The purpose of this study is to investigate historical and linguistic forces that interact to undermine school achievement in Haiti. From a sociocultural perspective, this study explores the social, political, and historical forces that mediate language ideology and practices in Haitian schools and how such ideology and practices influence students' academic achievement. This study analyzes the role of French and Creole in schools and investigates the linguistic tensions in the Haitian society where Creole, the home language of both students and teachers and the only language broadly used in the country, is relegated to secondary importance in education and other institutional settings. The study relies on ethnographic data collected in a third grade, a fourth grade, a fifth grade, and a sixth grade classroom in a private and a public school in a semi-urban area around the capital city of Haiti as well as data collected in different sectors of the society (e.g. state and private institutions). Building upon the literature regarding classroom discourses and the literature on sociocultural theory, coloniality, language ideology, and symbolic domination, this study problematizes language and educational practices in Haiti and offers recommendations for rebuilding Haiti's educational system in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of January 12th 2010. Given the role of students' home language in their instruction, this study argues that any effort aiming the revitalization of the school system in Haiti needs to take into consideration issues related to language in the education system.

The adoption of Free Primary Education in 2003 has expanded access to millions of children in Kenya. However, large numbers of children are still out of school. The majority of the out-of-school children belong to ethnic minority groups and the rural and urban poor, who live in abject poverty. This situation is disturbing given that free primary education was intended to universalize access to primary education, particularly for the poor. In Kenya, where gender parity has been achieved in primary education, gender disparities become obvious when analyses include geographical region and high levels of poverty. The degree to which gender parity is met varies from region to region and across ethnic groups. However this experience is not unique to Kenya. Recent global assessments of education reveal that out-of-school girls are disproportionately represented in excluded groups. But what helps explain this disproportionate representation of poor marginalized girls among those who are out of school? Understanding and addressing discrepant rates of participation requires close examination of factors underlying poor educational participation among those at the margins of society. However, such investigation must take into account the unique ways in which culture, poverty, ethnicity, and gender interact to affect educational processes. This study adopts a feminist theory of intersectionality to argue, based on the experiences of urban poor and rural girls in Nyanza Province of Kenya, that the educational marginalization of poor girls can be understood as an outcome of intersecting, socio-political and economic processes that emerge from their social locations within sexism, poverty, ethnic chauvinism, classism, and the simultaneity of oppression related to multiple discrimination. Based on the perspectives of the poor girls themselves, the study argues that greater acknowledgment be given to the intersectional framework within which educational exclusion occurs, paying particular attention to the interactions of culture, economy, home, and school as domains of intervention.

The retention of Black students in higher education is a problem faced by virtually all institutions. Despite early contact programs and admissions procedures designed to best assess the likelihood of success, and despite the plethora of programs intended to relieve the discernible problems facing students, the attrition rate for Black students remains high. Vincent Tinto suggests that we understand early departures from higher education as a process. He discusses leaving as a function of social or academic "incongruence," the mismatch of student and institution that makes leaving seem the only choice. Effective planning thus necessitates our understanding the students' experience from their perspective, and mandates that "local conditions," the circumstances which determine the particular suitability of any program to an institution, be accommodated. Research data about retention concerns was gathered from three sources: (1) the review of literature, which was used as the external criteria for discussing the university's programs; (2) the programs of the university as described in its publicly-disseminated material; and (3) the perceptions and experiences of Black students, gathered through an interview-survey-data process. Additional data about the university came from the experience and observations of the researcher, a teacher there for six years. These data were then compared: literature to university, university to student perception and experience, and literature to student concerns. Racism was a key student concern. Yet what emerged as an equal or greater concern was their experience of "welcome" or "unwelcome" in their relationships with faculty, administration, and the social environs. Faculty and administration behaviors and priorities, understood as part of the "local conditions" and whether or not directly aimed toward students, had a pronounced negative effect on the Black students' experiences and perceptions. Potential areas of academic and social "incongruence" ultimately centered not in the programs which were offered (or their lack thereof), but in the students' general and specific experiences of unwelcome at the institution.

This study examined the nature of social interactions taking place between students working with computers in three inner-city school classrooms. Its main objective is to present a descriptive analysis of the impact of computers on the social relations between students in a bilingual/multicultural setting. The social interactions between students in the classroom are assumed to be an important dimension of their learning experience, especially for students from subordinate cultures. It is further assumed that student-student interactions take place within the context established by the teacher and the school, and within the general context of the society. The micro context (student-student interactions) can not be analyzed in isolation from the macro context (the society). Student interactions were defined as a verbal or non-verbal transaction between two students. These interactions were analyzed by using three major categories of interaction: (1) type of interaction, (2) form of interaction, and (3) mode or expressive style. Classroom sessions were videotaped for a period of 4 weeks near the end of the school year. In addition, fieldnotes were taken to complement the videotaped material. A crosstabulation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the categories of interaction and the demographic characteristics of the students initiating or receiving those interactions. Data on the students' demographic characteristics, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and ability level, were gathered through the use of a questionnaire. It was found that all of the determinants of access to the computers and learning tended to favor Anglo students and did not facilitate the success of Hispanic and other minority students. On the other hand, Anglos usually assumed the dominant role in the interactions with Hispanic students. In general, the social interactions between students was determined by a combination of factors, including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, ability level, and sex. These factors played an important role in determining the type, form and mode of social interaction between students, but they should not be seen in isolation from each other. The powerless status of Hispanics in the school and the city, and the generalized presence of Anglos in positions of authority are additional factors that contribute to explain this phenomenon.

In response to changing social, political and economic realities in their own societies, many universities and colleges in the developing countries are departing significantly from a philosophy which strictly adheres to traditional academic, familiar and basic functions of teaching and research, and are moving towards a more utilitarian role; several of these institutions have made the adage: 'take the college out to the community and bring the community into the college', an implicit part of their working philosophy. By 'community', they mean the vast majority of people living in the rural countryside. However, the task of understanding this emerging role is complex, and past efforts have met with increasing frustrations. Observers in education and development in the developing countries are now asking the question: What are the factors which characterize a successful relationship between higher educational institutions and the process and practice of rural development? The purpose of this research study is to examine, by a case study approach, the rural development activities of a number of higher learning institutions in India, using an analytical framework based on an intensive research of theories and practice of education and development. This is further supplemented by a series of actual field interviews and discussions with staff/faculty, and students of more than six educational institutions in India, two of which were finally selected for the purpose of specific and detailed analysis. The analytical framework consists of major concepts, processes, roles, and linkages underlying the institution's philosophy, goals and objectives, staff and student participation, rural people participation, relationship with government agencies including the political apparatus, methodologies including program planning and implementation, integration of functions (research, teaching and community service), and internal organization and administration. Using this framework, the study identifies the major constraints and implications underlying well-meaning university efforts in rural development. New perceptions and insights derived from the analysis are further proposed as generalizations for the benefits of educational planners, researchers, policy makers, university administrators, staff and faculty.

As a consequence of the racial dilemma that exists in this society, Black students on White campuses experience education in ways that are different from that of their White cohorts. Black students tend to experience more social and academic alienation, more financial and personal problems, and feel less satisfaction with their educational experience. Much of the research on the experiences of Black students in higher education tends to use quantitative methodologies which do provide insights into the experiences of these students. However, these methodologies do not allow the students to speak for themselves about their experiences. Giving students the opportunity to explain their own realities is one way to deepen our understanding of that experience. This process calls for a qualitative approach, one which may expand our understanding of the experiences of these students. The qualitative approach used in this study includes a thematic analysis of interview data taken from Black students on a predominantly White college campus. The data from this study supported earlier research and confirmed that Black students experience alienation and isolation at this predominantly White college campus. Alienation and isolation was experienced in the classroom and in their living arrangements on campus. The students stated that one of the major learning experiences at the college was learning how to respond to racism and to manage their social relationships with White students and professors in a beneficial way. While students felt that the experience was difficult, they also found it beneficial in that they saw it as preparation for the world outside of college.

This study followed eight Black teachers and highlighted their battles with interpersonal and institutional racism in China. Individual interviews were held with eight co-researchers and five high level administrators. Data was also gathered in two focus groups. The data was then analyzed using phenomenological reduction. Once methods were identified we asked our co-researchers their opinion on the methods, specifically if they found it effective or not. The study found that Black teachers utilized four methods for dealing with racism in China; 1. Retaliate, 2. Ignore, 3. Educate, 4. Assimilate. The most successful strategy for dealing with racism and discrimination was ignoring it because all of the co-researchers shared the same goal of either trying to gain employment or keeping their job. The least successful was retaliation because it added to the co-researchers sense of helplessness. Furthermore, the study proposed five steps that Black teachers and all foreigners can follow to better prepare themselves for the workplace in China: 1) Brace yourself for discrimination and understand the system that you will be living and working in. 2) Appearance matters in China. 3) Have a Chinese advocate. 4) Network with foreigners already in China. 5) Have the proper credentials. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2016. / March 30, 2016. / Black, Black in China, China, co-cultural theory, critical race theory, English teachers / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrice Iatarola, Professor Directing Dissertation; Betsey Becker, University Representative; Peter Easton, Committee Member; Jeffrey Milligan, Committee Member.

Women have made great strides in narrowing the gender gap in professional fields. However, women are still significantly underrepresented and face substantial challenges in reaching top professional positions in business. Recently, in its Life and Leadership After HBS study, the Harvard Business School surveyed its graduate school alumni to better understand “gendered dimensions of life and career that [are] crucial to advancing women leaders” (Harvard Business School 2013). This groundbreaking study found that both men and women have similar career aspirations and expectations upon graduating from HBS, yet men are more likely than women to achieve their career goals. My research extends the HBS study by asking whether or not cultural context shapes career aspirations of men and women, and if so, how? As a result, this study seeks to fill an important gap in the literature regarding the role that culture plays in influencing men’s and women’s career trajectories. By replicating the Life and Leadership after HBS survey at a large university in a state with strong traditional gender cultural norms, we can better understand the effect cultural context has on men and women’s professional careers. This study found that high-achieving men and women from a traditionalist culture have similar career and life expectations as the Harvard sample. However, the career and life outcomes for the traditionalist men and women are more traditional than they expected and more traditional in comparison to the Harvard sample. Findings show that early family formation encouraged within a traditionalist culture influences high-achieving men and women’s career aspirations. The high-achieving alumni from the traditionalist culture also appear to participate in early family formation that results in women’s paying an early motherhood penalty.

This phenomenological study explored both the students' lived experiences of placement processes at an urban community college and their consciousness of those experiences. By applying phenomenological methodology within an engaged inquiry framework, this study integrates multiple perspectives into a narrative thread to make sense of students' experiences with placement and the prospect of remediation. Further, this study sought to understand not only how that prospect is socially constructed but how it affects the students' integration into higher education. By applying socio-cultural theories of ability and ability development as a lens, the study focused on the relationships among the students' understanding of remedial structures, of their own academic ability, and of their sense of belonging in higher education. / Urban Education

No description available.