No description available.

abstract: This study investigated the limitations of Navajo language teaching in Navajo Head Start immersion centers. The research questions asked what did Head Start teachers perceive as barriers to Navajo children successfully learning the Navajo language, what skills and knowledge did Head Start teachers have that were relevant to teach Head Start children the Navajo language, what Head Start teachers perceived as their strengths and weaknesses of the language immersion program, and what program and instructional qualities promoted and restricted the success of the language program? Two males and six females who resided in the western part of the Navajo Nation wee interviewed as to their teaching experiences. All of the interviewees were between the ages of late 40's to mid-60's and all spoke Navajo fluently. They had been employed with Head Start for more than 10 years. They came from families who had strong beliefs in the Navajo culture and language, and believed all teachers should take Navajo language and culture classes to teach in Head Start. The interviews revealed the participants use their traditional language and culture skills to teach Navajo, but they had limited knowledge as how to use the curriculum provided by Division of Dine Education. The English curriculum was accessible and easy to follow, but did not adhered to President Hale's Executive Order to perpetuate the language. It was recommended that Head Start administrators and support staff review the Navajo language policies and regulations, train teachers how to write a lesson plan that was simple and teacher friendly, revamp the curriculums, and train teachers how to critique, analyze and develop lessons from the Navajo Curriculum. In addition, administrators, should monitor and provide technical assistance to ensure teachers are implementing Navajo language instruction according to Navajo Standards and monitoring each child's progress according to developmental domains and assessment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2015

The problem is to analyze the opinions of the Navajo community leadership towards a religion sponsored program, as related to their exposure to information about the program and to othether social variables. Specifically, this study is concerned with two main questions: 1. Is the reaction among Navajo community leaders towards the LDS Indian Placement Program related to the amount of information they have available about that program? 2. Is the attitudes of Navajo community leaders concerning the Placement Program related to their social economic status of age, religious affiliation, and other such variables?

No description available.

This retrospective ethnographic study, conducted in a small community on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona, investigates the sociocultural environments of fifth grade Navajo children who have become successful readers. The purpose of this research study is to begin the process of identifying and describing in detail the characteristics of the home environments leading to this success. The study also investigates social and cultural factors beyond the homes and families, and includes a brief look at the role of the schools and the community in reading development for these identified students. Successful readers were identified by classroom teachers and each was given an individual reading evaluation based upon miscue analysis, to verify their reading proficiency. Data on the sociocultural environment was gathered through open-ended interviews with fifteen selected students, their parents, their teachers, and the school principal, as well as through searches of the students' school records. Data from this study suggests a much higher success rate for Navajo children than is commonly reported with standardized achievement tests. This study exposes some of the myths of Navajo and other minority failure by identifying instances of Navajo success. Social conditions, such as single parent families, low income, alcoholism, and unemployment did not prevent the development of literacy for these children nor did linguistic differences and limited amounts of written material in the homes. Teachers, parents, the principal, and the students themselves identified the home, rather than the school, as the most important factor in these children becoming successful readers. Within the home, the development of literacy was assisted through child initiated activities and questioning, and supportive adults' responses, rather than through direct instruction. Literacy, for each child in the study, was achieved in different ways. In addition to general findings, four case studies are presented, providing a detailed view of some of the multiple ways of becoming literate in this Navajo community.

Under Cooperative Agreement Number H8601010007, BARA contracted with the NPS to amend the document review with primary data from representatives of the tribes that were found to be historically and culturally affiliated with Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki National Monument. Additionally, this addendum to the affiliation study includes information about traditional uses of park resources as described by tribal representatives. This information is critical to park management and for compliance with various laws, regulations, executive orders, and policies so that park managers can better address tribal requests for continued access and use of park resources. The first purpose of this study is to amend the completed literature search with primary data collected with tribal representatives of the six ethnic groups. This data will provide contemporary validation of the literature search and contribute additional information related to tribal affiliation. The second purpose of this study is to provide primary data about past and present tribal uses of park resources. As a Traditional Use Study of park resources, this effort contributes information essential to park management as well as to compliance with a myriad of laws, regulations, executive orders, and NPS policies. The specific objectives of this study include identification of natural resources at each park that are used for traditional purposes, descriptions of the cultural importance of these resources, and, where possible, links between contemporary resource use and records of historic use.

This grounded theory qualitative study explores conceptualizations of Diné T'áá Bi At'éego, "a well-directed person," held by eighteen Diné people, ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, from three distinctly different communities. By inquiring into personal attributes and abilities valued in Diné culture, the groundbreaking work of Navajo philosopher Kenneth Begishe is extended. The purpose of this study is to identify and document specific characteristics, attributes, skills, knowledge, practices, connections, and relationships currently honored and respected within Diné communities so they might be used to develop long-term Student Learning Objectives in the creation of a Diné culture based curriculum supporting the development of a strong Diné identity in students. The data, provided by participants through interviews, leads to the emergence of four umbrella categories (Thinking, Doing, Being, Achieving Harmony) and numerous sub-categories constituting the characteristics attributes, skills, knowledge, connections, and relationships valued and respected by the participants. The results are compared to Kenneth Begishe's (1968) model of "Diné T'áá Bi At'éego," in which he indicates important characteristics of a well-directed person. The comparison suggests that Diné people continue to value many of the same characteristics Begishe identified more than four decades ago. In spite of the affirmation of characteristics represented in Begishe's model, participants in this study provide a recurring theme that is not articulated by Begishe - the achievement of harmony, which, a review of the literature reveals, is closely related to three important aspects of the Diné worldview, K'é, Sa'ah Naagháí Bik'eh Hózhó (SNBH), and Hózhó. Study findings suggest that although Diné people who participated in the project continue to value time-honored characteristics, attributes, skills, knowledge, practices, connections, and relationships in people they admire and respect, they do hold several conceptualizations that seem to be shifting away from traditional Diné perspectives and toward those held in the mainstream. Study data further reveals four categories of narratives used by participants to communicate and emphasize characteristics, attributes, skills, knowledge, practices, connections, and relationships exhibited by those who are "well-directed." The narratives range from traditional accounts involving mythical elements, to first-person descriptions of individuals with whom participants were intimately familiar.

No description available.

This research explicated the use of exploratory data analysis in describing type II diabetes mellitus among the Navajo Indians. A sample of 98 diagnosed diabetics was obtained from a retrospective chart review and had a 1.3:1 female to male ratio, a median age of 58.6 years, and a mean duration for diabetes of 7.66 years. Other characteristics included a median age at diagnosis of 50 years, a median weight prior to diagnosis (expressed in percent desired weight) of 140%, and a median blood glucose value at time of diagnosis of 241 mg/dl. The distribution patterns for age, weight, and blood glucose revealed several asymmetry problems which had implications for the appropriateness of using parametric statistics in numerical summarizations. Bivariate analyses revealed a negative association between age at diagnosis and percent desired weight prior to diagnosis. This finding identifies the risk that obesity brings to the young and that aging brings to the non-obese, Navajo Indian.

The integration of primary care and mental health care is a requirement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and has challenged primary care providers to address gaps in the quality of care provided for patients with mental health issues. Vulnerable populations, such as the American Indian people experience gaps in quality health care, especially communication gaps and language barriers. This quality improvement project used a survey design to explore the potential for primary care providers to adopt a culturally sensitive electronic mental health, screening tool to bridge communication gaps and language barriers. Primary care providers recruited from the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Campus Health Services clinic evaluated the concept of a touch screen iPad technology to implement the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which screens for depression using audio options in English and in the Navajo language to accommodate American Indian patients. A PowerPoint overview of the iPad technology was sent via email to the NAU providers and included; the PHQ-9 screening results, which are to be immediately accessible in the patient's electronic health record along with a screening report. The screening report included the PHQ-9 depression score, interpretation of the score, best treatment choices, and a graph for monitoring patient progress. This survey results concluded providers perceive the iPad technology for mental health screening to be useful in their integrated primary care clinic. A modified Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) was used to evaluate the providers' perception of the iPad Technology, and the University of Arizona's Qualtrics survey system provided data analysis of the survey results.