Education Commons^™

Relationship Between Cognitive Performance And Sociocultural And Linguistic Variables In Bilingual Mexican American Children, Lorraine Geralyn Boudville

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated the relationship between cognitive ability (dependent variable) and 5 independent variables: acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES), oral acquisition of syntactic structures, family size, and family structure. Instruments used were the WISC-III, Bilingual Syntax Measure (BSM), Sociocultural Scales in the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA). The sample consisted of 96 bilingual Mexican American children aged six and seven years, randomly selected from five school districts in south Texas; 47 were female, and 49, male. The method of analysis was multiple linear regression. The null hypothesis was tested at the .05 level of significance, using a F distribution. Results …

Reducing Aberrant Behavior Utilizing Functional Communication Training In Whole-Group, Small-Group And One-To-One Settings, Twila Dawn Sprowl Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Functional communication training (FCT) with extinction, as well as multiple manding choices were utilized to reduce aberrant behavior with three individuals with mild to moderate mental retardation or learning disability. The setting was a self-contained special education classroom for students ages six to 11 years old in an elementary school in South Texas. FCT with extinction was utilized within whole group, small group and one-to-one instruction. The findings indicated that FCT did reduce aberrant behavior and did increase communication for all three subjects. FCT is a differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior (DRA) method which has viable uses within the …

The Effects Of Multi-Sensory Teaching Practices On The Reading Fluency And Comprehension Of Bilingual 2Nd Grade Students, Gloria Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Language, the heart of the educational process, is the vehicle through which students are primarily being educated and prepared throughout their schooling (Lam, 1996). Language acquisition is described as having four processes: socio-cultural, linguistic, and academic and cognitive. Teaching, learning, and curriculum content must; therefore, be culturally meaningful, interactive, and collaborative. Since a student's learning style is a major contributing factor in teaching and not all students learn in the same manner, educators must know and understand the bilingual and bicultural child's identities and emphasize interdisciplinary, cooperative, and multi-sensory lessons in their classrooms (Chamot,1994). Educators must incorporate the wealth of …

Visual Iconic Object-Oriented Programming To Advance Computer Science Education And Novice Programming, Nancy Silva Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Learning how to program a computer is difficult for most people. Computer programming is a cognitively challenging, time consuming, labor intensive, and frustrating endeavor. Years of formal study and training are required to learn a programming language's world of algorithms and data structures. Instructions are coded in advance before the computer demonstrates the desired behavior. Seeing all the programming steps and instruction code is complicated. There exists a tremendous gap between the representations the human brain uses when thinking about a problem and the representations used in programming a computer. Often people are much better at dealing with specific, concrete …

Ensuring Educational Opportunity For Students With Disabilities: A Legal Analysis Of Section 504 Of The Rehabilitation Act Of 1973, Jacques Evan Trevino

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The study was a legal analysis of the reasonable accommodation standard as defined and applied by the judiciary in carrying out the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The purpose of the study was to identify problem areas in interpreting Section 504 as it applies to the responsibilities of public schools in light of differing standards applied by the Department of Education and the judiciary. An analysis of case law, federal statutes, and federal regulations helped to determine the current practices regarding the accommodation of disabled students in our public schools.

The study focused on the …

An Analysis Of Key Leadership Behaviors Of The Principal In A High -Performing Elementary School Serving Mexican American Children In South Texas, Alda T. Benavides

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study is based on the theoretical framework that defines leadership as an influence process, one that depends on the extent to which people eventually perceive leadership as a quality someone possesses and as a result of that perception, consent to be led (Greenfield, 1998). Leadership is the process of being perceived as a leader (Lord and Maher, 1993). Doing good work at one's school and being seen to do such work is likely to be the most powerful strategy for positively influencing teachers' perceptions of one's leadership. This study expands on the theory that it is what you do …

A Study Of Parental Involvement At A Blue Ribbon Elementary School On The Texas-Mexico Border, Jay Scott Hollinger

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The involvement of parents in their children's education influences student achievement. In 1995, researchers identified mechanisms necessary for effective parent involvement. Although substantial research has been done on parent and family involvement, few studies have described the phenomenon among low socioeconomic Mexican-American families. In 1996, one case study was conducted at a high school and another was conducted at a middle school on the Texas-Mexico border. These studies described strategies and tactics used by the principal, teachers, and support staff to influence parents to become more involved in their children's education. The present study expands on these works by investigating …