. Short-term faculty-led programs currently hold a reputation in existing literature for being the most unsustainable form of Study Aboard with …

Building On Best Practices And Organizational Expertise: Informing Curriculum Design For Refugee And Asylum-Seeking Youth At Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Emily Della Fera

Capstone Collection

Refugee and asylum-seeking youth experience a variety of barriers within education, social adjustment and inclusion, and mental and physical health when resettling to a new country. These barriers which can be mitigated with outdoor education programs that supplement existing resettlement programs. Outdoor education has proven positive outcomes in youth’s self-perception and confidence, school performance, community and relationship building, and physical and mental health. This course-linked capstone designs curriculum for an outdoor education program that will be proposed to the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. Designed specifically for refugee and asylum-seeking youth, the curriculum fosters environments for participants to build relationships, gain …

U.S. Immigration Policies Affecting Mexican And Central American Youth And Their Access To Higher Education, Margaret Elizabeth Tejada

Capstone Collection

Undocumented Mexican and Central American youth, many of whom hold approved or pending Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Central American Minor Refugee and Parole Program (CAM) applications, are a growing population in the United States who are eager to pursue higher education like their U.S. Citizen and U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident peers. Yet, they are significantly limited by federal, state, and institutional policies that are geared towards the success of students with legal status. Through relevant literature and interviews with policy experts and educators who work directly with these youth and/or the regulations …

Building School Community Amidst Tracking Systems And Social Media, Christina Romero

MA TESOL Collection

Schools have long been the heart of a community. Building up students to feel welcomed, accepted, and safe is a tall order. This task has gotten more difficult as social conflict has seeped its way within school walls. Societies have become more diverse in many ways as of late. Political, economic, and racial differences have widened gaps between individuals. As schools mirror this societal diversity, it has been harder for both societies and public schools to feel more communal. The public high school this case study is set in specifically experiences division through tracking systems and, more recently, social media …

Foodways In Chile: A Bridge Back To Nature, Kayla Weiss

Capstone Collection

As the area of food studies continues to develop and evolve it has been recognized that, not only is food a necessity to life, but it is uniquely tied to understanding culture, history, and other aspects of a society. This study arose from recognizing this influence and importance and I took the opportunity to better understand how Birchwood College might be an optimal site for a short-term study abroad program based in food studies. I conducted a needs assessment through landscape research, surveying students, and interviewing food studies faculty and international educators at Birchwood College. The research findings offered insights …

Navigating The Necessary Evils: Contemplating The Topic Of Sustainability In Study Abroad, Megan Zacher

Capstone Collection

Travel is a defining feature of education abroad, instrumental in exposing students to experiences and countries beyond their campus community. The cultural exchange implied in travel aspires to benefit both host communities and students’ home institutions. However, education abroad has negative environmental impacts incongruent with many sustainability efforts. The education abroad sector aims to address this reality by advancing the use of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in program design and execution. In this study we conducted semi-structured interviews with representatives of higher education institutions, third-party study abroad providers, and professional associations to assess how stakeholders perceive this incongruency …

Virtual Free-Writing Journal Portfolios In An Intensive English Program In Iraq, Charles Mckinney

MA TESOL Collection

Middle-Eastern English language learners (ELLs), specifically Iraqi students, are often not well equipped to succeed in university settings where English is the medium of instruction (EMI) for their intended graduate and undergraduate studies. Oftentimes, they are weaker in their academic literacy skills, when compared to listening and speaking, and need extra scaffolding and/or remedial instruction to develop their reading and writing dexterity for overall academic success. One way to support their writing development is to implement free-writing journal projects that will enable them to cultivate an original writer voice, to think quickly and critically in the L2, and to integrate …

The Changes To Cultural Identity In Expatriates And Their Effects On The Efl Community, Kelly Nault

MA TESOL Collection

Expatriates are a group of unique individuals in terms of cultural identity. This paper will first look at the research on expats in-depth and explore the question of what defines cultural identity. Then, it will look into the reality facing expatriates and the formation and the evolution of their cultural identity. Lastly, it will look at how the assumptions about expatriates' cultural identity impact the EFL teaching community.

Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices Post-Covid: A Classroom Action Project, Jillian Weemaes

MA TESOL Collection

Out of recognition of experienced trauma, trauma-informed practices have existed in schools and classrooms long before the start of the pandemic and will continue to exist and evolve after. Programs need to evolve due to the changing nature of the pandemic such as the possibility of teachers experiencing trauma alongside their students, and distance learning complicating the ability of students to make connections with peers, teachers, and administrators. Limited literature currently exists in the field showcasing how teachers have changed and updated their practices since the start of the pandemic. The objective of this action research is to add to …

Practicing Self-Advocacy For Displaced People In The English Language Learner Classroom, Payton Persinger

MA TESOL Collection

This study is comprised of a literature review of best practices for working with displaced people and interviews with teachers of refugees. The author found that self-advocacy is multifaceted and that promoting self-advocacy is a key way to support learners in advocating for themselves and their communities. As borders become less porous, there will be more refugee crises, and more language teachers will be needed. Best practices for teaching languages include seeing students as cultural experts, teaching and encouraging resistance, being a trauma-informed practitioner, teaching legal rights, and making room for students to choose what they learn.

Beginning English Literacy Instruction For Adult Refugees And Immigrants: An Attempt To Decolonize The Approach(Es), Xania Bytof

MA TESOL Collection

Although many organizations offer free “beginning” English classes for adult refugees and immigrants in the U.S., most of these classes depend on written worksheets and other print materials – therefore requiring students to be familiar with the English alphabet in order to follow along. The lack of accessible beginning literacy classes for adult refugees and immigrants puts students with limited or interrupted formal education and those whose language(s) don’t use the roman alphabet at a stark disadvantage. Additionally, most literacy coursework is designed from a Western perspective whose historical, political and social foundational structures hold English literacy and Western funds …

Leveraging The Dynamics Of The Mixed Level Classroom: A Materials Collection, Emily Hampston

MA TESOL Collection

A number of studies have noted the rise in student demographic diversity and the heightened significance of the mixed-level classroom; however, a consensus on the appropriate methods and materials to address these developments remains to be reached. Educators are anticipated to address the needs of students with a variety of abilities, backgrounds, and interests in a singular class. Less proficient students face overstimulation whilst more proficient students face understimulation. How can the challenges of the mixed-level classroom be recast into strengths? The mixed-level classroom environment calls for student investment, real language, and familiar processes. Methods such as peer tutoring, cooperative …

Colombia Intercultura Study Abroad, Nadeen Black

Capstone Collection

The Colombia Intercultura (CI) summer study abroad program connects racially diverse students from the United States to lesser-known locations in Colombia to foster a unique and comparative educational experience. Most study abroad programs available to foreigners in Colombia are offered in big cities like Bogotá and Medellín. The goal of this program is to facilitate intercultural learning for globally minded learners in various locations off the beaten track in Colombia. A growing economy, improved security, and greater access to social services are among some of Colombia’s most notable achievements towards growth in the last two decades. The civil war that …

Using Social-Emotional Learning To Support Academic Achievement In The Wake Of Covid-19: A Case Study Within Boone County Schools, Jessica Vowell

Capstone Collection

The state of West Virginia has one of the highest national rates of childhood poverty, with 25% of WV children living in poverty as of 2018, and 20% of WV households experiencing food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boone County Schools (BCS) is located in southern WV and serves many students who must overcome the academic barriers of poverty, food insecurity, adverse experiences, the lasting effects of a regional opioid epidemic, and now the social, emotional, and academic challenges stemming from COVID-19. Research suggests that helping students in these demographics develop emotional intelligence promotes their academic and even lifelong …

Using Film As A Multimodal Text In The Language Classroom, Kate Marie Steckmest

MA TESOL Collection

Film is a powerful medium for language acquisition; Not only does viewing films allow learners to experience language used in various real-life contexts, but the medium of film itself is a form of communication. Through the active viewing of films, students can explore how people with diverse backgrounds, accents, and cultures communicate using multiple modes such as gestures, images, and sounds. When learners are familiar with the techniques used by filmmakers to convey meaning, they can use the medium of film themselves to tell their stories and share their perspectives through filmmaking projects. Such projects can be collaborative and engaging …

Integrating Adult Mentorship Module Within Youth Oriented Programs, Shady Elfaham

Capstone Collection

ABSTRACT

World Learning (WL) is a non-governmental entity focused on the advancement of leaders around the world through educational exchange programs and sustainable development initiatives. Its Youth Exchange Unit comprises an experienced and inventive team designing and implementing cultural exchange programs centered on capacity and skills building in civic engagement, teambuilding, leadership, youth workforce development, and entrepreneurship. Through such experiential learning initiatives, WL staff have recognized the correlation between mentorship and positive youth development.

Recognizing the short- and long-term benefits that quality mentorship can generate for youth, this capstone project integrates a tailored adult mentorship module within upcoming WL youth-oriented …