Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Picture Books About Korea And Korean Americans, Jongsun Wee

Graduate Research Papers

Multicultural literature is beneficial to children to understand different cultures diversity in the global world. Koreans started to immigrate to the United States beginning in 1902. In spite of a lengthy Korean American immigration history, few children· s books portray Korea and Korean Americans. This study overviewed picture books about Korea and Korean Americans available in local libraries and universities and identified cultural values and themes in the Korean American picture books. This study also examined authenticity and stereotyping in the Korean American picture books. Few pictures books about Korea and Korean American have been published over the past 40 …

The Trend Of Academic Achievement And Retention For Immigrant Latino Youth, Pamela Humphrey

Graduate Research Papers

This paper discusses the trend of academic achievement and retention for Latino immigrant youth. Research indicates that the general trend for Latino youth is negative – generally achievement is lower than any other immigrant ethnic group, and the drop out rate is higher than for any other ethnic group. Factors such as language and methods of learning, segregation, poverty, low parental involvement in education, discrimination, and stress due to immigration have been identified as factors contributing to low academic success.

The ways in which schools deal with immigrant students is also discussed. Further research is needed on immigrant Latino families …

Reflecting Latino Culture In Our Classrooms: A Quick Start For Teachers., Christine Canning, Mary Salazar-Guenther, Julio Polanco-Noboa

Faculty Publications

This paper describes how the University of Northern Iowa's San Antonio Regional Student Teaching Program developed a course to provide cultural information on Hispanic Americans for its predominantly white student teachers. The course was delivered over 2 semesters; with students doing most work in five 2-hour meetings on campus. During the student teaching semester; they implemented the ideas and activities that they had created during the course. The paper presents the course syllabus; which offers a background on Hispanics and five sessions that emphasize how to reach Hispanic students; Mexican and Mexican American culture (holidays; food; art; and music); literature …

Effective Bilingual Practices For Early Childhood Reading And Language Arts :/ A Professional Development Seminar And Model Thematic Unit For English-Spanish Bilingual Educators, Priscila Palomino De Piper

Graduate Research Papers

This project provides a workshop framework for the implementation of effective bilingual practices in early childhood reading and language arts. It is designed as a series of workshops for English-Spanish bilingual educators, with the purpose of providing ideas and strategies to support the development of reading and language arts programs in both languages. It is important to point out that the success of a language program relies not only on excellent research, but also on the support of parents, teachers, administrators and the whole community. It is important to believe that no language is superior to any other, that the …

Parental Perceptions On Maintaining Heritage Languages Of Cld Students, Ruth Lingxin Yan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The rapid growth of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students in public schools of the United States has been steady in the past decades. Issues concerning CLD students such as their school failures, high dropout rates, the limited English proficiency, family poverty, and their unequal job opportunities, have caused increasing concerns from policy makers, school administrators and educators at all school levels. Various efforts to modify CLD students' social and academic disadvantages have been attempted through educational approaches, especially in the form of heritage language support in bilingual education programs initiated at the local school levels and funded by …

Student Perceptions Of Satisfaction With School Climate In Relationship To Their Involvement In An Extracurricular Activity Program For The Promotion Of Intercultural Harmony, Dana Charles Deines

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of conducting this study was to examine the relationship between students' involvement in extracurricular activities and their perceptions of satisfaction with the components of school climate. Central to this study was the examination of the relationship between students' involvement in an extracurricular activity program developed for the promotion of intercultural harmony and their perceptions of satisfaction with school climate.

From the approximately 1,200 students of a Midwestern high school, more than 400 students were surveyed using the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Student Satisfaction Survey to determine students' satisfaction with the components of their school climate. …

Internet-Enhanced Esl Education : A Literature Review, Yu Cao

Graduate Research Papers

This paper intends to present some of the most current research on the tremendous benefits which the Internet can provide to ESL education. Some Internet applications which can be used as active teaching and learning tools in the ESL classrooms are being presented in this paper, such as electronic mail, electronic discussion group or "lists," electronic forum, chat room, and keypal. Additionally, this paper intends to bring educators' attention to those issues which affect language learners' interests in using the Internet in their learning. Issues include the lack of training, accessibility of technology, and lack of feedback.

Cultural Connection : A Communication Project Designed To Enhance Cultural Awareness And Global Workforce Skills, Devon M. Anderson Winters

Graduate Research Papers

The Cultural Exchange Project was developed to be a collaborative activity that would allow students from a computer applications class in Waterloo, Iowa, to communicate through electronic mail (email), letters, and video with students from a Polish high school. The project was developed to provide cultural awareness, foster international relationships, improve communication skills, and promote technology usage. Students completed various activities to prepare for and enhance this project. These activities included: lessons in "netiquette"; reports on other cultures, and worksheets for sharing personal information. Each student was assigned a partner to communicate with individually through letters and email. The author …

Multicultural Counseling With Latino Youth, Amy S. Roling

Graduate Research Papers

The author of this paper examined current literature reviewing Latino youth issues and considerations in counseling this population. First, the author will discuss the importance of multicultural counseling education in counselor training programs. Considerations and factors will then be identified for working specifically with Latino youth. Next, the risk of low academic achievement for Latino youth will be discussed. Then, the author will explore assessing and diagnosing members of the Latino population. Finally, she will describe conclusions about current research and implications for future counselors.

Diversity In The College Curriculum : Overview Of The Literature, Ruben J. Carrion

Graduate Research Papers

The colleges and universities in the United States that have adopted a proactive commitment to diversity in the curriculum have done so because they understand how their central mission is linked with the future of a diverse society. They are aware that, in the new millennium, most new jobs in the economy require a postsecondary education, and women and racial/ethnic minorities compose a majority of the workforce. One result of this awareness is the transformation taking place at many institutions that links diversity in the curriculum with the development of new teaching practices and learning practices.

This review of the …

Multicultural, Gender-Fair Infusion Index And Survey, William P. Austin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated teachers' and students' perceptions of the degree of infusion of multicultural gender-fair educational components at the high school level. Two instruments were used: Multicultural Gender-Fair Educational Infusion Index and Multicultural Gender-Fair Educational Infusion Survey. The Multicultural GenderFair Educational Infusion Index was administered to 50 teachers in the subject areas of reading language arts, social studies, and physical science. The Multicultural GenderFair Educational Infusion Survey was administered to 82 high school-age students from the same mid-size Midwestern town. The results of the study showed a discrepancy in what teachers value in terms of multicultural education and how regularly …

Assessing Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Stuents : A Discussion For Professionals In The Schools, Candace Kist-Tahmasian

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is intended for professional school psychologists, school social workers, consultants in special education and other professionals involved in assessment issues in the schools. It is necessary for school professionals to have an understanding of the general socio-political context which surrounds the issues involved in language and culture to better assess the mental/cognitive abilities of language minority students through the dominant language and culture.

It is beyond the scope of this paper to present such issues in their entirety. Therefore, the focus of this paper will center on "voluntary minorities", specifically those who are learning English as a second …

Latinas In Higher Education : No Longer The Invisible Minority, Sheila Adele Rodriguez

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper will explore the issues underlying the under-representation of Latinas in higher education. The emphasis will be placed on Chicana females because Chicanos comprise 60 percent of the Latino population, and much of the existing research is focused on this group. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, barriers to the participation of Latinas in higher education will be explored. Second, factors contributing to the success of high-achieving Latinas will be discussed. Finally, implications for higher education programming and policies will be examined as they affect Chicanas in particular, and Latinas in general. Suggestions for ways in …

Creating Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Sally M. Goodenbour

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers enter teaching situations in which the culture of the students is very different from their own. Human relations classes help to make one aware of the different cultures that may exist, but the classes often do not provide instruction on how to link the cultural situation to instructional practices. This project was designed to help preservice and practicing teachers become aware that our nation is becoming more diverse, to build their knowledge about multicultural education (including becoming familiar with the cultural background of their students}, and to understand that there are many instructional strategies that can assist in …

Bridging The Cultural Gap Between Home And School, Anne Chanco Lewis

Graduate Research Papers

This journal article explores the significance of the early implementation of multicultural literature in young children's lives. As young children prepare for the transition from home culture to school culture, problems may occur, such as cultural conflict, if both minority and majority children are not prepared for the school's diverse population. By incorporating multicultural literature experiences, both educators and parents can help to raise the awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity.

In addition to becoming more aware of cultural diversity, children will also learn tolerance of children of another ethnic background. If young children are involved with multicultural literacy activities …

Code-Switching And Sentence Imitation By African-American Students, Aaron Richardson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

he purpose of the present study was to identify the accuracy of sentence imitation and code-switching by the African-American child between the ages of 6 years O months and 7 years 2 months. Despite well documented descriptions of Black English (BE) phonology (Dillard, 1972; Labov, 1972; Wolfram & Fasold, 1974), little has been published about the emerging phonology of BE speaking children. Most descriptive studies of BE have focused on the adult system.

The present study investigated the following research questions, "Will African-American children in this study, when presented with the task of imitating BE and IE sentences, code-switch each …

Promoting Cultural Diversity And Sensitivity In The Basic Communication Course, Paul J. Siddens Iii

Faculty Publications

The University of Northern Iowa is fully committed to the ideas of equal opportunity; cultural diversity and sensitivity. The Oral Communication Basic Course Program in the Communication Studies Department is fully committed to teaching students to appreciate and actively use principles of cultural diversity and sensitivity in their daily lives. Toward that end; there are several tools the instructors use in mass lectures and classroom recitation sections; and that they will use in their Oral Communication Basic Course Computer Laboratory; to teach students about cultural diversity and sensitivity; including textbook selection; graduate student assistant and faculty orientation; class exercises; and …

Honoring Diversity In Teacher Education: Infusing Learning Styles; Cooperative Learning And Multicultural Nonsexist Education Into The Student Teaching Semester, Janey L. Montgomery, Joyce Simpson, Judy Lindholm

Faculty Publications

This paper demonstrates how teacher educators can empower preservice teachers to develop a rationale for honoring diversity in their classrooms by building upon an awareness of learning style preference; cooperative learning; and multicultural nonsexist education. A human relations course at the University of Northern Iowa that is taught concurrently with the student teaching experience demonstrates how student teachers become involved in collaborative relationships with their peers by sharing weekly seminars; planning presentations; doing action research; and engaging in classroom instruction. The model involves personalization of concepts through experiential learning in which group building and team teaching are key strategies. Learning …

Aggressive And Non-Aggressive Black Female Students: A Comparative Study Of Selected High School Characteristics, Walter Cunningham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A major problem confronting education today is the at-risk student. In the opinion of some, the American school curriculum is a mirror of American society; and since our society had often oppressed the human potential and development of Black citizens, the school has done the same to many Black children. This writer was specifically concerned about the aggressive behavior of Black female students which places them more at-risk than the average Black student.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of Black female high school students during their 9-12th grade school experience who were involved in aggressive …

Reading Attitudes In Asian Esl Learners, Rebecca Ann Kamm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing attitudes of Asian English as a Second Language (ESL) learners to better understand possible reasons why attitudes may change and ways they may be influenced. Research regarding reading attitudes was investigated, particularly in regard to cultural and educational differences, special difficulties relating to nonliterate adult learners were explored, and strategies to assist ESL learners presented. A survey was administered which gave subjects the opportunity to state their self-perceptions of themselves as readers. The population of the study consisted of 30 adult Asian ESL students from Laos and Vietnam residing in …

Factors Influencing Minority Enrollment In Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Education Programs In The State Of Iowa, Samuel Chukuemeka Obi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A study involving minority students was undertaken to ascertain and validate pertinent variables that influenced their enrollment in the postsecondary vocational-technical education programs in the state of Iowa. The study was also used to determine: (a) whether there were significant differences in the perceptions of postsecondary vocational-technical education minority students and vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the one hand, and college-minded, vocational-technical-minded, and non-college/non-vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the other; (b) whether the identified variables had comparable influences on postsecondary minority students to what the students thought; (c) the sources from which minority students learned the most about …

Meeting The Needs Of The Foreign Matesl Student, Cheryl A. Roberts, Carolyn L. Shields

Faculty Publications

In response to the increasing proportion of foreign graduate students in master's programs for teachers of English as a second language (MATESL); students in the University of Northern Iowa's program were surveyed concerning the appropriateness of the programs' design. In in-depth interviews and on questionnaires; foreign graduate students were asked which courses are most applicable to their home teaching situation; what courses should be added; whether the program fulfills original expectations; how the differences in the educational system make the program easier or more difficult; and what changes might make the program more relevant to student needs. Overall; little need …

Black History: African Heritage; American Heritage, Joan Duea

Faculty Publications

Providing elementary school teachers with materials to enhance student awareness of black heritage is the goal of this unit. Each of the 10 lessons includes objectives; materials; and procedures as well as supplementary materials that may be duplicated for student use. The land and people of Africa are studied in lessons one through three. Games; folktales; and songs are used in lesson four to study African culture. Children simulate a safari to learn the different countries of Africa. Lesson five explores the journey of blacks from slavery to freedom. Black contributions to U.S. society in politics; science and industry; art; …

Cross-Cultural Counseling: Bridge Between Desegregation And Integration. A Study Relative To Group Counseling And Its Impact On Students And Faculty, Leander A. Brown, Richard F. Strub, Lee Rainey

Faculty Publications

For the past several years; much emphasis has been placed on open enrollment plans involving bussing that enable black and white students to attend schools together. The Laboratory School of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls has been involved in such a program since 1968. As the project developed; the potential for very serious problems relating to racial tension and student frustration became evident. To approach these problems and to promote more openness and understanding between students from different communities and differing cultural backgrounds; cross-cultural group counseling sessions were developed. The groups during the past two years have …

A Study Of Cross-Cultural Groups At Malcolm Price Laboratory School; University Of Northern Iowa, Leander A. Brown, Richard F. Strub, Shirlee Rainey

Faculty Publications

A brief history of the integration efforts of the school and the resulting interracial conflict is presented. From this background evolved the cross-cultural groups which are the focus of this paper. Essentially; discussion was used for exploring the issues which were identified as impediments to good relationships within the school; (1) too few black faculty and students; (2) the impact of "Tomism;" (3) geographic location of students' homes; (4) differing interests of black and white students; (5) the need for extra-school interracial contact; and (6) inhibitions; both social and parental; against interracial contact; especially dating. The results of a questionnaire; …

An Assessment Of The Differences Between High And Low Achieving Students. Final Report, Ralph Scott, Jon A. Ford

Faculty Publications

Primarily a longitudinal and quantitative analysis of achievement functioning; this experiment sought to identify factors which promote or impair the learning of individual children. The 683 Junior High students were divided into one of eight groups according to sex; race and whether their seventh grade Iowa Test of Basic Skills Composite score was above or below that expected from their Kindergarten Metropolitan Readiness Test performance. The incidence of males and females making unexpected gains (Ups) or losses (Downs) was approximately the same; but a significantly greater proportion of black children made greater than expected achievement gains. Thirty-three Up Ss were …

Foreign Studies: Teacher's Guide, James Hantula

Faculty Publications

Foreign Studies; an elective course for junior and senior students; is a study of selected Asian cultures; including the nations of China; Japan; and India; and of African cultures; including the nations of Nigeria; Ethiopia; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Asia and Africa are studied from the American cultural viewpoint with emphasis upon the three concepts of culture; ideology; and the comparison of traditional and modern society. This teacher's guide is divided into four main sections. 1) An outline of content is presented from which many generalizations are developed. These generalizations provide the framework for the development of …

Inner-City Education: Are We Failing?, William H. Dreier, John M. Earls

Faculty Publications

These collected papers and reports; many taken from the Professional Education Seminar at the University of Northern Iowa; concentrate on the failure of inner-city education. A number of essays attempt to analyze the role of teachers; administrators; and communities in the failure of inner-city education. Also; there are several field reports on specific cities. Teacher preparation for working with disadvantaged black students in an urban setting is discussed at length. (Editor/JW)