Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

"Hear Us, See Us": Constructing Citizenship In The Margins, Tricia M. Hagen Gray

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

The meatpacking industry has drawn an increasing number of immigrants to the Midwestern community of Washington River from Mexico and Central America, making it a New Latino Diaspora (NLD) receiving community. Demographic change amidst the sociopolitical landscape of neoliberalism, declining civic engagement, and polarized partisan politics has forced interaction between longstanding residents and newcomers who are socially, culturally, and linguistically different. Historically marginalized groups have sought to claim rights—especially since Donald Trump’s election in 2016—resulting in a deeper fissure of the social landscape.

Washington River High School provided a context in which to explore questions about how students construct citizen …

Strengthening Families In Santa Cruz County, Yajaira Rubio-Mendoza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Parenting is very rewarding and enjoyable, yet it can be challenging and exhausting. Therefore, there is no right way to be a parent. At La Manzana Community Resources (LMCR), a family program of Community Bridges, there is a strong belief in strengthening families within the Santa Cruz County community. That is why LMCR provides various services such as, Triple-P Positive Parenting Program. Triple-P, funded by First 5, provides parents and caregivers parenting support ranging from birth to 12 years of age, with additional support for families with teens, and families of children with special needs. The …

Integrating Ethnic Studies In Social Studies Curriculum, Alyssa Denise Hernández

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Traditional social studies curriculum in the K-12 system focuses on United States history through a Eurocentric lens. The issue with focusing on a black-and-white version of history impacts people of color from ethnic backgrounds that are not equally represented in the curriculum. The research conducted for this project specifically focuses on the impact of this subject matter on individuals in a predominantly Latino community. Through surveys and interviews, the researcher presents feedback on the experiences of these individuals and provides possible solutions on how schools can improve social studies curriculum at the high school level to be more culturally relevant …

Let's Talk: Increasing Communication With Dual- Immersion Parents, Carmina Tirado

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In 2016, California passed Proposition 58, which repealed Proposition 227. The latter proposition, passed in 1998, prohibited the use of non- English instruction in public schools across California. Since then, bilingual education programs such as dual- immersion, or two-way immersion programs have seen a rise in enrollment. Due to its novelty, parental involvement is crucial for the success of the program. This Capstone project focuses on understanding the obstacles that parents of second language learner students, specifically those in dual-immersion programs face when it comes to their involvement. Several factors such as language barriers, parent/teacher misunderstanding, and time restraints, can …

Let’S Talk: Increasing Communication In The Dual-Immersion Setting, Iliana Izquierdo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In 2016, California passed Proposition 58, which repealed Proposition 227. The latter proposition, passed in 1998, prohibited the use of non- English instruction in public schools across California. Since then, bilingual education programs such as dual- immersion, or two-way immersion programs have seen a rise in enrollment. Due to its novelty, parental involvement is crucial for the success of the program. This Capstone project focuses on understanding the obstacles that parents of second language learner students, specifically those in dual-immersion programs face when it comes to their involvement. Several factors such as language barriers, parent/teacher misunderstanding, and time restraints, can …

Advantages & Challenges: An Assessment Of Suny Oneonta's Current Approach To International Student Services, Sarah Busche

Capstone Collection

The decision to become an international student is a choice that is as challenging as it is rewarding, and is one that I am familiar with from both a professional and personal standpoint. Per a recent Open Doors’ account, 1,043,839 students from around the world have made the decision to study in the United States in 2016. These individuals make up 9% of New York State’s student population, and 10.1% of the State University of New York system (SUNY, 2016). Currently SUNY Oneonta is host to 56 of these international students, whom I was excited to work with through my …

Co-Navigating The U.S. Educational System: A Multiple Case Study Of The Social And Academic Pressures Experienced By Iranian Immigrant Parents And Their 1.5-Generation Immigrant Children, Shahla Fayazpour

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States of America is a complex, diverse nation, and the number of immigrant families grows daily. Since parents and family play central roles in their children’s future and academic achievements, the purpose of this study is to examine how immigrant parents navigate their children’s education in the United States. The goal of this research is to amplify the voices of immigrant families while informing policymakers and individuals about the racial issues and barriers that immigrant families face in society and school, and about how this affects their parenting and their children’s academic performance. This research aims to reduce …

Case Studies Of Teach For America Teachers’ Teacher Identity Development In Relation To English Language Learners, Refika Turgut

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the teacher identity development of Teach for America (TFA) teachers in relation to English language learners (ELLs) in the context of a semester-long teaching English as a second language (TESL) course. In addition, this study aims to explore primary considerations come into play in TFA teachers’ teacher identity development as novice teachers of ELLs. The theoretical lenses guiding this study are Wenger’s Community of Practice perspective and Positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990). A multiple-case design is employed to examine TFA teachers’ teacher identity in relation to ELLs. Data collection took place …

A Case Study Investigating Teacher Perceptions Of Obstacles Faced By Eighth-Grade Latino Males, Stanley Mcqueen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to investigate teacher perceptions into the educational obstacles of eighth-grade Latino males. For the purpose of this research, educational obstacles are generally defined as anything which obstructs Latino males from receiving a high school diploma. Critical Race Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory provided a lens to view the perceptions investigated in the study. Participants included 12 teachers from different middle schools across Northern Georgia. Teacher perceptions of educational obstacles (intentional or unintentional) were investigated through interviews, focus groups, pilot studies, and observations. Guiding the study was the research question: What are teacher perceptions of …

A Pilot Study Of Computerized, Tailored Intervention To Promote Hpv Vaccination In Mexican-Heritage Adolescents, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Michael Todd, Ashish Amresh, Usha Menon, Laura Szalacha

Publications

This study examined feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a computer-tailored intervention aimed at promoting HPV vaccination in Mexican-heritage adolescents aged 11-17. Among 46 Mexican-heritage parents who had one or more eligible children who had not received HPV vaccines, 91% (n = 42) completed the intervention and assessments via touchscreen tablet computers in a vaccine clinic. Mean knowledge scores increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. After the intervention, 95% (n = 40) of parents intended to get their children vaccinated; 50% (n=21) of them consented to vaccination immediately, resulting in 24 adolescents being vaccinated at that time. All parents reported …

The Role Of Education In Self-Sustaining Community Development, Leanne Riegel

Senior Honors Theses

Self-sustaining community development strategies, focused on education as a means for change, have great potential to make an impact on worldwide poverty. Instead of a one-time intervention with results that fade over time, the cyclical structure of participatory development will yield increasing results as time goes on. Teaching the community how to improve itself will increase its ability to deal with future problems, and positively impact women, children, and the environment in developing countries. This philosophy and practical strategy could be effective in any geographic location or culture, focusing on education and the ability of the local people to transform …

You're A Genius All The Time: Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Kerouac's Spontaneous Prose On Empowering English Language Learners, Robert Casas

Theses and Dissertations

The engineer of the Beat Movement, Jack Kerouac, began his writing career as an ELL. Kerouac’s Spontaneous Prose helped him navigate through language acquisition to establish rhetoric in English, and empowered other Beat Writers to expressively develop their thoughts. Spontaneous Prose can also help other ELLs develop their own rhetorical agency. For ELL writers, writing in English often makes them feel disenfranchised, disempowered, and discouraged. However, Spontaneous Prose as a pedagogical tool empowers ELL writers to begin the process of transculturally repositioning themselves in using writing as a form of rhetorical expression. This study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of Spontaneous …

Highly Student-Rated Teachers Of Multicultural Classrooms : A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Practices., Rose M. Glasser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I selected three mathematics teachers teaching in multicultural classes who were highly rated by their students. I examined these teachers’ practices in relation to multicultural instructional practices, language and critical knowledge. The participants were two secondary mathematics teachers, and one middle mathematics teacher who exclusively taught English learners who had lived in the United States for less than two years. Some of their students were considered Significantly Interrupted or limited Formal Education. The teachers, Marlon, Yasin and Abigail were from Cuba, Turkey and the United States, respectively. Using recommendations from Yin (2014), I employed multiple-case, qualitative methodology …

No.6, December 2017: District Administrators' Perspectives On The Impact Of The Local Control Funding Formula On English Learners, Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D., Gisela Obrien Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

Two years into implementation, this policy brief examines how California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and its accompanying Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) meet the needs of English Learners (ELs). Researchers seek to understand district administrator perspectives on the impact of LCFF for ELs through interviews and focus groups with administrators that represent districts from Northern, Central, and Southern California. Findings reveal that although the LCAP serves as a mechanism to increase personnel and PD efforts to address EL needs, it is still largely viewed as a compliance document that requires alignment with other strategic documents and is sensitive to …

Language Proficiency Attainment And Mobility Among Ell Students, Elizabeth Ayers Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact student mobility has on academic achievement has been researched in the United States since the early 20^th century (Goebel, 1978). Mobility for students is a risk factor often compounded by poverty, ELL students are at a higher risk of lower achievement. Educators face challenges in tracking records, monitoring, remediating, gap closing, and assisting students in transition periods. The data collected in this quantitative study was analyzed to determine the impact mobility has on English language learners and their attainment of a second language. This quantitative study examined the relationship between non-mobile and highly mobile ELL students in …

Translanguaging, Sara Vogel, Ofelia García

Publications and Research

Translanguaging is a theoretical lens that offers a different view of bilingualism and multilingualism. The theory posits that rather than possessing two or more autonomous language systems, as has been traditionally thought, bilinguals, multilinguals, and indeed, all users of language, select and deploy particular features from a unitary linguistic repertoire to make meaning and to negotiate particular communicative contexts. Translanguaging also represents an approach to language pedagogy that affirms and leverages students’ diverse and dynamic language practices in teaching and learning.

The Use Of Visual Arts In World Language Instruction To Increase Student Motivation And Attitude, Marilena Bevilacqua Martello

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Because of the complexity and changeability that characterize languages, language learners face a number of various factors in their quest to acquire a new language. Nevertheless, it is the level of motivation and personal attitude toward language learning that will determine their rate of success (Dörnyei & Csizér, 1998). The purpose of this study was to find out (1) whether there was a relationship between the use of visual art in world language instruction and student motivation, and (2) whether student writing skills improved when visual art was used for Content Based Instruction. The study used a mixed method research …

Reverse Migration: Documenting How The Educational Experiences Of Transnational Youth In Mexican Schools Are Shaped By Parental Deportation, Sandra Lourdes Candel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research Problem

Over 500,000 U.S.-born children are living in Mexico –some due to parental deportation– experiencing a decrease in their quality of life, the stress of an unfamiliar language and culture, and difficulty accessing education. In order to support them in their transition to Mexico, and to reincorporate them into U.S. society as adults, their struggles and educational trajectories should be of great concern to the Mexican and U.S. governments, as well as higher education institutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative study was to document the educational experiences of transnational students attending schools in a border city in northern …

A Qualitative Investigation Of The Interpersonal Changes White Psychology Trainees Experience During Their Race-Based Learning And Development, Molly K. Beagle

Dissertations

The current study expands upon prior research that has explored how white psychology and counseling graduate trainees are impacted by their learning about racism. Prior to this study being conducted, research primarily addressed the psychological impact of learning about racism for white trainees. There was minimal acknowledgment and exploration of how learning about racism impacted the interpersonal aspects of trainees’ lives, such as their relationships and larger social networks. The current study addresses this gap within previous research, with it being the first to have an intentional, exclusive focus on the interpersonal impact of learning about racism. The primary purpose …

Achievement Gap In United States History End Of Course Assessment Scores In Ga High Schools, Kris Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation study, which employed a quantitative correlational research design, was to determine if the school-level variables of percentage of African American students, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and type of school scheduling significantly influence student performance on the Georgia Milestones U.S. History end-of-course assessments (EOCs) for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16. The study utilized a sample of 163 high schools located in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Results from simultaneous linear regression analyses showed that school-level percentage of economically disadvantaged students was significantly associated with school-level Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) U.S. History …

Promoting Biliteracy And Biculturalism In Bilingual-Maintenance Secondary Classes: A Key Measure In The Creation Of A Gateway To Post-Secondary Education For First And 1.5 Generation Latino Students In Northwest Arkansas Public Schools, Jeanette A. Arnhart

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the context of the Northwest Arkansas (NWA) regional setting, this study examines the effects of the Spanish for Heritage and Native Speakers (SHNS) model from multiple vantage points. Educational capital and biculturation approaches are employed to help theoretically frame post-secondary educational success and ethnic identity, respectively.

Study methods are briefly described and paired with a description of the NWA region as an ideal southern Latino emerging community in which to conduct research on educational outcomes. The manuscript then turns to an ethnographic examination of how and the extent to which curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular aspects of a Spanish for …

The Effectiveness Of Dual Language And Sheltered English Immersion Esol Programs: A Comparative Study, Thomas Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the 2005-2006 school year, 20% of students in the United States spoke a language other than English at home. Projected growth of English Language Learners in the United States is that by 2015 that number will rise to 50%. Research shows that vocabulary development is key to helping young English language learners acquire English mastery, but there is presently no commonly adopted English for Speakers of Other Languages teaching strategy. Dual Language and Sheltered English Immersion are two English for speakers of other languages programs used extensively throughout the United States and exclusively by the school district in this …

A Case Study Comparison Of Self-Perception Of Latino First Year College Students And Latino Second Year College Students, Corinna Rene Cavanaugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the self-perceptions of Latino students at an institution of higher education in Eastern Pennsylvania. Specifically, first and second year Latino student’s self-perceptions of campus assimilation and involvement in campus activities were studied. Latino assimilation into Western culture has been tumultuous. Although statistics report Latino college enrollment to be the second highest in the nation, second only to Asian enrollment, degree completion rates continue to be the lowest in the nation. Subsequently, a rise in Latino population is dramatically influencing the higher education classroom, and educators are confronted with meeting the …

The Characteristics Of African American Parental Influence On Academic Success In A Rural School District: A Collective Case Study, Raymond Christian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to discover the characteristics of African American parental behavior regarding the importance of school, and its influence on their high school children’s academic success in a rural school district, for recent African American graduates in Mountain County, North Carolina. The research study utilized a collective case study approach and included five African American parents and, their children that had graduated from Mountain County High School and gained college acceptance. Guided by Ecological Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), and Risk and Resilience Theory (Catalano, Hawkins, 1996), data collection methods included interviews, document analysis and, focus groups. …

Language Proficiency And Cultural Intelligence In Distance English-Language Learning, Jared Marcum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the viability of an international distance English-language program in the development of language and cultural proficiency. Students participated in tests at the beginning and at the end of the course to determine how well they developed both language and cultural proficiencies. The measures included (a) the computer-administered Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) from theAmerican Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), (b) ACTFL-aligned assessments of reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary skills, and (c) the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). In addition, course activities surveys provided additional information about student perceptions of course activities. …

Intention, Questions, And Creative Expression: An Antidiscriminatory Diversity Statement, Hannah S. Bright

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Supporting education that reflects diversity involves maintaining awareness of one’s personal positionality, creating safe and inclusive learning communities, and using creativity and choice to empower and honor student voice and individual development. When working in educational settings, teachers may involve students in selecting relevant materials, and follow their lead in creating critical dialogue about salient factors of identity.

Diversity Speaker Series: Dr. Adrienne Coleman And Dr. Amber Pareja, Adrienne Coleman, Amber Stitziel Pareja

Speaker Series

Come hear more about the progress of IMSA’s board approved Diversity Plan

• Held a Diversifying STEM Think Tank in which 75 STEM Professionals/Educators, Community Organizers, Diversity Officers and students discussed strategies to address the racial and gender inequities that exist in the STEM education to career pipeline
• Implemented Diversity Speaker Series that consisted of four trainings on the following topics: LGBTQIA+ Allyship, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Students, Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Environment, and Gender Bias Under the Microscope
• Conducted a Student Diversity Climate Assessment in the Residence Halls examining the issues of race, sexual orientation, sex and gender/gender …

Language Proficiency And Academic Success Of Bilingual Hispanic Nursing Students, Cristina Dominguez

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) experienced recent growth in its minority population. This requires an increase of culturally diverse healthcare providers. English as a second language (ESL) students face challenges such as overcoming their inability to write, comprehend, and communicate in a language different from their native tongue. The study explored the role of language proficiency on academic success among bilingual nursing students on the U.S. and Mexico border.

Cummins Language Proficiency Model guided the study, which aimed to answer whether the dimensions of language proficiency or language acculturation predicted self - assessed language proficiency and academic success. The relationship between …

“I Never Planned To Be A Teacher!” An Interview With Margaret Hill, President Of The Board Of The San Bernardino City Unified School District, John M. Winslade, Margaret Hill

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

An interview with Margaret Hill, President of the Board of San Bernardino City Unified School District

Multilingualism And Academic Writing: A Match Made In Heaven Or A Disastrous Combination?, Roshni Paul, Ian Mcdonald

Journal of Research Initiatives

There has long been a tradition of international students studying in the United Kingdom. Despite a dip in the most recently published statistics, Indian students continue to make up a high proportion of UK’s international student population. The majority of Indian students are multilingual and this raises potential problems for them with regards to academic writing, such as grammar, structuring and vocabulary. This article presents a largely empirical study which examines the experiences of, and issues faced by, seven postgraduate research students in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University. Samples of academic writing …