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- Creator:
- Barajas, Daniel E.
- Description:
- Continuation high schools serve students for multiple reasons. Among them are low credit attainment, excessive absences, probation status, and discipline problems. Students in these programs often have many educational gaps. In the state of California, continuation high schools have been an educational option for this vulnerable student population since 1919. This segment of the school system seeks to offer students with diverse educational challenges and obstacles a second opportunity to complete their education. Presently, there is little research connected to the success of continuation high school graduates’ level of persistence in any type of higher education. This study examined the influence teacher-student relationships had on a particular group of continuation high school students who, in spite of challenges associated with continuation-education deficit mindset, were able to attain academic success in higher education. The study sought to explore how the practices of comprehensive high school sites intersected with those of a specific continuation high school. Social Capital and Critical Race Theory provided the conceptual lens to analyze teacher–student relationships. The researcher captured students’ and teachers’ perceptions in order to analyze how their interactions and relationships could be strengthened to ensure student academic success and provide continuation high school students with options upon high school graduation.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Taylor, Mary
- Description:
- This study focused on both the voice and experience of successful Black students in higher education as well as the factors, both internal and institutional that they perceive as contributors to their success. This research is important because while a breadth of research exists that examines Black students and their relationship to higher education, much of it is framed in a deficit-based line of inquiry. As a response, and inspired by critical race theory (CRT) and Harper’s (2012) anti-deficit achievement framework (ADAF), this study focused on successful Black college students’ stories and what might be learned from them. The literature shows that Black students bring a variety of strengths and abilities to their higher education experience that merit further attention by both researchers and educators especially since these students achieve in spite of the challenges so widely documented in the deficit-based literature. Using a narrative research approach, this study identified eight high-achieving students and explored their experiences, their success, and the factors they perceived as contributors to their achievement. Additionally, this study sought to highlight the students’ experiences as a counternarrative to the existing discourse, add to the existing body of asset-based research and inquiry, enlist study participants as partners in the research process, facilitate their storytelling and amplify their voices. Data collected from eight semi-structured interviews and photojournal entries was restoried and coded for themes that yielded rich and meaningful insight into the strengths successful Black students bring to research and practice. The findings of this study reinforced those of the other asset-based researchers highlighted within this study and strengthen the need for more studies of this type. Study findings also included stories that were the result of the collaboration between researcher and participant as well as the themes that provided insight into their perceptions of the factors contributing to their success. Lastly, participants showed themselves to be willing and capable partners in the research process and offered a wealth of information that informed assertions relevant to research and practice. Among these were the importance of early influences, the students’ strengths, the importance of their peers, and the ways that their lived experiences can inform a higher standard of research inquiry and care in the higher education setting.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Hellams, Ruth E.
- Description:
- “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr Dissatisfaction with the current state of the nation’s public schools continues to reveal itself through repeated efforts to transform the traditional, long-standing core elements known as the “grammar of schooling” (Tyack & Tobin, 1994). Generational rhetoric on the failed state of traditional public education and a drive for equitable outcomes for all students serve as guideposts for many school reform efforts. It is the need to reveal the systems and structures supporting changes to the traditional architecture of schools that has inspired me to conduct this research. This dissertation explores how a nontraditional high school, nested within a traditional district, supports and sustains its nontraditional model. Through a case study approach this research utilized interviews with administrative and teaching staff and an analysis of key documents, policies, and practices. Central to this study was an examination of the school’s core values and the practices of competency-based education (CBE) that served to shape and influence the school’s direction and nontraditional model. Emergent themes from this research were analyzed through the lens of Fullan and Quinn’s (2016) Coherence Framework and their four identified drivers for systems improvement. Findings illustrate that school structures which intentionally foster relationships and build opportunities for teacher collaboration contribute to the long-term sustainability of school reform and help influence and shape a school’s direction. Furthermore, clarity of expectations for teaching and learning, when outlined in a school’s mission and vision statement, can serve as guideposts for long-term sustainability. Guidance and support with respect the CBE model was especially important. Lastly, these findings underscore the importance of site leadership in maintaining balance between the needs of the school and the district as essential to sustaining the school’s nontraditional approach. By identifying factors and conditions serving to sustain the school’s nontraditional approach, the findings of this study can assist others who seek to change the traditional architecture of schooling currently dominates most schools.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Heinzman, Erica
- Description:
- Educators and policymakers envision high school mathematics as vital in the pursuit of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions and a way to cultivate a deep appreciation of mathematics in society. With two such significant aspirations, there is advocacy for expanding the traditional course offerings in high school mathematics to include courses such as Discrete Mathematics Project Collaborative (DMPC) and Introduction to Data Science (IDS). Research on non-traditional high school mathematics courses has mostly focused on pathways, content, and pedagogy. This mixed methods case study expands our understandings by examining the perceptions and experiences of students enrolled in the DMPC and IDS course at two separate California high schools. Classroom observations, student focus groups, one-on-one teacher interviews, and a student survey were collected and analyzed using the analytical framework of self-determination theory, which posits competence (self-efficacy), autonomy (agency), and relatedness (a sense of belonging) are essential for positive motivation and meaningful learning. Three significant findings unite the DMPC and IDS case studies. Students in these two courses (a) perceive themselves as connected within a community of learners; (b) experience curiosity and creative freedom, unlike previous mathematics courses they may have completed; (c) use the words fun and easy in complex ways to describe their experiences. These findings have important implications as interest greatly increases to expand high school mathematics pathways and to implement the DMPC and IDS courses in more high schools statewide and nationally.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Saeb, Rania
- Description:
- Arab American youth are a complex and diverse population in America who are often misunderstood, misclassified and misrepresented. These youth face a socio-political climate in the United States that has painted the Arab culture in a negative light. This has caused psychological and emotional stressors on them, some of which are negatively affecting their ability to embrace their Arab identity. Another reaction to these stressors is a complete rejection of their American identity, putting a strain on their ability to assimilate into American society. Coupled with this are the challenges Arab American youth face in navigating their identity through their home life and their school life, which at times contradict one another. At school, students are being discriminated against and othered. Moreover, Arab American students are battling a disconnect between the social norms of their school life and home life. Using an adapted framework from Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development, this qualitative exploratory case study examines the factors that lead to cultural identity development in Arab American youth. Through interviews of seven Arab American youth this study serves to enlighten administrators, faculty of K-20 agencies and parents on how to best support this population in positively forming their cultural identity.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Andishehjoo, Nogol
- Description:
- This qualitative, single-case study highlights the significance of holistic education in high schools. The purpose of the study was to examine how a high school with a holistic approach that emphasizes educating the whole child is experienced from the perspective of students, teachers, and administrators. The aim is to examine the influence of holistic education on the development of student self-efficacy. The researcher conducted the study in an English-medium boarding school located in Europe, focusing on adolescents. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews over nine days from five students, three teachers, and two administrators to address the following questions: 1. What are the dominant characteristics of a holistic education at the school? 2. What were the characteristics of students’ experiences in a holistic education? 3. How did these experiences in a holistic school influence students’ self-efficacy? The findings of the study showed that holistic schools had an influence on the self-efficacy of students and that personal growth was evident in this type of program.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Pomona
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Persad, Andrew
- Description:
- This multiple case study examined the mentoring supports provided to induction candidate teachers during their first four-month Induction Learning Plan (ILP) Cycle of New Teacher Induction. Although studies (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2002, 2016; Richter et al., 2013) demonstrate mentoring positively affects the transition from pre-service preparation to classroom teaching, little is known about the process by which this occurs, particularly how mentoring approaches support or impede new teacher development. The purpose of this study was to understand how mentors support beginning candidate teachers (CTs) during their first four months of teaching as they develop and implement their Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). Four secondary CT and mentor pairs from Dewey Unified School were interviewed, and documents and artifacts from their first ILP were analyzed. Results indicated the district’s induction program was perceived as highly effective in developing new teachers’ inquiry skills and learning to teach. Mentors attributed the program’s success to an effective program director; whereas, CTs attributed the success to the availability of their mentors. CTs valued their mentors’ knowledge and experience and the just-in-time instructional and emotional support and continual guidance they provided. Recommendations included: pairing candidate teachers with onsite mentors who teach the same subject/grade, providing mentors access to CTs’ preservice program Individual Development Plans (IDPs), reducing the amount of induction paperwork, adding more classroom observations, and engaging in more critical discussions of CTs learning to teach, Conclusions, implications, limitations and directions for further research are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Pomona
- Department:
- Education
8. Factors That Contribute to Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Teaching English Language Learners
- Creator:
- Castaneda, Alicia
- Description:
- Enrollment of English language learners (ELLs) in United States schools has increased more rapidly than general enrollment, resulting in an urgent need for teachers to be prepared to meet the needs of ELLs in their classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study design was to identify teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to influence English learners’ academic success, instrumental factors in teachers’ learning, and essential factors in building common understanding among teaching colleagues in order to strengthen a positive school culture for English learners. The data were derived from qualitative, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and focus group interview. The study was conducted at one elementary school site ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade in an urban district with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, practices, and needs related to ELLs were examined. More specifically, this study sought to understand whether teachers’ beliefs and attitudes were influenced by the specific instructional factors of support, expertise, and time. This case study was framed utilizing the theoretical framework of culturally sustaining pedagogy to examine the influence and impact made on English learner instruction. Recommendations for schools and teachers to acknowledge the experiences and culture of each student were provided.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Pomona
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Rice, Anthony
- Description:
- This phenomenological research study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of African-American administrators related to the underrepresentation of African-American males in district leadership and principal positions. The study was guided by three research questions. The data were collected from eight African American male administrators in predominantly Latinx districts in Southern California. Data collection occurred through two forty-five-minute, one-on-one interviews with each participant. The findings of the study revealed perceived elements or influences that persuade African American male school leaders to pursue district leadership or principalship, as well as the perceived barriers that African American male district leaders or principals face and the advanced strategies districts can use to recruit and retain more African American male principals or district leaders. Through these findings, the researches identified seven emergent themes aimed at supporting the critical understanding of why African American males are being underrepresented in the administrative profession. These factors were the need for diversity in the system, political influence, mentorship, being identified as instructional leaders, bias, purposeful opportunities for recruitment, and support systems to promote upward mobility. The participants expressed a desire for the educational system to fully retain more African American male administrators as instructional leaders and to utilize their unique skills and abilities to have a positive impact on the educational system, especially for African American male students.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Pomona
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Avila, Gonzalo
- Description:
- This study explored the cultural, personal, and professional experiences of six Latino elementary principals in three California school districts. By identifying their experiences, supports, and challenges before and after attaining the principalship, their personal narratives illuminate the challenges they have faced and the strategies they used to overcome these challenges. A narrative inquiry approach was used to capture the participants’ personal stories in order to uncover meanings from their experiences. Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) was used to examine the data. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with six Latino male principals were conducted to capture their voices and allow them to share their understanding and experiences. The findings identified implications for Latinos who aspire to attain principalship positions and recommendations for districts to increase administrative diversity.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Pomona
- Department:
- Education