The marriage and family therapy profession is comprised mostly of European-American clinicians. Although all academic programs accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) are required to demonstrate effort in recruiting African-American students, these efforts do not appear to be successful. This study was designed to provide suggestions for recruiting and supporting African-American students in marriage and family therapy programs based on perceptions of faculty and current African-American students. Data for this study are based on survey questionnaires received from 25 of 29 directors of AAMFT accredited academic programs and telephone interviews followed by survey questionnaires completed by 15 of the 20 African-American graduate students enrolled in these programs during the 1989-90 academic year. Results indicated that African-American students and faculty are grossly under represented in these programs. Many current African-American students report feeling isolated, alienated and lonely, as well as disappointed with the lack of African-American peers and faculty in their program. Specific suggestions are offered by students and faculty for improving recruitment and retention of African-American students. Suggestions for improving program sensitivity to cultural and racial issues which may impede the full integration of the African-American student into the academic program and the profession are also offered. / Master of Science

In a twenty year period beginning in 1935, Virginia college and state officials reacted to increasing pressure from internal and external forces of change. The movement to desegregate public higher education was a major portion of that pressure. The defenses established by the state during these years reflected the interrelation of these forces and the Democratic Machine's attempt to balance all the forces so as to retain the maximum degree of segregated education at the minimum social, fiscal and political costs. Thus the state leaders used, what I have termed "minimal resistance" to the desegregation of their graduate and professional schools rather than the "massive resistance" that followed Brown v. Board of Education. In the 1930s and 1940s, the state did all it could to retain segregated graduate and professional schools for whites with tuition grants to out-of-state schools and the cost-effective growth at Virginia State College. When these were declared insufficient by the U.S. Supreme Court, Virginia joined with other Southern States in joint educational ventures. By 1950, the Virginia officials realized that segregated higher education was all but a lost cause. They became conciliatory to the forces of desegregation in hopes of saving segregation in primary and secondary education. From 1950 to 1955, a period I call "limited desegregation" existed. During these years, the state's white graduate and professional schools admitted a very small number of black students under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The "Machine's" ability to control press and public debate on desegregation, together with contemporary political events and the attitudes of Virginians, account for the sequence of desegregation events in the state. / Master of Arts

This phenomenological study delves into the nuanced lived experiences of Korean American college music majors in U.S. music education. Seven participants were recruited based on the specific criteria: (a) Korean immigrants, (b) experience in band classes or orchestra classes during their K-12 years in the U.S., and (c) majoring in music or music education. Based on the collected interview data, a structured analysis process was conducted. As a result, 5 units of meaning were identified, which were able to synthesize the experiences of Korean American immigrant music majors: (a) Culturally inclusive (or not) music experiences, (b) feeling included (or not), (c) supportive (or not) music teachers, (d) intricacies of Korean cultural music, and (e) cultural identity. After the analysis process, hermeneutic circle was conducted to refine the synthesized 5 overarching meaning units. Refined clustered units of meaning from the Hermeneutic circle were: (a) Experience of Korean cultural inclusion mostly outside of regular music classes at school, (b) Korean American college music majors felt included when musically engaged, (c) Korean American college music majors emphasized the important role of music teachers, (d) Korean American college music majors think that culturally responsive music education is not simply implementing cultural music in repertoire, and (e) Korean American college music majors argued that cultural identity is complexe and can be described differently, depending on the situation. Through the identification and exploration of 5 overarching units of meanings, it offers a profound understanding of how Korean Americans navigate cultural inclusion, engagement in music, the role of music teachers, the complexities of culturally responsive education, and the multifaceted nature of cultural identity. This exploration contributes to a richer comprehension of the diverse facets of Korean Americans' music education experiences and extends its impact by providing a broader perspective on the encounters of Asian immigrants in the U.S. The indirect comparison with the researcher's native Korean K-12 music education background adds a unique layer, unveiling insights into how Asian Americans actively navigate limitations within the U.S. music education system. The implications drawn from this study highlight the proactive engagement of Korean Americans in U.S. music education. Musicians, policymakers, and practitioner-researchers are encouraged to consider these insights in their respective roles. Musicians, regardless of cultural background, are urged to persist in creative endeavors, contributing to the creation of diverse arrangements and addressing the absence of representation. Policymakers should address the demographic imbalance among music teachers, actively working towards creating a more diverse and inclusive landscape within the field. Practitioner-researchers play a crucial role in researching and addressing the needs of culturally marginalized students in music education, focusing on fostering inclusivity.

This study examined factors related to how the interactive behaviors of a group of Black kindergarten children, as demonstrated within the social organization of the classroom, may be related to reading readiness achievement outcomes. Cultural differences in language use, the demands for cooperation in mainstream schools, and established patterns of social interaction were examined as reasons for differential outcomes among blacks. Verbal and non-verbal forms of expression and social interactions, as displayed by students and teacher in the classroom, are related to whether students gain access to participation structures and, therefore, learning opportunities. In this ethnographic study participant observation was the method used to collect data. In the research classroom, linguistic form was not a factor in gaining access to participation strucures. This study suggests, however, that access to reading information was limited to competent students who complied with social and academic demands to gain access to participation structures operating in crucial lesson segments and, therefore, learning opportunities. / Ed. D.

This study used qualitative research, particularly life history analysis, to determine the personal pathways of success for Latino students who chose to enter a health science center for graduate study and who graduated. By giving voice to individual success stories of Latino students, some of the influences on the life pathways of these graduates were determined. For the purposes of this study, success was defined as graduation from a health science center with either a doctor of philosophy, doctor of public health or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. Four research subjects agreed to participate in this study from a possible 11 students from the graduating class of 2004-2005 at this health science center. Data were gathered through multiple in-depth interviews of the students themselves over a period of no more than one month for each participant. Data were analyzed using the mind mapping technique and Padilla's unfolding matrix. Findings indicate that each participant traveled a different pathway to achieve educational success although similarities did exist across participants. The influences of family background, cultural background, educational background and personal perceptions and goals did affect the pathways of these four Latino graduates. While three of four participants indicated that family was the most important influence on their academic success, all participants related the importance of family to their success, although their definitions of family seemed to vary and included the concepts of education, culture, and personal perceptions and goals. The concepts of family support of education and a culture of education within the family unit emerged as similar themes among study participants. Other similarities among participants were a high academic self-concept, a strong internal locus of control, the ability to create academic community, and a positive view of potentially negative situations. Individual themes emerged from the narratives within each category for each participant. The impact of previous studies on student success, using undergraduate models, was reviewed, and one influence was found among the study participants that had not been used in previous models - health. Implications of findings from this study for educational policy, programs, and practice are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to describe the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and to evaluate faculty development programs at selected black institutions in light of the objectives and guidelines established for the use of Title III funds.

"The problem of this study is to trace the changes and the development of Negro education in rural Harrison County, Texas, from 1940-1950." --pg. 1

It shall be the purpose of the writer to prepare program material appropriate for school use which will interest, instruct and contribute toward mutual understanding of both the Latin-American and Anglo-American child. This program material has been incorporated into ten musical plays, the themes, dances and songs of which have been gleaned from a great amount of reading material, stories related by Mexican people, legends told by pioneer Anglo residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and ideas that have been presented by students. It is the purpose of the writer to organize this material into plays which may be of service to any teacher who intends to present a program, in the intermediate grades, dealing with some phase of Latin and Anglo-American relations.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a school counselor led classroom intervention, Student Success Skills (SSS) program (Brigman & Webb, 2010), on Grade 5 Hispanic student’s self-regulation, school attendance, and test anxiety. The study used non identifying archival data from a random controlled trial (RCT) collected at 30 elementary schools in one school district during the school year 2012-2013. Attendance was collected at the end of the school year when students completed Grades 4, 5, and 6. Data were collected at three points: pretest, posttest1, and posttest 2. A series of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) tests and univariate analyses were conducted to determine statistical significance between the treatment group and comparison group in self- regulation, school attendance, and test anxiety. Effect sizes using a partial eta square were calculated for each dependent variable. The results support the Student Success Skills (SSS) classroom program (Brigman & Webb, 2010) implemented by certified school counselors was documented. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

While there exists extensive research on the historical development of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, there is limited research focused on the current development of HBCUs in terms of institutional effectiveness and strategic planning. This gap in the research is particularly relevant in the midst of shifts in state funding that have occurred over the past decade. This research study is designed to move further towards filling this research gap by determinations through the examination of: (1) the interplay of fiscal issues and institutional effectiveness in relation to the historic mission, strategic efforts, and state mandates within the context of HBCUs; (2) the perceived institutional effectiveness of HBCUs by key internal and external stakeholders; and (3) the alignment of HBCU mission statements with mandated metrics of institutional effectiveness. Using a qualitative research design, an exploratory multisite case study was employed across two institutions. Nine key HBCU stakeholders such as the Presidents and the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Financial Affairs, and Alumni Affairs were interviewed to gain their perspectives on institutional effectiveness in relationship to shifting funding, heightened accountability, planned strategies to address these issues, and how these issues directly impact institutional effectiveness at HBCUs. Interviewee perspectives of shifts in funding were examined using a researcher-developed conceptual framework. In addition to conducting interviews, the researcher engaged in document review of relevant university documents, as well as a review of funding patterns of state allocations retrieved from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data from the three sources were triangulated and a two-layered coding strategy was used for further analysis. Findings from this data analysis were then used to address the five research questions presented in this study. The findings revealed that fluctuating shifts in state allocated funding has created a complex environment for HBCUs. Key HBCU administrators held similar perspectives, that in the midst of such a complex environment, emergent institutional response strategies have been put into place to maintain HBCU institutional effectiveness within the context of the historic HBCU mission. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection