Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

The Vigor Of Creative Materialism: Making The Hidden Stories Of Underrepresented Engineering Students Visible, Katherine A. Robert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of initiatives, engineering education continues to lack diversity. The proportion of women, BIPOC, LGBTQA+, low-income, first-generation, and disabled students in engineering education remains below national population levels. The culture of engineering is a barrier to increasing participation in engineering for students from these communities. The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences of underrepresented engineering students as they are socialized into the culture of engineering. I theorized a novel conceptual framework called creative materialism that combines culturally responsive methodologies, new materialist theory, and arts-based research methods. Two research questions were used to guide the study. …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion At Faith-Based Institutions: A Quantitative Study At Two Seventh-Day Adventist Institutions Of Higher Learning In North America, Erin Doggette

Dissertations

Problem

The need to address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at university campuses is critical. The campus climate impacts college students' overall collegial relationships and academic abilities. Since 1976, there has been an increase of 19.1% marginalized students enrolled in college. For these students, a sense of belonging is believed to aid in improved collegial relationships and better academic performance. According to the research, students who have positive perceptions of the campus climate tend to be more satisfied with their overall college experience and become more academically successful. Private, faith-based institutions must consider conducting campus climate surveys to assess potential diversity, …

Disappearing Acts: The Declining Numbers Of African American Teachers In Public School Settings, Catherine F. Lewis-Brownfield

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

African American teachers are slowly leaving the classroom, causing an imbalance in the student/teacher ratio (NCES, 2019). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African American teachers make up 3% in California and 7% nationally. This study sought to understand the reasons for the decline in the number of African American teachers in public school settings. Due to the decline in their numbers, African American students have suffered high dropout rates, low standardized test scores, and low college attendance (Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsey, & Papageorge, 2017). This qualitative study examined the obstacles current African American teachers face and the …

Intercultural Competence Among Early Childhood Educators, Sara Fanous

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess and develop intercultural competence among birth through kindergarten teachers. Intercultural competence is an integral part of creating a welcoming environment for all students in a classroom. It is not only the acknowledgement of individual differences, but the acceptance and celebration of what makes each person an individual and member of a cultural group. This project assessed the intercultural competence of 24 birth through kindergarten teachers and staff at a child development center in the mid-south. Participants completed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) as pre- and post-assessments. In between assessments, our team conducted …

Social Justice Education: Using Communication Activism Pedagogy To Help University Cultural Centers Increase Campus Diversity & Inclusivity, Sophia T. Vu

Journalism

This study examined how student affairs professionals, especially those in cultural centers, could increase campus diversity and inclusivity. More specifically, it sought to find a theoretical basis for social justice education programs that could increase campus climate. It was performed as a single site case study at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Three Cal Poly student affairs professionals were interviewed for qualitative data which were then compared and analyzed with the literature surrounding campus diversity and inclusivity. The study concludes that student affairs professionals can increase campus diversity and inclusivity by developing social justice education programs that not …

Encouraging Diversity And Multiculturalism In London, Ontario: A Case Study Of Two Elementary Schools, Abhilasha Duggal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Elementary school students have diverse learning needs and their academic learning in particular varies between students especially so for students those from culturally non-dominant backgrounds. The focus of my research is on understanding the perceptions and practices of eleven teachers teaching in two schools within the London, Ontario school system, along with the perceptions of two principals and two vice principals in relation to the organizational learning opportunities provided for encouraging multicultural education. This study’s purpose was to explore what teaching strategies were used to support diverse students’ learning within the classroom setting. My data gathering sought to respond to …

(Un)Packing Your Backpack: Educational Philosophy, Positionality, And Pedagogical Praxis, Yvette Prinsloo Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations

In this philosophical research project, the author examines the question: How can the case be made that there is an imperative need to change the trajectory of current efforts to reduce “achievement gaps” in the United States and (re)vision a transformation of our school settings through conscious-raising sensitivity regarding issues of equity towards equality amongst educators that harnesses the work of philosophy of education scholars? She engages the reader in a theoretical hike through a philosophical argument for attending to philosophical theories of education, extending the work of Jane Roland Martin regarding sensitivity and drawing heavily on the scholarship of …

Approaching Equity: Strategies For Working With Hispanic Students In The Middle School Health Science Classroom, Heather L. Jones

All Graduate Projects

This project provides middle school science teachers with practical classroom strategies for working with Hispanic students. The strategies are built upon national and state recommendations as well as other expert opinions which can be found in the Review of Literature. The strategies align with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements for Washington state. For each strategy, a rationale is provided based on the literature review. In addition, each strategy includes a detailed explanation, along with specific examples. The strategies themselves address environmental, communicative, pedagogical, as well as assessment considerations. Recommendations for implementation are also discussed.