This ethnographic study examines the unique schooling experiences of Yaqui students in an urban public school setting in Tucson, Arizona. The dissertation focuses on life narratives as a means of understanding how contemporary Yaqui adults view formal education, the struggles they endured to maintain their cultural identity within a mainstream educational environment, and Yaqui-defined factors contributing to the diminished and differential school success experienced by present-day Yaqui youth. The study enlisted 10 Yaqui individuals who resided in Old Pascua at the time of their elementary and secondary schooling, and who represented a range of ages and schooling levels. Old Pascua was chosen because it was established as the first Yaqui community in Tucson and because of Yaqui student attendance in specific schools. Critical theory provides the study's theoretical framework. Such a framework illuminates both the institutional practices and policies which contribute to the limited success of minority students, and the means of transforming those limiting conditions. Yaqui oral narrative accounts serve as the primary documentation and critique of existing educational institutions. The individual and collective struggles revealed in these first-hand accounts, as well as the social, political, and historical factors impacting the lives of Yaqui individuals, are examined. This documentation and a thematic analysis of the accounts suggest several institutionally produced factors that contributed to Yaqui students' lack of school success: the hidden curriculum of school; family support for education; and perceptions related to success. These themes are explored relative to the lives of Yaqui individuals, to research literature, and to critical theory. Finally, participant-generated recommendations for institutional change are discussed. These include changes in school and community relations, relevance of schooling, and economic factors. This study provides insights into the uniqueness of Yaqui school experiences and extends the current body of literature on American Indian/Alaska Native education by considering schooling from a neglected perspective--one informed by Yaqui individuals themselves. By examining the complex array of factors contributing to Yaqui students' diminished school success, the study also joins microethnography, macroethnography, and critical theory in a unified, systemic approach.

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The purpose of this study was (1) to describe the beliefs of environmentally-concerned community leaders regarding community needs for education about the environment, and (2) to describe the environmental education provided in the past, present, and planned for the future in Pima County, Arizona. Respondents believed that there were many environmental issues of importance to Pima County and that efforts to educate the community about these issues were inadequate. The issues considered most important tended to be those regarding environmental problems--air pollution, toxic substances, waste management. The most frequent topics of the environmental education provided by the respondents, however, tended to be those regarding natural resources--habitats, wildlife, water. Respondents believed in the need for an environmental education council and master plan. Most felt that lack of funding and absence of a master plan were major obstacles to providing adequate environmental education in the community.

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The major focus of this study was to examine the consistency between the perception of teachers and parents toward the value of bilingual education for facilitating the academic growth of school-age children. Relationships of perceptions to the academic achievement of children was also evaluated. Three specific areas of the bilingual program were investigated: philosophy, functional value, and implementation. In order to obtain measures of perception of teachers and parents toward bilingualism and bilingual education, an instrument was developed. This instrument, named as the Attitudes Toward Bilingualism (ATB), contained 49 Likert-type items. The items of the ATB were divided into three categories: philosophy, functional values, and implementations. Items in each section were rated on a five-point scale ranging from a low to a high agreement scale. Teacher and parent volunteers filled out the ATB. The faculty of five targeted bilingual schools volunteered to participate in this study. Teachers included in the sample were drawn from all first, second, and third grade bilingual classrooms of the target schools. Thirty bilingual teachers and 107 parents participated in the study. The overall directions of the findings clearly suggested a great deal of similarity in the perceptions of parents and teachers toward various issues surrounding bilingual education practices. The specific issues examined in this study can be viewed in a broad sense of parent-school partnership issues, which need to be studied at greater depth. Issue concerning implications of the study and the general utility of obtained results were discussed.

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the post-school adjustment of Native American youth who received special education or regular education services on White Mountain Apache Indian reservation in Arizona. This study reflects what the students have been doing since they left school, whether their school experiences have prepared them for life in general, and how their personal history helps identify their values, outlooks, and current community standing. In an effort to assess the transition status of these former students, a 38 item survey instrument was developed. A total of 132 students were identified from the Alchesay high school records. Of this number, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 106 former (80%) students. Students were compared in five areas which have been identified as important to successful transition from school to adult life. Comparisons were made on the respondents opinions of their secondary school education, employment status, independent living, maladjustment, and culture/traditionality. SES stated that mathematics, resource programs, and English prepared them for the job market whereas mathematics, office skills, science, and business education were selected by the RES. All the respondents wished for computer education. Only 31% of the total sample was employed up to five years after leaving school. Seventy-four percent of the students still live with their parents. Forty-four percent of both groups had arrest records, and 68% of both groups had a history of substance abuse. Sixty-four percent of the respondents use and speak the Apache language most of the time. Parents and the extended family provide the majority of guidance and support as these young adults seek employment, community integration and social adjustment. There is a pressing need for transitional programs, better job programs, and substance abuse preventive programs for both groups of Apache post-high school students.

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In this study, the effect of the word processor on third semester Spanish students at the University of Arizona was examined. The study was performed over two semesters, using a control and an experimental group each time. The communicative language approach for second language learning was implemented in a cooperative learning environment for both control and experimental groups. Control groups used paper and pencil to write their class essays and experimental groups used the word processor. The experimental groups outperformed the control groups. The semester variable by itself was also significant. However, there was no significant interaction between group and semester. Replication studies are needed to validate the results of this study.