Browsing by Subject "multicultural education"
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Item Challenging Depressive Ghosts in the Hegemonic Closet: An Autoethnography(2012-11-14) Humpal, David Lawrence 1960-The following autoethnographic study highlights the perceptions of a Southern, White male teacher, at times experiencing bouts of depression and anxiety, in the predominantly White rural high school community he both lives and works. The researcher- teacher utilizes critical reflection, self-imposed transportation theory, and arts-based research to unravel these perceptions and to enhance his autobiographical findings. The intent of this research was to uncover one predominantly White Southern High School community?s actions and thoughts through the eyes of someone not born and established in the community. Another intent was to give a White male further perspectives into his biography, his attitudes of racism, prejudice, and inequality, and further understanding into the underlying causes of depression that bound his experiences in one place. The findings exposed and confirmed hegemonic control of the predominantly White rural high school community and attitudes towards new residents without established ties to the community. It also revealed evidence of isolated acts of racism and inequities within the rural high school community. Furthermore, the study revealed that critical reflection and self-imposed transportation theory, while at times dangerous for the teacher-researcher experiencing depression or anxiety, none-the-less, is effective for unleashing possible ties that bind both depression and anxiety to original perceptions made within the community.Item Ninth Grade Teachers? Perceptions of Cultural Awareness and Teacher Beliefs as Measured by the Cultural Awareness and Beliefs Inventory: Relationship with the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Reading Scores(2011-02-22) Yandell, Shanah LeaThis descriptive, correlational study investigated small learning community campuses? teachers? perceptions and traditional high school campuses? teachers? perceptions of eight factors as measured by the Cultural Awareness and Beliefs Inventory (CABI): (1) cultural awareness, (2) teacher beliefs, (3) school climate, (4) culturally responsive classroom management, (5) home and community support, (6) curriculum and instruction strategies, (7) cultural sensitivity, and (8) teacher efficacy. Further, the statistical differences between teachers? perceptions were explored as related to ethnicity and gender. The relationship between teachers? perceptions as measured by the CABI and student achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Ninth Grade Reading Test was examined. The data were collected from eight secondary campuses in a large urban school district in the southwest United States: four small learning community campuses and four traditional high school campuses. This descriptive, correlational study of ninth grade teachers? perceptions of cultural awareness and beliefs yielded unexpected results when delineated by the campus group in which the teacher was employed. The data found statistically significant differences between Small Learning Community campuses? and Traditional High School campuses? teachers? perceptions of school climate by campus group, by ethnicity and campus group, and finally by gender and campus group. Two additional factors of the CABI reported statistically significant difference when delineated by ethnicity: cultural awareness and teacher efficacy. The relationships between teachers? perceptions of the eight factors and the TAKS for ninth grade reading reported negative correlations for the small learning campus groups? teachers and a mixed results for the traditional high school campus groups? teachers with five negative correlations and three positive correlations for HCS, CI, and CS. In the final analysis, these results countered the expected responses given the research on small learning communities.Item Selection Process for Third and Fourth Grade African American Gifted and Talented: A Case Study in One Urban School District(2011-10-21) Brazile, Ruth DeloriesThe purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of third and fourth grade African American students who might be selected for the gifted and talented program. It is the first study concerning teachers? perceptions of African American students in an urban school district with a relatively high representation of African American students and teachers in the gifted and talented program. The results showed the improvement in African American representation in gifted and talented programs that can result from positive teacher perceptions of African American students. Since these positive perceptions may be due, at least in part, to the high proportion of African American teachers in the school district under study, these results suggest a link between an increased proportion of African American teachers, positive teacher perceptions of African American students and an improvement in African American representation in gifted and talented programs. Public educational policy should strive to increase the proportion of African American teachers. This could be achieved by modifying standardized tests used for teacher certification, which researchers have shown to be biased against minority cultures, and also by university recruitment to attract African Americans to education. The results also suggest the need for increased levels of multicultural and urban courses as a standard part of pre-service teacher education. Quality instruction in these areas can contribute toward a greater understanding among teachers of the effect of culture in the classroom and, thereby reduce the tendency to form low expectations of African American and other minority students. This indulgence in deficit thinking needs an aggressive intervention before prospective teachers enter the classroom where some may propagate the detrimental effects of low teacher expectations on another generation of African American students. Increased levels of multicultural and urban education among teachers can also help teachers understand how to interact with African American parents in a constructive manner. This is an important step in creating a school environment, which encourages parental school involvement and, thereby allows African American students readily to enjoy more the academic benefits of parental involvement. When these steps are implemented, this may lead to an increase of African American students to the gifted and talented program.Item Systemic Equity Pedagogy in Science Education: A Mixed-Method Analysis of High Achieving High Schools of Culturally Diverse Student Populations in Texas(2013-08-14) Blocker, Tyrone DewayneThe purpose of this study was to identify and describe the associations between systemic equity pedagogy (SEP) practices in highly diverse high schools and their students' science achievement and college readiness. This study focuses on science programs in ten highly diverse Texas high schools serving students who exhibit high science achievement and college readiness. According to the Policy Research Group in Science Education, only two percent of all culturally diverse high schools within the state of Texas demonstrate high science achievement and college readiness on state-tracked school-level indicators. Transforming a school context where achievement disparities exist among student groups in science classrooms necessitates that public school officials understand key factors, or ?drivers,? and associated indicators contributing to SEP in programs. A model for programs is suggested using a framework for SEP based on data collected from ten highly successful, high diversity high schools. The following research questions address the research gap regarding indicators of SEP associated with high science achievement and college readiness in highly culturally diverse high schools. How do data from ten highly successful, high diversity high schools inform the development of a comprehensive SEP rubric? How do high achieving high schools of culturally diverse student populations score on a comprehensive SEP rubric? How do teachers? perceptions toward implementing SEP practices vary in different schools? Three research papers detail the research of this dissertation. The purpose for the first paper is to increase understanding of indicators facilitating systemic and equitable teaching and learning practices, otherwise referred to as systemic equity pedagogy (SEP). Results of the study show indicators of a comprehensive SEP rubric. Together, 127 indicators, thirty categories, and eight SEP drivers form a model framing equitable teaching and learning practices associated with high science achievement and college readiness. In conclusion, indicators within the SEP rubric can be described as action-oriented descriptors that science teachers engage formally or informally in order to facilitate quality science education for all students. The purpose for paper two is to score equitable teaching and learning practices in highly successful high school science programs based on the SEP rubric. Findings reveals that implementation of various equitable teaching and learning practices vary across science programs and these practices can be described as both pedagogical and non-pedagogical. In conclusion, varying degrees of implementation exist for indicators in the SEP rubric. In paper three, the purpose is to understand science teachers? attitude and approach toward implementing systemic teaching and learning practices. Results from this study provide scores that indicate science teachers? perceptions of their approach to SEP. This study concludes by suggesting high achieving science programs may operate within a continuum for implementing equitable teaching and learning practices.