Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 227 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 208-221). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The purpose of the study was to investigate fully English proficient (FEP) students in an elementary maintenance bilingual bicultural program. Specifically the study examined oral language proficiency in Spanish, academic achievement levels, and attitudes of FEP students who attended a bilingual education program over a period of five or six consecutive years. Levels or oral acquisition in Spanish were measured on the Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM); levels of student academic achievement were measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills; and student attitudes were measured by an attitude inventory designed by the researcher. A questionnaire for parents of FEP students provided additional information about students and influential factors affecting the parental decisions to enroll FEP children in a bilingual education program. The research design was a descriptive case study involving twenty-seven FEP students in two fifth grade bilingual classes and the parents of these students. Proficiency ratings on the SOLOM, stanines on the ITBS, and attitudes expressed on the inventory were examined to determine if FEP students developed L2 proficiency (or bilingualism) in this program, if the academic achievement of the FEP students was affected by the development of bilingualism, and student attitudes toward Spanish and the minority culture or community. Parents of the FEP students responded to a written questionnaire inquiring about their children's development in speaking Spanish, in scholastic achievement, and in attitudes. Parent interviews were conducted to confirm and expand the written responses. Results indicated that FEP students developed oral proficiency in Spanish along with positive attitudes toward learning to communicate in Spanish. Attitudes toward Mexican culture and the Mexican-American community were also positive. There was no evidence of negative or positive correlation between the development of bilingualism and academic achievement. The information obtained from the parent questionnaires and interviews reinforced the data collected on site about the students, and indicated that the most influential factors for enrolling their children in this bilingual educational program were: (1) to encourage the development of bilingualism and biculturalism in the students; and (2) to provide the children with an excellent curriculum. In conclusion, the findings suggested that maintenance bilingual bicultural programs can result in majority language student development of bilingualism and positive attitudes toward minority languages and cultures, with no detrimental effects on L1 or on academic achievement in English.

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<p> The purpose of this grounded theory study of diversity leaders, in the context of U.S. coeducational independent schools, is to construct a theoretical model that explains what contributes to the development and implementation of effective diversity leadership&mdash;thereby ensuring education equity for students from diverse class, race, and ethnic backgrounds. The study was guided by the following central research question: How does school leadership ensure educational equity for all students from diverse class, racial, and ethnic backgrounds enrolled in U.S. independent schools? (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p>

To determine learner attitudes toward an alternative assessment, additional washback effects, and possible relationships between cultures of learning and learner attitudes, a mixed methods study was conducted in an advanced multicultural EAP (English for Academic Purposes) class in the USA, where a poster project was implemented as a summative assessment. Qualitative and quantitative data from a pre- and post-test questionnaire as well as classroom observations and an interview with the instructor were used to investigate learners' attitudes towards the assessment. The twenty-four participants representing five cultures of learning from the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia expressed largely positive attitudes prior to completing the poster project. After the project presentations, there was minimal change in their attitudes. The researcher identified six positive and three negative washback effects of the poster project: positive attitudes toward the poster project, self-confidence, accurate identification of the learning goal, awareness of learning, community building and cultural exchange, deeming the assessment useful, negative attitudes toward the poster project, misidentification of the learning goal, and deeming the assessment not useful. Although there was no relationship between participants' cultures of learning and their attitudes toward the poster project, their prior experience with alternative assessments may be related to their attitudes.

This case study is a phenomenology to explore the experiences of African American men in the Call Me MISTER program at one university. The purpose of the study is to understand the program components and experiences of these men in the program to identify the neutral, positive, and negative phenomena. These are categorized into the program design, deciding to become a MISTER, experiences within the program, and reactions to the program design. Qualitative interviews were conducted individually with eight men currently enrolled in the Call Me MISTER program. A qualitative focus group interview was then held for seven of the eight interviewees. The emergent themes from these interviews were that 1) the admissions design provides motivation for men to join the program 2) the program’s financial aid offerings are an incentive to join/stay in the program 3) the cohesion of the group is a dynamic that attracts and retains MISTERs 4) the faculty support contributes to the MISTERs’ program satisfaction 5) the coursework design contributes to the MISTERs’ program success and 6) the MISTERs credit the Call Me MISTER program with their career path choice. The mission of the Call Me MISTER program is to increase the number of minority men entering the field of education. This goal is accomplished with each Call Me MISTER graduate that enters the field of education.

In order to answer in what ways the teaching of reading in Portuguese at an English-Portuguese Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program is supportive of the home language and minority culture in a biliterate community during the very earliest phases of reading acquisition, this single-case qualitative study was designed to count on focus group interviews, classroom and community observations, and material and photographic data collection 1) to explore in and outside classroom biliteracy continuity; 2) to describe Portuguese home language and Brazilian minority culture of reading and/ or lack of it; and, 3) to identify the implementation of the field’s current practices. The sample was selected purposefully as it was an exemplar home-school-community biliterate setting from a U.S. southeastern school district, where English was the majority language and Portuguese was the home language. Under the lens of the Continua of Biliteracy by Hornberger (1989) and Hornberger & Skilton-Sylvester’s (2000), I analyzed macro issues of teaching, research, and planning into biliteracy. The integrated pattern of beliefs, goals, and dynamics around reading were analyzed through the culture of reading (Behrman, 2004), whereas Vukelich & Christie (2009)’s suggestion of Emergent Literacy and Scientifically Based Reading Research Perspectives were applied into instructional methods and micro issues. At a macro level, the results showed that until deliberate efforts are seen to elevate languages other than English and minority cultures to human capital by the responsible bodies, any attempt of reaching a multilingual-multicultural education will be known for its pending adjustments, and not for the European model of multilingual empowering education the U.S. looks up to. At a micro level, there seems to be a greater disparity in COB’s biliteracy content if compared to their context, media, and development analytical endpoints. In the final analysis, the U.S. educational system cannot afford to isolate the nation due to communication limitation; especially in times divisive ideologies are unwelcomingly gaining more space. In seek of maintaining a leading role; the ability to promote dialogue comes from the skill of reading the world beyond the word. Suggestions for further study on a Portuguese pluricentric approach seem relevant since an increase in federal and states initiatives for English-Portuguese dual language immersion programs, due to the fact that Portuguese is considered a critical and less commonly taught language by major federal agencies, such as U.S. Department of Defense. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 10, 2018. / Dual Language Immersion, English-Portuguese biliteracy, home language, minority culture, multilingual-multicultural education, reading acquisition / Includes bibliographical references. / Marcy P. Driscoll, Professor Directing Dissertation; Peggy Sharpe, University Representative; Christine Andrews-Larson, Committee Member; John Myers, Committee Member.

<p> Research shows minority teachers positively impact minority student achievement, yet these teachers (especially Blacks and Latina/os) account for the highest percentage of pre-retirement teacher attrition rates. The primary reasons for their premature departures are a lack of autonomy relating to classroom instruction; exclusion from the school-wide decision-making process; and school culture and climate issues. These concerns could be alleviated through the agency of teacher leadership, especially when considering the finding that leadership is second only to classroom instruction when it comes to student achievement. School leaders, therefore, who adopt a distributed leadership model and nurture a culture wherein teachers are empowered to lead reform efforts, could potentially help ameliorate achievement gaps and minority teacher shortages. This mixed-methods, qualitatively dominant study sought to fill the gap in knowledge on the benefits of early career teacher leadership development for minority teachers and its potential impact on teacher attrition rates. Participants were surveyed using the Teacher Leadership School Survey as a means to determine how conducive their individual school&rsquo;s culture is/was to teacher leadership development and follow-up interviews were conducted to ascertain individual perceptions of teacher leadership and its impact on their decisions to commit to or exit the profession. Findings indicate teachers&rsquo; decisions to remain committed to the profession were largely influenced by their intrinsic motivation to teach and champion underserved students; their individual school culture&rsquo;s conduciveness to teacher leadership development; and the provision of teacher leadership opportunities. </p><p>

The present study aimed to examine factors related to having access to marriage rights among same-sex couples (N = 221). Having access to, or being denied access to, marriage rights in participants' state of residence was the predictive variable of interest. Well-being, social support, gay-related stress and relationship satisfaction were factors of interest, with well-being the primary outcome variable of interest. While there has been a significant amount of research conducted over the past 15 years which has found discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals [LGBs] to be prevalent (Herek & Sims, 2007; Meyer, 2003), and linked to a direct negative impact on LGBs psychological and physical well-being (Balsam, Rothblum & Beauchaine, 2005), little research has been done to examine the impact of institutional discrimination, such as marriage laws. This study utilized constructs measuring experiences of discrimination, couples' access to social support, relationship satisfaction, and overall well-being, as research has suggested that marriage impacts a couple's access to social support from family and larger community networks, which has been found to be associated with overall well-being and relationship satisfaction (Gove et al., 2005). This dissertation attempts to make a contribution to an emerging but primarily understudied area of research by providing insight into the experiences of same-sex couples. Primary hypotheses tested were whether access (or denial) to marriage rights impacts gay-related stress, relationship satisfaction, one's access to social support within their relationship, and how these variables are associated with one's overall well-being.

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