Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept of Education, August 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 22, 2007). Directed by Ulrich Reitzug and Joanne Chesley; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 220-242).

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The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of possible factors that lead to academic success for African American children who participated in two-way immersion programs. In order to examine the perceptions, the following areas were explored: 1.) The evolution of the academic achievement gap that exists between African American and Anglo children and the reasons theorists gave as to why the gap exists, as well as the importance of this connection to two-way immersion program participation 2.) The evolution of the modern two-way immersion language program via its development through bilingual education, and 3.) The development of Canadian twoway immersion language programs, and how political, economic, and cultural factors have impacted their successful implementation. The research method consisted of purposeful sampling of six African-American children in fourth and fifth grade who are participants in an elementary two-way immersion language program and their primary caregivers. The interviews were audio taped with notes taken for clarity. The data revealed that the primary caregivers perceived the participation of their children in a two-way language immersion program to be an educational move which would enhance the lives of their children economically, educationally and socially. The primary caregivers maintained involvement in the education of their children through facilitating homework completion in Spanish, communicating with teachers on a regular basis, participating in PTO, and facilitating structured and unstructured extra curricular activities with family and friends. The children perceived positive teacher interaction to play an important role in their academic success. They had positive experiences speaking Spanish with friends, family, and persons that they did not know. The primary caregivers perceived that the school and the district did not provide enough additional support to facilitate Spanish language acquisition for their children. This would indicate that more support from the school and the district is needed for future groups of African-American children in two-way immersion language programs.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the beliefs of teachers about their African American students. The Cultural Awareness and Beliefs Inventory (CABI) was used to measure the perceptions and attitudes of urban teachers‘ cultural awareness and beliefs for the purpose of designing professional development. The themes which emerged from the first study include: (a) teachers devalue students‘ home and family environment; (b) teachers‘ beliefs about their ability to teach all children; (c) teachers have negative perceptions of the school environment; (d) teachers and student have cultural mismatch; and (e) . The themes which emerged from the second study include: (a) teachers find the behaviors of students to be challenging and (b) teachers do not feel supported. In the third study, a constant comparative method was used to analyze the teachers‘ written responses.

The United States is currently facing a shortage of qualified Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics workers. As a result, many STEM jobs are being filled by technically-skilled foreign workers. American institutions of higher education, including community colleges, must identify potential factors that contribute to the lack of interest in STEM majors, as well as the low rate of success of students who enter STEM majors but struggle to finish their degrees. Community colleges perform a larger share of STEM training than is generally understood. As highlighted in the National Science Foundation’s National Survey of Recent College Graduates, a surprisingly large proportion (44% overall) of those earning a degree in science and engineering (bachelor’s and master’s) reported that they had attended a community college. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of African American community college students who are currently pursuing degrees in STEM majors and to examine the factors that influence their success. Qualitative research method of in-depth phenomenological interviewing was used for this study. This tool provided a strong method of scientific inquiry for understanding the context of the lives of successful African American students in STEM majors. Findings in this study have African American students identifying the meanings of the experiences of participating in a STEM workforce development program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. They found the experience of Prioritizing to be the most crucial for them as they prepared for their STEM careers. Students consider Professionalism, Building a Network, Internships & Planning. Students also found advisors to be essential to their overall academic success. Furthermore, faculty members can make a difference in how students perceive their academic journey and how well they perform academically. These findings are also supported by Astin’s theory of student involvement, Ladson-Billings Cultural Relevant Pedagogy and Validation. Many community colleges are in urban areas and serve a very diverse population of students. This study can inform our faculty on best practices to prepare lecture materials, through providing cultural relevant pedagogy that addresses issues African American students are currently facing, which make their academic journey significant. When the academic coursework is applicable to real world situations students reported an easier transition to STEM workforce industries. / text

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2007. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Under the direction of Walter S. Polka. ETD. Electronic version approved: May 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-115) and appendices.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Dwayne Huebner. Dissertation Committee: Gordon MacKenzie, James Sheffield. Bibliography: leaves 308-327.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Curriculum, Teaching & Educational Policy, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 7, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-173). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ed.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-60)