Since the late 1960's, there has been a growing body of research seeking to provide explanation for why blacks continue to be underrepresented in higher education enrollment; however, none of these studies provides a full explanation. Ogbu (1969, 1978, 1985), who has given the fullest explanation of black underachievement for students at the primary and secondary levels, suggests that his caste system paradigm be used to explain black underrepresentation in higher education. This paradigm suggests that blacks are members of a caste because of a history of discrimination and exploitation. This past history led to a folk theory of unequal opportunity, which has affected the way that blacks perceive, interpret, and respond to educational barriers. In this exploratory study, the researcher investigated a lower socioeconomic community in Baltimore, Maryland, which in many ways represents the general black population, to learn if Ogbu's caste paradigm explained black underrepresentation in higher education. It was learned that the caste system was in operation, and a very recent history of discrimination and exploitation existed. A folk theory of "unequal opportunity" and a collective identity that "blacks cannot compete with the white man," led to the use of oppositional/counter cultural strategies to "get ahead." Such strategies as pushing drugs, "beating the system" and stealing, coupled with high incidents of homicide, violence and teen pregnancy, impacted upon the ability of residents to graduate from high school and enroll in college. Furthermore, strategies used in the community were operational in the school, which served to detract from school learning. / Ed. D.

Tam, Sin Yu Ophelia. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 203-209). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Scope of study --- p.1 / The policy change in the context of the education system in Hong Kong --- p.4 / Theoretical discussion and literature review --- p.10 / Definition of terms --- p.10 / Multicultural education --- p.16 / Newspaper coverage of South Asians in Hong Kong --- p.22 / My methodology and its problems --- p.26 / My involvement in the field --- p.26 / Areas of study --- p.30 / Methodological problems --- p.32 / Summary of chapters --- p.37 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Historical and Socioeconomic Context of South Asians in Hong Kong --- p.40 / Introduction --- p.40 / Socioeconomic situation of South Asians --- p.43 / Occupational pattern --- p.43 / Language spoken --- p.47 / Educational attainment --- p.50 / Discrimination and legislation --- p.56 / Concluding remarks --- p.58 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- The Educational Opportunities and Education Systems for Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong --- p.60 / Introduction --- p.60 / Medium of instruction in history --- p.61 / Education systems in Hong Kong for ethnic minorities --- p.69 / Three types of schools based on the medium of instruction --- p.69 / The fieldsite school - a case study --- p.75 / The policy change --- p.80 / The school place allocation system for ethnic minorities --- p.81 / Concluding remarks --- p.84 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Views of the Education and Manpower Bureau --- p.87 / Introduction --- p.87 / Background --- p.88 / Promoting integration --- p.90 / School closer to home --- p.97 / The principle of equal opportunities --- p.98 / More choice of schools --- p.102 / Concluding remarks --- p.104 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Views of the Concern Group --- p.107 / Introduction --- p.107 / "Background: The meaning of ""integration""" --- p.107 / Better Chinese language skills? --- p.112 / Lack of resources and long-term planning --- p.115 / Are closer schools an advantage? --- p.121 / More choice of schools? --- p.122 / What is equal opportunity? --- p.125 / Results of a survey done by the concern group --- p.127 / Concluding remarks --- p.129 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Views of the South Asians Apart from the Concern Group --- p.133 / Introduction --- p.133 / Background --- p.134 / English as an international language --- p.137 / Is Chinese reading and writing skill irrelevant? --- p.140 / Ability to support their children's study --- p.143 / Racial discrimination --- p.149 / Cultural assimilation --- p.153 / Parents who supported the new policy --- p.155 / Concluding remarks --- p.158 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Views of Other Parties --- p.162 / Introduction --- p.162 / Non-Chinese Speaking schools --- p.162 / Principals and teaching staff --- p.164 / The mass media --- p.167 / University experts on education policy --- p.172 / Unison Hong Kong --- p.174 / Concluding remarks --- p.176 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusion: Multicultural in Education in Hong Kong --- p.180 / Summary --- p.180 / Versions of multiculturalism in Hong Kong --- p.183 / The Education and Manpower Bureau --- p.186 / The concern group --- p.190 / The South Asians --- p.192 / Implications of multiculturalism in Hong Kong --- p.195 / Concluding remarks --- p.200 / Reference

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of English

This study examines pre-service teachers' attitudes toward language diversity and linguistically diverse students. Two hundred seventy-one teacher education students were surveyed to determine relative effects of demographic, mediating variables and psychosocial variables on language attitude as measured by the Language Attitudes of Teachers Scale (LATS). Independent variables include gender, age, race/ethnicity, teacher certification sought, region, psychological insecurity, cognitive sophistication, and helpfulness viewpoint. Research questions are established and methodology is outlined. A review of related literature places the study in the context of research with a broad interdisciplinary perspective and then links the study to other research relevant to the field of education. The findings of the study indicate that gender, race/ethnicity, teacher certification sought, political ideology, psychological insecurity, and cognitive sophistication contribute significantly to the variation found in attitude toward language diversity. The paper concludes with analyses and discussions of the significant variables and suggestions for application in teacher preparation.

This study initially was designed to produce an in-depth profile of minority students at North Texas State University. After the original dissertation proposal was presented and accepted the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974" was passed. Considerable time passed while NTSU officials developed a legal basis as to the kind of information that would be accessible to doctoral students. The problem of this study was to construct a profile of minority students at NTSU who enrolled during the Fall and Spring semesters, 1974-75. It appears, and very significantly so, that the population percentage for minority students at NTSU is quite disproportionate when compared with the minority population percentage of the State of Texas. For the period examined, one out of every four students of minority designation was Latin-American while three out of four were of Afro-American ethnicity. The average minority student is from a population center that may be designated as a medium sized city to a large metropolitan area. The average minority student at NTSU is admitted from a large urban area high school, and not much preference seems to be given to native Texans. It appears that most minority students are admitted on the same basis as students from the dominant group--Scholastic Achievement Test score of 675. Minority female students outnumber the males at NTSU. The average minority student expects to graduate on time from the university. Also, the average minority student is unmarried with a preponderance of their numbers being "Freshman" as relates to academic level.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the school board/superintendent relationship on academic achievement in one Texas school district that serves high-poverty, majority-minority students. Previous studies identified successful school systems with school boards and superintendents who functioned as a true leadership team. However, previous research focused on school board/superintendent relationship and politics, not student achievement. This case study examined the dynamics of the school board/superintendent relationship and how the dynamics of that relationship influenced the academic achievement of its high-poverty students who were also the majority-minority. The methodology was an intrinsic and qualitative case study which used the constructive perspective and the researcher as the primary instrument for gathering data (Stake, 1988; Patton, 2002). Qualitative data was collected using a loosely structured focus group, individual interviews, and an examination of district documents and records. The research suggests that the dynamics of the school board/superintendent relationship tend to be centered on politics and political power. Politics and political power are impacted by the changing majority/minority composition of the school board, which may lead to instability in the superintendent’s relationship with the board. The research also corroborates previous studies in which effective communication, trust, collaboration, support, and a constant focus on student achievement are the essential building blocks of an effective school board/superintendent relationship. Further, the research supports many other studies which found that the campus principal’s focus on was the catalyst for improved student achievement. Even though educators believe and support the notion that collaborative leadership between the school board and the superintendent is key to the attainment of high academic achievement, this study found there was no apparent effect of the school board/superintendent relationship on the academic achievement of its students. This research has practical implications which may be useful to superintendents and school boards as they face the daily challenges and responsibilities of managing and improving academic achievement. / text

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