The purpose of this study was to determine the experiences, challenges and strategies for success of African American female senior-level executives at predominately white institutions (PWIs). This qualitative study used a phenomenological perspective to address the research questions, as phenomenology was uniquely suited to capture participants lived experiences (Guido, Chávez, & Lincoln, 2010; Perl & Noldon, 2000). The conceptual framework for the study was based on the theoretical concepts of black feminist theory, biculturalism and intersectionality. The combination of these theories was uniquely appropriate for researching the lived experiences of African American women (Barrett, Cervero, & Johnson-Bailey, 2003; Collins, 2000; Du Bois & Edwards, 2007). Black feminist theory addressed the lived experiences of African American women (Collins, 2000); intersectionality highlighted the oppression of African American women (Collins, 2000) and biculturalism explained how African American women adapt to be successful (Barrett, et al., 2003). The findings for this study of African American female senior-level executives at predominately white institutions include: regarding experiences (1) relationships and connection were essential; (2) strategic and political savvy were vital; (3) one must have an awareness of your perception; (4) higher education was an isolating place; (5) racism and sexism were still prevalent; and (6) work/life balance was a myth; regarding identities (7) creation of a professional identity as the primary identity at PWI; (8) race and gender as prominent identities; and (9) personal persona purposely protected from PWI; and regarding strategies to cope with challenges and celebrate successes (10) know yourself and focus on your goals; (11) identify something to ground you outside of the PWIs; (12) invest in your success through academic and professional preparation; and (13) advance to uplift others. / text

In 2007, the nation's Latino population was estimated at 45.5 million, or 15.1% of the 301.6 million total U.S. population. Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group, exceeding 500,000 in 16 states and representing the largest minority group in 20 states (Bernstein, 2008). The number of Latinos is projected to almost triple by 2050 and will represent about 60 percent of the country's growth with about 128 million Latinos, making up 29% of the total projected 440 million U.S. population (Passel, 2008).Latino's continued population growth makes their educational and occupational success, and their ability to self-sustain and to contribute to the greater good, essential to this nation's economy. Since education is the most critical component in the productivity and self-sufficiency of Latinos, it is important that their representation at all levels of education, including students, faculty and administrators increase along with the population growth. However, Latino representation in higher education has not grown proportionately to their increases in the U.S. population (Haro, 2003). Their representation and voice is lacking in the decision-making, top levels of administration, such as vice presidents, provosts, presidents, and chancellors.The under-representation of Latinas in higher education was the impetus for this study, to identify elements affecting their trajectory to the top ranks of administration, including embedded structures, institutionalized filters, and elements within the social selection process that affect their representation in the presidency and other top-level administrative posts of four-year institutions.Their narratives document Latinas' challenges and successes and validate the importance of culture and identity, and the fact that dual culturalism is a source of strength and not a deficit. This study acknowledges bias in higher education and the need to incorporate mentors, champions and other strategic measures to increase Latino representation in graduate programs, faculty and administration. These Latinas' ability to penetrate the adobe ceiling serves as a model and a "counterstory" for others who aspire to top administrative positions. Their insights and recommendations provide a valuable context to inform practice and research.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, OR, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-233).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, OR, 2008. / Abstract. Typescript. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-233).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, OR, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-233).

ABSTRACT This thesis represents a two phase, qualitative study using both Expert Review Panel and Delphi Panel research methods. The two research questions guiding this study were: 1) Phase I: What does culturally safe nursing practice mean, and how do we know when it is being practiced; and 2) Phase II: Can proposed culturally safe nursing practices be coded through use of International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®) and/or Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC)? Originating from the field of nursing in New Zealand, there is interest in adopting cultural safety in Canada to support culturally safe nursing care for Canada’s Indigenous people (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009). A synthesis of the literature was conducted in Phase I of this study revealing six hallmarks of culturally safe nursing care. Those are: 1) Creating trust; 2) Relinquishing power over relationships; 3) Approaching people with respect; 4) Seeking permission; 5) Listening with your heart and ears; and 6) Attending to those who’s beliefs and practices differ. Representing culturally safe care of an Indigenous elder, a case scenario, developed by the principle investigator (PI), was presented to cultural safety experts (n=3) participating on an Expert Review Panel (ERP). The results of ERP showed that all six culturally safe nursing practices were represented in the case scenario. Validating that culturally safe nursing practices could be succinctly defined contributes to new knowledge, and most importantly informs nurses how to practice in a culturally safe nursing way. The purpose of using a Delphi panel method in Phase II was to see if culturally safe nursing practices in the case scenario could be represented in the ICNP® and NIC nursing languages by experts in those particular languages. To explore this two groups of subject matter experts in ICNP® (n=3) and NIC (n = 3) were invited to participate in separate Delphi panels. Overall, the Phase II Delphi panel results reflected the divergent way ICNP® and NIC are structured, in that terms alone do not provide enough contextual meaning to support clinical practice. The results of the ICNP® Delphi Panel showed that one ICNP® nursing intervention could represent culturally safe nursing care: Establishing Trust. Otherwise, the abstract composition of ICNP® terms affected the study results. The NIC Delphi panel results reflect the content and structure of NIC, and as such the experts identified the following four NIC nursing interventions that reflect culturally safe nursing care, they are: 1) Culture Brokerage, 2) Complex Relationship Building, 3) Emotional Support, and 4) Active Listening. Succinctly defining what nurses do is important; therefore, nursing languages need to be unambiguous, contextual so they are accurately and consistently documented. Validating culturally safe nursing practices exist—and further ensuring they are represented in standardized nursing languages and terminology sets and thus coded for use in an electronic health record (EHR)—ensures that culturally safe nursing care data is captured in the EHR. / Graduate

By the end of the Great War, Canadians had become more divided along cultural-linguistic lines than perhaps at any other point in their history. Issues surrounding French-language rights outside Quebec and Canada’s place in the British Empire had proved especially contentious leading up to and during the war. Twenty years later, however, the country was relatively united as it prepared to enter yet another global conflict. This study explores the important (albeit partial) rapprochement that occurred during the interwar period between English- and French-speaking Canadians, and in Quebec and Ontario in particular. Remarkably, this rapprochement was the result of both a ‘ground-up’ pressure from civil society, and cross-cultural accommodation occurring among political élites. Driven by a combination of idealism and self-interested pragmatism, Anglophone and Francophone intellectuals, academics, professionals, businessmen and other citizens who were deeply concerned about the country’s future led the call for a more tolerant, pluralistic and liberal Canadian society – one that would allow for greater acceptance of Canada’s French fact and for a higher degree of cross-cultural accommodation. Gradually, rapprochement began making its way into the public discourse – through professional and fraternal associations, popular culture, and through more positive contact with the ‘Other.’ As the rhetoric of cross-cultural understanding developed a wider audience, the political parties responded. The Liberal Party, especially, pressured by its own members from within civil society, became the political vehicle for rapprochement, and began to deal with the big issues of Francophone/Anglophone relations in ways that had been almost impossible a generation earlier.

This thesis is a case-study on bilingualism and biculturalism from Somalian perspectives. The aim of the present study is to explore raising bilingual and bicultural children in Sweden from parents’ views. It focuses on three questions: 1. What are the parental policies and strategies used to maintain one’s heritage language and culture, as well as to integrate into the society of a host country by learning its language and culture?; 2. How do parents think that their choices of upbringing might shape the everyday life of children?; and 3. What challenges do parents encounter when raising bilingual and bicultural children?. Qualitative data was collected based on individual in-depth interviews with six Somali parents living in Sweden, each parent having at least one child between the age of three and thirteen years old. A thematic analysis has been applied to the collected material. The findings of the present study show that, based on the parents’ viewpoints, maintaining the language entails preserving the cultural identity. This perspective-based study also found that heritage language maintenance is a collective task between all family members when looking at parent-child interactions, and children are active agents who can negotiate language choice and use at familial settings. Parents believe that successful bilingualism is crucial for their children’s everyday lives in terms of family and community ties, understanding different people and cultures, career prospects, to name a few while, children with insufficient knowledge of heritage language are bullied and isolated within the same ethnic group. However, the study findings suggest further investigation on how gender ideologies correlate with heritage language maintenance.

The use of subtractive bilingual models in Puerto Rico may influence children's construction of social categorizations. There is a gap in the literature related to linguistics, ethnicity, and systems of education and acculturation of a majority group. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the influence of the language of instruction and teachers' communicative practices in private and public schools on first graders' ethnic identity construction in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The conceptual framework of the study was based on Markus's unified theory of race and ethnicity, Berry's bidimensional model of acculturation, Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory, and Wimmer's ethnic boundaries multilevel process theory. The research questions concerned how teachers' communicative practices reflected and promoted children's construction of social categorizations, what roles teachers played in ethnic education, and the influences that shaped their cultural knowledge. Purposeful sampling was used to select 2 Spanish speaking and 2 English speaking classrooms form the municipality that could provide information to answer the research questions. Data were collected from classroom observations, structured interviews with teachers, analysis of classroom artifacts, and the use of Zea, Asner-Self, Birman, and Buki's Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale. Data were coded and then categorized by theme. The findings of the study demonstrated that teachers' hybridized ethnicity is reflected in communicative practices that influenced children's construction of social categorizations. This study could serve to develop strong cultural awareness policies for education systems and for other countries at risk of losing their language and traditions.

<p>The aim of this paper was to examine the specific experience of being bicultural, what ackulturation strategy the person utilized and what influenced the use of this strategy. The findings were analyzed with the help of Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and cultural capital. The empirical data was collected through qualitative interviews with four women of Chilean background, who either were born in or had been living in Sweden since childhood. The results of the interviews showed that all the respondents predominantly utilized the integration strategy, meaning that they participated in and felt a connection to both the Swedish and Chilean culture. However three of them had elements of the separation strategy and one had elements of the assimilation strategy. The respondent’s stories revealed that factors like parent’s encouragement and expectations, the Swedish society’s inaccessibility, type of residential area and knowing the Swedish language, had all influenced the use of a specific strategy. By being bicultural, the respondents had experienced the feeling of being an outsider and a pressure to assimilate, but still valued the access to two different cultures as a resource. The results can be interpreted as there being a reciprocal and significant influence between ackulturation strategy and cultural capital/habitus.</p>