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 Mother-child and father-child "serve and return" interactions at 9 months: Associations with children's language skills at 18, 24, and 30 months(2023) Chen, Yu; Cabrera, Natasha J; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Infants learn language through the back-and-forth interactions with their parents where they “serve” by vocalizing, gesturing, or looking and parents “return” in a temporally and semantically contingent way. My dissertation focuses on these “serve and return” (SR) interactions between 9-month-old infants and their mothers and fathers (n = 296 parents and 148 infants) from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds by examining the variability in SR interactions explained by maternal and paternal psychological distress, the association between SR interactions and children’s language skills at 18, 24, and 30 months, and the moderation effect of maternal and paternal SR interactions on language outcomes. Psychological distress was indicated by parent-reported depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and role overload, and SR interactions were transcribed and coded from video-taped parent-child toy play activities during home visits. I report three major findings. First, neither maternal nor paternal psychological distress was significantly associated with and SR interactions at 9 months, controlling for demographic factors. Second, fathers who responded to their child’s serves more promptly and mothers who provided more semantically relevant responses had children with higher receptive and expressive language skills, respectively, at 18 and 30 months. Third, fathers’ semantically relevant responses were negatively associated with children’s receptive language skills at 24 months; however, this main effect was moderated by mothers’ semantically relevant responses. Understanding how mothers and fathers engage in temporally and semantically contingent social interactions with their children during the first year, especially among families from diverse backgrounds, would enable programs and policies to more effectively promote early language development and reduce gaps in school readiness.Item CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS IN THE CONTEXT OF A LARGE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT: AN ANALYSIS OF MATH & ELA TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES IN TEACHING LATINA/O ELLs(2019) Beato, Carlos Manuel; Eubanks, Segun; McLaughlin, Margaret; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Latina/o English language learners are not achieving at the same levels as their White and English speaking peers. Research shows that 63% of ELLs, in large part Latina/o, are graduating high school, compared to an 82% overall rate. This study aimed to gather Math and ELA teacher perceptions around teachers’ ability to implement culturally responsive strategies. The researcher sought to answer three questions: (1) How do secondary Math and ELA teachers in District A schools with large populations of Latina/o ELLs perceive their own capacity to serve linguistically diverse students in their classroom? (2) What are the culturally responsive pedagogical practices that secondary Math and ELA teachers say they currently use to support Latina/o ELLs in District A schools with large populations of Latina/o ELLs? (3) What are the gaps that Math and ELA teachers perceive that exist in District A with building teacher capacity in culturally responsive practices in schools that have large populations of Latina/o ELLs? Based on a review of the literature on cultural responsiveness, the researcher distributed a web-based survey on the Qualtrics platform to 133 Math and ELA teachers at six District A high schools. The researcher used 18 statements from the Culturally Responsive Teacher Preparedness Scale [CRTPS] to gauge teachers’ perceptions on their ability to implement culturally responsive strategies. Teachers recorded their levels of agreement with their perceived abilities on each statement on a five point Likert scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Teachers were also invited to participate in a focus group to gather specific examples of culturally responsive practices being implemented. Analysis of the survey indicated that teachers perceive to have the capacity to implement culturally responsive practices. The focus group, however, illustrated a need for deeper understanding of culturally responsive practices and how/when/where to implement them. On this basis, the researcher recommends that District A implement a collection of self-assessment data from all teachers that teach Latina/o ELL students, a curriculum review across major content areas, and the development of a network improvement community that addresses Latina/o ELL needs. Further research is needed in order to determine the influence of culturally responsive practices on academic achievement.Item Beyond Diversity As Usual: Expanding Critical Cultural Approaches to Marginalization in Engineering Education(2017) Secules, Stephen; Elby, Andrew; Gupta, Ayush; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In general, what we think of as "diversity work" in undergraduate engineering education focuses in the following ways: more on the overlooked assets of minority groups than on the acts of overlooking, more on the experiences of marginalized groups than on the mechanisms of marginalization by dominant groups, more on supporting and increasing minority student retention than on critiquing and remediating the systems which lead minority students to leave engineering. This dissertation presents a series of arguments which push beyond a status quo understanding of diversity in engineering education. The first approach the dissertation takes up is to problematize educational facts around failure by interrogating their roots in interactions and cultural norms in an engineering classroom. In another argument, the dissertation places the engineering classroom cultural norms of competition, whiteness, and masculinity in a critical historical context of the discipline at large. Finally, I demonstrate how engaging students in a critique of marginalizing educational culture can be an important source of agency. In addition to applying and demonstrating the value of specific novel approaches in engineering education, the dissertation contributes to the research community by discussing the respective affordances between these and other possible scholarly approaches to culture and marginalization in education. I also suggest how a consideration of the taken-for-granted culture of engineering education can be an important tool for instructors seeking to gain insight into persistent educational problems. In addition, this dissertation makes implications for diversity support practice, envisioning new forms of support programming rooted in intersectionality and critical praxis.Item Powerful Pathways Across Race: Sense of Belonging in Discriminatory Collegiate Environments(2014) Fincher, Justin; Park, Julie J; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore potential direct or indirect relationships among discriminatory climate, structural diversity (i.e., compositional diversity), mentorship experiences, socio-cultural discussions, level of involvement on- and off-campus, and individual characteristics (e.g., gender, class standing, and socioeconomic status) and how these relationships potentially affect students' sense of belonging. To understand the individual and shared relationships among these multiple variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. Informed by existing research and literature, the proposed model suggests directionality and a specific set of pathways towards the outcome of sense of belonging. The model tested a series of relationships simultaneously to explore significance of specific variable relationships relative to all other variables. The model was applied separately to White, Black, Latino, and Asian racial groups to explore unique findings associated with one's race. This study builds on previous climate and belonging research and illuminates three key pathways to bolster students' sense of belonging within discriminatory collegiate experiences. On-campus involvement is the most powerful pathway to a deeper sense of belonging across Asian, Black, Latino, and White students. Additionally, socio-cultural discussions and mentorship prove to be positive supports for belonging and counteract the significant negative effects of discrimination. The pathway for off-campus involvement is not a powerful mediator between a discriminatory climate and belonging, but off-campus experiences that are not connected to discrimination appear to support a greater sense of belonging for some students. Researchers and educators within higher education can use the results of this study to build more complex studies, construct more effective interventions, and raise the level of discourse about students' sense of belonging in college.Item THE NEW SOUTH: A CASE ANALYSIS OF LATINO STUDENTS ATTENDING A HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY IN NORTH CAROLINA(2013) Mena, Salvador Bienvenido; Komives, Susan; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latino students attending a historically Black university in North Carolina. The study was guided by the revised campus climate framework by Milem, Chang, and Antonio (2005). A case study methodological research design was used to explore the following two research questions: (a) What is the Latino student experience at an HBCU that is intentionally seeking to promote Latino student success? (b) How is the campus climate, as defined by Milem et al. (2005), experienced by Latino students at an HBCU? Individual interviews with 13 students, 3 faculty, and 2 staff members were conducted along with the examination of the case site (e.g., review of the institution's strategic plan). The study revealed five areas of focus for understanding and enhancing the Latino student HBCU experience: 1. The decision-making process by Latino students for enrolling at an HBCU; 2. Latino student acclimation to the HBCU campus environment; 3. The cultural dissonance experienced by Latino students in the HBCU setting; 4. The benefits of diversity derived from Latino student enrollment at an HBCU; and 5. Latino student engagement within the HBCU environment. Recommendations for future research and practice based on these five identified areas were made.Item Revisiting the silence of Asian immigrant students: The negotiation of Korean immigrant students' identities in science classrooms(2012) Ryu, Minjung; Edwards, Ann Ryu; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation is a study about Korean immigrant students' identities, including academic identities related to science learning and identities along various social dimensions. I explore how Korean immigrant students participate in science classrooms and how they enact and negotiate their identities in their classroom discursive participation. My dissertation is motivated by the increasing attention in educational research to the intersectionality between science learning and various dimensions of identities (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, social networks) and a dearth of such research addressing Asian immigrant students. Asian immigrant students are stereotyped as quiet and successful learners, particularly in science and mathematics classes, and their success is often explained by cultural differences. I confront this static and oversimplified notion of cultural differences and Asians' academic success and examine the intersectionality between science learning and identities of Asian immigrant students, with the specific case of Korean immigrants. Drawing upon cultural historical and sociolinguistic perspectives of identity, I propose a theoretical framework that underscores multiple levels of contexts (macro level, meso level, personal, and micro level contexts) in understanding and analyzing students' identities. Based on a year-long ethnographic study in two high school Advanced Placement Biology classes in a public high school, I present the meso level contexts of the focal school and biology classes, and in-depth analyses of three focal students. The findings illustrate: (1) how meso level contexts play a critical role in these students' identities and science classroom participation, (2) how the meso level contexts are reinterpreted and have different meanings to different students depending on their personal contexts, and (3) how students negotiated their positions to achieve certain identity goals. I discuss the implications of the findings for the science education of racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students, particularly given the increasing number of immigrant students in U.S. classrooms, and for the education of Asian immigrant students.Item EARLY CAREER SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS' PERCEPTION OF MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY(2012) Sweeney, Samantha Courtney; Strein, William O; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)With the demographics of American school children rapidly changing and the demographics of school psychologists remaining relatively unchanged, more than ever school psychologists are working within the cross-cultural zone. This means that they are working with students and families who are culturally different from them. It has become vital that school psychologists are multiculturally competent; however how this form of competence develops is relatively unknown. Grounded theory methodology was used in the current study to explore how early career school psychologists who work in diverse schools define multicultural competence and multicultural competence development. Results indicate that the participants felt that multicultural competence should largely focus on interpersonal relationships with students and families as well as self-awareness. Additionally, the participants felt that multicultural competence was dynamic as opposed to stagnant. With respect to multicultural competence development, the participants felt that their early career experiences contributed to this area of competence more than any other factor. The foundation of their multicultural competence was made up of a desire to work in a diverse setting as well as their background and exposure to different cultures. They felt that their graduate school classes contributed to this foundation. Personal experiences also contributed to multicultural competence, but were not as significant as professional experiences.Item ASSESSING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS INCORPORATING SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CLASSES(2012) McCoy, Wanda Linnette; Clark, Lawrence M; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over the past three decades, there has been growing interest in teaching mathematics in ways that encourage action for social justice. Social Justice Education (SJE) seeks to enable students to study existing forms of social injustices in their lives and to create a sense of social agency in the students. This study sought to understand the attitudes and beliefs of pre-service teachers about principles and examples of mathematics teaching from a social justice perspective. Participants consisted of 148 students at four universities. Participants completed a 49-item Likert-type survey to ascertain attitudes of pre-service teachers toward five descriptions of mathematics lessons that employed a social justice perspective. Statistical analyses compared the responses of the participants grouped by demographic variables of race, age, socio-economic status, and teacher preparation experiences. Findings indicate that significant differences on survey outcomes between participants were associated with key preparation experiences, such as whether or not participants had taken mathematics methods courses and diversity courses, as well as the type of university attended. Ten participants subsequently took part in one-on-one audio-taped, semi-structured interviews designed to ascertain the type of circumstances and lived experiences that shaped their attitudes toward teaching mathematics with a social justice perspective. The interviews provided some explanations as to why particular attitudes and beliefs were expressed.Item Interactional Diversity and the Role of a Supportive Racial Climate(2010) Cox, Leah Kendra; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Document: INTERACTIONAL DIVERSITY AND THE ROLE OF A SUPPORTIVE RACIAL CLIMATE Leah Kendra Cox Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Dissertation Directed By: Dr. Susan R. Komives, Professor Department of Counseling and Personnel Services This study examines student's perception of the campus racial climate and interactional diversity at selective undergraduate liberal arts institutions through an examination of data collected in the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Student responses are selected from institutions identified as members of a specified group of Virginia peers and institutions identified as members of COPLAC. The primary variables used to assess climate and diversity include: class standing, race, gender, institution type, enrollment, location and compositional diversity (i.e., racial composition). Findings indicate that perceptions of the campus racial climate are primarily related to class standing. In addition, it was determined that a significant predictor of interactional diversity is student's perception of a supportive racial campus climate. Finally, findings lend initial credibility to the claim that seniors and females perceive a less supportive campus climate at some institutions.Item A TALE OF TWO GROUPS: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MINORITY STUDENTS AND NON-MINORITY STUDENTS IN THEIR PREDISPOSITION TO AND ENGAGEMENT WITH DIVERSE PEERS AT A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTION(2009) Hall, Wendell Diedrik; Cabrera, Alberto F.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which minority students and non-minority students differ in their predispositions to engage in campus-based diversity activities upon entering college and engagement with diverse college peers during college. These ethnicity-based interactional differences were examined under a revised version of the Transition to College Model (Locks et al., 2008). The Diverse College Student Engagement Model accounts for the joint influence of student pre-college characteristics along with collegiate experiences, in shaping engagement with racially diverse peers at a predominantly White college. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Latent Means Modeling (LMM), this dissertation examined direct and indirect effects of factors that influence engagement with diverse students in college. Findings indicated that engagement with diverse peers does not take place in a vacuum; conditions and mechanisms that facilitate engagement also matter. Several pre-college variables and college variables were shown to influence predisposition to engage in diversity-related activities and engagement among diverse peers in college. Findings from testing the proposed model indicate that minority students were significantly higher in the latent factor Predisposition to Engage when entering college; however, no significant differences were found in the latent factor Engagement after the sophomore year of college. The differences appear to have been attenuated by some of the campus mechanisms the University of Maryland has in place to foster engagement among diverse students.