Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP). In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa. The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale. The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes. / South Africa

Masters of Art / Meaning in human relations has always been based on inferred similarities (Holyoak & Thagard,1995). We are quick to liken the new to an old type. In this study, South African bi- or multilingual citizens post-1994 are perceived to hold the same ethno-linguistic perceptions as their progenitors. This explains the growing amount of literature on bilingual language ideology which is dissected upon the language attitude and space table. Following the same line but from a different perspective, Rampton (1995, 1999, 2003) discusses the relativity involved in labelling a bi- or multilingual repertoire. He suggests that the performative act of a bilingual through his/her linguistic repertoire should be structured according to expertise (instrumental), affiliation(integration) or inheritance (ethnicity). Starting with a note on the attitudinal myth, and closing with possible implications for various educational strata, the research explores Rampton’s notions in a rapidly changing educational context and proposes a revised understanding of ‘appellation’ as a complementary concept, an agentive and non-essentialist form of approaching bi- or multilingual identity enactment. It asserts that each enactment is informed by and carries an element of one or all the other facets of the bi-or multilingual multiply identity. Central to the study’s argument is that a bi-or multilingual is not oblivious of the socio-cultural elements that come with each linguistic capital. So, while earlier literature on identity views appellation as ‘other- ascribed’ identity, this study defines appellation as the construction of ‘self’ using all the elements provided by one’s linguistic basket.Further, with its innovative use of spoken interactional data, the study is able to contribute to the ongoing research on the appropriate medium of instruction in the South African educational system. With a special focus on the primary stage, the study sheds light on the fluidity of bi- or multilingual identity formation and enactment inside and outside the classroom. It uses an analytical framework based on Conversation Analysis, the Ethnography of Speaking, Systemic Functional Linguistics, and Critical Discourse Analysis to test the fit of Rampton’s original categories of inheritance, expertise, and affiliation with learners’ actual conversations.In all, the study in a linguistically substantiated stance, argues for more situated perspectives on the mother tongue based educational policy.

A educação de alunos Surdos, no Brasil, é respaldada por documentos legais, sendo de escolha do aluno estudar em um contexto inclusivo com o apoio de intérpretes de língua brasileira de sinais (Libras) ou em espaços de educação bilíngue, com a Libras sendo língua de instrução. Ao ter como foco as escolas bilíngues, muitos pontos devem ser levados em consideração no processo de aprendizagem do aluno através da Libras, como, por exemplo: um bom domínio da língua por parte do professor, o uso de diferentes recursos como ferramentas nas aulas, a exploração de aspectos visuais, entre outros. Nas aulas de ciências, somado aos pontos mencionados, o professor deve se preocupar com a significação dos conceitos científicos a partir da Libras, sendo que, em alguns casos, a língua de sinais ainda não contempla esse vocabulário científico. A partir desse quadro, a presente pesquisa foi constituída com o foco de analisar as interações entre professor e os alunos Surdos nas aulas de ciências de uma escola de educação bilíngue, com base nas ferramentas de ensino que o professor utilizou em sua prática, no vocabulário científico utilizado e na avaliação final dos alunos. Essa análise foi pautada por um estudo etnográfico com base nos diários de campo, vídeos das avaliações dos alunos e, também, em uma entrevista realizada com o professor de ciências. Com isso, foram identificados diversos aspectos que podem contribuir tanto para o ensino de ciências para Surdos como para ouvintes quanto à formação do conceito científico em sala de aula. Palavras e sinais da área de ciências carregam consigo um significado conceitual que, em Libras, muitas vezes é construído em aula, pois o vocabulário científico ainda é básico em tal língua. Essa construção pode enriquecer uma aula a depender da metodologia de ensino e de como o professor trabalha em sala de aula e em Libras, podendo se trabalhar com o combinado de sinais ou também com o uso de classificadores, quando identificado que não há o sinal específico. Nas aulas acompanhadas, foi observado que houve combinados de sinais, mas, nas avaliações, muitos alunos não utilizaram esses sinais e nem classificadores para explicar os termos científicos trabalhados, apesar de, durante as aulas, a interação e construção de sinais ter ocorrido de forma intensa. Esperamos que essa pesquisa contribua para que o ensino de ciências seja pensado com base em outras perspectivas e que seja também uma porta para que, a partir desta, outras pesquisas nessa área se desenvolvam. / The education of Deaf students in Brazil is supported by legal documents, and the student\'s choice is to study in an inclusive context with the support of interpreters from Libras or in bilingual education spaces, with Libras being a language of instruction. When focusing on bilingual schools, many points should be taken into account in the student\'s learning process through Libras, such as: a good command of the language by the teacher, use of different resources such as tools in class, the exploration of visual aspects, among others. In science classes, in addition to the points mentioned, the teacher should be concerned with the meaning of the scientific concepts from Libras, and in some cases, sign language still does not contemplate this scientific vocabulary. From this framework, the present research was constituted with the focus of analyzing the interactions between teacher and Deaf students in the science classes of a bilingual education school, based on the teaching tools that the teacher used in his practice, in the vocabulary used and the students\' final evaluation. This analysis was based on an ethnographic study based on the diaries, videos of the students\' evaluations and also on an interview with the Science Teacher. With this, several aspects were identified that can contribute as much to the teaching of sciences for Deaf as to listeners as to the formation of the scientific concept in the classroom. Words and signs from the area of science carry with them a conceptual meaning which, in pounds, is often constructed in class, because the scientific vocabulary is still basic. This construction can enrich a class depending on the teaching methodology and how the teacher works in the classroom and in Libras, being able to work with the combination of signals or also with the use of classifiers, when identified that there is no specific signal. In the classes followed, it was observed that there were combinations of signals, but in the evaluations, many students did not use these signals and classifiers to explain the scientific terms worked, although during the classes interaction and sign construction occurred in a way Intense We hope that this research contributes to science education being thought from other perspectives and that it is also a door to other research in this area to develop.

In this dissertation, I examine the ways white women teachers construct whiteness as they teach students of primarily Asian, African and Latina/o heritage. The primary purpose of this study is to conduct a preliminary examination of how white women construct whiteness as an embodied racial identity in educational contexts. More specifically, my goal is to examine how whiteness is constructed through narrative and to critique how the constructions of whiteness perpetuate and/or resist the discourse of white supremacy. To frame the study of teacher narratives, I draw on theory from critical pedagogy, communication education, interpersonal/intercultural communication and critical cultural studies. Furthermore, I employ a critical-interpretive methodology to examine how teachers construct their personhood within complex relationships of power. This methodology is practiced through the use of three methods: Interactive classroom observations, dialogic interviewing and narrative analysis. Five women teaching at a Southern California high school acted as "co-researchers" during this study. Herein, I interpret their narratives in order to understand how whiteness is constructed within the stories each teacher tells about her personhood/identity, the stories teachers tell about the personhood/identity of the students she teaches and how each teacher accounts for her relationship and the relationship of her students to the social world. Titular terms include whiteness, personhood/identity, narrative, critical pedagogy, communication education, intercultural communication and critical cultural studies.

Over the last 15 years, approximately 12,000 Somali immigrants and refugees have settled in the capital region of Ottawa-Carleton. According to a study of Somali youth (Ali, 1995), about seventy percent (70%) of the Somalis in Ottawa-Carleton are between 1 and 17 years old. The Ottawa Board of Education reported that in 1993, thirty three percent of all immigrant and refugee students were Somalis. While schools have been successful in helping a significant portion of these students to succeed in their learning, evidence shows that many are disconnected from productive learning. As establishing constructive connections between the home environment and the school environment is an important and crucial step to improve the educational opportunities for students who are at risk of failure, a study of the parents' perceptions is warranted. The main purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the Somali parents' perceptions of the school and non-school learning conditions that help or hinder the education of their children in Ottawa high schools. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data from a sample of diverse Somali parents. The diversity of the sample is in terms of gender, level of education, employment, marital status, number of years in Canada, and number of children. Specifically, four research questions guided this study: (1) What do Somali parents consider to be the school and non-school learning conditions that help the education of their children who are succeeding in their learning? (2) What do Somali parents consider to be the school and non-school conditions that hinder the education of their children who are at risk of failure in learning? (3) What are parents perceptions of the school personnel's willingness to involve immigrant parents in educational decision-making? (4) What recommendations do Somali parents make to improve learning conditions for all children? Data were drawn from the survey responses of 85 Somali parents whose children attend high schools in Ottawa. Findings indicate that parents are concerned about the lack of diversity and multicultural instructional materials in schools. While parent responses regarding the treatment of their children in schools vary widely, there is a consensus among the parents that guidance counselors are not sensitive to the needs of immigrant students. Findings also indicated that parents expressed the schools' limited effort and interest in involving immigrant parents in school committees. Lack of effective communication is an other concern raised by parents. Most of participating parents stated that the only time they get a call from school is when there is a problem. Some expressed the schools unwillingness to communicate with parents even when a parent takes the initiative and visits the school of his or her child.

Responsiveness to a diverse population is a pressing issue for higher education today. The need to develop more connections with users from all areas is of growing importance in college and university libraries, especially in areas of computer access and skills. In an attempt to learn of the attitudes and experiences of Latino college students toward learning and using computer applications in an academic library, a two year, primarily qualitative study was conducted with Latinos as participants at one university. As a precursor to this research, a pilot study was conducted using in-depth phenomenological interviewing to learn what it was like for Latinos to use an academic library. Following the analysis of the pilot study, further research was conducted and data were gathered from field notes, observations, group discussions and e-mail journal responses from Latinos enrolled in two courses: an introductory course, Internet for Latino Studies, taught by a Latino professor, and an introductory Essentials of Library Research course, which I taught. Supporting data were gathered through 14 interviews and a survey questionnaire. Out of 137 questionnaires distributed to classes with a high concentration of Latino students, 129 were returned completed. The data were analyzed according to themes and findings are discussed in terms of their implications for librarians and educators. Findings include the following: (1) Social class and cultural capital were found to be more significant than ethnicity or language dominance in library use, comfort in the library, and asking for assistance from library personnel. (2) Latinos, in general, reported performing better and being more motivated when there was a supportive environment with a caring teacher/librarian who treated them as “a friend.” (3) Latinos reported the need for information to be presented in a way that was personally or culturally relevant to them. (4) Latinos were found to use nonverbal communication as an important means for transmitting and interpreting messages. Included in the final chapter of this study are implications and suggestions for improving library instruction to better accommodate differences in computer experience, learning styles, classroom environment and communication.

This study explored how first and second generation Puerto Rican female headed households residing in Springfield, Massachusetts, utilize the extended family network in childrearing responsibilities. The study will examine how the process of acculturation to the mainland culture has influenced the structure and the dynamics between single-parent families and the extended Puerto Rican family. More specifically, it explored in what ways the traditional shared childrearing responsibilities between single-parent families and extended family have been adapted to fit with the mainland culture. In addition, it explored the aspects of the traditional shared childrearing responsibilities that remain functional. The results suggest that first generation and second generation Puerto Rican female heads of household are quite similar in how the extended family network is involved in the shared child-rearing practices.

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This research project explores the relationship between the use of culturally sensitive reading material and reading comprehension among Spanish-speaking language minority students of elementary school age. Text includes Spanish and English transcriptions of stories.