Education Commons^™

Supporting Multilingual Learners’ Reading Competence: A Multiple Case Study Of Teachers’ Instruction And Student Learning And Motivation, Melissa A. Gallagher, Jori S. Beck, Erin M. Ramirez, Ana Taboada Barber, Michelle M. Buehl

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Supporting students’ reading competence (i.e., their comprehension and vocabulary) is complex, particularly when working with multilingual learners, and involves implementing instructional practices to support their behavioral engagement in reading as well as their reading motivation. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine changes in multilingual learners’ reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, reading engagement, and reading motivation after participating in a 7-week intervention called United States History for Engaged Reading (USHER) and then examine qualitative data to explain why these changes may have occurred. We found changes in the reading comprehension of MLs across all four teachers’ classes, …

Diversity, Dignity, Equity, And Inclusion In The Age Of Division, Discord, And Disunion: Stereotyping, Sexist, Hegemony In Education, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The article addresses diversity issues related to language, gender, and culture. Topics include fundamental areas of research essential to the discussion on language diversity in the context of education with respect to equity, poverty, stereotype threat, Pygmalion Effect, non-sexist language, and Matthews Effect. The discussion on diversity and equity creates a space to think about issues of access, opportunity, voice, and equal participation within society and educational settings. Diversity among humans requires thoughtful considerations, accommodations, and differentiations in educational treatment, yet providing equal opportunities for growth and learning for all.

A Glimmer Of Hope For Tomorrow: Conversations With The 2022 Social Justice Literature Award Winners, Judith M. Dunkerly, Char Moffit

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Against a backdrop of legislation aimed at classroom book bannings and efforts to whitewash curriculum, this article draws from interviews with the winners of the 2022 International Literacy Association's Social Justice Literature Award winners to offer hope and inspiration for literacy teachers, researchers, and most importantly, young readers. Utilizing a World Cafe approach, the authors of this article talk with the award winners about their personal stories, the origins of these social justice books, and their message for students, teachers, and caregivers in these tumultuous times. It concludes with a discussion of the use of social justice texts in the …

Developing Teacher Candidates’ Multicultural Lenses Through Disciplinary Writing Assignments, Kristie Gutierrez, Jori S. Beck, Kaavonia Hinton, Kelly Rippard, Yonghee Suh

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of providing scaffolded disciplinary writing assignments to develop teacher candidates’ multicultural lenses. This study was set in a secondary education program at one mid-Atlantic university. Faculty in this program focused on five dimensions of multicultural education (ME) to better serve teacher candidates within their program through the development of ME-focused disciplinary writing assignments. In required courses within the program, teacher candidates (TCs) completed assignments such as a student shadow experience, infographic, journal, community mapping activity, and practitioner journal article. Qualitative data were collected to explore TCs’ understanding of the ME …

"Native Speakers Do Not Understand Me": A Phenomenological Study Of Student Experiences From Developing Asian Countries At An American University, Wolayat Tabasum Niroo, Mitchell R. Williams

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

International students from developing Asian countries where English is the second and foreign language are marginalized in some American Universities due to language barriers. Native English speakers often assume that whoever comes to the United States should be able to speak and write English perfectly. In developing Asian countries, such as South Asia, however, the English language belongs to the families of the Middle and Upper classes. They can get admission in English spoken countries’ higher education institutions. However, when those students come to English-speaking countries, they feel othered, left alone, and disappointed. This study utilizes a phenomenological research method …

Native Presence And Sovereignty In College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons To Defeat Systemic Monsters, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In Native Presence and Sovereignty in College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons to Defeat Systemic Monsters, Amanda Tachine delineates the barriers that hinder the personal and academic goals of Navajo students, and what sources of strength and comfort these students channel to guide them toward college. Tachine stresses the importance of story-sharing and world-making, which she herself employs. She uses a story rug technique, weaving together the narratives of ten Navajo students as they journey to and through college, bringing together their experiences of belonging in educational settings and offering us lessons gleaned. The storylines serve as threads, which she connects …

Book Review: Higher Education In The Era Of Migration, Displacement, And Internationalization, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Higher Education in the Era of Migration, Displacement and Internationalization by Khalid Arar, Yasar Kondakci, Bernhard Streitwieser, and Anna Saiti provides a multifaceted exploration of the dilemmas involved in higher education policymaking and administration in keeping with the accelerated pace, scale, and diversity of transnational migration. Assuming that higher education empowers displaced persons to better themselves and their host communities, Arar et al. consider specific dynamics that shape the educational trajectories and choices available to these populations. The co-authors list activities and initiatives employed in various world states to create higher education pathways for displaced persons, highlighting different variables that …

The Evolving Identities Of Hsi And Differentiated Funding, Amanda K. Burbage, Chris Glass

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

To achieve Higher Education Act Title V funding goals, policymakers must reconsider approaches, respond to Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) diversity, and prioritize servingness. This study investigated HSI heterogeneity across traditional performance metrics and student-engagement indicators using data sources previously only examined independently. A multi-step TwoStep cluster analysis revealed six clusters of HSIs. The two most important predictors of cluster membership were years with an HSI designation (transitioning and established) and institution type (associate, bachelor, and special focus). Key quantitative metrics may be useful for policy actors seeking an equity-minded Title V award strategy that considers HSI heterogeneity and prioritizes HEA Title …

Promoting Diversity In Teaching Cybersecurity Through Gicl, Yuming He, Wu He, Xiaohong Yuan, Li Yang, Theo Bastiaens (Ed.)

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

In summary, it is necessary to develop a diverse group of K-12 students’ interest and skills in cybersecurity as cyber threats continue to grow. Evidence shows that educating the next generation of cyber workers is a crucial job that should begin in elementary school. To ensure the effectiveness of cybersecurity education and equity at the K-12 level, teachers must create thoughtful plans for considering communities’ interests and needs, and to continually reconsider what’s working and how to adjust our strategies, approaches, design, and research plan to meet their specific needs, challenges, and strengths, particularly with students from under-served and underrepresented …

A Transdisciplinary Approach To International Teaching Assistants: Perspectives From Applied Linguistics, Heidi Fischer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lessons From The Past And Challenges For The Future: Inclusive Education For Students With Unique Needs, William Evans, Robert A. Gable, Amany Habib

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The school-age population of students is becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. There is mounting recognition that English Learners (EL) represent a unique group of students who have special educational and linguistic needs. This article considered the needs of learners with diverse special needs such as (a) learning and behavior challenges and (b) English Learners identified as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). We highlighted some potential lessons to be learned from past-to-present efforts to serve students with behavior problems. Selected evidence-based practices were featured that are applicable to learners with special needs, thereby supporting the development …

Ambitious And Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed And Struggle In American Higher Education, Minghui Hou

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In this new publication, Syracuse University Associate Professor Yingyi Ma employs a mixed-method research design to examine and analyze the educational motivations, experiences, and trajectories of a new wave of Chinese undergraduate students from diverse family backgrounds with an emphasis on “the duality of ambition and anxiety” (p. 7). This book challenges the stereotyped expectations of Americans in regards to Chinese students (for instance, that all are from well-off families and have poor English skills). Ma argues that it is pivotal to consider the educational, social, and cultural backgrounds of Chinese internationals in their processes of self-formation in order to …

Transforming Study Abroad: A Handbook [Book Review], Heidi Fischer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In her new handbook, Transforming Study Abroad: A Handbook (2019), Doerr takes the discourse surrounding several education abroad concepts in a new direction. She emphasizes the need for a rigorous theoretical framework throughout the education abroad experience for students to successfully process their experiences while studying abroad. Transforming Study Abroad is a well researched and practical handbook that includes sample questions for students to consider that can be used in various settings, such as in one-on-one meetings with administrators, in small group discussions, or during orientation sessions. Additionally, the book could lend itself as a textbook for a reflection-based education …

Teachers' Efforts To Support Undocumented Students Within Ambiguous Policy Contexts, Hillary Parkhouse, Virginia R. Massaro, Melissa J. Cuba, Carolyn N. Waters

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Although education scholars have recently focused greater attention on the experiences of undocumented youth in schools, few studies have examined educators' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities with regards to this population. Since the 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe guaranteed education to this group and barred schools from inquiring about immigration status, little additional policy has offered guidance on how schools can support this group while also refraining from identifying it's members. Policies are particularly lacking in new destination areas where there are fewer resources and less infrastructure for new immigrant populations. As increasingly harsh immigration enforcement policies …

Are (We) Going Deep Enough?: A Narrative Literature Review Addressing Critical Race Theory, Radical Space Theory, And Black Identity Development, Kala Burrell-Craft

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

A narrative literature review was conducted to examine how researchers address the concept of intersectionality using critical race theory, racial space theory, and Black identity development. A Boolean search revealed 18 articles met criteria for consideration. Multiple reviews occurred to isolate the articles that contained all the search criteria and multiple reviews occurred that selected the Boolean phrase or phrases that the researcher was searching for. Thirteen of the 18 articles met one or more search criteria and were included in the review, however, no articles matched 100 percent for inclusion. Thus, indicating we are not going deep enough in …

Raising Children To Speak Their Heritage Language In The Usa: Roles Of Korean Parents, Guang-Lea Lee, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Parents play a significant role in fostering Korean-American children's heritage language learning. This qualitative inquiry investigates Korean immigrant parents' beliefs and the language practices they engage in to raise their children to speak Korean. Based on questionnaires completed by 40 parents and in-depth, open-ended interviews with 5 parents, this study specifically focuses on Korean parents residing in an area with a low Korean immigrant population and how they perceive, foster, and advocate for their children's Heritage Language (HL) learning. The findings show that parents play crucial roles as active advocates of their children's HL learning and positive belief in HL …

Family Structure Stability And Transitions, Parental Involvement, And Educational Outcomes, Shana L. Pribesh, Jane Smith Carson, Mikaela J. Dufur, Yuanyuan Yue, Kathy Morgan

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The family environments children live in have profound effects on the skills, resources, and attitudes those children bring to school. Researchers studying family structure have found that children who live with two married, opposite-sex, biological parents, on average, have better educational outcomes than children living in alternate family structures, perhaps due to higher resources, lower stressors, or different selectivity patterns. Socioeconomic stratification plays a major role in family structure, with low-income families seeing more instability. We argue that the impact of family structure is attenuated by transitions in and out of family structures that may decrease a specific resource important …

Providing Feedback On The Lexical Use Of Esp Students’ Academic Presentations: Teacher Training Considerations, Alla Zareva

English Faculty Publications

This chapter offers a description of a methodology for providing training to pre-service English for Academic and Specific Purposes (EAP/ESP) teacher trainees in giving evidence-based feedback on the lexical composition of ESP students’ academic presentations. It also discusses a study based on the analysis of the mock feedback provided by the EAP/ESP teacher trainees (n=20) to ESP students’ presentations with a focus on the effects of training. The results revealed that the training was successful in areas such as raising the teacher trainees’ awareness of how to evaluate various lexical categories in an ESP presentation, how to incorporate their evaluation …

Principles And Practices Of Teaching English Language Learners, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This conceptual paper presents diverse approaches and strategies for preparing competent teachers who work with either English Language Learners (ELLs) or students who speak English as a Second Language (ESL). The pedagogical approaches discussed herein include practical and hands-on activities for teachers at any level. Bilingual learning improves ELL's cognitive development as well as their self-esteem. The paper outlines underlying principles for the best practices with an emphasis on ESL students and also to other learning situations and students. Teachers can modify their instructional methods to adjust ELL's learning needs. Specifically, even though the discussion is framed in the context …

How Should Institutions Of Higher Education Define And Measure Student Success? Student Success As Liberal Education Escapes Definition And Measurement, Laura E. Smithers, Peter M. Magolda (Ed.), Marcia B. Baxter Magolda (Ed.), Rozana Carducci (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph]

The question structuring this chapter begins with the presumption that we should define and measure student success. The perspective missing from this question is: What possibilities exist for versions of student success in excess of its definition and measurement? Measurements ask us to standardize definitions of success—say, four-year graduation—and work to produce all students in this image. As a former academic adviser, I can read a university catalog and tell you the quickest pathways to graduation a university has to offer. This makes me an asset to institutions that place a value on student success as measured by …

Life Outside Your Comfort Zone: The Power Of Reflection For Cultural Adjustment, Jobila Sy, Natalie Cruz

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This reflective paper explores the different experiences of two higher education professionals who utilized intentional reflection to help with the transition to new countries and cultural environments. One story focuses on how the higher education professional grappled with different challenges even though her new environments afforded her a novel privilege of membership in a racial and religious majority. The other higher education professional’s story discusses her transition from life as a member of the majority to a member of the minority in a different religious and racial context. The paper concludes by sharing recommendations for how other higher education professionals …

Advancing The Field Of Human Services: Lgbt Competencies, Narketta Sparkman-Key, Nicola Meade, Ne'shaun Bordern

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals and Generic Human Services Professional Competencies adopted by the National Organization for Human Services do not include language or competencies specific to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. Without a specific ethical code and/or competency outlined by the field, human services practitioners do not have clear guidelines for their work with these populations. Additionally, researchers lack a way to formally measure professionals’ abilities with these populations. This leaves potential for these historically marginalized populations to continue to be in a vulnerable position. To address these needs, authors reviewed established competencies in other helping …

Black And Latino Fathers Of Students With Autism: Culturally Responsive Support, Michael D. Hannon, Kaprea F. Johnson, Nicole A. Christian, Lachan V. Hannon

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Perspectives from five Black and Latino fathers of students with autism are shared from this qualitative pilot study. The fathers were asked to describe the most helpful forms of support from school counselors. One-time, semi-structured interviews were conducted and interpreted with the thematic analysis method. Results suggest support from other parents, and specifically from other fathers, with shared experiences is most helpful. Recommendations for school counseling practice and research are shared.

Resilience For A World In Flux, Chris R. Glass

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

There is no question that global student mobility faces significant headwinds in the current geopolitical context. The rise of nationalism worldwide has led many international researchers to reflect on their role as educators and leaders. Resilience is vital during such tumultuous times. The popular definition of resilience is the capacity to quickly recover from difficulties and setbacks. The term is often misunderstood for a type of sturdy individualism that some people possess more than others or the immunity from stress and negative emotions. There is another, more empirically-based, understanding of resilience. Diane Coutu (2002) outlines three dimensions of resilience: (a) …

Culturally Competant Pedagogy: Inclusiveness That Extends Beyond Diversity, Shuntay Z. Mccoy, Narketta M. Sparkman-Key

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Institutional practices that go beyond merely securing the presence of diverse students are vital to enhancing the university experience of underrepresented populations. Consequently, this workshop will draw from empirical findings that emphasize cultural inclusivity as a method of cultural competence that extends beyond traditional institutional diversity. Presenters will provide various strategies for engaging in culturally competent pedagogy that will enhance the university experience of all students, including diverse populations.

An Asynchronous Course/Laboratory Development For Automation Controls, Cheng Y. Lin, Mileta Tomovic, Vukica M. Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The development of asynchronous courses is to help students who are restricted by work requirements, family responsibilities, geographical distance, disabilities, and combination of these factors. It also provides flexibilities to on-campus students. In this paper, the framework structure of an asynchronous course and laboratory development for an automation control is presented. The challenge in this development is to implement the hands-on laboratory experience to those distance learning students who may not be able to access the real equipment. Results of the implementation including opinion feedbacks and grade distributions show that students welcome the format of this development.

Culturally Relevant Booktalking: Using A Mixed Reality Simulation With Preservice School Librarians, Janice Underwood, Sue Crownfield Kimmel, Danielle Forest, Gail K. Dickinson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The role of school librarians is often overlooked in advancing a respect for cultural diversity among youth, yet librarians are in key positions to champion for social justice reform in educational settings. In this qualitative study, we examine preservice school librarians' experiences with booktalking multicultural literature in a mixed reality simulation environment, as a vehicle to introduce social justice issues. Our purpose was to explore the booktalking experience as a means of developing preservice librarians' understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy, a stance concerned with developing cultural competence and critical consciousness. Our findings revealed that preservice librarians gained different levels of …

Uneven Experiences: The Impact Of Student-Faculty Interactions On International Students' Sense Of Belonging, Chris R. Glass, Elizabeth Kociolek, Rachawan Wongtrirat, R. Jason Lynch, Summer Cong

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examines student-faculty interactions in which U.S. professors signal social inclusion or exclusion, facilitating–or inhibiting–international students’ academic goal pursuits. It compares narratives of 40 international students from four purposefully sampled subgroups – academic preparedness (low, high) and financial resources (low, high). Overall, international students’ interactions with professors were marked by joy, trust, anticipation, and surprise. Nonetheless, the narratives exhibit two significant sources of variation: narratives from the low financial resources, high academic preparedness subgroup reflected widely-varied experiences interacting with professors, and narratives from the low financial, low academic preparedness subgroup lacked any descriptions of positive student-faculty interactions.

Students' Perspectives Of Ngo Service-Learning Experiences: A Case Study Of Operation Smile, Suzanne B. Unger, Shana Pribesh, Linda Bol, Daniel Dickerson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Past research demonstrated both strong and questionable benefits to students participating in domestic service-learning. However, we know little about high school and college students' perspectives of service-learning while working with nonprofit, non-governmental (NGO) agencies that serve international populations. This qualitative, exploratory study aims to determine how students perceive their lives are impacted as a result of their service-learning experiences at Operation Smile. Data were collected from two focus groups comprised of high school and university youth. Results indicated service-learning in an international setting positively influences areas of personal growth, career choice, and future philanthropic participation. It also affects level of …

Reading The World In The Word: The Possibilities For Literacy Instruction Framed Within Human Rights Education, Judith Dunkerly-Bean

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this critical ethnography (Madison, 2005; Noblit, Flores & Murrillo, 2004) was to investigate the experiences of teachers and students when literacy instruction was framed within human rights education. Informed by theories of cosmopolitan education (Beck, 2002; Beck & Szneider, 2010; Goldstein, 2007; Harper & Bean, 2009; Hull, 2010), critical socio-cultural theory (Moje & Lewis, 2007) and incorporating Freirean concepts of critical literacy and praxis, this study details the experiences of two servant leader interns (teachers) and sixteen scholars (students) participating in human rights education within the context of a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School.