(2022). Communal Storywork: Deaf Education and the Latine Community. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, San Jose State University. In order to challenge the dominant and deficit perspectives in deaf education, this study utilized a Critical Race Theory framework to examine Latine families with Deaf children as they are portrayed in literature across areas of policy, research, and practice. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, this research project invited nine adult Latine family members with Deaf children to share their lived experiences with having a Deaf child as part of the family and within a California school. To center the experiences of Latine families with Deaf children as visible, legitimate and necessary constituents of their children's educational journeys, this research required a decolonial approach which incorporated Indigenous Research Methodologies and frameworks such as that of Storywork and Relational Accountability. Given the opportunity to learn about and from Latine families with Deaf children can inform deaf education practitioners, researchers, and policy makers toward a more… [Direct]
(2022). See the Real Me: A Qualitative Study Exploring How K-12 Experiences Influenced Black Males' Decision to Major in Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Maryville University. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how the K-12 education experiences of Black males in undergraduate teacher preparation programs influenced their decision to pursue a baccalaureate degree in education. The researcher used a semi-structured questioning protocol to interview eight participants, all of whom were Black males majoring in education at a 4-year postsecondary institution. Using critical race theory as a lens, three themes emerged through data analysis: Black males felt ostracized in predominately White schools, having Black teachers inspired Black students to be successful in school, and fair treatment and encouragement made a positive difference for Black males. The findings highlight that seeing Black males for who they are and motivating them in their K-12 experiences can lead them to pursue a career in education. Moreover, the study underscores that the treatment of Black males in K-12 is critical to addressing the underrepresentation… [Direct]
(2022). Mentoring to Degree Completion: Examining the Influence of Race and Mentorship on Black Students' Doctoral Experience. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Temple University. Doctoral program attrition has consistently remained an issue in higher education with approximately fifty to sixty percent of doctoral students leaving their degree programs without earning the degree. Of particular concern is the disparity between Black graduate students' attrition rates and their peers. Less than half of Black doctoral students earn their degree within ten years. To address this challenge, the study considers the variables that affect Black doctoral students' programmatic experiences. Mentors have often been cited as primary agent of doctoral program achievement. As key conductors of the socialization process, they have the ability to affect students' experiences within their doctoral program. Due to the gap in doctoral degree attainment for Black students, this study sought to understand what influence Black doctoral students perceived mentoring and race to have on their graduate program experience. This collective case study was conducted with 15 current and… [Direct]
(2024). Carceral and Cathartic by Design: An Anti-Racism Historical Analysis of School Discipline in the U.S. Peabody Journal of Education, v99 n1 p142-165. The longstanding overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) students in United States K-12 exclusionary school discipline outcomes (i.e., suspension, expulsions, referrals to law enforcement and arrests) underscores the unrecognized concept that school discipline disparities are a purported outcome–rather than a flaw–of a racialized educational system. While these outcomes are prevalent across all school locales, they are of more significant consequence in urban schools/districts due to ineffective racial integration efforts and the historical and contemporary forms of hyper-(re)segregation. For historically marginalized communities, schools and the functionality of school discipline serve to maintain racism through what can is the cathartic carceral system: the policies, approaches, and practices that establish punitive/prison-like school disciplinary outcomes that promulgate the exclusion or release of racialized students in order to maintain,… [Direct]
(2024). Relationship between Academic Burnout and Psychosocial Needs among Black Doctoral Counseling Education Scholars. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Walden University. This quantitative study, guided by the critical race theory theoretical framework, was conducted to investigate the relationship between academic burnout and psychosocial needs among Black doctoral students in counseling education and supervision (CES) programs. This study highlights the prevalence and patterns of perceived met psychological needs and academic burnout among this population group. This study collected data from 96 Black CES doctoral students through a survey-based research design. Participants completed the University Needs Instrument for assessing psychological needs, including the needs for academic, peer, family, financial, practical, and emotional support, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey for Students for measuring burnout within the domains of cynicism, exhaustion, and reduced professional efficacy. An analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, focusing on correlational tests and a multiple linear regression to… [Direct]
(2024). Me Echan Porras: Understanding Latina Students' Journeys of Persistence and Challenge in Community College. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Loyola Marymount University. Latina community college students face significant barriers in achieving their educational goals, particularly transferring to 4-year institutions. Despite comprising a large and growing demographic within community colleges, their unique needs and experiences often remain unaddressed. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of Latina community college students in Los Angeles County aiming to transfer to 4-year universities I sought to understand their challenges, needs, and supports as community college students. Employing a counter-storytelling approach, the study utilizes "Platicas" methodology and method, informed by "Latina/o Critical Race Theory" (LatCrit) (Huber, 2010) and "Community Cultural Wealth" (CCW) frameworks (Yosso, 2005). Data collection involved in-depth "Platicas" with Latina students to capture their experiences navigating community college. Two research questions guided this research: How do Latina students… [Direct]
(2024). Stepping towards Culturally Relevant Literacy Assessment: A Content Analysis of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. ProQuest LLC, D.Phil. Dissertation, Mercer University. The continuous disparities in reading test scores between Black and White students remain a substantial problem in education. This study examines the historical disparity by investigating how the Georgia Milestones English Language Arts (ELA) End of Grade (EOG) Assessment incorporates cultural relevance. Employing the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory, Black critical theory, and item response theory differential item functioning, this research investigates race, culture, and standardized testing convergences. The central question guiding this study is: In what ways does the Georgia Milestones ELA EOG Assessment address the tenets of cultural relevance? Content analysis emerges as the methodological process to answer the research question. By critically analyzing the assessment content, the study aims to determine the existence or lack of cultural relevance within the test items. The findings indicate a considerable lack of cultural relevancy in the Georgia Milestones ELA… [Direct]
(2024). Can You Teach My CommUNITY?: An Examination of the Relationship between Administrator & Teacher Professional Development and Culturally Relevant Practices. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Howard University. Nothing is consistent but change, and that yields true to the educational landscape in the United States of America. Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (1995) stated, "Any educational or training system that ignores the history or perspective of its learners or does not attempt to adjust its teaching practices to benefit all its learners is contributing to inequality of opportunity" (p. 26). While studies have been conducted on educator preparation and its correlation to student academic achievement, the use of qualitative narrative inquiry on administrator and teacher perception to determine the gap between professional development conceptualization and implementation has yet to be extensively researched. This dissertation examined whether school administrators and teachers felt equipped to implement culturally relevant teaching practices in their urban classrooms and school environments. It uses critical race theory and culturally relevant teaching as the guiding theoretical… [Direct]
(2024). Testimonios of Rural Latina/o/x Students in the New Mexican Borderlands: Critical Considerations for Collegiate Access and Success. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, New Mexico State University. This study focused on understanding how "familismo," rurality, schooling experiences, and racial identity affect the postsecondary education journey of rural Latina/o/x students in the Southwest. Furthermore, the dynamic regarding Latina/o/x college access and opportunity was introduced with an emphasis placed on minoritized experiences across intersectional identities. This study aimed to recognize the lived experiences of rural Latina/o/x students through storytelling while positioning their cultural, familial, geographical, and racial identities as assets that higher education leaders can leverage to understand better how these intersectional identities influence their collegiate aspirations. The framework of Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) was employed with consideration of the unique landscape that rural Latina/o/x students must grapple with when educational administrators adopt deficit-based thinking. To further understand how rural Latina/o/x students in the… [Direct]
(2023). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Curriculum for Secondary Education Teachers. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California. Implementing culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) or culturally responsive teaching strategies in K-12 classroom settings helps educators mitigate systemic inequities within education systems. The purpose of this curriculum is to transform teacher pedagogy in a school district through a culturally responsive teaching lens. The content of this curriculum is informed by culturally responsive teaching, critical race theory, abolitionist teaching, and universal design principles (UDL). The design of the curriculum incorporates guided experiential learning (GEL), cognitive load theory, and situated expectancy value theory, this in person course consists of six one hour long professional development sessions designed for secondary teachers within a school district in San Bernardino County. After successful completion of this course, learners will be able to implement culturally responsive teaching strategies into their daily lesson plans. The summative evaluation includes designing and… [Direct]
(2024). Designing Equitable Media Literacy Interventions for Critical Youth Agency. Global Studies of Childhood, v14 n4 p462-476. In recent years, young people engaged in political discourse and civic action online. U.S.-based social movements centered on equity issues, such as Black Lives Matter, Dreamers, and March for Our Lives, engaged young people in shaping and publicizing the goals of these movements through digital platforms. Increasingly in communities at the margins, young Americans need digital and media literacy skills to supplement contentious education restrictions within the United States, as with many state bills curtailing the teaching of LGBTQIA+ histories and critical race theory. With these considerations in mind, our team conducted a national study of impactful media literacy in the United States. The study included an extensive literature review, interviews with key stakeholders, and a national survey of educators within the United States. Aimed at understanding the practices in formal and informal learning spaces, the research process inspired the creation of a field guide focused on… [Direct]
(2024). Storytelling to Succeed: Exploring Resiliency among Culturally Diverse First-Generation College Students in Doctoral Programs. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of California, San Diego. First Generation College Students (FGCS) account for one third of all doctoral degree recipients in the USA, however, very little is known about their educational experiences. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this study employed a Cultural Proficient framework to explore the barriers that prevent FGCS from pursuing post-undergraduate opportunities. In an attempt to expand asset-based research, this dissertation applies Resiliency Lens, Critical Race Theory and Socialization Lens to the experiences of six participants to showcase how they've overcome barriers in education. Students in this study identified a lack of guidance as a common theme in both their personal and academic journeys. Stories in the form of poetry were an important tool in helping students reflect on their experiences and introduced a new way of analyzing data through Poetic Transcription Analysis. Participants in this study were successful in navigating higher education as a result of relationships and skills… [Direct]
(2023). Racial Equity in Transfer Incentive Policies: A Critical Mixed Methods Analysis. Community College Review, v51 n1 p75-102 Jan. Objective/Research Question: This article examines the racial equity of transfer incentive policies by responding to the research question: How do students of differing races and ethnicities vary in their opportunity to benefit from transfer incentive policies? Methods: We utilized a mixed-methods approach, grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT). This study included an analysis of state policies' components and mechanisms to consider whether they are grounded in racially unjust assumptions. The critical policy analysis is combined with a QuantCrit analysis of national data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) to understand how identified aspects of the policies would affect students of differing races/ethnicities. Results: Our critical policy discourse analysis demonstrates that states' transfer incentive policies could foster racial inequity through the requirements students must meet (e.g., full-time status, being under the age of 24) and assumptions… [Direct]
(2023). A Quantitative Correlational/Causal-Comparative Study of American Indian Students' Sense of Belonging at Predominantly White Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northcentral University. The problem addressed in this study was the unknown extent to which American Indian students' sense of belonging at predominantly White institutions compared to American Indian students' sense of belonging at tribal colleges and universities. The purpose of this quantitative correlational/causal-comparative study was to determine the extent to which American Indian students' sense of belonging at predominantly White institutions compared to American Indian students' sense of belonging at tribal colleges and universities. Tribal critical race theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Data from 135 American Indian students attending predominantly White institutions and tribal colleges and universities in the United States were collected for analysis. Results of point-biserial correlation and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient included a statistically significant positive correlation between the type of institution an American Indian student attends and their… [Direct]
(2023). Observing How College Students Process Culturally Responsive Test Items. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, James Madison University. Typical approaches to test and item development are rooted in the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing." Culturally responsive and antiracist assessment practices are two new processes that challenge the typical process noted in the "Standards," incorporating critical race theory and cultural responsiveness into the item development process. Given these two approaches are relatively new, there is minimal research on how test takers process and comprehend test items created using these approaches. This dissertation modified multiple-choice test items through the lenses of cultural responsiveness and antiracism to create two sets of item types (diversity-infused and sociopolitical consciousness; DI and SPC items), then used cognitive interviews to observe how college students process and comprehend such items. Consensus and reflexive thematic analyses of interview data show that students process DI and SPC items relatively similarly, with few but… [Direct]