Education Commons^™

Closing The Teacher Diversity Gap, Emily Holzknecht

Capstones

In New York City, 43 percent of boys in the public school system may never have a teacher who looks like them. Recruitment initiatives have brought more men of color into the classroom, but challenging work environments are driving these much-needed teachers to find more profitable work in a less stressful environment.

Nationally, minority and non-minority teachers are leaving the profession at an increasing rate. In New York, men of color represent about 8 percent of the teachers, while boys of color make up almost half of the student population. Taking aim at this disparity, the de Blasio administration plans …

Report Detailing The Development Of University Articulation Agreements And Course Syllabi Revisions For The Engineering Drafting & Design Technology Program At Salt Lake Community College, Michael Stenquist

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project is an attempt to close the gap between local industry, higher education, and the Engineering Drafting and Design Technology (EDDT) department at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). As a longtime drafting instructor in the EDDT department at SLCC, a need for change in industry from board drafting, to 2-D CAD, and now to 3-D CAD has occurred. Because of these changes, the program has continually been updated to meet the needs of the students and local industries. The purpose of this project detailed in this report was first, to explore the drafting needs of professionals working in the …

Professional School Counselors : Integral Stakeholders In The Recruitment, Retention, And Support Of African American, Latino, And Low-Income Students In Advanced Placement Programs., Damien Sweeney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have been conducted that show the importance of diversifying Advanced Placement Courses. However, Griffin and Steen (2011) state that: Despite a vast body of literature that stresses the importance of school counselors in addressing inequities that exists in schools, few articles provide concrete strategies that school counselors can infuse in their practice. More research is warranted because many school counselors face barriers when trying to implement systemic change in the schools. (p. 76) This qualitative research study is based on a collective phenomenological case study of six participants (five Professional School Counselors and one Director of School Counselors) …

Diversity Education: Are We Preparing Teachers To Teach All Learners?, Lindi Andreasen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Five hundred twenty-three preservice teachers from six different preparation programs completed the diversity and multicultural perspectives portion of the Professional Teaching Knowledge and Skills Survey (PTKSS) to determine their feelings of multicultural efficacy at the end of their program and again after their first year of teaching. Statistical analysis revealed that preservice teachers rate their capability to teach diverse students as "adequate" to "well" on a 5 point Likert type scale (M=35.28, possible Range=0-50), with no significant drop in self-efficacy after one year of teaching (M=34.09). However, individual item means did drop consistently between the preservice and inservice stages, and …

Institutional Racism Through The Eyes Of African American Male Faculty At Community Colleges In The Pacific Northwest, Kimberly Harden

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of African American male faculty at community colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Regional data mirrors national statistics denoting the low number of faculty of color working at state-funded community colleges. The literature reviewed for this study suggests that African American male faculty experience racism and gender bias during their academic career journeys. This study sought insight from five African American male faculty to answer the overarching research question: What are the possible perceived institutional barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of African American male faculty? These individuals were …

Reading As A Resource: Exploring Reading Habits And Multicultural Awareness And Acceptance In Undergraduate Students, Megan E. Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Considerable research has been conducted examining the benefits of diversity on campus and diversity programming for undergraduate students. However, minimal research has been focused on connecting reading fiction as a potential resource for diversity programming. Diversity courses, racial awareness workshops, and service learning opportunities are all supported by research for their transformational influence on students’ attitudes and perceptions towards minority and underrepresented groups on campus. Emerging studies have established that reading narrative fiction can enhance readers’ empathic and multicultural attitudes, shift perspectives and outlooks, and enhance moral reasoning. Benefits such as these could be harnessed to cultivate a campus culture …

A Quantitative Study On Student Perception Of Campus Climate For Diversity At A Predominantly White Institution, Tyler O. Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study was conducted during the spring 2015 semester at Rowan University—a Predominantly White Institution located in Glassboro, NJ that also consists of classes in Camden, NJ. The target population of this study was all main-campus, full-time undergraduate students at or above the age of 18 years who were enrolled in Rowan University for at least a full semester—during the Fall 2014 semester and returned in the Spring 2015 semester.

The purpose of this research study was to close a knowledge gap for research surrounding undergraduate perception of campus climate for diversity at a Predominantly White Institution as represented …

Race Matters: Occupational Therapy As A Career Choice By High School Students Of Color, Kirsten L. Wilbur

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

This critical ethnographic study examined occupational therapy as a field that has maintained the historic exclusion of students of color through mainstream professional academic practice. In particular this paper explores systemic barriers that influence secondary to post-secondary pipeline decisions for urban, high school students of color. The tenets of critical race and Freirean critical theory guided analysis of the data collected from field notes, individual interviews and focus group discussions. Three categories representing student experiences with making post-secondary decisions emerged from the study: (a) navigating the system, (b) making choices, and (c) no interest in healthcare. Additional findings including …

Building On Community: A Community-Built Pipeline Of Community College-Educated Secondary Mathematics Teachers Of Color, Maria J. Gross

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The race/ethnic gap between secondary mathematics teachers and their students is widening as more students of color enroll in public schools. Community colleges serve local and diverse populations. Historical focus was on elementary education, but, nationally, community college students prepare for careers in secondary mathematics education. Despite Washington State’s strong community college network, few defined secondary mathematics teacher pathways exist. Washington State community colleges’ role in preparing secondary mathematics teachers of color is emerging but is not sufficient to overcome the secondary mathematics teacher shortage and race/ethnic gap.

The purpose of this case study was to understand the role community …

Analysis Of African American And White American Cognitive Profiles For Language And Cultural Influences, Nicole Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

One of the most concerning aspects of special education is the overrepresentation of African American minority youth receiving special education services. Samuel Ortiz and colleagues considered the issue of the representation of the Latino, English Language Learner (ELL) population in special education services based on cognitive performance in relation to the mainstream population. To target this concern they determined an estimated level of expected cognitive performance of ELL’s and impact of language and cultural differences to help eligibility teams more appropriately interpret and place students with the aid of the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix (C-LIM) model they developed. The current …

The Evaluation Of Family-School Collaboration With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Families, Samantha Silver

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that when parents are involved in their children’s academic and school life, children experience improved language achievement, overall behavior, grades, test scores, have improved attendance, and a lower chance of dropping out of school (Friend and Cook, 2007). Despite the growing diversity of U.S. schools, there is a still a systemic lack of effort to include parents of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This research study sought to examine barriers to establishing a successful collaborative relationship with these families from the perspective of elementary, middle, and high school teachers using an online survey. A total of 39 …

Towards Alternative Pathways: Nontraditional Student Success In A Distance-Delivered, Undergraduate Engineering Transfer Program, Angela L. Minichiello

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nontraditional students, including those who delay college entry, attend college part-time, work full-time, or financially support themselves or dependents, are highly underrepresented in engineering education. Recently, the United States began emphasizing a need to access this untapped human potential. U.S. educational policymakers now seek increased nontraditional student participation in engineering education through the creation of robust new pathways—within and between 2- and 4- year institutions—to undergraduate engineering degrees.

To be impactful, alternative pathways must be grounded in knowledge related to nontraditional student success in engineering. To access this knowledge, this study qualitatively examined the experiences of 14 nontraditional students who …

Retaining Staff Members Of Color At A Midwestern Predominantly White Institution, Tiffany L. Steele

Masters Theses

There continues to be a gap between the growing multicultural student body and predominantly White faculty and staff members who work with students. One factor in increasing the likelihood of persistence in college for minoritized students is the presence of a mentor with a similar ethnic background. Nevertheless, as of 2004, the populations of faculty, staff and administrators are still disproportionately dominated by White Americans. This study investigated how a university or college can better retain staff members of color. The participants were current and past staff members of color who worked at one university within the Midwestern United States. …

Recruitment And Retention Of Hispanic Nursing Students: Through The Lens Of Associate Degree Nursing Program Administrators And Hispanic Nursing Students, Debra Jean Handlos Devoe

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States is changing and will constitute 30% of the population in 2050; however, the Hispanic registered nurse population is less than 3%. Cultural differences between patients and nurses may cause harm and a mistrust that can affect patient outcomes. A mixed methods convergent research study was done by an electronic survey, non-electronic surveys, telephone interviews, and focus groups to compare the perceptions of nursing program administrators at seven community colleges in a Mid-Atlantic state, in the United States, and the perceptions of 15 Hispanic nursing students regarding the challenges, barriers, and obstacles of Hispanic …

Using Critical Literacies To Instruct Through Multicultural Text To Enhance Comprehension, Higher Order Thinking Skills, And Respect For Other Diversities, Shannon Moncrief Enders

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this approach was to instruct students using critical literacies within the confines of multicultural texts. While using a variety of texts, students were exposed to text and “voices” they might not otherwise have heard as well as learned to comprehend better and learned to use higher order thinking skills beyond the words on the page.

Will It Change Their Reflection? A Culturally Responsive Reaction To Literacy Failures, Idalis J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher research study was conducted in a second grade classroom. The teacher set out to find out: What happens when students who are faced with repeated literacy failures receive culturally responsive instruction in place of basic skills instruction? Children that struggle with reading often receive basic skills support as a form of intervention; yet still struggle in reading and other areas of literacy. Students often develop a negative identify of themselves as a reader and this leads to diminish and sometimes a lack of self-efficacy. The students in this study are at risk for falling below grade level in …

From Chilly Climate To Warm Reception: Experiences And Good Practices For Supporting Lgbtq Students In Stem, Carolyn S. Brinkworth

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning students (LGBTQ) face unique challenges during their university or college careers, and while society has generally become more accepting of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) over the past decade, students still often face chilly or outright hostile campus climates, as well as institutional and departmental policies and practices that create barriers to their learning and feeling of belonging in their classrooms and on their campuses. Research suggests that these issues are particularly pervasive in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and there is some evidence to suggest that LGBTQ individuals are …

An Evaluation Of The Techniques And Strategies For Recruiting African-Americans By 1862 Land-Grant Universities, Rashawn P. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

As post-secondary education becomes more important for the American citizen to generate wealth, universities are struggling to retain and graduate African-Americans, the third-most represented demographic in the country, especially at predominately white colleges and universities. The Colleges of Agriculture at these particular institutions are struggling to even get Black students to apply, let alone graduate. One of the major issues is the disconnect between the African-American community and the idea of post-secondary education in the agricultural field. One way that disconnect can be combatted is new techniques and strategies in recruiting African-Americans. This study identifies three themes based on interviews …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of The At-Risk Student, Andrea M. Quintero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify preservice teachers’ perceptions of the at-risk student and their perceptions toward their educational preparation to effectively teach the at-risk student. A ten-question survey was conducted to gain insight on 15 preservice teachers’ perceptions of the at-risk student. The results showed that 100% of the preservice teachers believe at-risk students could learn, but then were dissatisfied with the training that the teacher preparation program at the university has provided them. These findings suggest the importance of conducting further research on preservice teachers’ preparation programs. Preservice teachers’ ability to effectively teach the at-risk student …

Toward Epistemological Diversity In Stem-H Grantmaking: Grantors’ And Grantees’ Perspectives On Funding Indigenous Research, Programming, And Evaluation, Jessica C. Venable

Theses and Dissertations

Mainstream institutions have, historically, dismissed Indigenous worldviews, knowledges, and research approaches (Bowman-Farrell, 2015; Harrington & Pavel, 2013). However, in recent years, a literature has emerged articulating Indigenous research methodologies (IRMs), and their distinctiveness from Western, Eurocentric perspectives on inquiry (Denzin, Lincoln, & Smith, 2008; Kovach, 2009; Smith, 1999 & 2012; Wilson, 2008). This has coincided with increased need for IRM scholars and practitioners to secure extramural funds to support their activities. But questions remain as to how the U.S. federal grant making enterprise has accommodated Indigenous frameworks. This research explores synergies in the ways that grantees, grant makers, and other …

Faculty/Student Perceptions Of Their Relationship In A Cross-Cultural Academic Mentoring Dyad, Amber J.S. Daniel

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Diversity and mentoring are becoming important areas of study in leadership and educational disciplines. While some steps have been taken to conceptualize or delineate how these disparate elements function in higher education, there has been little research into how and where they intersect, namely, when mentoring dyads are comprised of individuals from diverse cultures. In this paper, the researcher shares her discoveries on how a cross-cultural academic dyad works in contemporary settings. She discusses the role of perceptions, expectations and actions-some of the essential ingredients of effective cross-cultural mentoring- which could be utilized as a guide for further study and/or …