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.

The use of Multimedia materials has been widely accepted as an useful and effective tool in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Many studies and researchers have examined multimedia material’s effectiveness from a number of aspects, including four skills of language learning: listening, speaking, reading (including vocabulary comprehension) and writing. However, the effectiveness of multimedia material from the aspect of L2 grammar comprehension hasn’t been well explored. This study examines the effectiveness of multimedia material in teaching second language grammar comprehension among beginning and intermediate-level Chinese learners. In particular, it investigates the relative efficacy of three different modes used in teaching an important Chinese grammar, directional complements: text alone, text with a still picture and text with video clips. The study’s focal issue is to determine which mode or modes — text alone, text with still picture or text with dynamic video clip — is most effective in aiding grammar acquisition in both short-term and long-term. The study employed an immediate post-test and a delayed post-test. The participants were 53 college students, beginning level Chinese language learners who had studied Chinese for a half year, and were naturally assigned to one of the three parallel groups. The three groups differed as to the use of the different mode used to present the teaching material: text-only, text-picture, and text-video. Analysis of the collected data yielded three main findings. First, learners who received text-video material outperformed those who received text-picture; and learners who received text-picture material outperformed those who received text-only. Secondly, learners who received text-video had significantly better long-term comprehension than the other two groups. Finally, the performance advantage of text-video treatment was particularly significant with more complex target forms. The results demonstrate that multimedia material can help L2 learners’ grammar comprehension. Text-picture and text-video were more effective than text-only, and text-video material was more effective than text-picture.

The impact student mobility has on academic achievement has been researched in the United States since the early 20th century (Goebel, 1978). Mobility for students is a risk factor often compounded by poverty, ELL students are at a higher risk of lower achievement. Educators face challenges in tracking records, monitoring, remediating, gap closing, and assisting students in transition periods. The data collected in this quantitative study was analyzed to determine the impact mobility has on English language learners and their attainment of a second language. This quantitative study examined the relationship between non-mobile and highly mobile ELL students in 1st through twelfth grade from one small school district. An analysis was utilized to identify the difference between male and female, mobile and non-mobile ELL students. The frequency of mobility was evaluated to identify the impact mobility has on language attainment. The findings propose that no significant relationship exists between mobility and language attainment.

From 2000 to 2014 the number of Hispanics grew 230%, representing an 8.6% of the national's youth (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2016). Although the population is growing, the educational attainment does not reflect this growth. This research tries to identify what factors influence individuals' decision to pursue higher education in rural Tennessee. Intrinsic (grit, hardiness, and motivation to lead) and extrinsic factors (Status in the U.S., caregivers’ education, involvement in high school and others) were explored. Sixty-six complete responses were submitted to our online survey. Hypothesis testing with Pearson chi-square, difference of means (ANOVA and two sample t-test), and correlational analysis were conducted. It was concluded that regardless of the level of education, caregivers will motivate their students to pursue higher education. In addition, first generation students tend to showcase more grit than their counter parts and that the more education the individual has, the more they exemplify grit, hardiness, and motivation to lead.

Gang intervention is crucial to improving the lives of Latino males in Los Angeles. The effectiveness of these programs is dependent on society’s perspective of gang members, and its ability to support the work of gang intervention programs. As documented in this research, Latinos face unique obstacles and situations, in education and in life. This qualitative research study aimed to provide insight as to the perceived impact of a Gang Intervention Program, Homeboy Industries, on Latino males. This study also provided insight as to the methods, behaviors, strategies, and situated learning perceived to positively affect former gang members at Homeboy Industries. The protocol included open-ended, in-depth interviews with former gang members now affiliated with Homeboys that met specific criteria. The data from the interviews provided insight about the impact of the past, the struggles of the present, and the aspirations of the future for former gang members in the Homeboys intervention program. Homeboy Industries utilizes a holistic approach to define clear expectations, and enable a collaborative decision making process to develop a shared vision that cultivates trust among former gang members to improve their lives. This shared vision was rooted in the Ignatian paradigm, espoused by Homeboys Industries founder, Father Greg Boyle, S.J. This study validated the need for gang intervention programs similar to the Homeboys Industries model, and a reconstruction of society’s understanding of the former gang member, and his ability to contribute to society.

We examined the dimensionality of oral language in Spanish-English bilingual 6th-grade children. Research indicates that oral language in bilingual children is multidimensional (LARRC, 2015). However, dimensionality may differ by age and the measures used. Few studies have included pragmatic skills or studied the structure of oral language in Spanish-English bilingual adolescents. We conduct confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on a sample of 95 bilingual 6th-grade children to test oral language models with one to four (grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and pragmatics) underlying factors, as well as bifactor and hierarchical models that include a general factor. In addition, we test two models with language-specific factors. Model parameters and appropriate fit statistics, including chi-square difference tests for nested models, are presented to aid in judging the adequacy of alternative models. The study is preregistered, and the data are collected and cleaned.

The purpose of this study was to provide information about the range and type of multicultural inservice programs designed to fulfill the mandate of Education Code, Sections 44560 - 44564. The following characteristic components of multicultural education (ME) inservice program were the focus: 1) Inservice program design, 2) Program priorities, 3) Scope, 4) Participation, 5) Approaches, 6) Time frame, 7) Resources, and 8) Evaluation. The need for the study was documented by the educational literature and personal interviews with local and international experts. This study surveyed large school districts in California maintaining schools with 25% or more minority enrollment. In order to accomplish the purpose of the study, structured interviews in person or by telephone· were conducted. A structured interview guide was devised in the form of a questionnaire. Examination of approved programs and progress reports submitted by the local education agencies (LEAs) to the Office of Intergroup Relations, State Department of Education, was also used to supplement the data gathered from the interviews. A total of twenty-four interviews were carried out. This represents approximately 86% of the twenty eight large LEAs in California having over 25% minority enrollment. The data were analyzed through frequency distributions which yielded mean scores in some instances. Tables were utilized to summarize the data. Where appropriate, responses to probe questions were included in the footnotes of the tables. Some major trends and issues emerged from the data. First, typical ME central office personnel are experienced educators with advanced training, although not necessarily in ME. Second, minorities are usually assigned to take charge of minority related programs. Third, middle management level people in charge of ME are being phased out. Fourth, school boards tend to cut ME inservice funds out of the budget when funding problems arise. Fifth, there is a heightened federal and local interest in YE but very little money has been put into inservice programs. Sixth, ME inservice training appears to be implemented in response to societal pressures and legal mandates, e.g. accountability, desegregation, Article 6, etc. Seventh, there is proliferation of cognitively oriented commercially marketed materials. Eighth, inservice programs are short term efforts with very little continuity or follow-up. Ninth, ethnic minority enrollment appears to have some bearing on the ethnic group program focus of the inservice programs. Tenth, it appears that the Hispanic staff, both classified and certificated, as well as the administrators were underrepresented in relation to Hispanic enrollment. The discrepancies between the findings of this study and the views of the experts in the field led to three major conclusions: 1) There is a poor understanding of the purposes and meaning of ME on the part of the people concerned. 2) There is lack of support (administrative, financial, personnel). 3) There is a lack of substantive inservice programs. Based on the findings and the consensus of the experts as well as the position of the researcher, steps are recommended that could help LEAs focus their efforts in promoting a better understanding of the meaning and purposes of ME, in gaining support, and in providing substantive inservice programs. The recommendations were organized around the characteristics components of ME inservice programs. Inservice program design: 1) Develop design including, for instance, exit criteria and post conference with individuals concerned; 2) Provide flexible structural change in large school districts; 3) Establish procedural steps such as management procedure, guidelines for implementation and a list of teaching competencies in a multicultural setting. Scope: 1) Insure that the purpose and meaning of ME must precede other contents and activities; 2) Provide a balance of the cognitive and affective domain; 3) Theories of learning and child development along with cultural background must undergird curriculum development phase of the inservice program. Participation: 1) Specific tasks of the various role groups must be defined; 2) Insure full participation of all concerned via an advisory group or council. Resources: 1) Include ME inservice training in master contracts; 2) Consolidate funds for ME; 3) Establish criteria in selecting resource people. Evaluation: 1) Follow-up inservice sessions with observations and post conference. 2) Examine, revise, adapt various evaluation instruments applicable to program objectives. The following are some recommendations for further research: 1) comparative study about the implementation of mandated programs on a nationwide scale, 2) evaluation of support system for ME, 3) the appropriateness of locally developed curriculum materials with child growth and development, 1) utilization of ME resources, 5) incentive practices, etc.

The purpose of this study was to bring more clarification to the concepts of spirituality and happiness, their meaning, attainability, and position in the field of Multicultural Education. In general, people think they will find joy and happiness if they graduate from a post-secondary educational institution with an undergraduate or graduate degree, find a good work environment, position, salary, living standards, status, etc. Yet, in the real world there may be a different way to find genuine happiness and joy which is fair, simple, easy and equal for all human beings even those who cannot afford higher levels of education. In order to present the data, the study discussed the life, philosophy and teachings of Imam Sheikh Iskender Ali Mihr, president of Mihr Foundation in Turkey, International Mihr Foundation in the United States and University of Allah in Virginia, and utterly an Ottoman. The review of literature was also included to assist the readers to grasp the different perspectives of the subject matter. Education should be inclusive and equal for all and so should joy and happiness! In today’s world where diversity is the key factor for almost every community, it is important for educators (teachers/instructors/administrators) to know what shapes students’ lives. This study encompassed the idea that only educating our students’ minds and bodies is not enough, and without spirituality the education is not complete. As Pamela Leigh (1997) stated, “..acknowledging that people come to work with more than their bodies and minds, they bring individual talents and unique spirits” (p. 26). Students also come with their unique spirits and we should take them as a whole and value them with all the qualities they possess. Nurturing their spirit should be part of our school system. No matter if they believe in God or not, educators should be ready to address the aspect of spirituality and religion. The research was to bring a greater understanding to questions such as how we can better accommodate students’ different spiritual beliefs, what the pros and cons are of bringing them together or keeping them separate. In order to answer these questions in a fashionable manner, we need to know “how much the spiritual beliefs of these students shape their cultures and their lives.” In a greater context, the questions like; what we really know about ‘true’ Islam as one of the fastest growing beliefs in the U.S., is it any different than other beliefs or is it the same, is there a way to eradicate the Islam-phobia that occurred after the 9/11 attack, what was the Ottoman Islamic model, were also answered. As educators, how do we cope with students who hear voices and start shooting around in a schoolyard, or students who binge drink or get suicidal? Even more importantly, how do we help the remaining population live a healthy and happy life without thinking of ending their own or others’ lives, as these examples turn out to be a daily life for us all! The remainder of this study looked at the “neutrality” of the school systems in the United States. Should educators stay neutral or not will be each individual’s decision to make.

The intent of this thesis is to study the diverse experiences of 13 University of Central Florida students who participated in the Bilingual Study Abroad Teaching Experience in Spain. The group included nine education students and four in other majors. The experiences of study abroad participants can help to better understand what future participants can look to gain from the program, and what the organizers of the program can potentially look to improve. The research involved was a qualitative study which sought to record the experiences of participants, and then interpret those experiences. The participants were asked to determine the benefits of the program across three dimensions: academic, professional, and personal. This was accomplished through Likert scale questions which gauged their opinions, and by reflecting on their experiences in a more open-ended way, writing broadly about the impact of the program. In analyzing the responses, connections were drawn between the quantitative data in the Likert scale questions, and the qualitative data in the open responses. It was found that as a whole, participants considered the study abroad experience to be overwhelmingly positive across all surveyed dimensions. In addition, a number of connections were found that could be drawn between the broad experiences of the participants, and specific benefits which they noted in the survey. A number of unique experiences and circumstances will be considered, both positive and negative. Finally, the conclusions and implications of the study will be discussed. Recommendations are included in regard to future participants can expect to gain, potential areas of improvement in the program, and things which should be included in the orientation for future participants in the bilingual teaching experience.

Third grade general education teachers, particularly in Florida, will teach English learners (ELs) in their classroom who must participate in their English Language Arts writing classes at roughly the same pace as native English speakers in order to perform grade-level, standards-based writing tasks. For this reason, general education teachers must be equipped with helpful, research-based resources to support the ELs to become equally successful in writing instruction as their native-speaking peers. This thesis explored the use of sentence frames for improving the English skills of ELs as they start to understand and use the syntax of Standard English. As a result, this thesis created a teacher-friendly resource, the Sentence Frame Toolkit for Third Grade, containing sentence frame templates and sample student work for third grade teachers to use as a resource when teaching expository writing in English Language Arts to Spanish-speaking ELs. The sentence frames in the toolkit are aligned to Florida’s third grade expository writing standards from Cluster I. By using the sentence frames in the toolkit as support, ELs will be able to turn thoughts into words, produce the second language at their pace, and continue to improve as skilled writers.