Although multilingualism has been investigated in London, no studies have addressed the multilingual linguistic landscape of this linguistically diverse globalized mega-city. In addition, no previous research has addressed the linguistic impacts of colonialism on the colonizer with respect to signage in the linguistic landscape. With increasing rates of immigration and globalization in London, it is advantageous to fully document and research the nature of the linguistic landscape in order to create a baseline for future comparison. Consequently, aspects of the linguistic landscape of five London boroughs were collected and analyzed in terms of 2,062 signage items. The study noted multilingual signage situations in each borough with respect to the formal top-down and informal bottom-up nature of the signage. The results of this study document the significant impact of colonial and EU languages on London's linguistic landscape. These findings suggest that Britain's colonial languages make up the majority of London's multilingualism, followed by European Union languages. We suggest that future research attempt to track the changes of London's linguistic landscape by comparing future data to the data presented in this study as immigration laws change.

Cultural competence in evaluation has different meanings for different evaluators. As evidenced by the literature the term "cultural competence" in itself conjures various definitions and implies certain assumptions. Given the elusiveness of an agreed upon definition, or even consistent terminology in evaluation, this research sought to understand cultural competence from a Black perspective. The goal of understanding cultural competence in evaluation from a Black perspective led to the use of a phenomenological research framework. While this research is not reflective of the collective perspectives and opinions of all Black evaluators, this exploration does attempt to provide information about the specific issues covered in this study. The purpose of this research is (1) to assess key characteristics about Black evaluators, (2) to identify the defining characteristics of cultural competence in evaluation, as identified by Black evaluators, and (3) to identify the skills one needs to become a culturally competent evaluator. A mixed-method approach, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods was used for data collection and analysis. For this study, quantitative data were collected through questionnaires and qualitative data were collected through interviews. These methods were chosen to help support the research purpose of better understanding the population of Black evaluators as identified in the Directory of Evaluators of Color and interviewing a sample of those evaluators. A questionnaire was developed using yes-no dichotomous responses, structured response items, and open-ended questions. In-depth interviews were also conducted during and after the administration of the questionnaire. The use of both survey data and in-depth interviews allowed the researcher to gain access to more descriptive information and thus provided more insight into the perspectives of Black evaluators. A review of the recent evaluation literature discloses several terms used when discussing the role of culture in evaluation. Despite the field's lack of agreement on the terms used to identify the role of culture in evaluation, the researcher adopted the use of cultural competence. In all survey and interview materials, cultural competence was the chosen terminology. The agreement of both the survey respondents and the interviewees in identifying essential components of cultural responsiveness and cultural competence, despite the use of different terms, indicates the impact of the interchangeable nature of the two terms. The inconsistency in the field signals not only the lack of consistency among evaluators and researchers, but also serves to weaken the overarching argument of the importance of culture in evaluation. This research contends that the terms cultural responsive evaluation and cultural responsiveness be adopted and used when referencing the incorporation of cultural context in evaluation. Clear distinctions between cultural competence and responsiveness should be used and enforced. The survey respondents and interviewees both included the knowledge of the evaluator (personal and cultural), as well as technical evaluation skills, in identifying the defining principles of culturally responsive evaluation. These principles overlap with and help to support the existing literature on culturally responsive evaluation. Blacks in evaluation have been an untapped research resource. Their professional and personal experiences help to add another dimension to the evaluation field. Their educational experiences show that they are credentialed and experienced in a variety of areas, including education and psychology. Their voices on cultural competence/responsiveness in evaluation are those that seem to lead the discussion in the field. Their scholarship creates a base from which to draw what we know about culture in evaluation. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / March 16, 2006. / Black Evaluators, Culturally Responsive Evaluation, Evaluation, Culturally Competent Evaluation / Includes bibliographical references. / Marcy Driscoll, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Linda Schrader, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Robert A. Schwartz, Outside Committee Member; Joy Gaston-Gayles, Committee Member.

The purpose of this single-subject case study was to explore how a Muslim teacher made sense of her life and work in two different contexts, the United States and Egypt. This topic is important because an increasing number of women are converting to Islam and scant research explores religious conversion among teachers. The data I collected and analyzed used a sociological framework that explored the life and work of teachers through the constructs of context, culture, religion, religious conversion, gender, social class, interpersonal relationships, daily work, and work rewards (Barker, 2000; Butt, Raymond, McCue, & Yamagishi, 1992; DeMarrais & LeCompte, 1998; Goodson, 2000; Hargreaves, 2003; Ingersoll, 2003 Lortie, 1975; McAdamis, 2007; McNay & Graham, 2007; Pajak & Blase, 1989; Viadero, 2007; Westheimer, 1998). These nine sociological constructs allowed for a detailed, thorough, and nuanced exploration of a teacher's complex life and work in the United States and Egypt. I conducted multiple interviews with the participant as well spent time observing her teach in both the United States and Egypt. Conclusions drawn from the study indicated that context and social class outweighed the other factors that the sociology of teaching literature suggests are salient to understanding teaching and religious conversion. Context mediated Amy's experiences as a Muslim-American, teacher, wife and expatriate. As a teacher, Amy's success was dependent on school contexts. She was scared to reveal her faith and felt isolated from her coworkers in the American public schools. When she did reveal herself to be a Muslim, she was frustrated by their ignorance of Islam. Amy was most successful teaching at an Islamic school, where she used both her American background and her Islamic faith to her advantage. In this context, Amy thrived as a "whole person" where she merged her personal and professional life. Amy was less successful in a cross-cultural environment. In Egypt, Amy did not reflect on her teaching or adapt it to an Egyptian context. She was critical of her principals and viewed her American citizenship, teaching experience, and academic credentials as giving her the authority to voice oppositional opinions to the school leadership. Her overconfidence hindered her ability to create caring professional relationships with both teachers and students. In effect, the interplay of her ego with school contexts greatly influenced her success as a teacher. In her personal life, Amy embraced gender complimentarity and strove to follow gendered expectations. She viewed her role as wife as equal in importance to the work of her husband. In Egypt, Amy placed great importance on caring for her home and family and spent as little time as possible at her places of work. Consequently, her workplace relationships suffered. Although Amy limited the amount of time at work, her sense of self-importance made it possible for her to outwardly criticize both Egyptian society and her workplaces. She actively separated herself from the lower classes, looked down on a class she termed nouveau riche, and blamed the problems she faced in the classroom on the lower classes' lack of education. Yet, she continued to teach because of financial need. Although Amy earned more money as a teacher than her husband did as a pathologist, she viewed her American nationality and her marriage to a doctor as providing them entrée into the Egyptian upper class. Amy's religious conversion to Islam was a long process that changed both her career trajectory and outlook on life. She faced learning to navigate her American heritage, new Islamic identity, and the nuances of Egyptian culture. Her personal and professional relationships were met with varied success, illustrating the complexities of religious change and cross-cultural acculturation. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 8, 2009. / Religious Conversion, Teacher work, Teacher Life, Cross-Cultural, Egypt / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey Milligan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sherry Southerland, Outside Committee Member; Peter Easton, Committee Member; Thomas Luschei, Committee Member.

The Race to Educate is an exploration of Black resistance to educational segregation in Kentucky, 1865-1910. Set in Kentucky, this dissertation examines the ways in which Blacks struggled to address and mitigate the impact of U.S. segregation, especially as it related to education. Through the experiences of Blacks who resisted efforts to undermine their freedom, this dissertation challenges presumptions that segregation was an effort that Blacks did not try to address in its earliest forms. Additionally, this dissertation identifies individuals who participated in these efforts and investigates the relationship between oppression and segregation. Finally, this dissertation identifies such results of resistance as Kentucky State University and Lincoln Institute. The Race to Educate challenges the reader to recognize Blacks as active, engaged, and significant participants in their educational journey and thus their quest for freedom. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / February 3, 2010. / Education, Segregation, Kentucky, Resistance, Black, School / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey Milligan, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Victoria-Maria MacDonald, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Alejandro Gallard, University Representative; Lora Cohen-Vogel, Committee Member.

Methodology of interpretation of multilingual legislation Abstract The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze selected cases of in- terpretation of the multilingual legislation. Author identifies the basic prin- ciples of interpretation that appear in these cases. They are subsequently used to describe the general procedures of the multilingual interpretation and to solve problems related to it so that the most appropriate meaning of the text could be found. The thesis is divided into four basic parts. The first part is devoted to the historical excursion and description of multilingualism at the territories of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown in the past. The legislation on language law between 1620 and the beginning of the First World War in the lands of the Bohemian Crown is described with the use of historical literature. The second chapter of this part is devoted to the study of the cases of inter- pretation of the historical legal texts by the contemporary courts. The basic case law of the relevant courts of the Czech Republic is summarized and the general prerequisites for the successful interpretation are emphasized. The second part deals with international treaties of public law. Although these texts are not to be supposed legal acts in a formal sense, international treaties between States or with...

Student Number : 0008975N - M Ed research report - School of Education - Faculty of Humanities / This qualitative study was conducted in one school in an informal settlement, West of Johannesburg. The study explored how a grade 7 teacher promoted mathematical reasoning in multilingual mathematics class of English second language learners. The focus of the research was on how a Grade 7 mathematics teacher interacts with the learners to encourage mathematical reasoning during his teaching in a multilingual class. The study also looked at the kind of tasks the teacher used to promote mathematical reasoning and how he uses language to enable mathematical reasoning. The study was informed by a theory of learning which emphasises the importance of social interaction in the classroom where the teacher encourages learners to interact with each other to explain their thinking and to justify their answers. Data was collected through lesson and teacher interviews. The study shows the teacher focused more on developing the learners’ procedural fluency. This focus on procedural fluency was accompanied by the dominance of the use of English by the learners.

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The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia public schools, and other national standards, set expectations for student achievements throughout the school year for many subjects, including science. Because educators must prepare their students for end-of-course exams based on the SOL, classroom discussion and deeper understanding of topics can be lessened. Middle school students show declines in motivations and attitudes toward science, and challenges are greater for English-learning (EL) students. Incorporating storytelling into science classrooms can be helpful to EL and non-EL students because it presents challenging topics and vocabulary in a simpler and more engaging way than traditional textbooks. This project seeks to provide middle school educators with tools to incorporate science stories into classrooms without sacrificing important SOL topics.

This single case study explores education of multilingual learners (MLs) from Hispanic backgrounds in an urban inner city school. Using a single case study to answer the research questions was ideal because it allowed the researcher to investigate the school through an objective lens (Gomm, Hammersley, Martyn, & Foster, 2000). The main purpose of the study is to investigate the systems in place in a public school that prevent those students to reach their potential. Several factors have influenced this enlarging academic and achievement gap. Even though, Hispanic community making-up to 16.7% of the entire U.S. population and being the largest and fastest-growing minority group, reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011). Educating Hispanic children continues being a challenge. (Liu, C.-Y. A., & Liu, W.-H, 2012). However, with a growing number of Hispanic students in the US schools, it is imperative to improve their education and minimize those barriers. Using a single case study, this qualitative research focused on a single school in Boston where students Hispanic MLs students represents more than 50% of the schools’ population. The researcher visited classrooms and interviewed teachers to collect qualitative data. This information was later coded in themes to find trends and patterns affecting education of MLs. The researcher found that despite existence of several positive systems in place in the classrooms, such as knowledgeable teachers delivering sounds lessons, and strong systems to address family engagement, other factors are preventing students’ success. In effect, the results concluded existence of several opportunities to improve MLs education including changing language programs models and adding resources to be intentional in addressing MLs linguistic and academic needs.

Would your decision-making be different if you used your foreign language? This is a topic that has gained attention in the field of cognitive psychology in recent years. Work today often involves two or more languages and at times requiring processing of information in a language that is not ones native. This raises a question; does use of a foreign language influence reasoning? The study aims to explore how a foreign language affects reasoning in a bi and multilingual population, looking specifically at age of acquisition, which order participants rank their foreign language and if linguistic distance has associations to performance on a reasoning task. The present study examines fifty Swedish bi and multilingual participants with the languages English and Meänkieli. Unequal years of education makes the results of the reasoning task inconclusive. A possible relationship with the order and age of acquisition, and linguistic distance could be found. Overall, results suggest further research is needed to explore the variables in detail.