Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Family involvement in children's mathematics education experiences: Voices of immigrant Chinese American students and their parents(2013) Liang, Senfeng; Edwards, Ann; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examines ways in which Chinese immigrant families are involved in their children's mathematics education, particularly focusing on how different types of families utilize different forms of capital to support their children's mathematics education. The theoretical framework defines four types of Chinese immigrant families - working families, small business families, transitional professional families, and settled professional families - and addresses three forms of capital - cultural, social and economic capital. In the analysis, the first two groups are often clustered as less educated families and the other two groups as highly educated families. Nine families with different backgrounds participated in the study. Data include observations, interviews, essays and Twitter messages from students, and a video discussion activity. Data analysis utilized cross-case analysis (Yin, 2002). First, this study shows significant differences in how Chinese immigrant parents conceptualize U.S. mathematics education. Highly educated parents believed U.S. mathematics education failed to meet their children's mathematical needs while less educated parents were less critical of U.S. mathematics education. Second, this study examines how different types of families use cultural, social and economic capital to influence their children's mathematics education. Parent tutoring and aspirations are indicators of cultural capital. Less educated parents tended to tutor their children when they were in lower grades. Students with highly educated parents received more direct tutoring from their parents, even when they went on to more advanced grades. All parents had high aspirations for their children's education, but to varying degrees depending on the type of family. One common approach was to send their children to supplementary education programs which suggest an indicator of social capital. Family location and hiring tutors are indicators of economic capital. All families but one managed to live in what they believed were good school districts. Higher income families also spent money to hire tutors to teach their children academic subjects (including mathematics) and sports. This study contributes to the exploration of the role of families in the mathematics education of Chinese American students. It also extends current literature in general Chinese American studies that primarily focus on highly educated, high income, professional families and less educated, low income, working families while omitting populations that fall between them, particularly small business families and transitional professional families.Item Chinese-American Community Center: Expressing Community and Immigrant Identity(2012) Chen, Patricia; Gournay, Isabelle; Bennett, Ralph; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Monterey Park is a small suburban community, ten miles east of downtown Los Angeles, with a population of 60,269 residents. The largest percentage of Chinese immigrants in suburban America can currently be found in Monterey Park, California. Monterey Park has rightfully earned the title as "The First Suburban Chinatown" (Fong). It is the only city in America with a majority Asian population. Bounded by three major freeways, Monterey Park serves as the gateway to the San Gabriel Valley. Though a majority of the residents are of Asian descent, the community also consists of Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American residents. The goal of this thesis is to design a community center that will serve as a gathering space to bring the different populations together. The center will house public functions important for understanding Chinese culture. This will include a restaurant and teaching kitchen, theater, library, exhibit space, courtyard, garden, workshops, dance rooms and classrooms. The arrangement of these spaces, the choice of materials, and the expression of the façade reflect a unique Chinese-American style. This thesis explores the multi-faceted meanings of "identity" and how architecture can express the Chinese-American struggle to hold on to heritage while assimilating to a new culture.Item Under the Arch of Friendship: Culture, Urban Redevelopment and Symbolic Architecture in D.C. Chinatown, 1970s-1990s(2009) Khoo, Evelyn; Gao, James Z; History/Library & Information Systems; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the history of the urban development and architectural changes in Washington, D.C. Chinatown in the late twentieth century. Urban development in D.C. Chinatown traces the way in which local politics, ethnic community elites and the larger international backdrop of geopolitics and the globalizing economy found expression in the visual streetscapes and architecture in the neighborhood perceived to be a predominantly ethnic site. This essay argues that the case of D.C. Chinatown represents a larger call for a spatial turn in Chinese American history, where more emphasis can be placed on the uses of symbolic architecture in determining Chinese American identity and settlement.