Education Commons^™

Latina Lesbian Students: Understanding Their Experiences And Perceived Sexual Identity Development At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Gisela P. Vega

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 15 Latina lesbian students and their perceived sexual identity development at a predominately Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI). Participants for this study were purposefully selected using criteria, convenience, and snowball sampling.

Using a conceptual framework comprised of the four tenets consistent across the spectrum of all sexual identity development models, participants’ experiences were described, analyzed, and interpreted to inform the study. Data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews, using an interview protocol, and were analyzed using inductive, deductive, and comparative analyses.

Three themes emerged during the inductive analysis: (a) the …

Childbirth Education In Jordan: Content, Feasibility And Challenges Of Implementing A Childbirth Education Program In Jordan, Fatima Malkawi Ms

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No childbirth education (CE) programs are available in the public sectors in Jordan. Many studies from Jordan recommended that pregnant women be educated about their health needs during pregnancy and childbirth. From the literature, CE programs were found to have positive effects on pregnancy and childbirth outcomes. Four focus groups with pregnant women, midwives and physicians were conducted to examine the perceptions of pregnant women, midwives and physicians regarding the content, feasibility, and challenges of implementing a CE program in Jordan. The 4 focus groups, two with pregnant women (one group with 8 primiparous women and one group with 6 …

Using A Repeated Measures Anova Design To Analyze The Effect Writing In Mathematics Has On The Mathematics Achievement Of Third Grade English Language Learners And English Speakers, Zoe A. Morales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gap that exists between English language learners and English speaking students’ achievement in mathematics continues to grow. Moreover, students are now required to show evidence of their mathematics knowledge through writing in standardized assessments and class assignments.

The purpose of this study was to analyze students’ writing in mathematics and the metacognitive behaviors they portrayed through their writing as they solved mathematics problems. The instruments included a pretest, two biweekly tests, and a posttest. The writing instruction encompassed students learning to solve problems by using Polya’s four phases of problem solving which was completed in 12 sessions over a …

Travel Education: A Phenomenological Study On Self-Directed Learning And Personal Enrichment Through Foreign Travel Experiences, Richard Jason Dapko

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the broad field of education, studies have been done to understand the ways in which adult learning, development, and transformation are fostered in travel contexts. Such studies mainly used the experiential learning and transformational learning theoretical frameworks to look at participants’ lived learning experiences from travel. However, there is a void when one searches for studies that examine the intersection of self-directed learning and travel. This study used self-directed learning theory to explore the essence of learning from foreign travel experiences. The aim of this study was to understand the role of self-directed learning as a learning process that …

Predictors Of English Reading Comprehension And Performance In College-Level Composition Among Generation 1.5 Students, Ildiko Barsony

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Generation 1.5 students, foreign-born children of first-generation immigrants, complete some or most of their K-12 education in the United States. Their oral communicative competence may be advanced, but their academic language proficiency may still be underdeveloped when they enter college. In 2013, SB1720 made placement testing optional for most Florida public high school graduates, including generation 1.5 students, making them eligible to enroll directly in the college-level English Composition 1 (ENC 1101) course. In order to succeed in this course, generation 1.5 students may need additional support appropriate to their unique needs.

This study first described the literacy backgrounds of …

An Investigation Of The Link Between Nonverbal Aptitude And Academic Achievement, John E. Althoff

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When a private school works to serve a diverse student population and provide excellence in education, academic aptitude is important to evaluate to better predict whether a student will be provided an education that is appropriately leveled.

Comparing the previous grades of a diverse applicant pool may prove problematic because of the differing scaling and grading methods utilized in differing educational systems. A nonverbal aptitude test may be utilized to fill this purpose by not only gauging a student’s aptitude, but also by minimizing bias associated with cultural or linguistic differences, as well as differences that may present themselves because …

Using Culturally Responsive Teaching With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Specific Learning Disabilities To Increase Performance In Algebra I, Lorena R. Munoz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the United States (U.S.) population continues to change and become racially/ethnically, culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse, so does the population in public schools (Institute of Education Sciences, 2010). Additionally, the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students has been overrepresented in the subgroup of students with learning disabilities (SLD) (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002; Kalynpur & Harry, 2012; Klingner & Harry, 2014). Therefore, there is a need to adapt the curriculum and pedagogy to teach the growing number of diverse students in public schools. The results of national assessments show that students of color have lagged behind their White …

Beyond Special And General Education As Identity Markers: The Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Preservice Teachers’ Understanding Of The Effects Of Intersecting Sociocultural Identities, Mildred Boveda

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intersectionality can advance an understanding of the gap created by the lack of an integrated treatment of diversity in teacher preparation research. Intersectionality is a frame that explores the complexities of the interactions of markers of difference. It holds great potential as a concept for preservice teachers’ understanding of diversity because it can inform collaborative efforts with diverse stakeholders and facilitate preservice teachers’ understanding of diverse learners. The researcher uses the term “intersectional competence” to describe preservice teachers’ understanding of diversity and how students, families, and colleagues have multiple sociocultural markers that intersect in nuanced and unique ways. In this …

Meaning Negotiated Through Independently-Written Summaries And Oral Academic Conversations: Enhancing Comprehension Of Science Text By Ninth-Grade, English Learners, Edward C. Burke

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

English Learners experience challenges related to comprehension of science text particularly at the high school level. The language of science differs significantly from that of conversation and expository text. Students benefit from collaborative interpretation of readings. Additionally, there appears to be a need to train adolescents in the oral language skills requisite for academic discourse.

This study employed a sample of high school physical science students (N = 75) whose first language was Spanish and who were currently developing English language proficiency. It used quasi-experimental methodology with treatment and comparison groups, during the normal operations of the public school …

Role Of Students’ Participation On Learning Physics In Active Learning Classes, Binod Nainabasti

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students’ interactions can be an influential component of students’ success in an interactive learning environment. From a participation perspective, learning is viewed in terms of how students transform their participation. However, many of the seminal papers discussing the participationist framework are vague on specific details about what student participation really looks like on a fine-grained scale. As part of a large project to understand the role of student participation in learning, this study gathered data that quantified students’ participation in three broad areas of two student-centered introductory calculus-based physics classes structured around the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) philosophy. These …

A Value-Driven Exploration Of Online & In-Person Learning For Professionals, Tammy S. Sanders

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to undertake a learner-centered exploration of delivery mode relevance in professional learning. Given the increasing pervasiveness of technology-mediated online delivery in nondegree professional learning at the individual and enterprise levels, this study has a particular focus on learning value ascribed by learners to online and in-person delivery in relation to their professional development.

Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study to collect and examine data from adult professionals in an effort to determine how value is ascribed to learning. With this aim in mind, this study focused on the following research questions: …

Investigating Vocabulary Abilities In Bilingual Portuguese-English-Speaking Children, Ana Paula Fabian

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the vocabulary abilities of bilingual Portuguese-English-speaking children compared to their monolingual peers. Parental Report Surveys were conducted using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs), which are standardized norms for vocabulary assessment. Electronic versions of the “Words and Sentences CDI” in English and Brazilian-Portuguese were used in order to assess the vocabulary of children between the ages of 16 and 36 months. Parents answered the surveys online.

Different vocabulary score types were used in order to evaluate the children’s lexicons: The Total Vocabulary score, the Conceptual Vocabulary scores, and the Total Modified Vocabulary. The analyses of the results …

Efficacy And Implementation Of Automated Essay Scoring Software In Instruction Of Literacies To High Level Ells, Aaron J. Alvero

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explored the integration of automated essay scoring (AES) software into the writing curriculum for high level ESOL students (levels 3, 4, and 5 on a 1-5 scale) at a high school in Miami, Fl. Issues for Haitian Creole speaking students were also explored. The Spanish and Haitian Creole speaking students were given the option to write notes, outlines, and planning sheets in their L1.

After using AES in the middle of the writing process as a revision assistant tool, 24 students responded to a Likert Scale questionnaire. The students responded positively to the AES based on the results …

The Relationship Between Undergraduate Hispanic Students' Choice Of Living Arrangements And Retention, Academic Achievement And Graduation At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Lynn N. Hendricks

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retaining and graduating Hispanic students are paramount to the overall success of colleges and universities. Given the excessive amounts of money spent to recruit students, and the impact on the institution when students depart prematurely, action needs to be taken by institutions to increase Hispanic student retention and counter the negative impacts on institutions including: instability of institutional enrollments, decline in institutional budgets, and public negative perceptions of institutional quality. Despite significant efforts on the part of many colleges and universities to increase Hispanic student retention and graduation rates, these rates have remained relatively low.

A possible solution to disappointing …

Training Through Serious Games: The Relationship Between Travel Agent Engagement, Knowledge Of Cruise Products And Cruise Sales, Lizette Cruzie Pabon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research is limited on the role game-based training has on the engagement of learners. The following study was conducted to further advance research on engagement and game-based training in businesses by studying the engagement of travel agents in the game.

Engagement is the manner in which a learner's cognitive and motor skills are motivated when participating in a game. Engaged learners will often push through challenging tasks and will concentrate on improving their skills due to their excitement about playing. The present study examined the engagement of travel agents as they played a serious game. The serious game, Adventures Game, …

Peers As An Academic Resource: An Investigation Of An Afterschool Program To Socialize At-Risk Students With Disabilities Into Greater Academic Engagement, Cynthia Pellegrini-Lafont

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most evident signs that a child is on the path to dropping out of [BT1] school is disengagement from school (Kortering & Christenson, 2009). Given the amount of time that young people spend with their peers and the influence that peers have (Monahan, Steinberg, & Caufman, 2009), there is a need to better understand the role that peers play in the decision to drop out of school (Farmer, Estell, Leug, Trott, Biship, & Caims, 2003). Using Ericson’s stages of psychosocial development (1956), social identity theory, and self-categorization theory as a framework, an afterschool program in the form …

A Descriptive Case Study Examining The Perceptions Of Haitian American Parents And The Perceptions Of Their Children’S Teachers On The Parents’ Involvement In A Structured Parent Intervention Program, Kristina M. Taylor

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental involvement is legally mandated requirement in schools across the United States, and prevalent in special education legislation. However, methods for increasing and promoting parent involvement of minority subgroups in low socioeconomic areas are scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and describe Haitian parents’ perceptions of their involvement in a structured parent intervention program and to describe the perceptions of their children’s teachers concerning the parents’ involvement in the program.

In this study, the researcher used a descriptive qualitative case study methodology. All participants in the 5-month program implementation were interviewed at three points throughout the …

High School Content-Area Teachers’ Responses To An Exploratory, Investigative, And Experimental Professional Development Program For Content Area Literacy, Laura E. Ferreira Vesga

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent literacy rates for students who struggle, particularly those with disabilities are alarming, especially in light of increased educational standards. As higher standards place a greater emphasis on reading and writing, addressing students’ literacy needs in the content areas has become a topic of interest in reading education. Although there is much debate about how to address this need, it is clear that content area teachers need support addressing literacy in their subject areas.

An exploratory case study design was used to examine the responses of high school content area teachers to an EIE (exploratory, investigative, and experimental) professional development …

Students With Physical Disabilities - Reflections On Their Experiences With Work Preparation Programs, Services And Accommodations In A Higher Education Institution, Claudia Castillo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a variety of reasons, college students with disabilities encounter stressors beyond those of students who do not have disabilities. One of the more salient examples is that students with disabilities are required to disclose that they have a disability and to communicate with faculty and staff in order to receive academic accommodations, as afforded to them under sub-part E of Section 504 of the Education and Rehabilitation Act of 1974. Therefore, postsecondary institutions are required to make appropriate accommodations available to students with disabilities, but they are not required to proactively seek them out.

The purpose of this study …

Authentic Servant-Leadership Exemplified By Early Childhood Educator David Lawrence Jr.: A Case Study, Blanca Correa-Cespedes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advocacy and leadership style are essential concepts in education. This qualitative case study was undertaken to demonstrate how Robert K. Greenleaf’s servant-leadership framework could be a useful framework to adopt by educational leaders and child advocates. Servant-leadership identifies the needs of others as a primary goal of leadership. The study contributes to understanding the value of exemplary servant-leadership and advocacy in public education as demonstrated by David Lawrence Jr. The researcher addressed questions regarding how Lawrence embodies servant-leadership traits and explored how a servant-leader has been positively influencing early childhood public educational policy in Florida to benefit all children.

There …

The Relationship Of The Parental Involvement Of Latino Immigrant Parents Of Middle School Students And Student Academic Achievement, Cory R. Rodriguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Latino population in the United States is projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years as well as the numbers of Latino students enrolled in public schools. These schools are challenged with a gap in Latino student achievement when compared to White non-Hispanic students. Studies indicate that parental involvement in school settings has been correlated to student achievement and that parental involvement is lower for Latino parents than White parents.

The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between parental involvement of seventh grade middle school Latino students and students’ reading and mathematics achievement. The study …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Using Twitter By High School Mathematics Students Learning Linear Equations In Algebra 1, Manuel Vilchez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effect of using Twitter by high school mathematics students learning linear equations in Algebra 1. This quasi-experimental study used ninth grade Algebra 1 classes that were learning linear equations for 18 school days.

First, the nonequivalent control group design, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, was used in this quasi-experimental study. The research hypotheses were tested using a factorial analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the pretest on linear equations score as the covariate. The control group had three classes (n = 73) and the experimental group had three classes (n …

Faculty Perceptions Of Self-Plagiarism And Other Forms Of Academic Dishonesty Among University Students, Carleen Vincent-Robinson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As university faculty are often required to police academic misconduct among students, their attitudes and beliefs toward misconduct warrant investigation, particularly as the failure to act may exacerbate the incidence of students’ unethical behaviors. Therefore, this descriptive study examined faculty perceptions of academic dishonesty among students, institutional support, and self-plagiarism using an electronic-mail questionnaire (N = 201) and assessed the academic environment, frequency of student misconduct, and severity of those behaviors.

Female faculty were more likely than male faculty to perceive high levels of cheating on exams (pppppppppp

Additionally, online faculty were more likely than campus-based faculty …