College of Education
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item Connection in the Lives of LGBTQ+ South Asians: A Phenomenological Study(2023) Pasha, Amber Maryam; Worthington, Roger L; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Connection has been found to be an important factor for LGBTQ+ wellbeing as it pertains to the relationships between stigma, discrimination, and psychological distress, and LGBTQ+ people of color in particular are known to face intersectional minority stress at high levels. This study examined the role of connection specifically for LGBTQ+ South Asians, a population which is highly underrepresented within both LGBTQ+ and South Asian literatures. Fifteen LGBTQ+ second-generation South Asian adults, aged 19-35, were interviewed about their insights regarding connection and disconnection within their own lived experience. Interview transcripts were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis and revealed common experiential themes across the group of interviewees, which reflected three distinct forms of connection participants deemed as distinctly meaningful: i) interpersonal connections and context ii) intrapersonal connection, and iii) indirect connection. Subthemes reflected unique challenges, joys, struggles, and examples of LGBTQ+ South Asian resilience in each of these life areas. Implications of these findings are discussed for counseling professionals, higher education professionals, community organizations, and others seeking to better understand and support the wellbeing of this population.Item Secondary Traumatic Stress, Financial Stress, and the Role of Coping in Understanding Southeast Asian American Mental Health(2019) Truong, Nancy Nguyen; Miller, Matthew J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study advances the literature by jointly examining two stressors (secondary traumatic stress and financial stress) hypothesized to impact the mental health of the Southeast Asian American (SEAA) community and focused on the experiences of generational stress with SEAAs. This study also examined how coping moderated the relationship between stress and mental health. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test whether secondary traumatic stress, financial stress, direct and indirect coping (entered in Step 1), and the interactions between stress and coping (entered in Step 2) predicted mental health. Participants included 134 self-identified 1.5-generation and second-generation SEAA adults who completed an online survey. Consistent with emerging research, increased financial stress and secondary traumatic stress significantly predicted poorer mental health. Further, indirect coping significantly predicted poorer mental health. Contrary to expectations, none of the moderation effects were significant. Post-hoc analyses were also conducted. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are addressed.Item SEARCHING FOR REFLECTIONS: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF FILIPINO AMERICAN TEACHERS(2019) Castillo, Eleonor Grace; Hultgren, Francine H.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the lived experience of Filipino American teachers in U.S. public schools. Grounded upon the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology, the study is guided by philosophical works, including those of Heidegger, Gadamer, Merleau-Ponty, Arendt and Casey. Furthermore, I draw from Philippine and Filipino American scholarship, such as the writing of Enriquez, de Guia and David. In conducting this research, I follow van Manen’s methodological structure of six activities: turning to the phenomenon; investigating experience as we live it; reflecting on essential themes; writing and rewriting hermeneutically; maintaining a strong and oriented pedagogical relation; and balancing the research context by considering parts and whole. The eight Filipino American teachers in this study have served as elementary, middle and high school teachers. Through one-on-one conversations, a collective group dialogue and in their reflective writing, their lived experiences of being racially and culturally misunderstood and the loss of native language emerged as essential themes. These revelations reflect the existentials of lived body and lived relation within the lifeworlds of Filipino American teachers. In addition, the role of place, namely that of the distinct and limited presence of Filipino American teachers in U.S. classrooms and on school campuses, unveils the aspect of lived space upon their existence. The insights from this study can serve to inform teacher education programs, school districts and the Filipino American community. Recommendations call for incorporating the unique lived experiences of Filipino American teachers within curriculum and conversations regarding diversity, inclusion and teacher identity within colleges of education. In addition, the study asks for school district leaders and school site administrators to engage mindfully with and harken to the culturally silent voices of Filipino American teachers. Yet the call to listen deeply to Filipino American teachers is also directed towards the Filipino American community, as choosing to be a Filipino American teacher is an existence that is not readily embraced within Filipino American families and the community. Therefore, the study recommends that the dialogue on what it means to be a Filipino American teacher continues, with the aim of further moving forward our understanding of their lifeworlds.Item Perceived Ethnic-Racial Socialization and Parenting Styles on Asian American College Students' Depressive Symptoms(2018) Ahn, Lydia HaRim; Miller, Matthew J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The present study examines how perceived mothers’ culturally relevant parenting styles and ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) are associated with depressive symptoms among 280 Asian American college students (M =19.53, SD = 1.57). We hypothesized that perceived ERS will predict depressive symptoms, and perceived authoritarian, authoritative, and training parenting styles will moderate this association. We used a cross-sectional, quantitative design to measure this model through an online questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were dependent on the parenting style and the type of ERS message. Results indicated that 1) training parenting style (high in guidance and care for children) was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, 2) the combination of promotion of equality messages and training parenting style was negatively linked with depressive symptoms, and 3) authoritarian parenting was positively correlated with depressive symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive parenting on mental health.Item Vellathinai Dhahikunna Vezhambal (As a Bird Searches for the Rain Water) Social Perceptions of Indian American High School Youth Within Home, School, and Community Spaces(2018) Titan, Caroline; Brown, Tara M; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Broadly, this dissertation study examines: 1) the role of space in influencing social perceptions of Malayalee, Indian American, Christian youth and the ways these spaces and perceptions influence these youth’s schooling experiences; and 2) the role of human agency in and larger structural influences on Indian American youth’s schooling experiences. This study is exploratory and qualitative in nature, drawing on interview data from 7 Indian American youth (5 girls and 2 boys) who attended high schools in a single district located in the mid-Atlantic, United States and archival documents, specifically the school district’s English and history standards. To make sense of the study data and findings, I used a conceptual framework composed of key concepts from intersectionality, structural racism, and spatiality. Three key conclusions emerged from the present study: 1) teachers’ and peers’ perceptions of participants influenced their schooling experiences; 2) participants’ assigned importance to the social aspects of school as much as academic aspects; and 3) participants experienced racial/ethnic bias in their interactions with teachers and learning materials (e.g. curricula) which also influenced their schooling experiences.Item Predictors of feelings of depression among Asian American college students(2016) Koo, Katie; Park, Julie J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between various collegiate experiences including substance use, religiosity, campus climate, academic life, social life, self-concept, satisfaction with college, and perceived feelings of depression among Asian American college students compared to other racial groups. Employing Astin’s (1993) I-E-O model, the study utilized the 2008 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) the Freshman Survey (TFS) and the follow up College Senior Survey (CSS) in 2012 with the final sample of 10,710 students including 951 Asian American students. Descriptive analysis, cross-tabulations, blocked hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the equality of the unstandardized beta coefficients from the regression analyses, and a one-way ANOVA were conducted for the data analysis. Asian American students who are female, from low SES backgrounds, academically less achieved, frequent substance users, less religiously involved, and less satisfied with overall college experiences showed higher levels of feeling depressed. For the rate of feeling depressed across racial groups, Asian American college students showed the highest rate of feeling depressed while White students reported the lowest rate of feeling depressed. For Asian American college students, feeling depressed in high school, hours spent per week on studying and homework, and self-confidence in intellectual ability were the most significant predictors of feelings of depression while drinking beer, drinking liquor, spirituality, failing to complete homework on time, hours spent per week on socializing, self rated self-confidence in social ability, and satisfaction with overall college experiences were significant predictors of feelings of depression. Asian American college students spent the longest hours on studying and homework, reported the highest GPA, but showed the lowest self-confidence on intellectual ability. For all four racial groups, feeling depressed in high school and self-confidence in intellectual ability were significant predictors of feelings of depression in common. Implications for practice and directions for future research emphasize the need for better understanding the unique cultural background and impact of academic life associated with feelings of depression among Asian American college students and developing customized psycho-educational and outreach programs to meet unique needs for psychological well-being for each racial group on campus.Item KOREAN IMMIGRANT MOTHERS’ EDUCATIONAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES: A TRANSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE(2015) Kim, Ji Hyun; Wiseman, Donna L; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study analyzed the parental involvement experiences of four first-generation Korean immigrant mothers living in a Mid-Atlantic state to expand the research base and knowledge of traditional parental involvement paradigms. The study was guided by two overarching research questions: 1) How do four Korean immigrant mothers understand and perform their roles in the educational experiences of their children?; and 2) How do contexts (i.e. micro, meso, macro, and transnational) influence the mothers’ understandings and performance of their roles in the educational experiences of their children? Multiple concepts and frameworks related to parent involvement and immigrant experiences informed the conceptual framework of this study. They include the parent role construction of Hoover-Dempsey et al. (2005); the minority parent role construction of Auerbach (2007); Cultural Ecological Theory (Ogbu & Simons, 1998); and transnationalism (Itzigsohn & Giorguli-Saucedo, 2005; Portes, 2003). Despite a certain level of variability among the participants’ educational beliefs and practices, they commonly regarded private supplementary education (e.g. hagwon, or Korean style afterschool programs, and private tutoring) as an effective means to give a competitive edge to their children academically, which is largely practiced in Korea. Also, not all mothers placed priority on school-based involvement including school visits and Parent Teacher Association membership. The findings suggest that the mothers’ current perceptions, expectations, and behaviors related to their children’s education are influenced by their upbringing and educational experiences in Korea, continuing transnational interactions with people and culture in Korea, and their racial and ethnic minority status in the U.S. The findings also suggest that a traditional school-centered conceptualization of parent involvement may be limited in capturing immigrant parents’ strong commitment of their children’s education, which may not be congruent with conventional norms of school involvement. As U.S. federal government and local school districts continue to emphasize parents as partners in education, teachers and administrators will benefit from this analysis of one growing population which demonstrates high achievement in the school system. Furthermore, this research challenges and expands a stereotypical and monolithic understanding of Korean immigrants as “model minority” through a detailed case study of one group of mothers.Item Migrant Teachers: A Case Study(2014) Edwards, David Harper; Klees, Steve J.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research uses a rights-based approach to interpret the global and local implications of increased teacher migration by: 1) surveying the literature regarding the linkages between uneven teacher distribution and the recruitment of "overseas trained teachers"(OTTs); 2) illustrating international experiences and initiatives that seek to address the status and treatment of OTTs with special attention to the organizations, structures and processes that determine these initiatives within a context of increased privatization of public services; 3) using case study methodology to describe and analyze the complexities of teacher migration by focusing on their perceptions of pedagogy, migration expectations and local union relationship experienced by a population of Philippine OTTs in an urban U.S. district known for high teacher turnover, and 4) using critical perspectives to problematize the purported "shortage area" reasons given for international teacher recruitment and propose alternatives. The research illuminates currents gaps in the literature and shows that while there are both push and pull factors that contribute to the increase in migration, and there are also new actors emerging to capitalize on the portability of teaching credentials. One such actor is recruiting agencies that seek to place overseas trained teachers in schools suffering high turnover and shortage. The research also considers initiatives for addressing exploitation of migrant teachers and the usefulness of national or international protocols that purport to balance individual rights to migrate against national needs for development and realizing the right to education for its people.Item Korean American Mothers' Perception: Investigating the Role of Cultural Capital Theory and Parent Involvement(2014) Kim, Yong-Mi; Parham, Carole S.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The strongest and most consistent predictors of parent involvement at school and at home are the specific school programs and teacher practices that encourage parent involvement at school and guide parents in how to help their children at home (Dauber & Epstein, 1995). Joyce Epstein (2004) developed a framework for defining six different types of parent involvement. This framework assists educators in developing school and family partnership programs. "Schools have a vested interest in becoming true learning communities. They are now accountable for all students' learning," she writes. "To learn at high levels, all students need the guidance and support of their teachers, families, and others in the community." School improvement no longer rests solely on the shoulders of the principal, but rather takes the collaborative effort of the entire school community to increase achievement levels of all students. A major stakeholder of that community is the parents who want what is in the best interest of their children. This mixed-methods study examined the perceptions of Korean American mothers regarding their own parent involvement practices and investigated the role of Bourdieu's Cultural Capital Theory using the conceptual framework of Epstein's Parent Involvement Framework. Data for this study were collected by way of survey responses and interview probes with focus groups of six Korean American mothers. In the quantitative phase of the study, 81 mothers from a single school district in the mid-Atlantic United States were identified. The results from the quantitative phase of the study found that English proficiency had a significant impact on whether Korean American mothers engaged in parent involvement activities. Examination of the focus group responses revealed that the Korean American mothers identified English and time as major factors in determining in what types of parent involvement activities they engaged. Parent involvement is essential for promoting successful school improvement. It plays a pivotal part in school reform. Further research is recommended with larger samples of participants in rural and urban settings. In addition, future research should examine the role of fathers in parent involvement.Item THE ROLES OF FAMILY AND CULTURE IN THE CAREER INTERESTS AND CHOICE GOALS OF ASIAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS: A TEST OF SOCIAL COGNITIVE CAREER THEORY(2014) Hui, Kayi; Lent, Robert W; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Although family and cultural influences in the career development of Asian Americans have been widely documented, theory-driven research on this topic remains sparse and dated. The present study examined culturally relevant factors that may contribute to Asian Americans' career considerations in the overrepresented (e.g., science, technology, engineering) and underrepresented (e.g., education, social science) professions. Drawing from social cognitive career theory (SCCT), a culture-specific, social cognitive model of career interests and choice was tested across Holland's Investigative (I) and Social (S) themes. A large, diverse sample of undergraduate Asian American students (N = 802) from a Mid-Atlantic university participated in the study. The current findings provided initial empirical support for the hypothesized culture-specific model of interest and choice for both I and S themes, and confirmed the cross-cultural validity of SCCT for this population. Social cognitive variables (family support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest) accounted for a substantial amount of variance in Asian American college students' career consideration in both themes. Most of the hypothesized relations among the social cognitive variables were consistent with the theory. In addition, this study examined specific indirect and moderation effects of the culture-specific construct (adherence to Asian values) relative to the interest-choice relation. Findings highlighted the varied roles of family support and adherence to Asian values in participants' career development. For example, family support may directly encourage participants' Social career choice consideration while Asian values may promote Investigative career choice consideration in part through greater family support. Gender was also linked to choice consideration directly (I theme) as well as indirectly through self-efficacy (in both themes). Finally, multi-group invariance tests suggested that the model fit the data comparably well regardless of gender and generation group status. Hence, the model may be generalizable across the grouping variables (i.e., males and females, foreign born and U.S. born students). Together, these findings extend prior work applying SCCT to Asian American samples and may help to inform career counseling services for this population.