Research over the last three decades has documented that teacher efficacy has an effect on student achievement (Armor et al., 1976; Bandura, 1997). The literature on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) recognizes teacher efficacy as one of the attributes of successful teachers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Researchers (e.g., Goddard & Goddard, 2001) have also found that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) beliefs can affect teachers’ goal setting, motivation, and persistence with challenging tasks or situations; specifically, the CTE construct not only explains school-level effects on achievement, but also explains effects on individual teachers’ self-efficacy. When CLD students require special education services, their instruction must be equally responsive to their cultural and linguistic characteristics in addition to their educational needs based on the disability (García & Ortiz, 2004; McCray & García, 2002). Consequently, CRT practices are central to improve these students’ learning outcomes (Gay, 2000). The purpose of this descriptive, correlational survey research study was to investigate (a) the relationship between special education teachers’ collective teacher efficacy beliefs and CRT efficacy for teaching CLD students in special education; and (b) the influences of personal and professional background variables on participating teachers’ CRT efficacy beliefs. The survey was sent to 855 special education teachers of CLD students with disabilities in three urban school districts in Texas; 344 complete responses were received, yielding a 44% response rate. The survey consisted of four sections: Background Information, Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE), and Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome-Expectancy Scale (CRTOE). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The results revealed statistically significant relationships (a) between CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs, with a positive and moderate association; and (b) between CTE and CRT efficacy beliefs (CRTSE as well as CRTOE), but the associations were positive and weak. Teachers’ language characteristics, instructional setting, certification in bilingual education/English as a second language, and their perceptions of the quality of their professional preparation emerged as significant influences on their CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs. Implications for teacher education and future research are presented. / text

Students with ED often exhibit disruptive behavior in the classroom that adversely affects the learning environment (Cook, Gresham, Kern, Barreras, Thornton, & Crews, 2008). Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students tend to be over-represented in this category of disability. Despite the fact that the majority of students identified with ED are male, females do represent 23.6% of this population (U.S. Department of Education, 1998; Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, & Shriner, 2009). Additionally, a large number of individuals with ED are high school age (Wagner, Friend, Bursuck, Kutash, Duchnowski, Sumi, & Epstein, 2006). Interventions used with this population have often been punitive in nature, designed to control behavior rather than to help an individual improve (Newcomer, 2003). Efforts of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) require the use of scientifically-based practices when addressing academic and behavioral goals. A variety of interventions for students with ED have been investigated. While many of these interventions produce degrees of positive change, they often demand a great deal of time and effort from the teacher (Wagner et al., 2006). Video self-modeling (VSM) is an intervention involving an individual watching him/herself on video demonstrating desired and appropriate behavior. It has been proven successful with other challenging populations (e.g., individuals with autism) (Buggey, 2005). Few studies of VSM have been conducted with secondary students with ED. The present study was designed to analyze the effects that VSM had on four secondary CLD students with ED across a variety of behaviors, including laughing obnoxiously out loud, using profanity, and requesting help. Multiple baseline designs across students were used to evaluate performance. The results indicated all four participants exhibited immediate and significant gains upon implementation of the VSM intervention, and that those gains were maintained after cessation of intervention. The findings suggest that VSM may represent a positive behavior change intervention worthy of consideration for CLD secondary students with ED. / text

The purpose of this study was to investigate preliminary psychometric normative data of an English dynamic assessment of narrative language for a group of diverse school-age students with and without language disorder. This study included 364 diverse students with and without language disorder ranging from kindergarten through 6th grade. Students were confirmed as having a language disorder if they had an existing active IEP for language, and scores below a certain cutoff point on a nonword repetition (NWR) task and the narrative language measure (NLM). English language proficiency was investigated, and students were classified as being a dual language learner (DLL) based on student, teacher, or parent report of diverse home language, and poor performance on an English narrative language assessment. Participants were administered a nonword repetition task (NWR), the Narrative Language Measure (NLM), and the Dynamic Assessment of Oral Narrative Discourse (the DYMOND). Data were analyzed within groups of typically developing students and students with a language disorder to identify statistically different mean modifiability and posttest scores given various demographic factors. Results of this study indicate that modifiability and posttest scores for typically developing students were not found to be statistically different given gender or school location, however, significant differences were noted given grade and level of English proficiency or DLL status. The group of students with a disorder demonstrated no statistically different mean modifiability scores given any demographic factor. Students with a language disorder demonstrated significantly different mean posttest scores given school location and English proficiency and DLL status. Results from this study are consistent with previous dynamic assessment research in demonstrating excellent classification accuracy in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. Students may benefit from a norm-referenced dynamic assessment of narrative language in order to provide less-biased standardized forms of assessment for CLD populations.

Language sample analysis has come to be considered the “gold standard” approach for cross-cultural language assessment. Speech-language pathologists assessing individuals of multicultural or multilinguistic backgrounds have been recommended to utilize this approach in these evaluations (e.g., Pearson, Jackson, & Wu, 2014; Heilmann & Westerveld, 2013). Language samples can be elicited with a variety of different tasks, and selection of a specific method by SLPs is often a major part of the assessment process. The present study aims to facilitate the selection of sample elicitation methods by identifying the method that elicits a maximal performance of language abilities and variation in children’s oral language samples. Analyses were performed on Play, Tell, and Retell methods across 178 total samples and it was found that Retell elicited higher measures of syntactic complexity (i.e., TTR, SI, MLUw) than Play as well as a higher TTR (i.e., lexical diversity) and SI (i.e., clausal density) than Tell; however, no difference was found between Tell and Retell for MLUw (i.e., syntactic complexity/productivity), nor was there a difference found between Tell and Play for TTR. Additionally, it was found that the two narrative methods elicited higher DDM (i.e., frequency of dialectal variation) than the Play method. No significant difference was found between Tell and Retell for DDM. Implications for the continued use of language sample for assessment of speech and language are discussed. / Communication Sciences

This study was designed to address the need for improved collaborative experiences for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) parents of students with disabilities. Historically, these individuals have had limited interactions with special education services and professionals, particularly at the middle school level. To improve the collaborative relationship between CLD families and schools, the study offered collaborative training sessions designed to provide opportunities for parents to build on their current knowledge base and skills for effective partnerships with school personnel. The goal of the training was to increase the types and frequency of school involvement by CLD parents. The participants for this study consisted of teachers and parents of culturally diverse groups of middle grade students in special education transitioning from an urban elementary school into a suburban middle school. Hence, the researcher evaluated parent perceptions of the collaborative experience to determine the effects it had on future efforts to collaborate. Student perceptions of both the collaborative process and the teacher's ability to provide services that embrace cultural differences and reflect high expectations were also assessed. Overall evaluation of Parent Collaborative Training (PCT) demonstrated a direct influence on the behaviors of parents as well as students and teachers, who were indirectly affected by the parenting behaviors. The training influenced parents' knowledge and skills, opinions of students regarding their parents and teachers, and showed higher ratings for students across three domains: student behaviors, student capabilities, and teacher expectations.

The present study uses secondary data from the Positive, Engaged, Achieving Kids (PEAK) Project which was a large-scale effectiveness trial of the Social Skills Improvement System, SEL Edition Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS SEL CIP; Elliot & Gresham, 2017 [PI: DiPerna]). The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of this intervention at further developing social-emotional competencies for a sample of linguistically-diverse students. Furthermore, this study aimed to understand the impact that various classroom contextual factors, such as teacher-student interactions and classroom composition, had on social-emotional outcomes, as well as the potential moderating role they served between the intervention condition and social-emotional outcomes. This research was guided by the following questions: (1) To what extent does a classwide SEL program, the Social Skills Improvement System, SEL Edition, Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS SEL CIP), improve social-emotional outcomes for a sample of linguistically-diverse students? (2) To what extent do teacher and classroom contextual factors (i.e., teacher-student interactions, teacher characteristics, and classroom characteristics) predict social-emotional outcomes for linguistically-diverse students? (3) Do contextual characteristics moderate the relation between SEL programming and student outcomes, such that the effects of the intervention are magnified for linguistically-diverse students when other contextual factors are also present in the classroom environment (e.g., quality teacher-student interactions)? Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that receipt of the SSIS SEL CIP did not serve as a statistically significant predictor of social-emotional outcomes. Teachers’ emotional support positively predicted social-emotional outcomes, while classroom organization served as a negative predictor. Teacher-student interactions (i.e., emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support) did not have a moderating effect on outcomes, but classroom composition variables did have statistically significant moderating effects such that students who received the intervention and were in classrooms with a higher percentage of racial minority or EL students had higher social-emotional outcomes. Limitations of this study which offer avenues for future research are discussed, along with implications of this study’s findings. / Psychological Studies in Education

French Immersion (FI) is a form of second language education with various programs in which French is both a subject and the language of curricular instruction (Canadian Parents for French [CPF], 2019). In 1965, when FI first began in St. Lambert, Québec, it was aimed at middle-class, anglophone students (Davis, 2017; Davis et al., 2019; Kunnas, 2019; Lambert & Tucker, 1972), but its population has since expanded to include culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners - that is, students whose first language is neither English nor French and whose cultural and linguistic repertoires represent a strength in their learning communities. These students may be enrolled in FI programs, but their cultures and languages aren't necessarily recognized, valued, and integrated as assets for personal and collective learning - calling into question the potential for true inclusion (Mady et al., 2017). This study thus examines the inclusion of CLD learners in FI at an independent school in southeastern Ontario. Taking a multiple-case study approach, it uses critical race theory to explore the understandings, beliefs, and practices that CLD learners (n = 4), French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers (n = 3), teacher-administrators (n = 2), and parents and guardians of CLD learners (n = 12) associate with the inclusion of these students in FI. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, photo elicitation, in-person and virtual classroom observations, an online questionnaire, and a reflective journal. Although participants' understandings alluded to greater visibility of CLD learners, the findings suggest that these students weren't always seen in their full complexity. In terms of beliefs, CLD learners were generally viewed through an asset-oriented perspective; however, tensions remain in accepting and understanding knowledge different from the White standard. Finally, although practices were indicative of a pedagogy focused on students' academic success (Ladson-Billings, 2014), the findings showed evidence of a risk of underlying racial inequities. Implications include the need to understand the endemic nature of racism, to problematize race through dialogue and stories that counter "master narratives" (Martinez, 2014), and to address underlying racial inequities consistently and concretely. Ultimately, this research contributes to the development of culturally and linguistically inclusive learning spaces in FI.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Socorro G. Herrera / This quasi-experimental study was designed to measure the effects of a research-based intervention on fourth and fifth grade culturally and linguistically diverse students' vocabulary development. Through the extensive review of literature on vocabulary instruction and second language acquisition, a substantive theoretical framework titled the IBA Framework was developed. The IBA Framework incorporates characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction by accessing students' background knowledge, connecting unknown vocabulary words to known knowledge, ensuring opportunities for meaningful use of the vocabulary words, providing multiple exposures, and focusing on higher-level word knowledge. The IBA Framework also addresses second language acquisition by incorporating the linguistic, academic, cognitive, and sociocultural processes of the prism model. The IBA Intervention, derived from the IBA Framework, examined the affect of targeted vocabulary strategies on the overall vocabulary development of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were utilized for data collection and analysis. Quantitatively, the affect of the IBA Intervention was measured by the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment and the Ecobehavioral System for the Contextual Recording of Interactional Bilingual Environments (ESCRIBE). MAP assessment scores were used to measure the overall literacy achievement of CLD students. Analysis of the data indicated that the treatment group made greater gains than the control group. ESCRIBE was used to measure students' overall engagement. The affect of the IBA Intervention was measured by combining the results of three student variables: language initiating/responding behaviors, oral responses, and activity-related responses. The overall engagement scores indicated that CLD students who received the IBA Intervention had higher levels of engagement than the control group. Qualitatively, the affect of the IBA Intervention on students' vocabulary retention was investigated using student documents, participant observation, and informal interviews. The emic perspective that emerged from the data suggested that students in the intervention group demonstrated their vocabulary retention by building vocabulary knowledge, clarifying vocabulary knowledge, extending vocabulary knowledge, and using vocabulary knowledge across settings. Exemplars from each of these categories were provided as evidence of the CLD students' attainment of a deeper level of permanent vocabulary knowledge.

This study examined the extent to which teachers’ levels of cultural competence is a factor in the nomination/referral process for gifted identification of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Specifically, this study compared the self-assessed perceptions of second and third grade elementary teachers’ cultural competence to the various factors included in the gifted referral process. A quasi-experimental quantitative study was used. However, this study superficially included some qualitative exploration due to the nature of the open-ended survey questions and secondary data set analysis. Quantitative data were collected via an adapted version of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment for Teachers survey created by Lindsey, Robins, & Terrell (2009). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, independent samples t-test, and correlation analysis were conducted. Results revealed that there were no significantly statistical differences in the relationship between teachers’ levels of cultural competence and nomination/referral patterns for gifted identification. Yet, the results also indicated that the district’s second and third grade teachers were generally high on the cultural competence continuum. An overwhelming majority of the teachers believed themselves to be culturally competent however, cultural competence sub-scale scores in institutionalizing cultural knowledge and interacting with CLD students were lower percentages when compared to the other sub-scale scores. In general, this study may have important practical implications for the ongoing process of becoming culturally competent, gifted education practices and policy, teacher preparation, and professional practice.