The population of Latino students is growing faster than any other ethnic group in U.S. public schools today; however, the number of Latino teachers throughout the nation has remained low. The Latino Educators of Tomorrow is a new and ambitious Latino educational career program designed to increase the number of Latino students entering teaching as a profession. This research addressed the following questions: 1) What do participants identify as influential in their trajectory towards becoming an educator, and why?; 2) How do LET instructors, acting in the role of mentors, influence participants' desires and plans to become educators, and why?; and 3) What external obstacles hinder the participants' aspirations to become educators, and why? This qualitative study examines the perspectives of 24 high-school and beginning college-age students who participated in the Latino Educators of Tomorrow (LET). Using open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews, this study identified underlying themes regarding the influence of mentors on the participants' desires and plans to continue to major in education; the positive impact of mentors' appreciation of participants' culture; and the financial obstacles participants identified as hindering their obtaining a college degree. Findings point to the importance of cultural appreciation in mentoring relationships, specifically for these Latino students in the transition from high school to college. Theoretical implications suggest practical recommendations for cultural appreciation to be combined with existing mentoring theory to assist students in their educational goals.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilken innebörd begreppet ”kulturkompetens” ges i litteraturen samt utifrån detta problematisera dess applicering på praktiken. Begreppet ”kulturkompetens” saknar en enhetlig definition, något som initierat skrivandet av denna uppsats. Studien bygger på en litteraturstudie i form av en kvalitativ textanalys. I vår kritiska granskning av litteraturen kunde vi bland annat finna begrepp, såsom ”ethnic-sensitivity” och ”cultural awareness”, som på liknande sätt berör strategier för att uppnå ”kulturkompetens”. Självinsikt hos socialarbetaren och öppenhet inför kulturella skillnader är viktiga egenskaper hos en ”kulturkompetent” socialarbetare enligt handböckerna. Genom en granskning av de begrepp vi funnit i litteraturen var för sig, men även genom jämförelse av dem, har vi bland annat funnit att kultur nästan genomgående kopplas till etnicitet i diskussionerna kring ”kulturkompetens”. I problematiseringen av begreppet har vi pekat på hur mötet mellan socialarbetaren och klienten kan komma att påverkas då socialarbetaren utgår från tankar kring ett ”kulturkompetent” bemötande. / The purpose of this study is to investigate what meaning the concept "cultural competence" is given in the literature and from this problematize its application to practice. The concept "cultural competence" has no uniform definition, which initiated the writing of this essay. The study is based on a literature review in the form of a qualitative text analysis. In our critical review of the literature we could find, among other concepts, "ethnic-sensitivity" and "cultural awareness", which is similarly related to strategies for achieving "cultural competence". Self-knowledge of the social worker and openness to cultural differences are important characteristics of a "culture competent” socialworker according to the guiding literature for social workers. Through an separately examination of the concepts we found in the literature , but also by comparing them, we have found that culture almost always is linked to ethnicity in debates on "cultural competence". In the problematization of the meaning of “culture competence” as a concept, we have pointed out how the meeting between the socialworker and the client may be affected when the social work is based on thoughts of "cultural competence".

This degree project has enquired about the experiences of deaf and hearing-impaired people in Sweden, in the context of cultural awareness within public sector organizations. The aim of the study was to find out if professionals within the public sector are culturally sensitive towards d/Deaf people and if the cultural, as well as the minority rights are considered by professionals who have d/Deaf clients.Initially, the data was planned to be collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews, however this method had to be changed as there were various difficulties in recruiting sign language interpreters. Therefore, the method of data collection for this study had to be adapted to the circumstances and an online survey with 25 open questions was created instead. This shift allowed participants to express their experiences and perceptions in writing.The results of the study suggest that the degree of cultural sensitivity among professionals within public sector organizations is varied, according to the experiences shared by the study participants. These findings offer small, but meaningful insights into the realities experienced by d/Deaf people in Sweden and into the practices of public sector professionals which may require adjustments based on the negative experiences expressed by most of the participants. This study and its findings present areas which may benefit from further studies in regard to maintaining a culturally responsive environment for all people within the organizations of the Swedish public sector.

This research studied the impact of language barriers and cultural experiences on students' perceptions at the University of North Texas. The population of this study were students who had taken a class with a non-native speaking instructor and those who hadn't. Following a mixed-method research approach, online surveys were distributed to the students through Canvas and listservs. Follow-up interviews were scheduled with students interested in providing more feedback about their experience. The survey and interview results showed that accent is the main communication barrier in classes taught by non-native-speaking instructors. Although previous research does not show an impact on student performance, students believe the accent of their instructor affects their performance in class, as they tend to place more effort into listening and paying attention to the lecture. Other factors impacting knowledge sharing were vocabulary and cultural awareness for both population groups of this study. Although no significant relationship existed between the cultural experience of students and their perception, interview participants with previous exposure to foreign accents were able to understand their non-native-speaking instructor more easily. This study also discovered different information-seeking and knowledge-sharing behaviors that were discussed by the interview participants. The results of this study are helpful for higher education institutions, instructors, and students to create an effective learning environment.

京都大学 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(医学) / 乙第13606号 / 論医博第2316号 / 新制||医||1073(附属図書館) / 旭川医科大学医学部医学科 / (主査)教授 黒田 知宏, 教授 古川 壽亮, 教授 山崎 渉 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Many environmental educators have realized that in order to effectively teach environmental sensitivity and literacy, they must approach their audience through a cultural context. Thus, environmental education lessons need to incorporate strategies used in multicultural education in order to be more culturally inclusive. This project includes the identification of multicultural education criteria and the application of these to three lessons from Project Learning Tree: PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.

This work examined social workers at the Riverside County Child Protective Services and their need for cross-cultural training specifically when working with ethnic minority families.

This paper concerns a case study which attempts to underline the importance of culture learning through foreign language acquisition in the transformation of prejudices and the fomentation of cultural awareness. More specifically, it aims to present the way in which adult learners’ critical reflection on culture in combination to foreign language learning can lead to their acknowledgement of the equity between cultures and their proximity to “the other”, a fact that is considered to foster cultural respect and awareness. For doing so, a qualitative approach was used in order to examine the perceptions of a group of adults learning Spanish in an elementary level class in Greece. Data was collected from in-depth interviews where participants were asked to expose their opinion of the importance of culture and its connection to language, to consider the implication of culture learning in foreign language learning and to share their personal views of the Hispanic culture as it derives from their studying the Spanish language and reflecting on the Hispanic culture-Spanish language correlation. Research delivered positive outcomes concerning this specific issue and showed evidence that the transformative effect of learning about a culture through language acquisition is indeed possible. Suggestions for further research on the matter are made so as to investigate the replicability of such a transformative effect in other similar cases and to secure the generalization of results.

Orientador: Maria Helena Vieira Abrahão / Banca: Matilde Virgínia Ricardi Scaramucci / Banca: Walkyria Monte Mór / Banca: Douglas Altamiro Consolo / Banca: Ana Mariza Benedetti / Resumo: Baseando-se no conceito de Okada, Oxford e Abo (1996) de que o ensino de aspectos culturais pode proporcionar um aumento da motivação para aprender uma língua, a presente pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar de que maneira o desenvolvimento da conscientização cultural, por meio de um trabalho de intervenção pedagógica, pode influenciar na motivação. Este estudo contou com a participação de uma professora e alunos de ensino médio de uma escola pública, e foi desenvolvido em duas fases: fase de diagnóstico, em que se observou as aulas de língua inglesa da professora/participante e fase de intervenção pedagógica, em que aspectos culturais foram introduzidos pela professora/pesquisadora. Dada à impossibilidade de medir a motivação, pretendeu-se oferecer uma caracterização da motivação dos alunos, verificar os fatores que podem influenciá-la tanto positiva quanto negativamente e perceber a interação desses fatores na geração, sustentação e inibição da motivação. A análise dos dados foi baseada em diversas pesquisas sobre motivação, estudos sobre cultura, usados no projeto de intervenção pedagógica e trabalhos da sociolingüística interacional, importantes para a análise da participação dos alunos durante as aulas e, conseqüentemente, da motivação. Além disso, teorias psicológicas da década de 80 e 90 (HIGGINS, 1987; MARKUS E NURIUS, 1986; NORTON, 1995, 2000, 2001) foram incorporadas para entender o papel dos fatores pessoais no grau de interesse e esforço dos aprendizes. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que: 1) a motivação dos alunos é variável, ou seja, pode oscilar entre níveis altos e baixos em decorrência de diferentes tipos de fatores, principalmente aqueles relacionados à postura e forma de trabalhar dos professores e 2) a motivação dos alunos é caracterizada por uma relação de interdependência entre três tipos de fatores... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Based on the idea that the teaching of cultural aspects can increase the motivation to learn a language (OKADA, OXFORD and ABO, 1996), the aim of this work is to analyze the way the development of cultural awareness, by means of an intervention work, can influence motivation. This study was developed with a second year high school teacher and her students in a public school, and was divided in two phases: diagnosis, in which observation of the participant teacher’s classes was held and pedagogical intervention, in which cultural aspects were introduced in the language classes. Given the impossibility of measuring motivation, it was intended to offer a characterization of the students' motivation, to verify the factors that might influence the increase and decrease of motivation and to analyse the interaction between these factors in the generation, maintenance and inhibition of motivation. Data analysis was based on a variety of research studies on motivation, as well as cultural studies, which were important in the organization of the intervention project. Interactional Sociolinguistic concepts were also used to understand students’ engagement in the learning activities and, thus their motivation. To analyze the role of personal factors on students’ motivation, psychological theories from the 80s and 90s were considered. The results obtained show that: 1) students’ motivation can vary, that is, it can increase or decrease due to the influence of different types of factors, especially those related to the teacher’s attitude and practice and 2) it is the result of the interdependence relationship of three types of factors - personal factors (perceptions, beliefs, goals and expectations), teachers’ methodological choices (content and activities developed) and physical affordances of school (frequency of classes, number of students per group, materials and resources available), with a focus on the role of the teacher. / Doutor

The commitment of Azaad as a Race Consultancy is:- To ensure quality of opportunity for South Africans to fulfil their potential as Empowered Individuals and members of groups and communities; To Educate, enabling South Africans to gain skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to identify, advocate and pursue their rights and responsibilities as individuals and as members of groups and communities locally, nationally and internationally; Designed to create Equal Opportunity-through the challenging of oppression and the celebration of the differences which springs from culture, language, sexual identity, gender, disability, age, religion, and class; To Participate through voluntary relationship with other South Africans in which White and Black South Africans are partners in the learning process and decision making structures which affect their own and other peoples lives; To Empower- Supporting South Africans to understand and act on the personal, social and political issues which affect their lives, the lives of others and the communities they are part of; To Build resources will be a major effort of Azaad as a Race Consultancy. It is our intention to extend the objectives of all racial, cultural, religious, national, ethnic, sexual and political affiliations. All this will be delivered through informal education, through workshops, short courses, seminars, conferences, role play, etc.