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Stephen F. Austin State University

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Deconstructing Social Constructs: Exploring Teachers’ Positionality When Teaching Race And Human Diversity In The Science Classroom, Uchenna Emenaha Oct 2023

Deconstructing Social Constructs: Exploring Teachers’ Positionality When Teaching Race And Human Diversity In The Science Classroom, Uchenna Emenaha

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This article reports on how four urban high school biology teachers’ positionality impacts their experiences when teaching culturally responsive lessons on race and human diversity. Teachers in the study taught a two-week genetics intervention lesson on race and human diversity, then participated in individual and focus group interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results reveal that teachers who were empowered by their racial positionality and had prior professional development in culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) were more likely to believe that science instruction can be used to address unscientific misconceptions amongst high school students. These findings give credence to …


Policy Analysis Report: Later Class Start Time For Adolescents, Lee Anne Brannon Sep 2023

Policy Analysis Report: Later Class Start Time For Adolescents, Lee Anne Brannon

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This policy analysis offers possible solutions to the problem of early school start times across the United States. The average start time in middle and high school campuses is earlier than the recommended start time outlined by medical professionals. This report offers the rationale and research-based evidence to help schools understand the need for later start times, as developmentally appropriate for adolescent students.


Bridging The Cultural Gap, Trish Ramos Sep 2023

Bridging The Cultural Gap, Trish Ramos

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Multicultural education is about teaching people about each other without bias. Banks, C. (2016) states “Teachers need to understand their students’ community and home life (pg. 278).” As teachers it is our duty to ensure that every student that enters our classroom leaves with a sense of worth and knowing that each of them matter regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or cultural.


The Race, Social Class, And Place-Based Gap In Rural Turnaround Policy: A Policy Brief, Karynecia E. Conner Sep 2023

The Race, Social Class, And Place-Based Gap In Rural Turnaround Policy: A Policy Brief, Karynecia E. Conner

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Abstract: For teachers, leaders, and policymakers To understand the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of rural school turnaround, there is a need to understand how turnaround leadership implements school improvement in different types of communities of color (Wright, 2019). Studies examining the implications of school turnaround in minoritized educational contexts have solely examined urban school contexts to exclude rural contexts (Mette & Stanoch, 2018). Rural schools of color undergoing turnaround face the fundamental unique educational challenges of rural schools and the education debt that has accumulated over time for people of color (Ladson-Billings, 2006). There is a greater …


Against The Tide: Indigenous Knowledge And Education For Humanization, Arturo Rodriguez, Kevin Russel Magill Sep 2023

Against The Tide: Indigenous Knowledge And Education For Humanization, Arturo Rodriguez, Kevin Russel Magill

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Power brokers and their market economies enforce education on a global level. According to the United Nations, the effects of global neoliberal capitalism cause human rights violations in all parts of the world, yet democratic countries scoff at these findings (Pogge, 2002 & 2005). People of the world continue to believe that tying minoritized students to existing structures and ensuring enculturation is the best possible outcome for all involved (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2015). That is, minoritized children are educated to ensure first-world countries produce a minimally educated and willing labor force. In this paper we argue the following: 1) power …


Tharp’S Funnel: Understanding The Present Through An Understanding Of The Past, Alejandra Y. Martinez, Dayna Parrish May 2023

Tharp’S Funnel: Understanding The Present Through An Understanding Of The Past, Alejandra Y. Martinez, Dayna Parrish

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Inspired by the changes precipitated by 2020 and 2021, the authors introduce Tharp's (1994) Funnel and Filters of Development and his emphasis on ethnogenetic analysis as a framework to understand current conditions and events. In doing so, we aim to provide a lens to better grasp the issues that our nation faces and propose it as a tool to disrupt the ongoing pattern of social injustice. This framework is introduced with a discussion on some of the unfortunate, yet significant, events that have unfolded in 2020 and 2021, followed by an explanation of Tharp's Funnel and its application to contemporary …


How To Be An Anti-Racist Educator: A Book Review Through An Educational Perspective, Maria Cristina F. Soares, Melanie Morales May 2023

How To Be An Anti-Racist Educator: A Book Review Through An Educational Perspective, Maria Cristina F. Soares, Melanie Morales

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The authors reviewed the book How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (2019) while reflecting on how Kendi’s brilliant dismantlement of racism and discrimination would help educators become conscious of how racism operates in our society, their schools, and their communities. Kendi’s book could motivate teachers to self-reflect on intrinsic feelings and misconceptions about race and culture built over time, allowing them to adopt new attitudes towards their students and school community. The authors considered the need to reevaluate systemic racism in schools as research has, for instance, found evidence of discriminatory practices towards African American boys (Gregory …


A Method For Collective Healing: The Utility Of Talking Circles, Samuel Montano, Victoria Williams, Jia Jian Tin May 2023

A Method For Collective Healing: The Utility Of Talking Circles, Samuel Montano, Victoria Williams, Jia Jian Tin

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This paper highlights the importance of Justice and Healing Talking Circles (JAHTC) in higher education settings, as well as other institutions to provide a safe place for individuals and groups to have collective healing experiences. This paper outlines the current sociopolitical climate that poses a threat to social equity, social justice, and communal healing, while also providing a method and rationale for the implementation of JAHTC.


The Diversity In Creating A New Dream: A Black Man’S Journey From Sports To Human Resources, Sagirah Wheeler Feb 2023

The Diversity In Creating A New Dream: A Black Man’S Journey From Sports To Human Resources, Sagirah Wheeler

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Issues of diversity explores a variety of social, political, and educational issues as it relates to the education of individuals in a culturally diverse world. Through the process of reading, reflection, and discussion, individuals are able to learn about trends and challenges individuals face related to their experiences and cultural backgrounds. This article explores the author’s narrative interview with Cameron (a pseudonym) as he discusses his life experiences on his path as an athlete and as a professional. This article explores Cameron’s experiences and obstacles he overcame to transition from athletics to the workforce. Additionally, this article investigates the issues …


Bridging The Cultural Divide: A Single Case Study Exploring Connections Between Multi-Cultural Education, Identity, Self-Esteem And Leadership, Amy Britton Feb 2023

Bridging The Cultural Divide: A Single Case Study Exploring Connections Between Multi-Cultural Education, Identity, Self-Esteem And Leadership, Amy Britton

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This qualitative single case study explores connections between multicultural education, identity development, self-esteem, and leadership. The study focuses on the lived experiences of a lifelong learner, educator, and leader in higher education with the pseudonym, Rachel. The interview with Rachel traced how she experiences diversity within her academic experiences as a learner and her professional experiences as an educator and leader.


Reporting Of Doctoral Student Attrition: A Policy Brief, Cece Lively Feb 2023

Reporting Of Doctoral Student Attrition: A Policy Brief, Cece Lively

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Roughly half of all doctoral students in the United States will never complete their degree requirements (Council of Graduate Schools, 2020). That staggering number is larger for ethnic minority and female students, particularly for Black students who have the lowest completion rate (47 percent) and who make up only 13 percent of doctoral degrees (Lovitts, 2001). Additionally, retention rates for online students are an additional 10 to 20 percent lower than students who attend in-person (Rovai & Wighting, 2005). Thus, ethnic minority students in online doctoral programs are at a higher risk of not finishing their degrees compared to other …


The Emerging Scholars Issue: Insights On Teaching And Leading Through Reshaping Policy And Practice, Lakia M. Scott, Taylor D. Bunn Feb 2023

The Emerging Scholars Issue: Insights On Teaching And Leading Through Reshaping Policy And Practice, Lakia M. Scott, Taylor D. Bunn

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The Emerging Scholars program began at the 2019 Texas-NAME conference with five graduate students, four of which were enrolled in a doctoral program. Students participated in preconference workshops on establishing a research agenda, understanding academia and higher education institutions, and creating a network as an education researcher. Since its inception, the program has continued introducing students to collaborations and publication opportunities through Texas-NAME. This special issue provides doctoral students (some of whom have since graduated) with an opportunity to be single-authors in their scholar. Organized in three distinct sections, readers will be exposed to research and policy briefs and critical …


My Muse Of Fire Is Ubuntu: My Black Lives Matter Re-Awakening Of Purpose, Gwendolyn C. Webb Dec 2022

My Muse Of Fire Is Ubuntu: My Black Lives Matter Re-Awakening Of Purpose, Gwendolyn C. Webb

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Poetry, as a genre, allows one to express emotion as a tool to stimulate thought and action. This piece shares the importance of culturally responsive leadership and teaching from the perspective of a university professor seeking to strengthen her critical consciousness. The muse of thought as a precursor to action was motivated by personal and professional development as it relates to truly embracing Black Lives Matter during the pandemic. This muse shares a transformation in the development of proactive and strength-based perspectives in leading and teaching African American learners.


Doctoral Studies As Learning To Rename The World, Hyleen Mariaye Dec 2022

Doctoral Studies As Learning To Rename The World, Hyleen Mariaye

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The reflective experience documented in this paper engages with doctoral learning from Freire’s (1968/2000) conceptual lens of naming the world. Written from the narrative lens of the supervisor, it considers how doctoral level studies in education can position both the supervisor and the candidates as agents actively reconstructing their understanding of the world and their place in it. The doctoral journey is viewed as praxis compelling researchers to expand their frames for reading the world, accommodating the other, including multiple voices and thus demonstrating commitment to a global and yet constantly contested notion of citizenship.


Poetry And Praxis: Lessons From An Activist Educator, Dr. Emmanuel Tabi Dec 2022

Poetry And Praxis: Lessons From An Activist Educator, Dr. Emmanuel Tabi

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Drawing on data from a narrative multi-case study based in Toronto, Canada, this article discusses the lived experiences of one Black activist. Utilizing critical race theory, new literacy studies and the rhetoric of cultural production as theoretical frameworks, the article foregrounds the work of Ebele, a Toronto activist whose work supported the educational trajectories and emotional well-being of Black students, many of whom reported being marginalized in school. Through his creative labor, Ebele directly addressed the sociology of anti-Black racism that deeply influences the lives of Afrodiasporic people in Canada. This article continues the conversation about what it means to …


Cadillacs N’ Poetry, Glen K. Waters Ii Feb 2022

Cadillacs N’ Poetry, Glen K. Waters Ii

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This poem is a historical meditation on Elizabeth Alexander’s The Blackish Interior: Essays. The poem examines Blackness by expanding on historical Black movements in the mid-1900s that contributed to the mechanization of the Black body as a commodity through means of production. The poem uses the imagery of Black migration, lynching, evolution, mechanization, commodities, production, and death to bring forward the importance of identity and inner self-worth in a capitalistic society that benefits from the destruction of Black bodies.


Uncharted Territories: Covid-19 And Other 2020 Events That Changed Lives Forever, Justina Ogodo Feb 2022

Uncharted Territories: Covid-19 And Other 2020 Events That Changed Lives Forever, Justina Ogodo

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The year 2020 rolled in with pomp and pageantry like any other year in human history. I assume that many like me had high hopes, possibly made new year resolutions. I looked forward to the new year with great expectations—planned trips, events, graduations, weddings, and even new writing goals and aspirations. But the year had its own plan, taking an unexpected turn. I am a science educator, wife, and mother of three black children; I walked into the uncharted territories of COVID-19 and other 2020 events that changed lives forever. I tell this story of my lived experience with a …


You Cannot Be A Teacher, Dorota Silber-Furman Feb 2022

You Cannot Be A Teacher, Dorota Silber-Furman

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Microaggressions in education discourage many from pursuing their dreams. In this manuscript, I discuss the microaggressions experienced as a novice teacher in the United States from another country. My story highlights how the public education system’s overpowering desire for sameness propelled my career in a new direction. After experiencing heartbreaking discrimination from a xenophobic principal, I began to fight for educational equity for all.


Critical Pedagogy In The Time Of Covid-19: Lessons Learned, Carol Christine Hordatt Gentles Nov 2021

Critical Pedagogy In The Time Of Covid-19: Lessons Learned, Carol Christine Hordatt Gentles

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The abrupt closure of universities due to the coronavirus pandemic caused unprecedented challenges for educators. They struggled to transition to online teaching almost overnight. This has raised questions about the readiness of Higher Education for digitalisation and hybridization of learning environments and focused attention on the renewal of teaching and learning models. It is incumbent upon those who practise critical pedagogy to join this conversation; the mandatory transition has raised difficult questions around how to ensure continuity of an agenda to offer students humanistic and democratic learning experiences in the new virtual reality. In this paper I offer a critical …


Listen To The Voices: A Reflection On How 2020 And Covid-19 Have Affected Lives, Sara Abi Villanueva, Alexandra C. Daub, Alejandra Y. Martinez Nov 2021

Listen To The Voices: A Reflection On How 2020 And Covid-19 Have Affected Lives, Sara Abi Villanueva, Alexandra C. Daub, Alejandra Y. Martinez

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Throughout the last few months of 2019, stories of a new and deadly virus were on every news channel around the world. Many Americans saw it as foreign news, others worried about the virus’ spread, and some felt that it would be contained quickly never making it past the Atlantic or Pacific. By March of 2020, COVID-19 made its way to the United States, forcing a new normal of quarantining, remote-learning/teaching, and teleworking. Graduate students and educators of Professional Opportunities Supporting Scholarly Engagement (POSSE), a College of Education program focused on research and contributing to the educational field of discourse, …


Social Justice Approaches To Cognitive, Emotional, And Language Development During Childhood And Adolescence, Angélique M. Blackburn Nov 2021

Social Justice Approaches To Cognitive, Emotional, And Language Development During Childhood And Adolescence, Angélique M. Blackburn

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

With contemporary events that have spotlighted social injustices, including the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic, any discussion of child development should take into account the diverse experiences of children facing injustice. In this article, I focus on social justice as it pertains to child development and how this topic has been addressed in literature targeted at students of child development theory. I focus on the contribution of two recent books (Anthis, 2020; De Houwer, 2021) within the greater context of reviewing literature regarding social inequities in cognitive, emotional, and language development. Anthis (2020) …


Book Review: The Death Project: An Anthology For These Times, Ted D. Ayres Nov 2021

Book Review: The Death Project: An Anthology For These Times, Ted D. Ayres

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

A book review of The Death Project: An Anthology for These Times.


Ted Ayres, Social Justice And Education Advocate: "Making It Count" With Book Reviews, Kristen P. Erdem Nov 2021

Ted Ayres, Social Justice And Education Advocate: "Making It Count" With Book Reviews, Kristen P. Erdem

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This is an interview article with a prolific reviewer of books seen on public television and in print. Ted Ayres had an inspired legal career, and his advocacy continues to this day. The year 2020, like no other year in our recent U.S. history, was a raucous reckoning for an array of social justice issues. As this theme continues in 2021, it is heartwarming getting to know a quiet advocate in our midst. Meet Ted Ayres. Ayres will be a contributor to the journal with book reviews. This is an introduction to the person, Ted Ayres as social justice and …


Certain Uncertainty, Vicki G. Mokuria Nov 2021

Certain Uncertainty, Vicki G. Mokuria

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This sestina poem uses the Anzaldúan concept of Nepantla to thread together and explore the intersecting experiences of living during COVID-19 and the racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020.


Pivoting Rural Community-Based Fine Arts Programs For Youth Due To A Global Pandemic, Heather Olson Beal, Cc Conn, Lauren Burrow, Amber Wagnon, Chrissy Cross Ph.D. Nov 2021

Pivoting Rural Community-Based Fine Arts Programs For Youth Due To A Global Pandemic, Heather Olson Beal, Cc Conn, Lauren Burrow, Amber Wagnon, Chrissy Cross Ph.D.

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This personal experience essay features five women professors who, as engaged scholars, seek to continuously respond to the needs of their local community by volunteering their time and expertise to offer educational programs that focus on creative arts and academic assistance for K–12 students. This piece explores the opportunities and obstacles we experienced in using virtual platforms, during the 2020 global pandemic, in order to re-envision our civic responsibilities to engage communities beyond our previous place-based programs.


How The Common School Has Failed Hispanic Children—Witnessing The Severe Regression Of Language English Proficient Learners During A Pandemic: Teaching During Covid-19, Yvonne S. Herrera Nov 2021

How The Common School Has Failed Hispanic Children—Witnessing The Severe Regression Of Language English Proficient Learners During A Pandemic: Teaching During Covid-19, Yvonne S. Herrera

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Personal reflection on the impacts of the common school on Hispanic children during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Hispanic children experienced less opportunities in becoming educated due to lack of accessible technology.


Educators In The Time Of Covid: Metamorphosis Of A Profession And Of A People, Sara Abi Villanueva, Brett S. Nickerson, Mayra A. Garcia, Claire Murillo, Regina J. Bustillos, Qiana S. O’Leary Nov 2021

Educators In The Time Of Covid: Metamorphosis Of A Profession And Of A People, Sara Abi Villanueva, Brett S. Nickerson, Mayra A. Garcia, Claire Murillo, Regina J. Bustillos, Qiana S. O’Leary

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The following is a collection of reflections written by six educators ranging from K–Higher Education. In this feature, these educators share their experiences of living and educating during the 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic. Once compartmentalized and only used when needed, their separate roles and identities had to merge to meet educator, spousal, and parental demands. The first text by Brett Nickerson shows how his life as husband and father collided with his profession as an assistant professor at a university when his wife, a dedicated nurse, was called to help others in need. The second testimonial is by Mayra Garcia, a …


Brilla: Shining On Through A Pandemic, Tracey R. Jones, Erica Silva Nov 2021

Brilla: Shining On Through A Pandemic, Tracey R. Jones, Erica Silva

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This article highlights the community partnership between a primary school Dual Language program and university Spanish students. In this submission related to personal experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of classroom teachers within the BRILLA (Bilingual Readiness through Interaction, Language, Literacy and Alliances) program is explored. Teachers are the light bearers who make human connection and authentic learning happen in-person and over screens; pandemic, or no pandemic, they shine.


Covid And Curriculum: Elementary Teachers Report On The Challenges Of Teaching And Learning Mathematics Remotely, Kristin Giorgio-Doherty, Mona Baniahmadi, Jill Newton, Amy M. Olson, Kristen Ferguson, Kaitlyn Sammons, Marcy M. Wood, Corey Drake Nov 2021

Covid And Curriculum: Elementary Teachers Report On The Challenges Of Teaching And Learning Mathematics Remotely, Kristin Giorgio-Doherty, Mona Baniahmadi, Jill Newton, Amy M. Olson, Kristen Ferguson, Kaitlyn Sammons, Marcy M. Wood, Corey Drake

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This article reports on findings from a survey administered to 524 elementary teachers across 46 states that asked about their experiences with mathematics teaching, learning, and curriculum use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article is to report on the challenges teachers experienced with mathematics teaching, learning, and curriculum use during the pandemic and to explore educational inequities faced by students of families with lower income backgrounds. In particular, we discuss differences across high- and low-income schools regarding teachers’ perceived preparedness for online teaching, teachers’ use and decisions about mathematics curriculum, and their students’ remote resources …


Overview: From The Desk Of The Guest Editor, Tonya Huber Nov 2021

Overview: From The Desk Of The Guest Editor, Tonya Huber

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Overview from the Guest Editor on this special issue on the impacts of Covid-19 in educational settings. One theme explored in the contents of this issue is the powerlessness many educators felt as the editors set out to hear, comprehend, represent, and amplify their experiences. Other themes include: appreciation and empathy, focusing on what matters, and new ways of teaching with technology.