abstract: Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine how vocabulary size and inhibitory control affect word learning in bilingual (English-Spanish) children with hearing loss. Experiment 1 examined whether children with larger vocabularies learn and retain more words than children with smaller vocabularies. Experiment 2 examined whether children with better inhibitory control learn and remember more words than children with poorer inhibitory control. In addition, monolingual and bilingual children with and without hearing loss were compared on word learning and inhibitory control tasks. Method: Seventy-three children between 8 and 12 years of age participated in the study. Forty children had normal hearing (20 monolingual and 20 bilingual) and 33 had hearing loss (20 monolingual and 13 bilingual). For Experiment 1, children completed a receptive vocabulary test in English and Spanish and three word learning tasks consisting of a training and a retention component in English, Spanish, and Arabic. For Experiment 2, children completed the flanker task for inhibitory control. Results: In Experiment 1, larger total (English + Spanish) receptive vocabularies were predictive of better word training outcomes in all languages and better Spanish word retention, after controlling for age, degree of hearing loss, and maternal education. Children with hearing loss performed more poorly in Spanish and Arabic word training and retention than children with normal hearing. No differences were observed between children with normal hearing and hearing loss in English word learning. In Experiment 2, inhibitory control only predicted English retention outcomes. Children with hearing loss showed poorer inhibitory control than hearing peers. No differences were observed between monolingual and bilingual children, with and without hearing loss, in word learning or inhibitory control. Conclusions: Language experience (measured by total vocabulary size) helps children learn new words and therefore children with hearing loss should receive well-fitted hearing aids and school accommodations to provide them with access to spoken language. Bilingual exposure does not impair nor facilitate word learning. Bilingual children showed similar difficulties with word learning and inhibitory control as monolingual peers with hearing loss. Hearing loss, probably via language deprivation, has broad effects on children’s executive function skills. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Speech and Hearing Science 2019

This study examined parental acceptability of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination among Latino parents. The role that acculturation may play in Latino parents' acceptability of the vaccine was also examined. A survey conceptualized using the Health Belief Model and two acculturation measures were administered to participants (N = 130). Approximately 70% of parents endorsed that they would vaccinate their daughters with the HPV vaccine. A regression analysis revealed that perception of susceptibility, perception of seriousness, perception of benefit, and cues to action significantly predicted parental acceptability, with 57% of the variance accounted by these variables. Acculturation was not a significant predictor of parental acceptability. These results indicate that a large proportion of Latino parents are likely to accept the HPV vaccine and that certain Health Belief Model constructs may predict acceptability in this population. It is important for healthcare providers to understand what factors may predict Latino parents' acceptability to the HPV vaccine given the high rates of cervical cancer among Latina women. Recommendations for future research in this area are provided.

Persistence of African-American and Latino community college students has lagged behind other ethnic groups. The longitudinal study covered three years that included four semesters. Data from aggregated records of a community college in Southern California were analyzed to gain better understanding of factors that could explain varying rates of persistence. The data represented 609 African-American and Latino community college students who enrolled for the first-time in the fall 2006 semester. In addition to descriptive analysis, the data were subjected to t-tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. These findings revealed that access to a college counselor (p < .01) and offers of financial aid assistance (p < .01) and services from EOPS (p < .05) significantly and positively influenced persistence. The impact of age and SES differed by ethnicity. Older African-American students (p < .01) and younger Latino students (p < .01) were more likely to persist. Socioeconomic status (p < .01) was found to significantly influence persistence for African-American students. SES was not found to be significant in Latino community college student persistence. Age, gender, and completing a personal development course did not significantly influence African-American or Latino community college student persistence. The findings can help educators understand African-American and Latino community college student persistence. Community college counselors can facilitate persistence and can have the greatest impact when their contact with students occurs early in the college experience. Further, high schools and community colleges need to work together to disperse information and encourage students to plan for their college education.

This normative comparative study sought to compare the reading achievement, in English and Spanish, of Latino English learners in a 50/50 two-way immersion (TWI) bilingual program to Latino English learners in a 90/10 TWI program. The scores from 55 students across four TWI programs, two 50/50 and two 90/10, were analyzed. The principal from each school was also interviewed. Quantitative data from the district’s reading Benchmark Book Test, California Standards Test/English Language Arts and Standards-based Test in Spanish were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni Post Hoc and Chi Square to compare the means between the students’ reading achievement in Spanish and English by program model. Overall the biliteracy results revealed that the main effect between programs was not significant (p = .23) nor was the within subjects effect (p = .42). However, the interaction of grade and program was significant (p = .001). English and Spanish literacy results showed the students in the 50/50 TWI program outperformed students in the 90/10 TWI program by end of fifth grade; however across program models more students reached grade level literacy in English than in Spanish. Interviews with the principals of each school revealed that when analyzing test data at the school site level, English data were analyzed more closely and more systematically due to accountability measures indicating that NCLB has had a profound effect on the biliteracy attainment of Latino English learners in two-way immersion.

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The objective of this study was to investigate the influences on the degree of involvement in organizations, agencies, and churches by Latino immigrants in Eastern Tennessee. An interview study was conducted to identify the most/least effective service delivery methods, whether language remains a barrier to obtaining services, and reveal any unmet needs relative to the Latino population. Also, Latino participants provided personal perspectives of the service delivery system. From analysis of the interviews, the following themes emerged: limited access to transportation, fair treatment when seeking assistance, need for bilingual staff available to more effectively determine needs, and Latino reactions to law enforcement and government agencies. With the results of this study, service providers will learn more effective methods of delivering services to the Latino population in Hamblen, Grainger, Jefferson, and Cocke Counties of East Tennessee. Conversely, appropriate and well-delivered services will assist Latino immigrants in achieving a better quality of life.