I decided to write this thesis many years ago and in the process of ‘becoming’ a Palawa man I finally understood the global agenda between black and white Australians and the direct actions required to attain a traditional form of Aboriginal democracy. I share in this understanding in this thesis. Mind you I share with trepidation because the options are very existential to the prevailing discourse. However a doctoral thesis will add to the body of knowledge not simply to confirm existing theoretical discourse or to leave this discourse un-challenged. Therefore this thesis is about the critical mass of cultural variables pertaining to teaching of Australian Indigenous peoples and the conduct of meaningful research. Its primary intent is to offer an alternative to the inappropriate methodologies that currently apply in the generic areas of pedagogy and research (in their broadest sense). In my opinion at present both these areas are pathologically dominated by Western thought. The idea of change and alternative paradigms is addressed in the introduction and this thesis is not intended to achieve anything more than a hearing of these options. This is why the discourse of this knowledge terrain in this thesis is so diverse and so demanding of the reader. The core notion of this discourse is the Japanangka Teaching and Research Paradigm.The Japanangka Teaching and Research Paradigm has as its core the articulation of eight dimensions or sub-paradigms. These are the quality of life dimensions: Cultural, Spiritual, Secular, and the other five: Intellectual, Political, Practical, Personal and Public dimensions. These eight constitute the sum of human experience relevant to the daily lives of Aborigines and as such are key categories to the unravelling of the seemingly imponderable mystery of “learning journey paths” so critical to the success of our students in formal Western education activities.

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This project concerns instructors' perceived communicator style in the college classroom with African American and European American students.

This dissertation investigates preservice teachers’ perspectives towards dual language education (DLE) through a mixed methods approach. This study investigates preservice teachers enrolled in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) certification course concerning the following research questions: 1. What impact does taking an ESOL course have on preservice teachers’ attitudes and perspectives towards DLE? 2. Is there a significant difference in change in attitude between students taking the course online versus face to face (F2F)? 3. How are preservice teachers informed about what schools have dual language programs in their area? 4.What relationship may exist between attitudes, perspectives, and preservice teachers own personal experiences with bilingualism and experiences with diversity, and/or place of origin? The study follows a sequential explanatory research design which included a pre and post survey at the beginning and end of the semester, and interviews with participants in between the two surveys. The participants included 24 preservice teachers enrolled in an online and F2F section of an ESOL course. Findings from the research encompassed discovering an overall positive shift in preservice teachers’ perspectives towards DLE and English learner (EL) students, a difference between the F2F and online groups’ survey responses, and relationships between preservice teachers’ attitudes and perspectives towards DLE and their past experiences and place of origin. Participants showed positive increases in perspective from the total mean scores increasing from the pre to post survey, and in interviews. Participants in the F2F group showed higher increases from the pre to post survey than the online group, however neither group yielded statistically significant findings. Interviews provided a wealth of detailed examples of how these groups of preservice teachers reflected throughout the ESOL course and developed more positive attitudes towards ELs and DLE, and optimistic mindsets towards working with ELs and/or in a DLE setting in the future. Overall, this research seeks to underscore that the more knowledge, awareness, and empathy that preservice teachers are able to gain from courses that prepare them to work with linguistically diverse populations of students, the better equipped they will be to guide future generations of EL learners into educational success and beyond.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prospective bilingual teachers' attitude toward bilingual education. The study sought to determine if there was an influence on prospective teachers' attitudes by: (a) number of courses they had taken in bilingual education, (b) type of college they attended, and (c) number of years of teacher aide experience. In addition, the investigation reviewed the major curriculum areas in the Bilingual Emphasis credential programs among California institutions and sought to determine the degree of influence relative to the prospective teachers' attitude. Procedures. The survey questionnaire method was used to obtain the relevant data from the prospective teachers. The responses to the questionnaire statements were analyzed through the use of an F test, mean scores, standard deviations, and percentages. Significance was established at the .05 level. In addition, Bilingual Emphasis program documents were reviewed and analyzed in relation to basic requirements and course offerings. Findings. The data revealed that thirty-one of the forty statements elicited agreeable responses toward various aspects of bilingual education. Nine of the forty statements elicited disagreement with various aspects of bilingual education. The findings were summarized in relation to: (a) philosophy of bilingual education, students, professional preparation, and parents, (b) number of years of teacher aide experience, (c) type of college attended by prospective teachers, (d) number of courses taken in language, culture, curriculum, and ethnic studies, and (e) analysis of bilingual emphasis programs as related to the general trend of attitudes of the prospective teachers. The data revealed that, as a group, seventy percent of the sample responded favorably to the set of ten statements that dealt with philosophy of bilingual education. Further, the data revealed that sixty percent of the population sample ranged in agreement with statements relating to non-English, limited English, and bilingual children. Relative to professional preparation, one hundred percent agreed to some extent with the statements. Eighty percent of the sample agreed with statements relating to parents. The investigation also revealed that the sample was in disagreement or undecided about what bilingual education should be providing for students and various aspects that related to students and parents. Based on the analysis and review of the Bilingual Emphasis program, this might have been due to the inconsistency in the course offerings related to Chicano or Mexican American community. The course offerings were minimal among all institutions of higher learning (IHE's) as related to the parents and community. Therefore, the conclusions had a degree of implications for IHE programs and for further research. Recommendations. The recommendations evolved from both the advantages and disadvantages based on the nature of this investigation. The investigation recommended that: (a) IHE's should establish early field work experiences for the prospective bilingual teacher, (b) IH's should require all candidates, regardless of background, to take a course in bilingual education, (c) IHE's should make provisions for bilingual candidates to take a course in the philosophy of bilingual education, and (d) IHE's should establish opportunities for prospective teachers to help develop competencies which demonstrate knowledge of the needs and aspirations of the Mexican American community. The investigation further suggests that a field study should be conducted to review IHE programs in terms of what the program documents portray. A comparative study should be conducted assessing the attitudes among bilingual candidates who have acquired a bilingual emphasis credential and compare them with the attitudinal findings reflected in this study.

But for the Rennaisance there would be no atory of the Indians in these United States. Our American poet, Joaquin Miller, makes clear the hazards of adventurers incident to the discovery of an unknown people: My men grow mutinous day by day; My men grow ghastly wan and weak. The stout mate thought of home; a spray Of Balt wave washed his swarthy cheek. "What shall I say, • brave Admiral, say, If we sight naught but seas at dawn?" "Why you shall, say at break of day, Sail on! Sail on.

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Problem. The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of the attention to nine microcultural factors (race, ethnicity, language, gender, social class, religion, disability, age, and giftedness) in selected multicultural education college textbooks used in the U.S. to seek an answer to the following question: "Are there significant differences in attention to nine microcultural factors in selected editions of the same textbook?".;Methodology. Two textbooks were examined both qualitatively and quantitatively using topical and analytical categories to develop a display analysis outlining attention scores for microcultural factors in message units. These scores provided raw data for the calculation of t-tests. The reliability of the procedures was established by two reviewers who independently generated, assigned, and coded scores for 30 units of data. Reliability figures were.66 and.76, respectively.;Findings and conclusions. Although the later edition was expanded, revised, and updated, no statistically significant differences were found between the two textbooks. Research Hypotheses postulated that the later edition would show a significant increase in attention to microcultural factors when compared to the earlier edition. Since the Research Hypotheses were unsupported, null hypotheses were accepted at the.05 level. Therefore, research hypotheses were rejected.;While mean attention scores for microcultural factors in the later edition were higher in many instances, it was concluded that the content of the two editions was basically the same. This suggested that the definition, meaning, rationale, and interpretation of the multicultural education concept is evolving and apparently dictated by demographic trends that tend to slowly force increasing attention to microcultural factors.

This research study was focused on teacher dispositions and practices that create positive teacher-student relationships with African-American elementary male students. Robert Pianta's work on relationships between teachers and students, over the past decade, provided a conceptual framework for this specific study. A review of the literature on this topic evidenced practices that positively and negatively impact teacher-student relationships. Through classroom observations and interviews, the perceptions of elementary teachers were examined on how they actually create teacher-student relationships with their African-American male students. These perceptions were insightful and often supported in the research literature. Effective teachers understand the need for praise, having high expectations, and provision of additional care and understanding for African-American male students. Although there is still a need for additional research to further explore teacher practices and the creation of positive teacher-student relationships in schools, there is assurance in the existence of teachers that implement practices that create a positive difference in the lives of African-American male students.