Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Culture Beyond Borders: A Postcolonial Analysis Of Multicultural Education, Alex Diaz-Hui

Student Research Symposium

Using Third-World feminist and postcolonial theory, this research complicates the narrative of culture in education. While multicultural education is well intentioned, it creates caricatures of communities of color. Multicultural education also functions through an anthropological perspective of culture, one that relays on portraying communities of color through national cultures. According to Third-World feminist scholarship, particularly through the writings of Uma Narayan, national cultures do not exist but are actually constructed through distinguishing the colonizer and the colonized. Culturally responsive pedagogy provides a theoretical framework that attempts to remedy the issues of multicultural education. However, it fails to separate itself from …

Arabic And English Sentence Patterns: A Comparative Guide, Cliff Breedlove

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This text explores verb time, tense, aspect, and mood through comparison of Arabic and English sentence patterns. It includes examples of the Arabic patterns from classical and popular sources so Arabic students can learn by explanation and example how to formulate cohesive and grammatically correct sentence structure.

While this guide is intended mainly for English-speaking students studying Arabic, the charts also provide a quick reference of English sentence patterns for Arabic speakers.

The book is designed as a supplement.

Adopt/Adapt
If you are an instructor adopting or adapting this PDXOpen textbook, please help us understand your use by filling out …

English Learners' Positioning During Interactions With Monolingual English-Speaking Students, Amanda Sugimoto, Kathy Carter

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, English Learners (ELs) are being educated in mainstream classrooms alongside English fluent students. Using a positioning theory framework, this multiple case study explored how ELs reflexively positioned themselves during interactions with their peers as well as how English fluent peers interactionally positioned ELs. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifacts), and using cross case analysis techniques, we found that ELs’ reflexive positioning was influenced by their language history and schooling context and peers’ interactional positioning moves limited ELs’ access to academic interactions. These findings pose important considerations regarding the academic and linguistic access of ELs in …

The Back Burner: A Case Study Of A Teacher’S Dilemmas When Working With English Learners, Amanda Sugimoto

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, mainstream classroom teachers are working with (ELs), however, little is known about what dilemmas these teachers face in their practice with ELs. Using a dilemmatic spaces framework, this case study explored the dilemmas a fourth grade teacher negotiated while working with ELs in her low-incidence school. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifact analysis), and using iterative and thematic analysis techniques, three dilemmas were identified. These included: (1) a lack of professional experience with ELs, (2) lack of support from the ESL teacher, and (3) conflicting administrative expectations. These findings pose important considerations for the teaching …

An Exploration Of Effective Community College Instructors' Use Of Culturally Competent Pedagogies, Aylin Bunk

Dissertations and Theses

Increasing diversity among community college students and the rising demand for a culturally competent workforce necessitate community college faculty across all disciplines to adjust their pedagogical choices to effectively serve diverse students while preparing all students for the new global era. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore what culturally competent pedagogies effective community college instructors use and reasons behind their choices. The study was conducted at a large community college in the Pacific Northwest. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with ten instructors teaching in different disciplines. In addition, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) was used to …

Pan-African Commons 1-Year Comprehensive Assessment Report, Shanice Clarke, Cynthia Carmina Gómez, Cece Ridder

Cultural Resource Centers Reports and Resources

The Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs) at Portland State University (PSU) create a student-centered inclusive environment that enriches the university experience. The CRCs value diversity, social justice, cultural traditions, student identities, success and leadership. On November 2, 2016, PSU held a grand opening celebrating the expansion of the CRCs with the addition of two new centers, including the Pan-African Commons (PAC). The growth of the CRCs marks a milestone in PSU’s commitment to social justice and equity.

The purpose of the Pan-African Commons 1-Year Assessment was to measure how student experiences and needs within institutional memory related to the experiences of …

The Power Of Languages: Linguistic Discourse On Migration And Cultural Diversity, Eva Núñez-Méndez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

En estos días que corren casi a diario vemos titulares en los periódicos y en los medios de comunicación sobre la situación de los refugiados de Siria tratando de cruzar Europa hacia Alemania, buscando seguridad y oportunidades. Muchos de ellos barajan la idea de que se trata de una fase temporal y de que van a volver a sus hogares cuando se termine la guerra civil. Otros optarán por quedarse en el nuevo país de acogida en el que aprender una segunda lengua será una tarea imprescindible para sobrevivir.

La migración no resulta un fenómeno nuevo en la historia de …

Textbook Publishing For Esl Professionals, Della Jean Abrahams, Amber Bliss Calderón, Anne Greenhoe, Michele Miller

Intensive English Language Program Faculty Publications and Presentations

This panel discussion will describe and explain the process of open source textbook writing, something relatively new to the field of ESL. The panel speakers will discuss their experiences with open source publishing, and will describe and show three different textbook projects. Attendees will be able to view the completed and in-process textbooks and will see how they are accessible to learners around the world.

More Than Meets The Eye: Latino Students In A Two-Way Immersion Program And Stereotype Threat, Edgar Ubaldino Solares Vega

Dissertations and Theses

Figures from the 2010 Census indicate that there are 50.5 million Latinos (16% of the total population) living in the United States (US) today. From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population experienced a very rapid growth rate of 43%, which accounted for over half the total population growth. More and more Latino students are entering our public schools and face the reality that 62 years after the Brown V. Board of Education ruling to integrate schools and equalize educational opportunities, schools are more racially and economically segregated and more unequal than they were more than half a century ago. As …

Perceptions Of Hmong Parents In A Hmong American Charter School: A Qualitative Descriptive Case Study On Hmong Parent Involvement, Kirk T. Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Parental involvement plays an essential role in the United States (U.S.) educational system. However, parental involvement poses many challenges for Hmong parents in American schools. Many assumptions are made on the parts of teachers, staff, and Hmong parents about parents' roles pertaining to their involvement in their children's education. Hmong parents struggle to reconcile beliefs, attitudes, and values that they bring with them from Laos with the expectations found in the U.S. due to their unfamiliarity with the U.S. educational system.

This study employed the used a qualitative, descriptive case study approach to examine the perceptions of Hmong parents involvement …

South Korean Teachers' Beliefs About Diversity: The Impact On Practice Of Multicultural Education, Marie Yeo

Dissertations and Theses

Teachers in South Korean schools have begun to pay attention to the importance of multicultural education as Korea transforms into a multicultural society from a historically mono culture society. Because of Koreans' pride in the homogeneity of their race, language, and culture, multiculturalism is an idea that is hard for many to accept. Education needs to play a key role in fostering and retaining the value of diversity. Studies suggest that teachers' positive beliefs about diversity play a significant role to develop their multicultural competence and eventually to practice better multicultural education. The problem is little evidence exists in the …

Review Of T. Alexa Linhard's Jewish Spain: A Mediterranean Memory, Eva Núñez-Méndez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Review of Linhard, Tabea Alexa. Jewish Spain: A Mediterranean Memory. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2014. Pp. 248. ISBN 978-0-80478-739-0.

"That's The Test?" Washback Effects Of An Alternative Assessment In A Culturally Heterogeneous Eap University Class, Abigail Bennett Carrigan

Dissertations and Theses

To determine learner attitudes toward an alternative assessment, additional washback effects, and possible relationships between cultures of learning and learner attitudes, a mixed methods study was conducted in an advanced multicultural EAP (English for Academic Purposes) class in the USA, where a poster project was implemented as a summative assessment. Qualitative and quantitative data from a pre- and post-test questionnaire as well as classroom observations and an interview with the instructor were used to investigate learners' attitudes towards the assessment. The twenty-four participants representing five cultures of learning from the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia expressed largely positive …

Intercultural Interactions Among Burmese Refugees In Multicultural Middle School Classrooms, Matthew Carl Mcparker

Dissertations and Theses

The largest refugee group entering the United States in recent years is from Burma. Refugee students face a daunting set of challenges, from language and cultural differences to living in poverty, in becoming successful in their new homes. To be successful in schools and gain cultural and social capital, refugee students must learn and internalize the specific norms of their classrooms. In middle school, students are particularly reliant upon their peers for support, making peer interactions especially important. In multicultural settings, students have ample opportunities for intercultural interactions, which can help refugee students navigate their new settings and become more …

Culturally Specific Bilingual Arts Integration, Danielle L. Malan

Student Research Symposium

Today's young people are a source of growing social and academic concern. Combined with economic, cultural and linguistic barriers, Latino students are an even greater concern. Studies have demonstrated qualitative improved learning with either arts integration or with bilingual education. After a literature review, there was no conclusive quantitative evidence done prior to this study in 2015, for the benefits of combining the two to use bilingual arts integration as a method for improved learning. Could bilingual arts education improve learning? The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of bilingual arts integration on learning, and the positive …

Pdx Journeys: Studying And Living In The Us, Low-Intermediate Novel And Textbook For University Esl Students, Amber Bliss Calderón

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

Each unit begins with a chapter of fiction about a teacher and students in one ESL class. Reading comprehension and reading skills exercises follow. Prefix and suffix vocabulary-focus exercises are included. Academic Word List vocabulary exercises help students build a strong foundation in both receptive and productive knowledge. The following chapters in each unit expand on unit themes through non-fiction articles focusing on academic preparation, international experiences, and cultural adjustment. Vocabulary is repeated and comprehension and reading skills are further practiced.

Please see the Open Textbook Library for faculty Reviews of this textbook

Adopt/Adapt
If you are an instructor adopting …

Starts And Stops: Multimodal Practices For Walking As A Group In An Augmented Reality Place Based Game, Adam Mcfaul Jones

Dissertations and Theses

Augmented reality, place-based games utilize GPS-enabled maps and mobile media recording devices to shift traditional classroom activities into real-world contexts. AR-games for second language learning is a new field of research, and few studies have examined the kinds of face-to-face interactions players engage in during AR-games. Using intensive, multi-camera video data of English language learners playing an AR-game, ChronoOps, this thesis describes how groups start and stop walking during gameplay. The method used is conversation analysis, and this study draws from theories of embodied and distributed cognition, situated learning, and interactional competence Walking to and from various destinations as a …

“I Understand What These Students Are Experiencing”: Linguistically Diverse Preservice Teachers’ Narratives Regarding English Learners, Amanda Sugimoto

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Preservice teachers enter their preparation programs with multiple years of experience in schools as k-12 students. Past schooling experiences, or their ‘apprenticeship of observation’ (Lortie, 1975), often shape preservice teachers’ understandings of schools, teaching, and learning. Teacher preparation programs must address these experiences and related preconceptions when preparing preservice teachers to work with students, specifically diverse student populations (Hammerness et al., 2005). While the majority of the teaching force remains White, female, and monolingual English speaking, the scholarly community has begun to focus on the preparation of diverse preservice teachers (e.g., Tsui, 2007). This study focuses on one such a …

Language Rich Early Childhood Classroom: Simple But Powerful Beginnings, Erin E. Flynn

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article highlights research exploring the benefits of small group storytelling as a way to promote rich language in early childhood classrooms. Using the storytelling of children from a preschool classroom serving lower SES children, the collaborative affordances of story circles are explored. Results show that small group storytelling engages children in ways of using language associated with literacy learning. When storytelling, children use language in extended, multi-clause turns, relaying what happened in another context. Story requires children to communicate what happened as well as the interpersonal significance of events. Small group storytelling also gives children a chance to practice …

From Msa To Ca: A Beginner's Guide For Transitioning Into Colloquial Arabic, Lina Gomaa

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This book is for students who have studied Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for one year or more and would like to learn colloquial Arabic basics using their knowledge of MSA. It aims at transitioning learners from Novice Mid level to Intermediate Low through presenting situations useful for living in an Arab country. The book has several features including hyperlinks, practice dialogues with open answers, cultural tips, and more.

Please see the Open Textbook Library for faculty reviews of this textbook.

Audio files are available online

Adopt/Adapt
If you are an instructor adopting or adapting this PDXOpen textbook, please help us …

Beginning Japanese For Professionals: Book 1, Emiko Konomi

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This is the first book in a three book series and includes Lessons 0 - 4. Book 2 and Book 3 are also available for download.

This textbook is designed for beginning learners who want to learn basic Japanese for the purpose of living and working in Japan. Unlike textbooks written primarily for students, whose content largely centers on student life, this book focuses more on social and professional life beyond school.

As a beginning level textbook, this book includes many elementary grammar patterns (Japanese Language Proficiency Test Levels 5 and 4), but the vocabulary and situations are selected specifically …

Language Policy And Bilingual Education For Immigrant Students At Public Schools In Japan, Naomi Asakura

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis discusses the current Japanese language (nihongo) education for immigrant students at public schools in Japan and provides recommendations through the study of language policy and the comparison of bilingual education in the United States. The current situation of a decreasing birth rate and increasing aging population in Japan has led to the acceptance of more foreign workers. Due to this change, language education in Japan has increasing development. The focus of chapter 1 is on the theories of language policy. This paper particularly focuses on the ideas of Wright (2004), Neustupný (2006), Spolsky (2004), and Cooper (1989), and …

Perspectives On The College Readiness And Outcome Achievement Of Former Intensive English Language Program (Ielp) Students, Meghan Oswalt

Dissertations and Theses

Program evaluation (PE) is important for ESL programs but also difficult. As the scope of PE has grown, student voices have increasingly been included. Alumni provide unique perspectives, but Portland State University's (PSU) Intensive English Language Program (IELP) currently has no exit survey. Furthermore, little research uses alumni data, so this constructivist, mixed-methods study used data triangulation to compare the perceptions of former IELP students with those of three other stakeholder groups -- the topic: IELP student preparedness for PSU. Both online surveys and interviews were conducted, and participants included 63 former and 33 current IELP students, 27 IELP faculty …

A Critical Race Analysis Of Travel For Transformation: Pedagogy For The Privileged Or Vehicle For Socio-Cultural Transformation?, James Arthur Gambrell

Dissertations and Theses

Transformative learning theory (TLT) describes the process of reframing discriminative, untenable worldviews with a more inclusive, permeable, and reflective epistemology. Although TLT has been around for more than 50 years, few studies empirically engage critical theoretical frameworks to move beyond personal learning to identify the impacts of transformation on society. Through a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this study analyzed how the participants' socio-cultural identities (race, class, gender, sexuality, and heritage language) impacted the transformative learning of eight study-abroad students from a medium-sized, rural Midwestern university. Focusing on the extent to which the participants experienced the elements of transformative …

Co-Curriculum And Esl Student Success: A Case Study In An Intensive English Language Program, James D. Mitchell

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

This project examines the relationship between co-curricular activities and ESL student success in an intensive English language program. Extracurricular and co-curricular activities have been linked to the improvement of several factors, such as self-esteem, retention, and grade point average (Astin, 1984, 1999; Bergen-Cico & Viscomi, 2013). Research in second language acquisition has suggested that meaningful interaction between individuals in the target language (L2) will increase a student’s proficiency. Therefore, a ESL student’s further involvement in an intensive English program could have a major impact on not only their academic success (operationalized in this study by the amount of classes that …

Empowering All Who Teach: A Portrait Of Two Non-Native English Speaking Teachers In A Globalized 21st Century, Rosa Dene David

Dissertations and Theses

One of most prevalent issues surrounding English education internationally is the differentiation between Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) and Non-native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs). What is sometimes termed the "Native speaker fallacy" is the notion that in order to be a proficient teacher of the English language one must either be a native speaker or possess native like fluency (Phillipson, 1992). This position is furthered by Hollidays Native Speakerism (Holliday, 2006) which suggests that within the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) there is an assumption that NESTs are better equipped to teach English language learners due to language proficiency and Western …

Gifted Black And Biracial Students At A Predominantly White Gifted School, Clair Elizabeth Pople

Dissertations and Theses

The underrepresentation of gifted Black and Biracial students is a pervasive problem in and of itself, and indicates a much larger struggle of disproportionality of Black and Biracial students who are not called upon or supported in efforts to meet their academic potential. Therefore, an evaluation of the inequity generated by gifted education is warranted. It is true that the majority of gifted programs are often predominantly White. Accordingly, Black and Biracial students who qualify for gifted programs may face unique challenges in their development of racial identity and their socio-emotional health.

Using ethnographic techniques, this case study explored the …

Stem Education In The Foreign Language Classroom With Special Attention To The L2 German Classroom, Sarah Danielle Schoettler

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis tackles the issues of foreign language education, with special attention to German as a foreign language, and STEM education in the K-12, and in some cases K-16, educational system. After exploring the societal and national need for improved STEM and foreign language education programs, this thesis suggests methods of integrating STEM education elements and principals in the foreign language classroom. These methods are provided in chapters about integrating state and national education standards in the STEM fields, core academic subject fields, and foreign language teaching, and finally in chapters about the most appropriate and effective pedagogies for successful …

Unit Plan: Examining The Struggle For An Equitable Education System In Portland, Oregon, Melinda Gale, Oliver Brown

African American History in Oregon: Lesson Plans

This unit is designed for five 90 minute periods in US history or African American history.

Using an array of primary sources, as well as select secondary texts, students will investigate the history of segregation, desegregation, and multicultural school reforms in Portland, Oregon. The unit will explore the relationship between local community organizations and Portland Public Schools, having students evaluate the effectiveness of both groups in terms of school reform. In the culminating project students will create a three-minute policy proposal that they present as testimony in a Portland Public Schools Board meeting.

Unit Plan: The Role Of Community Organizations In The Oregon Civil Rights Movement, Michael Gifford, Lance Erickson

African American History in Oregon: Lesson Plans

This unit will introduce students to the role of Community Organizations in the Civil Rights Movement in Portland, Oregon. They will be presented with information on the various organizations and issues facing African Americans who lived in Portland during the civil rights movement. At the conclusion of the unit students will be able to discuss the community organizations played in relation to the success of civil rights protests in Portland. They will also have an understanding of how the African American civil rights movement served as a model for modern activism.