Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-101). Also available online in Scholars' Bank.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Stephen A. Sivo. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-124).

<p> Korean American students seem to excel in academics as soon as they enter formal schooling. How are Korean American parents preparing their children for kindergarten? This qualitative research case study's foundational theory is based on Sue and Okazaki's (1990) concept of relative functionalism, which proposes that "cultural practices ... maximize skills in gaining education" (p. 913). Five Korean American parents (one father, four mothers) were interviewed and discussed topics that could help answer the study's research questions: (a) how do Korean American parents perceive what school readiness means? and (b) how do Korean Americans decide what activities to engage their children in when preparing them for kindergarten?</p><p> As there exists no published research that documents the activities Korean American parents engage their children in with intentions of preparing them for formal schooling, literature in this study focused on the history of Korean American culture's valuation of education, relevant circumstances of Koreans living in the U.S., their childrearing priorities, and the effects of acculturation on Korean American educational values.</p><p> Themed findings include overall parental expectations of their children's academic goals, the perceived definition of school readiness, primary caregivers, and priorities for children's competencies. The fact that the Korean American culture is grounded in the philosophy of Confucianism, which includes the expectation that children should uphold family honor and the belief that success is achieved through effort, may help to explain why this study's participants placed high importance on their children's social&ndash;emotional competencies and on behaving "well."</p><p> As the primary caretaker in the family, Korean American mothers base their decisions regarding their children's activities on feedback received from friends from church, as well as from the broader local Korean community. Significant findings include that participants reported starting their children in academic training when they were as young as two years old, and that children are being raised as bilinguals in dualistic cultures. If shared with educational practitioners, this research could help to better support the home&ndash;school relationship with Korean American parents. Parents of non-Korean American students may also use Korean American educational practices to better support their own children to become more school ready prior to entering kindergarten, as well as throughout their educational careers.</p>

This study explores a teacher’s perceptions and teaching practice with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families. A qualitative case study, it follows one in-service pre-kindergarten teacher at a public school. To provide rationales of the study, the researcher adopt culturally responsive teaching, funds of knowledge, developmentally appropriate practice, anti-bias multicultural education and English as a second language learning theories as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through formal interviews, informal conversations, and observations and analyzed using the constant-comparative method. The findings display the results of the study in three aspects: creating a cohesive multicultural community, helping culturally and linguistically diverse children’s English development utilizing their home languages and cultures, and establishing reciprocal relationships with those families. The study finds that a cohesive multicultural community can be created by building caring relationships among community members, by reflecting the children’s cultural and linguistic backgrounds in teaching practice and by practicing anti-bias multicultural education. This study shows the ways of helping the children’s English development according to five themes: understanding the children’s different English abilities, creating a class environment reflecting the children’s home languages and cultures, matching language mates, collaborating with bilingual teachers, and utilizing children as the language experts. This study also finds that reciprocal relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse families can be established by understanding diverse families’ backgrounds, by increasing cross-cultural communications, and by utilizing family resources in her teaching practice. This study reveals that the children’s learning experience can be enhanced when integrating their cultural and linguistic knowledge into class learning. The presented examples and descriptions in this study demonstrates the explicit and practical ways of how teachers can cultivate the children’s cultural and linguistic knowledge base, reflect this knowledge base in their class learning, help the children’s English development, and establish reciprocal relationships with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Thus, this study will be a source of detailed practical information for teachers, teachers’ educators, and educational administrators in early childhood education. / text

The purpose of the study was to identify the competencies necessary for an effective teacher in a bilingual/bicultural program using Spanish and English as mediums of instruction. As in a previous study, bilingual education teachers, bilingual education project directors, and educators involved directly in teacher training in bilingual education determined the needed competencies. The Modified Delphi Technique was the research method used to gather the data. The study generated lists of specific competencies for bilingual education teachers. The identified competencies included a total consensus of the combined number of respondents as well as a within group consensus among four different populations. The review of the literature included information on the general research on teacher education, on competency-based teacher education, on teacher training in bilingual education, and on the identification of competencies for effective bilingual/bicultural teachers. This information indicated a need for empirical studies that identify and validate competencies through the involvement of practitioners, supervisors, college instructors, and professors. Using a Modified Delphi Technique, the study involved a sample of four populations: (1) Title VII biligual education teachers in Spanish/English programs; (2) Title VII bilingual education project directors in Spanish/English basic programs; (3) teacher training directors in Spanish/English Title VII bilingual education projects; and (4) experts in the field of bilingual education. The first questionnaire was open-ended and the responses were used to develop the second questionnaire. The second questionnaire was structured to allow the respondents to rate each competency at the pre-service, in-service, and teacher trainer levels of study. The data were analyzed using the categories that emerged from the factor analysis procedures for pre-service, in-service, and teacher trainer levels of study. The statistical methods used to analyze these data were the mean, standard error, and standard deviation. The major conclusions of the study were as follows: (1) At the pre-service level of study, the five major categories of competencies necessary for a bilingual education teacher were: language; culture; assessment; classroom management techniques; and parent and community involvement. (2) At the in-service level of study, the five major categories of competencies for a bilingual education teacher were: language; culture; assessment; theoretical and philosophical applications; and classroom management techniques. (3) At the teacher trainer level of study, the five major categories of competencies necessary for a bilingual education teacher were: language, culture, assessment, theoretical and philosophical applications; and classroom management techniques. (4) A within group consensus on bilingual education teacher competencies was identified for each of the four populations at the pre-service, in-service, and teacher trainer levels of study. (5) At the pre-service, in-service, and teacher trainer levels of study, intergroup differences on bilingual education teacher competencies were found. The implications of the study were as follows: (1) The study should be considered in the planning and development of teacher preparation programs in bilingual education. (2) The study represents a unique effort to validate competencies which could be incorporated into appropriate coursework within teacher training programs. (3) The study expands the existing body of knowledge on bilingual education teacher competencies from which further research can be initiated.

Η έρευνα βασίζεται στο γεγονός ότι οι απόψεις των μαθητών είναι σημαντικές. Σκοπός της έρευνας ήταν να ορίσουν οι μαθητές πολυπολιτισμικών τάξεων πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης της Πάτρας τον εκπαιδευτικό που επιθυμούν. / This research was premised upon the fact that students feedback is very important. The purpose of this study was to determine elementary school students perceptions of the ideal teacher within a multicultural classroom environment in Patras elementary public school.

The study examined the benefits of implementing multicultural music education into an elementary school's music curriculum. Conducted in a region with a culturally diverse student population, the study surveyed in-service music teachers and elementary students' parents on their perceptions of multicultural music education. Meanwhile, a set of experimental classes focused on Chinese music was taught to a diverse class of Grade 5 students to study their reactions and learning outcomes when studying non-Western music. Results indicate that (a) multicultural music needs to be better implemented in Ontario's music curriculum, (b) students receive non-Western music with enthusiasm, and (c) if taught responsibly, learning music from non-Western cultures can expand individual students' musical and cultural horizons, help eliminate stereotypes and discrimination in society, and possibly elevate the status of music education in schools.

As South Africa emerges from the years of struggle against apartheid, the education system is characterised by fragmentation, inequity, racism and a culture of intolerance. This study tests the experiences and challenges of learners, educators and relevant stakeholders in a multicultural setting: The study was conducted at five multicultural schools in the Ethekwini Region in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Literature is based on historical background of multicultural education and sketches the concept of culture, equality and multiculturalism. The methodology of choice was an empirical research. The first stage involved the gathering of information through questionnaires, observations and interviews. In the second stage: the analysis indicates the roles played by principals, educators and learners in multicultural schools. The findings of this study reveal that learners, educators and principals face serious problems in multicultural schools and are unable to deal with learner diversity. Firstly, in a multicultural country like South Africa it is important that learners reach high levels of proficiency in at least two languages. Secondly, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) provides the basis for curriculum for transformation and development. Lastly, there is a need for educator training so that educators can handle diverse learners. Religion and education brings about moral values and contributes to create an integrated community that affirms in diversity therefore religious diversity needs to be facilitated by trained professionals. This study seeks to build on the new direction in education and proposes numerous strategic recommendations for a new approach in multicultural education in South Africa. Finally, the study provides useful insights and guidelines to the general public, educators, policymakers, lectures and managers of the institution of learning. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

<p> This study is aimed at analyzing how contemporary urban Aymara youth hip hoppers and bloggers are creating their identities and are producing discourses in texts and lyrics to contest racist and colonial discourses. The research is situated in Bolivia, which is currently engaged in a cultural and political revolution supported by Indigenous movements. Theoretically the study is framed by a multi-perspective conceptual framework based on subaltern studies, coloniality of power, coloniality of knowledge, interculturality and decolonial theory. Aymara young people illustrate the possibility of preserving Indigenous identities, language, and knowledge while maximizing the benefits of urban society. This challenges the colonial ideology that has essentialized the rural origin of Indigenous identities. Moreover, this research argues that the health of Indigenous languages is interconnected with the health of the self-esteem of Indigenous people. Additionally, this study provides information about the relation of youth to the power of oral tradition, language policies, and the use of technology.</p>