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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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    SOUTH KOREAN FAMILIES’ CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MUSEUM-BASED SCIENCE LEARNING
    (2020) Jeong, Hannoori; Elby, Andrew; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This exploratory research study examined how three South Korean families in theU.S. conceptualize museum-based science learning by exploring varied contexts in which they are embedded. In applying a sociocultural perspective, I investigated the families’ backgrounds, views of school and museum learning, in conjunction with their virtual museum tours to address my overarching research question: How do South Korean families in the U.S. conceptualize museum-based science learning? The purpose of this study is to understand how, or by what means, South Korean families’ conceptualizations about museum-based science learning are socially and culturally situated. In adhering to the guidelines of Yin’s (2018) suggestions to conduct multiple case research, I collected individual interviews prior to and following the families’ self-guided virtual museum tours, observations, self-reflections, and self-generated photographic images that captured their views of museum learning. Guided by the Contextual Model of Learning framework (Falk & Dierking, 2000), I used three analytic lenses to explore and analyze the data: personal context, sociocultural context, and physical context of learning. Through the use of narrative analysis, I reported within-case and cross-case findings across the three cases of families. In doing so, I first synthesized each family’s background setting, views of school and museum learning, and museum-based learning interactions to seek insights into how they shaped the family’s conceptualizations about museum-based science learning. Findings showed that the interweaving of each family’s varied contexts, namely personal, sociocultural, and physical, appeared to shape how they conceptualized museum-based science learning. Aspects of the families’ personal context—such as individual goals and beliefs—appeared to motivate their learning experience during the virtual museum tours mediated by sociocultural and physical contexts—such as within- group interactions and orientations to the physical space, respectively—that reinforced or shaped their conceptualizations of museum learning. Thus, in connection with prior literature, the families’ views of learning and authoring their sense of self that manifest their unique contexts may have spurred their conceptualizations of museum-based science learning. Broad implications of the study for museum education research, virtual museum learning, and future research related to informal science education are also discussed.
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    A Cultural Balancing Act: The Learning, Beliefs and Practices of Novice Indonesian Teachers of English
    (2019) Kidwell, Tabitha; Peercy, Megan M; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    English teachers must be prepared to attend to the intercultural aspects of language learning. In Indonesia, this challenge is compounded by education policies that also require teachers to sustain Indonesian cultural values. Without explicit preparation or guidance, these two expectations could be quite challenging to novice teachers. The objective of this study was to better understand how novice Indonesian teachers of English balance those demands, by examining their learning, beliefs, practices regarding teaching about culture. This study was a qualitative ethnographic case study of English teacher preparation practices at a Muslim university in Central Java, complemented by embedded case studies (Yin, 2009) of 14 recent graduates during their early years of teaching. Data sources included: course syllabi; 97 class observations: interviews with 20 university faculty members, 21 current students and 20 recently graduated novice teachers: six professional learning community sessions with novice teachers; and journal entries by novice teacher participants. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method (Corbin & Strauss, 2014) and a cross-case analysis. Findings showed that Indonesian English teachers had many opportunities to learn about culture, both within and outside of coursework, but they rarely learned methods to teach their future students about culture. Consequently, many did not include unfamiliar cultural content in their lessons. Concerning novice teachers’ beliefs and practices, this study identifies participants as primarily locally-oriented or globally-oriented, differentiated by their access to and investment in cultural learning opportunities. Globally-oriented teachers, who had had intercultural experiences themselves, were more likely to teach about unfamiliar cultures, despite contextual factors and limited preparation. This work highlights the need for language teacher education programs to help novice teachers learn to teach about culture, as well as the importance of offering intercultural experiences to novice teachers before and during their early careers. The distinction between locally-oriented teachers and globally-oriented teachers may allow language teacher educators to more purposefully prepare language teachers to address cultural content and develop their future students’ intercultural competence. In the future, more focused preparation efforts regarding teaching about culture would allow novice teachers to more effectively prepare their students to meaningfully engage across cultural differences.
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    STORIES OF A TAIWANESE DIASPORA: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE EXPERIENCES OF TAIWANESE AMERICAN STUDENTS
    (2018) Chang, Stephanie Hsiao-Sho; Park, Julie J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    There is a growing emphasis on students’ cultural experiences on campus. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore Taiwanese American students and their connection to Taiwanese culture. As a critical-cultural narrative inquiry this study (a) brought attention to Taiwanese American students and their engagement with Taiwanese culture, (b) expanded upon notions of home and experiences of bicultural integration, and (c) utilized diaspora as a theoretical perspective in a student development and higher education context. Research questions guiding this exploration included the following: (1) What do Taiwanese American students identify as significant and meaningful components of Taiwanese culture? (2) How and where do Taiwanese American students connect to Taiwanese culture on campus? (3) In what ways do the experiences of Taiwanese American students contribute to the existence of Taiwanese diaspora? Eight Taiwanese American students from a Mid-Atlantic University participated in this study. Each participant engaged in two interviews. The outcome of this study included individual participant narratives and a grand narrative encompassing four themes: recognizing their parents’ influence, navigating multiple cultural contexts, finding meaningful connections in non-Taiwanese American settings, and making decisions to move closer to Taiwanese culture. This study explored the importance of Taiwanese American students’ connectedness to their ethnic cultural background.
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    The influence of maternal sensitivity and maternal stimulation on later development of executive functioning via structural equation modeling
    (2007-04-25) Emick, Jessica; Strein, William; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study investigated the relations between early maternal behaviors, maternal sensitivity and maternal stimulation, and the later development of executive function. It was hypothesized that maternal behaviors could influence the development of executive function either directly or indirectly by influencing a child's language or attentional abilities. This study attempted to model these relationships using archival data from phase I and phase II from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Structural equation modeling was used with data from 470 participants on measures of SES, maternal sensitivity, maternal stimulation, language, attention, and executive function. From existing literature three nested models were proposed to examine how maternal behaviors influenced the later development of executive function. While there were significant differences between the three proposed models it is important to recognize the overall poor fit of the models. The differences between the models suggest that maternal sensitivity and maternal stimulation do not directly influence executive functioning in the 1st grade but instead influence the development of executive functioning through assisting the child in development of attention and language skills. Interestingly, the model also indicated verbal ability played an important role in the development of executive function. Secondly the study attempted to examine multi-group differences in the proposed models (Caucasian and African American). While small sample size precluded this analysis, examining the effect size differences between the two groups indicated that within the current sample ethnicity, language ability, and SES are deeply entangled. The results of the current study highlight the potential role of language ability in the development of executive function and the need for cleaner measures of executive function that are developmentally appropriate.
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    CASE STUDY OF A CARIBBEAN FAMILY'S PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE AND FAMILY CENTERED SERVICE PROVISION
    (2007-01-08) Joseph, Lenisa Nicole; Cooper, David; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This case study explores a Caribbean family's perceptions of the cultural appropriateness and the family-centeredness of services they received from their service providers. Families' cultural beliefs and the mandates of early intervention services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act are sometimes very different. Researchers have done well to highlight issues of importance to many cultural groups; however, there is as yet no record of Caribbean families' experience. This qualitative study collected data over a two-month period through interviews, observations and document analysis. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data, resulting in the themes used to describe the phenomenon. The number of years this family lived in the US seems to have resulted in acculturation to the point where their experiences were similar to that of an American family. They perceived the services they received to be family centered.
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    Culturally Relevant Consultation Among School Psychology Practitioners: A Nation-Wide Study of Training and Practice
    (2004-04-30) Sirmans, Meryl; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel Services
    Concerns about the overrepresentation of non-European American students in special education as well as the mismatch between a relatively homogeneous population of school psychologists and a more heterogeneous population of students has led to questions about what impacts student outcomes and how best to meet student needs. Research in the literature regarding beneficial practices for working with culturally diverse populations is limited and little is known about what school psychologists do to address culture, particularly in consultation with teachers. This study examined the training, practice, and individual perspectives of school psychologists for addressing culture in consultation and sought to determine what practitioners do in consultation cases for non-European American or bilingual students. Results, obtained from 219 school psychologists who completed a 36-item questionnaire, indicated that they had relatively little training in both consultation and culturally relevant consultation at the pre-service level. Those with the most training at the pre-service and practice levels reportedly gained information primarily through reading, in-services and workshops. Non-European American school psychologists and recent graduates reported having the most training overall, particularly through post-graduate/professional development opportunities. Most school psychologists said they addressed culture in consultation cases and there was a greater likelihood that this occurred among practitioners in urban and suburban school settings or among school psychologists who worked with teacher-consultees of a different ethnicity than the student-client. Overwhelmingly, participants agreed that having knowledge and awareness of culture's influence on values, behaviors, communication, and learning were important to daily practice. However, results indicated that school psychologists' approaches in consultation for bilingual or non-European American students varied. Their understanding of culturally relevant consultation and consultation generally appeared limited. Responses left questions about whether practitioners consistently implemented stages of consultation to address student-clients' needs and about whether cultural issues were addressed more than superficially. Future research is needed to determine how practitioners can consistently be trained at the pre-service and in-service levels to implement effective practices for consultation, especially culturally relevant consultation. Additional research should also explore, in depth, how practitioners actually incorporate culture-related societal, educational, economic, political, and other influences on student learning and behavior into consultation.