El presente estudio analiza la dinámica de la comunicación desarrollada en el ámbito de la clase de español e inglés como idioma extranjero en un proyecto de intercambio por telecolaboración organizado entre la Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst, en Estados Unidos, y la Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, de Madrid, España, durante el semestre de otoño del 2004. Propone un enfoque pedagógico para la tele-colaboración basado en un aprendizaje colaborador y reflexivo, y en el diálogo interactivo, y pretende ilustrar cómo el uso efectivo de diferentes herramientas comunicativas de tecnología en línea combinadas y complementarias puede contribuir al acercamiento intercultural de los estudiantes a través de la comunicación o interacción mediada por ordenador ( Computer-mediated Communication, CMC; Computer-mediated Interaction, CMI), poniendo de manifiesto mediante la dinámica de la comunicación desarrollada diferencias culturales que pueden ser aprovechadas pedagógicamente para fomentar el descubrimiento cultural, la comprensión de las perspectivas y comportamientos de los participantes nativos de una lengua, y finalmente, el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural, lográndose la ampliación del discurso del aprendiz hacia un discurso intercultural compartido. Entre los objetivos del estudio se incluyen también documentar qué diferencias culturales se pueden observar reflejadas en el lenguaje a través de la tele-colaboración, qué factores pueden contribuir al buen funcionamiento de un proyecto de estas características, y analizar los aspectos que juegan un papel relevante en la adquisición cultural a través de la tele-colaboración, para poder contribuir a la mejora de futuros proyectos lingüístico-culturales en el aula de idiomas. Las conclusiones del proyecto indican que el programa de tele-colaboración desarrollado, utilizando diferentes herramientas comunicativas en línea de manera pedagógicamente eficiente, ha contribuido efectivamente al acercamiento intercultural, aprovechando las diferencias culturales como fuente positiva de descubrimiento a través del desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural y la comprensión de las diferencias como comportamientos y explicaciones alternativos o válidos en contextos culturales diferentes. Las conclusiones del estudio también incluyen sugerencias para solucionar los problemas planteados y mejorar la efectividad de proyectos similares de tele-colaboración en el futuro.

The purpose of this dissertation is to define and implement a theoretical construct of decolonizing theory as it pertains to the current issues of multicultural teacher education. A direct application of decolonizing methodologies and design will occur by focusing on the critical personal narratives of four preservice teachers and instructor involved in an introductory course on multicultural education. The rhetoric of multicultural teacher education and the challenging realities facing the field today will be addressed through qualitative research with a emphasis on critical ethnography and decolonization. The significance of this study is embedded in the voices of the students and instructor affected by the neocolonial conditions of U.S. schools, policies and practices. The goals of this research are to further the discourses on the sociopolitical constructs of decolonizing multicultural teacher education and to critically examine multicultural course construction and the potentially transformative praxis for future teachers.

With the release of Workforce 2000: Work and workers for the twenty-first century (Johnson & Packer, 1987) which projected increased cultural diversity in the workforce; more and more organizations and organizational consultants have become interested in methods to insure that all people are respected and their talents are fully utilized in organizations. Organizational change strategies are being employed to this end. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe how a group of practitioners conceptualize the nature of their diversity work and describe the change strategies they use. Diversity work in this study is a generic term used to describe the variety of approaches commonly labeled managing diversity, valuing diversity, multicultural organization development, etc. Approaches which include as their goals, respect for all people, the removal of advantages and disadvantages in the workplace based on social group identity, and the re-creation of organizations to reflect diverse perspectives. Through a qualitative case study approach using in-depth interviews the perspectives of four practitioners are explored and shared. The practitioners were chosen through a review of the literature so as to represent approaches that have been documented in writing, and to include people with differing perspectives on the use of individual and systems focused strategies. The four participants are Asherah Cinnamon, Judith Katz, Roosevelt Thomas, and Barbara Walker. Through the interview process three areas were explored with the participants: the practitioners' personal and professional background; their philosophies of change; and their approaches to diversity work. Results of the study indicate that each of the four cases was unique in and of itself. Through each description the theory and assumptions behind the work are made more explicit. At the same time common threads are revealed that provide connections among the approaches. While each practitioner has specific goals, focus, language, and ways of thinking about the work which are articulated through the case descriptions; themes which emerge from the cross-case analysis shed light on the overall practice and also have implications for the future of this work.

This qualitative study addressed the question: What are the perceptions of preschool and elementary bilingual and ESL teachers on how technology-enhanced classroom environments support native Spanish-speaking English language learners in the acquisition of English as a second language? With the support of six school districts representing three different regions and 15 schools in Texas, this research investigated technology-enhanced learning environments and the influence of emerging technologies on language acquisition by focusing on classroom interactions and learner engagement in preschool and elementary settings. Forty-six teachers completed the self-identified online questionnaire and from that initial group of participants, 10 were chosen for the face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A two-cycle progressive refinement coding technique was used for the analysis of the teacher interviews. In Vivo coding was selected for the first-cycle coding methodology to study teacher perspectives using their direct language. For the second-cycle methodology, focus coding was chosen as a continuation of the analytical process examining the developing patterns resulting in the initial codes being grouped to form salient categories. This process of reanalyzing and reorganizing coded data led to the creation of four emergent themes and in the views of the teachers interviewed describes how emerging technologies influences English language acquisition. The four emergent themes identified were “engaging students for learning,” collaborating with others,” “developing and clarifying concepts,” and “creating authentic work.”

This study was designed to investigate the environment at a predominantly White public university, seeking to identify factors the literature suggest have an impact on Black attrition and retention rates. More specifically, this study focused on examining the perceptions and interactions with the institutional environment that are believed to affect Black students' academic performance and dropout behavior at predominantly White colleges. A student-environment congruence model is used to explain the process of Black student persistence and withdrawal. Data was obtained by the use of two questionnaire instruments. The Environmental Satisfaction Questionnaire and a specially constructed biographical data survey instrument were used to obtain the perceptions of Black undergraduate students of their campus environment. Black male and female undergraduate students at a large public predominantly White university were the respondents in the study. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed; one hundred and thirty-three were returned completed. An ex post facto, survey research design was used. Investigated were: Satisfaction with minority advising, perceived racial climate, feelings of alienation, presence of minority faculty, adequate financial assistance. Five hypotheses were tested; two were supported by the research data. Significant differences were found to exist between the various classes, with juniors being the most dissatisfied with the environment and with their relationships with the faculty on campus than either the freshmen, sophomores, or seniors. The findings of this study also revealed that the majority of the sample of Black undergraduate students: (1) indicated that the financial aid was inadequate in meeting their educational costs, (2) expressed feeling alienated on campus, (3) perceived some degree of racial hostility on campus, and (4) felt that more recruiting of Black students and faculty was needed. This study concluded that increased contact with professors, and administrators on campus can create a more supportive and friendly environment for Black students. Recommendations include faculty and student awareness workshops and suggestions to address these areas.

While campuses across the country struggle to become more multicultural, there appears to be an increase in various hate crimes on campus. Studies have documented that homophobic harassment on campuses is especially severe, and that lesbians, gays, and bisexuals are among the most likely targets of hate crimes. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, staff, and faculty face other forms of discrimination as well. Campuses are often caught unaware of these problems, and are at a loss for solutions. The fields of organizational development and multicultural organizational development, which have traditionally addressed issues of diversity within organizations, have predominantly focused on issues of race and gender. This study served to broaden the range of issues included within the domain of multicultural organizational development by explicitly focusing on the issue of sexual orientation. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how and why change occurs with respect to lesbian and gay concerns on campus. An in-depth case study was conducted of one university that was decisively addressing heterosexism. Findings were derived from a review of various documents and interviews conducted with advocates for change. Specific factors and successful change strategies were identified. These strategies were analyzed with respect to meta-paradigms of strategies for social change, as well as concepts from the field of multicultural organizational development. A developmental model for how campus change happens on lesbian and gay concerns is suggested. This model provides a useful framework for those wishing to improve campus conditions for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. It also can provide an important foundation for those seeking to address heterosexism within other institutions. Researchers concerned with how change on lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns compares with change on issues of race, gender, or ethnicity may also find this study of use. Implications of the findings of this study for the field of education are explored and directions for future research are proposed.

Student affairs divisions at colleges and universities across the nation are currently implementing a variety of programmatic responses to develop multiracial campus environments. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the multiracial change efforts currently utilized by student affairs administrators. This study surveyed 225 Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) using a specially designed questionnaire which assessed the levels and types of multiracial change efforts utilized on individual campuses. A conceptual model, Multicultural Change Intervention Matrix (MCIM), based on the concepts of multicultural organization development (MCOD), provided a framework for codifying and understanding the range of activities that student affairs divisions currently use to address multiracial issues. A total of 126 questionnaires (56%) were returned. Over 70% of the respondents were from schools with 10,000 students or less. The range of multiracial interventions reported was 0-300. Nearly 60% of the respondents reported offering five or fewer multiracial interventions during the past two years. There were no significant differences found in the frequency of interventions across institutional size or region. Using the MCIM for analysis, student affairs divisions instituted an almost equal number of 1$\sp{\rm st}$- and 2$\sp{\rm nd}$-order changes targeted at both the individual and group level. However, student affairs practitioners attempted fewer 2$\sp{\rm nd}$-order than 1$\sp{\rm st}$-order change interventions targeted at the division level. Only six respondents utilized MCOD strategies as the basis of their multiracial change efforts. While additional work needs to be done with the underlying model (MCIM) and the questionnaire designed for this study, this research has provided an initial and important step in understanding the multiracial interventions currently utilized in student affairs. Gathering this type of information is crucial in order for student affairs administrators to make informed and effective decisions about what interventions will help create affirming and inclusive multiracial campus environments.

The Latino population of which English Language Learners (ELLs) is a subset, has demonstrated substantial growth in recent years (U.S Census Bureau, 2008), highlighting the need for normative information regarding their language skills. However, requisite to obtaining normative information is determining appropriate norming methods. The principal purpose of the present study was to ascertain appropriate norming procedures for the language variables: Mean Length of Utterance (MLU), Number of Different Words (NDW) and Words Per Minute (WPM) in English and Spanish narratives of Spanish-speaking ELLs. The issues were 1) whether age or grade norms should be used as an index of language development, 2) whether cross-sectional or longitudinal data should be utilized, and 3) whether the inclusion or exclusion of children with missing data or grade repeats affects the language measures. It was hypothesized that due to the syntactic and lexical differences that are present across languages, there would be a different developmental schedule of development for the language variables in the English and Spanish of ELLs. Participants were typically developing kindergarten to second grade Spanish speaking ELLs enrolled in transitional bilingual programs. A total of 605 children comprised the cross-sectional dataset and a total of 679 children were included in the longitudinal dataset. From these initial datasets, additional datasets were created to provide separate age and grade groups (for the cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets) as well as three different longitudinal datasets. Narratives in English and Spanish were elicited from each child using a story retell procedure. Analyses were carried out using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance procedures. Results of both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses indicated that age and grade are comparable indices of time for studying MLU, NDW, and WPM. Results also indicated that longitudinal data is superior to cross-sectional data for examining the language variables and that including or excluding subjects with missing data or grade repeaters does not significantly affect MLU, NDW, and WPM scores. Additionally, results confirm the findings from the research literature that MLU, NDW, and WPM are valid variables for studying narrative development. / Communication Sciences

The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership styles of elementary school principals who are implementing a change process at a high level (the district's Master Plan for students with Limited English Proficiency) and to describe their perceptions of bilingual education. This study also examined the relationship between the principals' leadership style and their perceptions of bilingual education. Each of the 10 participants completed the Leadership Behavior Analysis II, a questionnaire on perceptions of bilingual education and was interviewed. All of the principals were identified as having a supportive leadership style and 90% were identified as having a positive perception of bilingual education. The participants tended to be flexible in their use of different leadership styles and were able to utilize appropriate styles for a given situation. The participants with more training and personal experiences with bilingual education tended to have more positive perceptions about the program. The principals with more positive perceptions of bilingual education tended to select the most appropriate styles for a particular situation. All participants had positive perceptions of bilingual education in terms of its effect on students' social and emotional adjustment. The results of the instruments correspond to the research regarding implementing change. The research points to the principal as being a key player in determining the effectiveness of a change effort. Also, the leadership style of the principal is crucial in terms of motivating, encouraging, and supporting staff members involved in change. The supportive behaviors focusing on personal relationships are important characteristics for effective principals. The research emphasizes the importance of providing appropriate programs for students learning English as a second language. The study provided recommendations in terms of the training and hiring of principals and in regards to effectively implementing change in an organization.

No description available.