Bibliography: leaves 337-353. / xvi, 353 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Examines the effects of cultural interaction in ethnically plural societies on personal cultural systems, cultural identity and cultural core values. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 1998?

The problem with which this study is concerned is the development of a process model through which culturally-relevant learning materials could be developed. "Culture-based learning materials" are defined to be materials which take into account the child's cultural/linguistic/experiential background and his natural interests. An illustration of the use of the model, for the purpose of demonstrating how to devise culture-based learning experiences via the model, is provided. Teachers of elementary school children in three school districts in northeastern New Mexico were invited to participate in the illustration. Their duty was to collect data via the instrument designed in the second part of the model. The data collected indicate that the majority of children attending these schools are "bilingual" in Spanish and English. Certain literature on teaching Mexican-American children is therefore summarized. For illustrative purposes mathematics was chosen to represent the school's curricula. Hence a synthesis of certain literature on teaching mathematics to "bilingual" children is also provided. Illustrative culture-based mathematics learning experiences for use by teachers in northeastern New Mexico are presented and discussed.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether the mean gains on achievement scores in reading and mathematics for bused students in grades four and five after one year in integrated schools is greater than the mean gain in reading and mathematics achievement scores for similar non-bused students in segregated schools; (2) to determine whether school attendance for bused students is greater than attendance for similar non-bused students; and (3) to determine if attitude toward school, academic self-concept, and general self-concept among groups of subjects are different. The analysis and interpretation of data yielded the following conclusions. 1. The elements associated with increased achievement in reading for fourth-grade minority students are not likely to be positively facilitated by increasing the majority-minority ratio by busing. 2. The elements associated with increased achievement in reading for minority fifth-grade students may be enhanced by busing for racial balance. 3. The elements associated with increased achievement in mathematics for minority fourth-grade students may be enhanced by busing for racial balance. 4. The elements associated with increased achievement in mathematics for minority students are not likely to be facilitated by increasing the majority-minority ratio. 5. The busing of minority students out of their neighborhood may be expected to result in a higher rate of absenteeism. 6. At the fourth-grade level, the change of setting in schools, busing, and a more varied student body would not seem to be deeply felt in any racial group's view toward school. 7. At the fifth-grade level the variances brought about by busing seem to be most profoundly felt by the Anglo population insofar as attitude is concerned. 8. At both grade levels the academic self-concept of Anglo students can be expected to be higher than that of minority students. 9. Among the ethnic groups no consistent trend can be predicted on general self-concept. Fourth-grade Anglo and Black students might be expected to have stronger self-concepts than do the Mexican-Americans. 10. Fifth-grade Blacks in integrated schools can be expected to see themselves more positively than do other racial groups. 11. There is a possibility that in terms of attitude toward school, self-concept, and certain achievement areas, the fifth-grade level would be an optimal time to bus for desegregation purposes.

The key purpose of this research was to interrogate how cross-border learning experiences of students, who are culturally diverse in terms of ethnicity, language and religion at Ethiopian universities, can and should be managed. An important aspect of this study was determining the relationship between unofficial strategies which are employed at the three selected universities to address cultural diversity and students’ cross-border learning experiences which resulted from them. Conceptual and theoretical frameworks from Sociology, Education Management and learning theories guided this study which was informed by a literature study on addressing socio-cultural differences of students at national and international levels. Qualitative empirical information was collected mainly through individual and focus group interviews with information-rich participants, namely senior management personnel, Student Service officials, lecturers and students. Although the contextual literature review showed that inter-group hostility amongst ethnic, linguistic and religious diverse students prevailed at universities, despite the implementation of the multicultural policy adopted in Ethiopia, empirical findings, however, indicated that management provisions in terms of lodging and catering services, co-curricular activities and teaching and learning processes promoted cross-border learning experiences that enhanced inter-group understanding, as well as the academic skills of culturally diverse students. Diversity sensitive lodging, multilingual services at Student Service units, inclusive co-curricular activities and diversity sensitive group learning activities, which involved heterogeneous grouping of students, promoted the development of the self and others across ethnic, religious and linguistic lines and brought about a decrease in mistrust and suspicion and hostility towards students of other backgrounds. Based on the findings, a model for officially incorporating strategies which advance cross-border learning experiences within management processes at higher education institutions was developed to further the realisation of cross-border learning experiences by means of measures which are rooted in Student Service units and teaching and learning processes These should be developed as an alternative for the multicultural teaching programmes which find expression in Civic and Ethical Education and Communicative English Skills courses to advance the cross-cultural development of students. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of staff development on the nomination and identification of culturally diverse and/or economically disadvantaged students for gifted programs. Teachers kindergarten through fifth grade from ten districts (N = 100) received 30 hours of staff development in gifted education. The experimental group (n = 50) received a specialized version of the training. The control group (n = 50) received the standard training provided by the Education Service Center. Teachers in the experimental group completed three Stages of Concern questionnaires at the beginning and end of the training and in the fall. Two Levels of Use interviews were also conducted, one in the fall and one in the spring. Innovation configurations were developed utilizing interview results. A repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to determine differences in concerns of teachers over time. The results revealed growth, however, not of a significant level. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to determine differences in levels of use of the instructional strategies presented in the training. Again, results revealed growth in classroom application of strategies; however, the amount of growth was not significant. A paired-samples t-test was conducted on the components of the innovation configurations. Differentiated instruction was not significantly different, however, grouping strategies and student products showed significant growth in classroom application. Student nomination and identification data were analyzed across six ethnicities: White not economically disadvantaged, White economically disadvantaged, Hispanic not economically disadvantaged, Hispanic economically disadvantaged, African American not economically disadvantaged, and African American economically disadvantaged. Chi-square analyses determined statistical significance in nominations of Hispanic economically disadvantaged and African American not economically disadvantaged. Significant differences in placement of students occurred in White economically disadvantaged and Hispanic economically disadvantaged groups. No Hispanic not economically disadvantaged students met placement criteria.

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No description available.

This research project explores the relationship between the use of culturally sensitive reading material and reading comprehension among Spanish-speaking language minority students of elementary school age. Text includes Spanish and English transcriptions of stories.

This study focused on "comprehensive" partnerships between K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions created to improve the pre-college academic preparation, college enrollment and postsecondary success of minority and disadvantaged students. The study identified such partnerships in existence in the United States for more than five years, surveyed the partnerships to describe their characteristics, and selected two of the most successful to analyze their success characteristics. Sixteen such partnerships were identified and surveyed with a 12-item questionnaire designed to inquire about their: (a) structural characteristics, (b) funding, (c) success in achieving their goals and objectives, and (d) collection of data to measure success. Three key informants from each partnership were surveyed. Forty of 48 surveys were returned, for a return rate of 82%. Responses were tabulated to ascertain the degree to which these partnerships had been successful in achieving their goals and identify the areas in which they experienced success. Two of the most successful partnerships were selected for case studies and visited to collect information about the factors that affected their success and to interview five key participants who represented schools and postsecondary institutions in each of the partnerships. An interview protocol was used to probe the degree to which the characteristics of partnerships success identified in the literature (Van de Water, 1989) were present and effected the case study partnerships. Analysis of the surveys, partnership materials, and the interviews provided a comprehensive portrait of each of the study partnerships. Results of the surveys indicate that a majority of these partnerships; consider themselves at least somewhat successful in achieving their goals, and have improved high school preparation and college enrollments. They are, however, less informed about their success in increasing college retention and graduation. The case studies and interviews revealed that the partnerships valued the success characteristics identified in the literature. The most salient characteristics required for success were the existence of leadership capable of negotiating change within several institutions with different organizational cultures, and the need to recognize that partnerships are unique organizations with some of the same peculiarities, structures and needs as other organizations.

This qualitative dissertation explored the digital literacy practices of adolescent Black girls who actively engaged on social media in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory school shutdowns, and the aftermath of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. I employ the Black Girls’ Literacies (BGL) framework (Haddix & Muhammad, 2016) to analyze the TikTok accounts of two adolescent Black girl influencers, as well as six qualitative interviews I conducted with adolescent Black girls who avidly used video sharing social media apps during that time. The data analysis aligned with the following components of the BGL Framework: Black girls’ literacies are multiple; Black girls’ literacies are tied to identities; and Black girls’ literacies are intellectual, political, and critical. Moreover, the data analysis also revealed that Black girls espoused three different identities while using social media to address the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Black violence. These themes were: Crafting Digital Narratives of the Self as Educators, Crafting Digital Narratives of the Self as Nurturers, and Crafting Digital Narratives of the Self as Digital Activists. My findings suggested that for English educators, prioritizing racial literacy in the English classroom, creating learning experiences that are informed by critical media literacy, and creating a space that honors and supports Black girls’ desires to be activists within their communities are critical for their success within and outside of the English classroom.