Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2020, School Psychology

Previous literature has expanded on the importance of including culturally relevant teaching practices into classrooms in order to reach student populations related to culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Although studies have reported higher student achievement when culturally responsive practices are in place, there is a lack of information regarding what practices are deemed as being culturally relevant. There is also a gap in the literature that describes the perceptions pre-service teachers have on culturally responsive teaching practices. This study will expand on what pre-service teachers' attitudes and assumptions are on culturally responsive teaching practices after completing a semester of field placement in a culturally diverse school district.

Committee: Sarah Watt Dr. (Advisor); Ashley Johnson (Committee Member); Aaron Luebbe Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, EDU Teaching and Learning

My study contributes to the literature that examines diverse issues pushing back on and expanding Social and Emotional Education in elementary school contexts. Schools and educational institutions require more attention and responsibility to promote students' social, emotional, and relational lives. In my dissertation, I paid particular attention to everyday classroom interactions between first graders that took place away from the eyes and ears of teachers and explored how they engage in facilitating social and emotional practices and relationship building in these daily moments of classroom underlife (Goffman, 1961). Drawing upon CASEL's five core domains of SEL competencies (CASEL, 2020) and a languaging theory (Bloome & Beach, 2019), my microethnographic discourse analysis examined what social, emotional, and relational aspects were demonstrated and constructed in their underlife interactions and what interactional moves the students made that fostered social and emotional practices and relationship building. My findings show that (a) the students demonstrated and built up all of the CASEL's five core domains of SEL competencies in momentary classroom underlife interactions, and (b) they utilized tactful and sophisticated interactional moves (e.g., relational keys) to explore and construct various social norms and relationships with each other and the world while meeting expectations for classroom tasks. My findings highlight how the students fluently demonstrated and built each of the CASEL's five core domains of SEL competencies in an integrated way in fleeting moments of classroom underlife interactions. Moreover, my findings emphasize that the first graders are already doing the sophisticated social, emotional, and relational work in their underlife that constitutes an essential part of their everyday classroom lives. These findings challenge the dominant Social and Emotional Education approach the teaching of SEL knowledge and skills is explicitly (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michiko Hikida (Advisor); Laurie Katz (Committee Member); Caroline Clark (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Elementary Education; Language; Teacher Education

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 0, School Psychology

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students may experience stress related to acculturation experiences, specifically in balancing the tension between conforming to mainstream cultural pressures and maintaining the values and traditions of their culture of origin. This qualitative study will share results from a focus group conducted with first- and second-generation American students regarding experiences of acculturative stress. Nine first and second generation CLD students were interviewed over Zoom and Google Meets meetings about their acculturative experiences. Students described their experiences as difficult and sometimes burdensome, rather than stressful. Included in this research exploration is a discussion of effective strategies students employ to manage acculturative stress at home and in school and how educators and school-based mental health providers can provide support.

Committee: Elana Bernstein (Advisor); Susan Davies (Committee Member); Robyn Coleman (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; School Counseling

Doctor of Education, University of Toledo, 2019, Curriculum and Instruction: Special Education

Navigating the special education system can be especially difficult for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families, given the boundaries that persist in educational settings. It is thought, therefore, that identifying these challenges and addressing them will improve special education services for CLD students through effective engagement with their families. The present research examined the literature pertaining to the engagement of CLD families of special education students and explored the engagement experiences of 8 Arabic-speaking parents of exceptional children. An analysis of the engagement needs of CLD parents as well as the factors that impede or enhance their engagement in their children's education revealed that, overall, CLD parents' engagement experience is unfulfilled. The seven emerging themes that support this finding were: lack of engagement; difficulties overcoming barriers, including language and transportation barriers as subthemes; unmet needs, including interpretation, learning, and cultural & religious needs as subthemes; overlooked screenings; lack of awareness; failed preparation, and the impact of parental engagement on student outcomes. It is found that satisfying CLD parents' religious and cultural needs while overcoming linguistic barriers are key components to engaging them as learning partners. Based on these findings, this research calls for action agendas for reform and change by providing interpretation services for culturally and linguistically diverse parents; employing bilingual staff or cultural navigators to assist the families; educating CLD parents about district policies and the special education services their children receive by translating the information on the school district's website; allowing students to perform their individual religious duties, which are well within their constitutional rights; and making dietary considerations and personal hygienic accommodations for Muslim children as a matter of socia (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ruslan Slutsky PhD (Advisor); Susanna Hapgood PhD (Committee Member); Jenny Denyer PhD (Committee Member); Dawn Sandt PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Multicultural Education; Special Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 0, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Literacy and Second Language Studies

This study focused on household funds of knowledge or "historically accumulated bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household functioning and well-being" (Gonzalez, Andrade, Civil, & Moll, 2001). A Funds of Knowledge approach provides both a methodological and theoretical lens for educators, and those who work to prepare them, to understand both themselves and their students in more complex ways. Participants included five culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse students and their families. The study setting was a middle- and working-class first-ring suburb in the Midwestern United States. Data collection included visits to home, church, and Sunday school settings; observations in Language Arts classroom settings; and informal conversations and ethnographic semi-structured interviews with students, parents, and teachers. Data sources included interview transcripts; fieldnotes and reflections on those fieldnotes; and data collected from each student's school cumulative folder. I coded parent and child interview and home visit data to create a multifaceted portrait of each household. Additionally, I analyzed the classroom observations, cumulative folder data, and teacher interviews to gain a sense of the child as a student; the type of language and literacy instruction taking place in the school; and the perspectives of the teacher toward working with a diverse population. Findings reveal that households possess a breadth and variety of resources, skills, bodies of knowledge, and strengths. This study explores ways of integrating these local resources with academic content. Further, these findings provide compelling counterevidence to deficit discourses by demonstrating that these households possess valuable knowledge and experiences.This study focused on household funds of knowledge or "historically accumulated bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household functioning and well-being" (Gonzalez, Andrade, Civil, & Moll, 2001). A Funds of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Susan Watts Taffe Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jory Brass Ph.D. (Committee Member); Connie Kendall Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chester Laine Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2013, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Within the field of school psychology there exists literature for school psychologists working with specific ethnic and linguistic groups (Frisby & Reynolds, 2005; Tomes, 2011). The Arab American population is estimated to be 3.6 million (Arab American Institute, 2012). However, there is a paucity of school psychology research on Arab American students and families (Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). As active members of the special education process, school psychologists will benefit from information regarding Arab American cultural and religious beliefs about special education and disabilities. Such information will assist them in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to students and families. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to illuminate Arab Americans parents’ experiences with their children’s encounters with the special education process and perceptions of their children’s disabilities. Phenomenological data analysis revealed four core themes. First, parents attached significance to specific steps within the special education process and to cultural stigmas around special education and disabilities. Next, parents reflected on special education services and key relationships. Additionally, parents discussed their children’s abilities, their understandings of special education, and their advocacy work. Finally, parents reported that their goals for their children had not changed as a result of the special education process, although the goals were tailored to their children’s identified disabilities. These findings have significant implications for professionals working with Arab American students and their parents. Recommendations are made for culturally sensitive school psychology practice with Arab Americans. Suggestions are provided for further research on this important yet under-researched topic.

Committee: Karla Anhalt Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Tricia Niesz Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Richard Cowan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Educational Psychology; Psychology