Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Testimonios On The Role Of Mentorship Of Mexican Immigrants’ Higher Academic Attainment: Vengo Con Ganas, Solo Échame Una Mano!, Jessica Grisel Mendoza Servin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to highlight the importance of having academic mentors of similar heritage to facilitate higher academic attainment of first generation Mexican immigrants. The researcher assures to demonstrate how constructs such as mentorship, self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, social and cultural capital, and similar heritage due to cultural values can positively influence and contribute to the success of English Language learners in academia.

Through the mentorship relationship, students, particularly minority groups, can tap into social and cultural capital that would otherwise be limited due to their immigration to a foreign country. Immigration typically limits individuals’ ability to communicate …

Facilitating Development Of Foreign Language, Literacy, And Culture, Chad Saunders

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this portfolio, the author describes integral components of his teaching philosophy which include how the instructor can become a supportive facilitator, how he can promote use of the target language for communication, and how motivation can reinforce language instruction and learning. Specific topics of interest were investigated further in support of the teaching philosophy. The artifacts discuss Utah’s dual language immersion program: its development, future, and expected outcomes; the acquisition of multiliteracy skills for educational achievement; as well as the use of technology in promoting target language use and intercultural communicative competence. Finally, the author includes an annotated bibliography …

Xenopus! Spiraling Scientific Journal Articles With High School Science English Language Learners, Gillian Bayne, Cristie Peralta

Publications and Research

This poster describes a journal article that is geared specifically towards assisting science teachers as they create lessons that are specifically focused toward ELLs. The article involves reading and analyzing scientific primary sources with ELLs, a challenge not only specific to ELLs but commonly experienced by all students. This article will be submitted to The Science Teacher journal.

Hearing The Silence: Acknowledging The Voice Of My Latina Sisters, Emily Martinez-Vogt

Business Faculty Publications

Latina community college students experience a number of challenges during their transition to college. Findings from a larger study indicated that Latina community college students experienced racism and stereotyping on campus responding with silence. Silence occurred in two ways: (1) Latinas were forced to be silent, and/or (2) Latinas chose to be silent. This article presents the Latina Silence to Resilience Pathway Model illustrating the four phases experienced by Latina community college students beginning with the experience of racism on campus ultimately resulting in personal outcomes. Along the continuum of the model Latinas also often experience an identity transition.

A Comparison Study Of Parents’ Perceptions Of Quality In Early Childhood Programs, Juanita Ortiz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research has demonstrated that high quality early childhood education (ECE) programs result in short and long-term benefits that are critical for children to reach their full potential and narrow the achievement gap. Parental involvement has been accepted as integral to quality ECE programs, and parental perception drives parental involvement. Perceptions and contributions of parents and caregivers including those who do not speak English have not been adequately addressed in the research. Furthermore, research has not addressed how parental perception regarding quality in ECE programs may vary according to whether their child has or does not have a disability.

This study …

Negative Impacts Of Teacher Evaluation Reform: The Role Of Federal Policy In Student Achievement And Teacher Quality, Allison Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this sequential transformative study was to elucidate the negative experiences of teachers with performance evaluations and to juxtapose the intended use of current popular teacher evaluation reform movements to the evident implementation. One may quickly assume that negative experiences with evaluation are a result of unsatisfactory teaching practices. However, this may not accurately explain the negative experiences. This study focused on the negative experience of teacher evaluation to provide a broader understanding of the impact of new evaluation policy reform on student achievement and teacher quality. Five data sources were analyzed: PAR policy, a teacher survey, district …

Preliteracy Skills Promoted In Children’S Spanish-Language Books, Katherine Marie Suter

Masters Theses

As of July 1, 2013, the latest census figures indicate that there are approximately 54 million Latinosliving in the U.S. (US Census Bureau, 2013). However, many Latino children still do not receive the services or resources they need to perform well academically. The primary aim of this research study is to determine if the books available to Spanish-speaking Latino¹ populations in two Michigan Counties contain features that might be used to facilitate beginning pre-literacy skills.

Children’s Spanish-language books from bookstores and public libraries were analyzed to determine the presence of features that might facilitate print awareness, phonological awareness, and …

A Case Study To Determine Characteristics For A Successful, Diverse School District, Tanya J. Vest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a rapidly changing society, education must make adjustments and keep learning focused on the needs of students by providing increased opportunities for success. Classrooms are filled with students of different cultural backgrounds which makes education a challenge to every building leader and teacher. The challenges are how to design instruction and implement it to meet the academic and Social needs of all learners. Understanding different lifestyles, languages, word context, body language, traditions, and dress present opportunities for educators to expand their cultural knowledge and create learning objectives for students which ultimately affect student achievement in the educational environment.

The …

Giving Power Its Due: The Powerful Possibilities And The Problems Of Power With Deliberative Democracy And English Language Learners. A Response To "Deliberative Democracy In English-Language Education: Cultural And Linguistic Inclusion In The School Community", Jarrod S. Hanson

Democracy & Education

The use of deliberation with English Language Learners presents possibilities to both improve language learning, but also expand the potential for civics education for all students. In particular, this response examines the issue of power to extend Liggett's (2014) arguments for using deliberative democracy with English Language Learners and provides practical suggestions on how to address issues of power and improve civic education.

We Are All Historical Actors: A Multilogue Response To Goldenberg’S “Youth Historians In Harlem,” Part 1 Of 2, Mike Suarez

Education's Histories

Mike Suarez responds to Barry M. Goldenberg's "Youth Historians in Harlem (Part 1 of 3)" in an open peer review, multilogue format.

老人与海: The Cultural Classroom Handbook, Jessica Ann Brumley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea has gained global recognition as a literary masterpiece. This novel, although written by an American, is set in Cuba and features cultural elements from Latin America as well as North America. Classrooms around the world use this novel as a means of teaching English to second-language learners because of the comparatively simple grammatical structure and concise word choice.

One specific instance of this is the Chinese classroom, where some students have used The Old Man and the Sea as an introduction to American literature. Hemingway’s work, which has since been translated …

2015 Cinco De Mayo Read-In, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Cultural Read-Ins

This event was co-sponsored by Alma Latina, Peer Multicultural Educators (PME), the IRC, and the English team.

Special Guest: Spoken Word Artist, Michael Reyes

Study Abroad Experiences Of Saudi Students, Deyab Almaleki

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

The Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia encourages Saudi students to study abroad. Currently there are estimated to be 106,858 Saudi students studying in the USA. Extent research, which has not focused on Saudi student experiences to date, has shown that even a single negative event can dramatically reduce the chances a will student completing their degree. Thus identifying and describing the context and obstacles (environmental, cultural and psychological) Saudi students face during their study abroad experiences, which affect the student’s ability to complete their degree goals. Primary statistical analysis will utilize the general linear model (regression and ANOVA).

Effective Teaching Practices For American-Born Chinese K1 Students Who Struggle In Reading English, Shih Hsing Huang

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

There is an increase American-born Chinese children who study in a bilingual school. These children were born in the USA so they need to learn English. The parents of these children often speak only Chinese at home for the convenience of communication. Therefore, the parents hope their children learn not only English but also Chinese in the school. When young children learn a new language, it benefits them later in their education (Cao, 2013). The research also indicates that "long term English language learners have lower levels of literacy and tend to drop out more frequently compared to native English …

Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers' Capacity For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Anna Currens

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Cultural Responsive Teaching, according to Irvine and Armento, may be defined as “incorporating elements of the students’ cultures into their teaching” (2001). The purpose of this study was to apply Cultural Responsive Teaching (CRT) to the review of classroom-based learning materials and instructional strategies. The question was: What instructional strategies will respond to cultures of students in ways that meet academic standards? 1. What is Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)? 2. What are the most frequent home languages of students in Mankato Public Schools? The literature review demonstrated the importance of integrating students’ cultural backgrounds into the traditional academic domains of …

Reckless Abandonment? Explaining Congressional Hispanic Caucus Support For The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, Elizabeth C. Reynolds

Politics Honors Papers

When No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law in early 2002, many hoped the legislation would help reduce achievement gaps among traditionally underperforming populations. For Hispanic students specifically, however, NCLB has contributed to educational inequality, school segregation, and high drop-out rates in major ways. Given these outcomes and trends, it is surprising that members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and other Hispanic American interest groups overwhelmingly supported NCLB despite potentially being able to anticipate how the law would hurt Hispanic students. The political environment of 2001 left members of the CHC with few options other than to …

Looking Within: Teacher Critical Self-Reflection On Language And Cultural Integration In Multilingual Schools, Kathryn Brooks, Katya Karathanos, Susan Adams

Faculty Publications

Genor (2005) proposed a framework for teacher reflection that included three stages of reflection: Unproblematized reflection, problematized reflection and critically problematized reflection. This study built upon Genor’s (2005) framework. The researchers of this current study taught English as a second language (ESL) coursework over two semesters to inservice educators. Analysis of participants’ course documents and instructional artifacts revealed factors that contributed to changes in beliefs and professional practices in teaching multilingual students. These factors included teachers’ (1) capacity to identify one’s biases and assumptions, (2) perceived purposes for incorporating students’ native languages and cultures in instruction, (3) levels of self-efficacy, …

(Mis)Labeled: The Challenge Of Academic Capital Formation For Hmong American High School Students In An Urban Setting, Anna Chiang, Joshua Fisher, William Collins, Marie Ting

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

The Model Minority Myth for Asians as a group disguises the challenges facing Hmong and other underrepresented Southeast Asian groups. Using the theoretical framework of Academic Capital Formation (ACF), this qualitative study examines the implications of the Model Minority Myth by focusing on the experiences and educational challenges of Hmong American high school students in an urban setting in the Midwest. Results from this study alludes to a bimodal pattern of achievement amongst the Asian American Pacific Islander community, emphasizing the importance of increasing visibility for underrepresented Southeast Asians, such as Hmong Americans, with regards to access to higher education.

Addressing The Literacy Needs Of Marshallese Adolescents, Ingrid L. Naumann

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

Based on personal experience teaching literacy skills to Marshallese adolescents in the Republic of Palau, I explore literacy challenges and needs particular to these students. The historical and sociocultural context of language use in the Micronesian Islands reveals the imbalance of current biliteracy efforts. Challenges in teaching literacy to adolescents is well documented, as are challenges in teaching literacy through a second or third language, but these students, and many others like them, also face these challenges without the same traditional cultural value in print literacy that they see in school. The literature suggests potential improvement through approaches that demonstrate …

Order Of Acquisition: A Comparison Of L1 And L2 English And Spanish Morpheme Acquisition, Kyle A. Mcferren

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the order of acquisition for grammatical morphemes in Spanish and English first and second language learners. Brown’s first morpheme order study, conducted in 1973, laid the foundation for what would become one of the most common types of study conducted within the field of second language acquisition. The four orders of acquisition relevant here are examined and compared in order to support the roles of salience, morphophonological regularity, complexity, input frequency, and native language transfer in first and/or second language acquisition. The conclusion is that these five determinants work interdependently in determining the difficulty of acquiring a …

Strategies For Tutors Developing Long-Term Relationships With English As Second Language Students In Writing Centers, Andrew Yim

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Graduate Student Presentations

This poster is looking at strategies for tutors looking to develop long-term relationships with ESL and ELL students in writing centers. The strategies that are included within this poster are taken from my own experiences and other readings. Furthermore, the poster looks at different writing centers throughout the United States that have programs that encourage these long-term relationships.

To Correct Or Not To Correct: The Ethics Of Addressing Grammar In Writing Center Tutorials, Vicki R. Kennell

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Presentations

Although students often ask for grammar help, writing center tutors are conflicted over whether and how much to provide such help because of how they internalize the tutoring mandates found in training manuals, tutoring literature, and writing center policies. This results in disconnects between what happens in tutorials and what tutors and writers think happens, with grammar being prioritized regardless of stated agendas or document needs. Solutions to this problem include educating writers and instructors, as well as educating tutors to address grammar productively when and if it is warranted.

The Anala Collaborative: Umass Boston’S Asian American, Native American, Latin@ And African Diaspora Institutes, Barbara Lewis, Carolyn Wong, Cedric Woods, Elena Stone

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The ANALA Collaborative is the newly-formed umbrella for the four UMass Boston racial and ethnic institutes. This year, with help from a team from the College of Management’s Emerging Leaders Program, we have come together to form ANALA in recognition of the area’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity and the need for majority-minority communities to work together toward common goals. While each of the four institutes will retain its separate identity and programs, we will also place greater emphasis on collaborative efforts in the service of our common mission and vision.

Language Instruction Educational Programs And Academic Achievement Of Latino English Learners: Considerations For States With Changing Demographics, Francesca López, Elizabeth Mceneaney, Martina Nieswandt

Administration and Staff Articles and Research

Little research currently examines language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) in states with a more recent growth of the Latino English learner population. To meet this need, the authors examined the content each of the state LIEPs, focusing chiefly on the extent to which the types of language support, as well as the stipulations associated with them, are made explicit. Using US Census data from 1970 and 2009, the authors assessed LIEPs in the context of Latino population patterns and examined the relationship between the degree to which state LIEPs emphasize bilingual education and fourth-grade Latino English learners’ achievement patterns in …

Impact Of Social And Cultural Factors On Teenage Pregnancy, Devi Akella, Melissa Jordan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

United States has the highest level of teenage pregnancy amongst the industrialized nations. Further, the level of teenage pregnancy is highest amongst the minority population. This research study examines the reasons behind high rates of early childbirth amongst African American teenagers. This study uses Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory to deconstruct the factors, which influence and manipulate the overall behavior of the teenagers and initiates them to choose early motherhood over education and career. To ensure better quality of empirical data, the authors collaborated with the pregnant teenagers and a local non-profit community agency using a phenomenological analysis.

Does Being Bilingual Make You Better At Math?, Enxhi Elezi

Honors Projects in Mathematics

The purpose of this study is to examine if there is any relationship between being bilingual, defined as speaking your native language at home and another language in school, and your mathematical ability. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was used to compare the math grades of students who were not born in the US and speak English, Spanish, or Other at home. Also, data from the Bryant University first year students was used to test if students who speak a different language at home have a higher mathematical average than their monolingual peers. Results show that …

Education, Crystal C. Gray

Eddie Mabry Diversity Award

Education is a spoken word poem that explores many aspects of the African American struggle within (self-knowledge). It starts with an African American college student who is disappointed with the lack of courses about her culture. Most curricula in the United States tend to be from a Eurocentric perspective, leaving out a multitude of information about people of color. All groups of people of color have unique experiences, however, African Americans have the most known (or perhaps I should say, unknown) history. The standard explanation of their existence is often limited to the start of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, when …

Cultural Times, Multicultural Center

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Power: Graduate Students Creating And Implementing Faculty Development Workshops On Multilingual Writing, Brooke R. Schreiber, Dorothy Worden, Eunjeong Lee

Publications and Research

A description of how a group of graduate students was able to coordinate institutional resources and connections to put on faculty development sessions for working with multilingual writers (often called ESL students) across the curriculum.

Wmu International News Spring 2015, Haenicke Institute

WMU International News

• New sensor to monitor impacts on the gridiron
• Dominican Republic Ph.D. candidate a leader in green manufacturing at WMU
• Delivering fuel efficiency and reduced emissions key for Ford engineer
• Electrical engineer seeks new semiconductor for optoelectronics
• Improving communication systems drives computer science researcher
• CEAS alumnus improves health care commerce
• Degree research evolves into new company for WMU alumnus
• Roundabout ways to improve transportation captivate Tanzanian fellow
• Raspberry Pi focus of undergraduate research project
• Comparative learning key in WMU’s Engineering in China program
• ESL courses first step for future Congolese engineer