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Latino/as in Higher Education: Modes of Accommodation in First-Year Writing Programs

Cozza, Vanessa Michelle
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1306882228

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, English (Rhetoric and Writing).
This pilot study investigates the current state of Latino/a students in higher education and first-year writing (FYW) programs in the United States. This project explores if and how FYW programs address the literacy skills of second generation Latino/as who speak either Spanish or variations of Spanish and English, or who speak only English. I hypothesized in the beginning of this project that the contributing factors to Latino/as' poor academic performance may stem from some educators, policy makers, and political leaders overlooking students' cultural differences. This hypothesis led me to explore the following research questions: (RQ #1) How and why are Latino/as struggling in higher education? (RQ #2) How do Latino/as confront the problems that they encounter in higher education? (RQ #3) What happens to Latino/as' identities when they realize that their family or home culture differs from the academic or school culture? (RQ #4) Do writing programs show awareness of diverse populations? For instance, do they emphasize language diversity in their curricula and policies? (RQ #5) Do writing programs address the needs of minorities and Latino/a students? For instance, do they offer a support group for minorities and/or Latino/a students? (RQ #6) Do WPAs know how successful their writing programs are for minorities and Latino/a students? For instance, do they know if minorities and Latino/a students are doing well in their writing courses? An examination of published research focusing on academic, linguistic, and cultural issues in higher education and FYW helped identify specific problems that Latino/a students encounter in U.S. colleges/universities. Additionally, I developed 13 survey questions for Writing Program Administrators (WPA) intended to provide evidence of Research Questions 4, 5, and 6. The final chapter of this project details conclusions from the study, discusses implications for FYW programs based on the scholarship and data gathered, and provides recommendations for future research. The findings suggest that a high percentage of FYW programs show awareness of diverse student populations, although there is room for improvement in specifically addressing Latino/a students' needs by taking an “accommodation without assimilation” approach.
Richard Gebhardt, PhD (Committee Chair)
Edmund Danziger, PhD (Committee Member)
Kristine Blair, PhD (Committee Member)
Lance Massey, PhD (Committee Member)
155 p.
Bilingual Education; Education; Hispanic Americans; Literacy; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Teacher Education; Teaching
higher education; pedagogy; composition studies; first-year writing; Latino education; Latino/a education; accommodation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cozza, V. M. (2011). Latino/as in Higher Education: Modes of Accommodation in First-Year Writing Programs [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1306882228

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cozza, Vanessa. Latino/as in Higher Education: Modes of Accommodation in First-Year Writing Programs. 2011. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1306882228.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cozza, Vanessa. "Latino/as in Higher Education: Modes of Accommodation in First-Year Writing Programs." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1306882228

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1306882228
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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.