Education Commons^™

An Ethnographic Interpretation Of Latino Perspectives On Family Engagement In Education, Mary Pollema

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this period of intense demographic change and educational reform that strongly emphasizes the imperative of family engagement, yet implicates minority culture parents as not being involved, it behooves the field of education to take a closer look at the rigidity that schools utilize in their normalized perceptions and practices of parental involvement. Effective involvement can consist of a number of different activities, but only a few are acknowledged in educational discourse. Therefore, it is important to hear the perspectives of families of other cultures in order to bring to light new understanding that will assist schools in building stronger …

Confronting The Past, Challenging The Future: Linguistic Hegemony, Capitalism, And Neoliberalism In Tesol, Crystal Bock Thiessen

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

Western capitalistic values that have given shape to contemporary neoliberal ideologies have, for too long now, greatly influenced the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) as a whole, essentially working to continue cycles of injustice and inequality throughout the field despite well-meaning intentions to the contrary. Dominant language ideologies and linguistic hegemony have greatly shaped both socialized and institutional discourse in English and have worked together to help commodify the idea of upward mobility and success for anyone and everyone who “buys-in” to learning English, reflecting neoliberal selling points that are often taken for granted as …

Multiracial Individuals And Educational Testing, Karen Alexander

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

A literature review focused on quantitative measures and methods regarding multiracial individuals and educational testing revealed that multiracial individuals are uniquely different than monoracial individuals in terms of their racial identity and these unique identities interact with test scores. Until recently, this uniqueness has been ignored by institutions and within the field of educational testing. The uniqueness of multiracial identity should be taken into consideration when using test measures to make decisions for selection and when comparing group outcomes. The review provides a brief picture regarding the history of categorization of multiracial individuals and current research which connects the multiracial …

Again Awake: A White Researcher’S Iterative Positioning For Entering Black Spaces, Eileen Boswell

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

In this blend of critical annotation and personal reflection, the author narratively frames a selection of works comprising a contextualized reading list for White researchers confronting and positioning their whiteness for the first time. Built around 21 influential texts, this personalized collection of what to read and possible directions for contemplation reflects one educator’s awakening to the crucial situating of White research in Black spaces. The texts include academic journal articles, magazine pieces, and book chapters covering topical and methodological considerations, in addition to monographs and popular press books. The narrative and annotation are interwoven, creating a mini literature review …

Exploration Of Lived Experiences Of Science Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Uma Ganesan

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

English language learners (ELLs) are a talented pool of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are persistently increasing both in absolute size and percentage in the U.S. school population; however, they are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in college as well as in the workforce (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). Education and scientific communities have found it challenging to improve students’ participation in STEM fields (Martinez et al., 2011). Exploring science teachers’ experiences could aid in improving academic achievement of ELLs and promoting educational equity. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is …

“You Shall Not Pass”: Predicting Attrition And Completion Of An Iraqi Academic Preparatory Program, Rachel Gresk, Elizabeth Niehaus

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this quantitative study is to understand the factors associated with student retention and matriculating from an Academic Preparatory Program to the undergraduate program at a university in Iraq. We used a logistic regression model to predict student’s probability of retention and maturation based on demographic and academic variables. We aim to ensure that institutions are identifying and implementing strategies to improve student success by first examining if the institutional enrollment approach is the best one for our students and institution. Our logistic regression analysis model found that ethnicity, initial English language placement, the Iraqi Baccalaureate Score, and …

Afterschool Club: German For K-5, Justin Solheim

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

The lessons found in this paper were designed for a group of 20-25 elementary schools students in downtown Lincoln, NE. The students were split into two groups: K-2 and 3-5. Through a variety of activities, the students learned the basics of the German language and culture. Many of the lessons are simple and do not require difficult thinking, as this was a summer club. Instead, they allow students to collaborate, move around, color, and solve puzzles.

Spaces And Societal Interactions: Foundations Of The Critical Disabled Cultural Lens Of A Child Of Disabled Adults, Amelia-Marie Altstadt

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

CoDisA are present on our campuses, but not present within research. This autoethnographic study focuses on providing the foundation of the critical disabled cultural lens of a Child of Disabled Adults (CoDisA) for future study of CoDisA within higher education research. The findings of spaces and societal interactions are presented through the accessible format of autoethnodrama. This two act show is a fun and immersive way to take you on a college tour trip “up the 5," from San Diego, California to Rohnert Park, California in Sonoma County. Act 1, the findings chapter with thorough scene descriptions, helps frame where …

Spoken Barriers: The Effects Of Spanish-English Interpretation Within The United States Health System, Michelle Lounsbery

Honors Theses

In recent times the prevalence of the Spanish language in the United States has been on a steady incline, and the language barrier created between patients and providers is only growing. Studies display a direct relationship between communication barriers formed by insufficient interpretation methods and negative patient outcomes due to a lack of understanding. This study will evaluate of the effects of Spanish-English interpretation in the United States health system as well as review the significance of direct patient-provider communication and how to improve these methods. Research methods will involve the use of other accredited academic literature and studies, as …

Learn, Try, Repeat: Experiential Learning In Adult Second Language Acquisition Of Spanish In Higher Education, Veronica Miller

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to synthesize research of experiential learning for adult Spanish learners in higher education to identify important takeaways and propose draft curriculum to improve acquisition for learners through experience-based and hands-on practices. Hopefully, this will aid in understanding, identify gaps in existing research, and better inform lesson-planning for instructors. My research does not include any comparison to other languages or other levels of education. I approach the issue through exploratory and descriptive research through open-source data retrieval by information obtained from governmental and nongovernmental resources.

Esperanza Rising And Identity: Exploring Literature And Self In Upper Elementary School, Emma Fuller

Honors Theses

Upper elementary students benefit from exposure to windows and mirrors in literature. The term “mirrors” refers to when students can relate to characters and situations, and see their own lives valued in an academic context. Mirrors are important for representation in schools because it allows students to reflect on their own learning. “Windows” allow students to see a perspective into other people’s lives. They are important because they encourage reflection on different ideas and empathy among students. One of many literary works with strong “windows” and “mirrors” is Pam Munoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising. In this Senior Project, I focused on …

Using Photovoice To Understand And Amplify Youth Voices To Prevent Sexual And Relationship Violence, Victoria Banyard, Katie Edwards, Ramona Herrington, Skyler Hopfauf, Briana Simon, Linda Shroll

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Aims: Efforts to improve prevention of sexual and relationship violence (SRV) among adolescents call for more centering of youth voices, experiences, and skills to design prevention programs that incorporate youth engagement rather than those that are designed by adults for youth. Amplifying the voices of historically marginalized youth are especially needed. Photovoice (PV) is a participatory action method that can empower youth and generate prevention knowledge.

Methods: The current project used PV to engage youth in late middle and early high school to discuss how they could work to prevent SRV in their community. A convenience sample of nine youth …

Validation Of The Short Version Of The Dimensional Inventory For Child Development Assessment, Euclides José De Mendonc¸A Filho, Mônia Aparecida Da Silva, Natalie A. Koziol, Denise Ruschel Bandeira

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is a critical need to monitor the development of children around the world, and in Brazil, this need is substantial since there is a paucity of assessment tools. This study aimed to describe the design and provide evidence of reliability and validity for the short version of the Dimensional Inventory for Child Development Assessment (IDADI-short). Methods: A sample of 1,865 biological mothers of children aged 4---72 months (M = 34.8, SD = 20.20) completed the IDADI to assess Cognitive, socio-emotional, Expressive, and Receptive Language and Communication, Fine and Gross Motor, and Adaptive Behavior development. The psychometric …

Targeted Physical Therapy Combined With Spasticity Management Changes Motor Development Trajectory For A 2- Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy, Corri L. Stuyvenberg, Shaaron E. Brown, Ketaki Inamdar, Megan Evans, Lin-Ya Hsu, Olivier Rolin, Regina T. Harbourne, Sarah Westcott Mccoy, Michele A. Lobo, Natalie A. Koziol, Stacey C. Dusing

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Therapies for children with cerebral palsy (CP) often fail to address essential components of early rehabilitation: intensity, child initiation, and an embodied approach. Sitting Together And Reaching To Play (START-Play) addresses these issues while incorporating intensive family involvement to maximize therapeutic dosage. While START-Play was developed and tested on children aged 7–16 months with motor delays, the theoretical construct can be applied to intervention in children of broader ages and skills levels. This study quantifies the impact of a broader STARTPlay intervention combined with Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) and phenol on the developmental trajectory of a 24 month-old child with bilateral …

Validation Of The Short Version Of The Dimensional Inventory For Child Development Assessment, Euclides José De Mendonça Filho, Mônia Aparecida Da Silva, Natalie A. Koziol, Denise Ruschel Bandeira

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is a critical need to monitor the development of children around the world, and in Brazil, this need is substantial since there is a paucity of assessment tools. This study aimed to describe the design and provide evidence of reliability and validity for the short version of the Dimensional Inventory for Child Development Assessment (IDADI-short).

Methods: A sample of 1,865 biological mothers of children aged 4---72 months (M = 34.8, SD = 20.20) completed the IDADI to assess Cognitive, socio-emotional, Expressive, and Receptive Language and Communication, Fine and Gross Motor, and Adaptive Behavior development. The psychometric properties of …

Acculturation, Nyanhial Wiyual Pal

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The phenomenon of acculturation occurs when groups of people from different cultures come into constant contact with shifts in the original culture, the host country's culture, or the cultures of both groups. It can affect immigrants’ health and well-being as a result of coping with stressful experiences such as prejudice, racism, and poverty, as well as changes in or loss of identity, a lack of social support, exposure to diverse views, cultural values and norms, and particular patterns of health behaviors (drinking, smoking, taking illicit drugs).

Learned Helplessness And Domestic Violence, Nayla G. Torres Ruiz

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, race, social status, or sexual orientation. A phenomenon known as learned helplessness may play a role in why victims of domestic violence remain in those unsafe environments. Learned helplessness (LH) is a psychological trait, which results from repeated exposure to uncontrollable and aversive events. LH contributes to submissiveness and reluctance to leave an abusive relationship. LH can develop from childhood experiences and circumstances, such as controlling, authoritarian, and demanding parents. LH can also develop during adulthood and whilst in abusive relationships, as the victims are often led to believe by the …

Insufficient Sleep And Adolescents, Angel Cavazos

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Sleep insufficiency is the decrease in either sleep quality, or quantity, to where performance is decreased. Sleep is important for adolescents as it plays an important role in mood and development of depressive symptoms. A myriad of troubling side effects stem from sleep loss including weight gain, depression, suicidal ideation, drowsy driving, and lower performance.

How Does A High School Student’S Ability To Accomplish And Set Goals Ensure Future Success In Life?, Wilber Aguilar

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Goal setting is a very important part of being successful in life. Goals allow a student to be self-motivated and build many skills that will be useful later in their life after high school and college. It is important to develop these good goal setting skills so that a student will always be motivated and focused to work towards something. It has been seen that students who set goals are more likely to develop characteristics of leadership, team work, accountability, and overcoming tough challenges they may encounter.

1984 Turned Into A Reality, Samuel Aguilar

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

George Orwell’s novel, 1984 highlights a vulnerable society being controlled by a totalitarian government. This novel can be compared to The Holocaust due to the similar circumstances that the Jewish population had to face. The corruption, oppression, manipulation, and excessive surveillance that the citizens faced in the novel, 1984 was a reality to the Jewish population during the Holocaust.

The Wage Gap In The Medical Field, Alanna Jones

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

In the medical industry there has always been the argument of why don’t women get paid more than their male counterparts. There currently is not any work being done to get the gap closed between female and male medical workers. The importance of this research is to see the reasons as to why there is a wage gap in the medical field and what has caused it. It goes further into depth of how society has played a factor and what can people do to help to close this gap.

Raising Multilingual And Bilingual Children, Emily Hernandez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Raising children in a multilingual environment is a very challenging but important part of child development. Many families can agree that having the ability to know multiple languages is a huge advantage to have for future purposes. Separating the role of schools and parents is a very important process. At home, families encounter many activities and real life scenarios. This makes a huge impact on a children's language and literacy. It is a challenge that has positive impacts for the children as well as for the community.

The Foster Care System: Domestic Abuse, Guadalupe Hernandez Rodriguez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

In the United States, children not only experience domestic abuse at home but can also be an issue while placed in the foster care system. In the foster care system, the abuse suffered by these individuals is increased due to home instability. Abuse can take place in many forms (physical, emotional, economical, and sexual) and can occur in many places. It can become a life-threatening crime or a crime that affects an individual’s day-to-day life. The youth and young adults who pass through this system are left with physical injuries and adverse childhood experiences (abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction). The …

Isolation And The Human Mind, Eli Flodman

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The Lord of The Flies is a novel tailored to the fundamental innocence found in man as well as the effects of mob mentality and extreme isolation. This research focuses on the effects of isolation within a small group while comparing COVID families to the Lord of The Flies.

How Does Nature Vs. Nurture Impact The Outcome Of Violence In Children, Torri Almond

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Some believe that nature is the determining factor in how children act. Others believe it is all in the nurturing of children. Although, what impacts children’s actions and how they behave, is an unhealthy balance of both genes that an unhealthy balance of both genes that may make one susceptible to violent or delinquent behaviors, and exposure to a delinquent behaviors, and exposure to a negative environment. Studies about these negative environment. Studies about these “bad” genes, or genes that may make a child predisposed to undesirable behaviors have shown that gene expression is likely to be amplified when exposed …

The Monopoly On Internet Privacy, Katherine Lopez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

As time has evolved, the evasion of the issue surrounding internet privacy has become condoning. It can be prominently seen that peoples’ online information can be sold, distributed, and abused by big corporations. Therefore, big media corporations can sell or use this information to profit. In George Orwell's book 1984, private citizens live lives that are controlled by the government, their largest corporation, through the use of knowledge gained by technology. In the novel 1984, most people besides the main character Winston are clueless and do not have any knowledge of what the government is doing.As these corporations continue to …

Adoption: The Good And The Bad, Fatima Madera Hernandez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Every year thousands of kids relocate to new homes and to new parents. This process is very life altering and can have deep effects on children. When kids are moved around from one place to another, they struggle to adjust to their surroundings. Adoption can deeply affect people in both positive and negative ways.

Media Manipulation And Perseverance, Ivan Palma Vargas

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Media manipulation is a technique the media use to paint a false image that persuades their audience to their views on topics. In 1984, by George Orwell, the falsification of history and constant propaganda spread by the Ministries are an eerie resemblance to today’s American media spreading false information and biased viewpoints to implement irrational thoughts and emotions to their audience. The significance of media manipulation is the impact it has on American citizens as media in the digital era is at constant show and citizens are constantly taking in false information. The research conducted was on a survey after …

1984: A Reality For Soviet Citizens, German Murcia-Martinez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Many countries have fallen victim to tyrannical leaders in the past. For example, Joseph Stalin had the Soviet Union under his grip for the longest time. His rule did not end until his death. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the country of Oceania was being controlled by Big Brother with the help of the Party. While being somewhat different, both the Soviet Union under Stalin and Oceania share incredible similarities.

Psychological Self Image Impact Among Teens, Kendra Karnish

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The psyche is impacted by social norms projected by society. This is evident when “Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media.” (Palmer, 2013, para. 4). Asserted norm about body image effected teens negatively. There are beauty norms that target teens throughout the world, which can cause mental health issues. This is due to pressure they feel to look or act a certain way even if these standards are physically unattainable. Research …