Probability is an important mathematics topic and is required for all Thai secondary school students. However, previous research found that both students and teachers often held several probability misconceptions, students had difficulties learning the topic, and teachers did not have sufficient knowledge to teach the topics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of probability misconceptions held by Thai secondary school students and their mathematics teachers, how the teachers implemented a nationwide inquiry-based curriculum, and how instruction impacted the students' understanding of the concepts. The participants were two grade 9 mathematics teachers and their students in four classes, 204 students in total. The data collection included lesson observations, a probability misconception pretest and posttest, and teacher interviews. The results showed that both the teachers and the students held several types of probability misconceptions. Even though the students' performance on the posttest was significantly improved after instruction, they still did not do well. The students learned knowledge on probability as evidenced in their responses on the posttest, but they were still having trouble appropriately applying the knowledge. Teachers' probability misconceptions and their understanding of probability topics affected how their students learned and understood probability.

Our nation faces an exponentially high demand for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) professionals and a scarce supply of individuals who pursue STEM careers, especially multilingual individuals. Particularly among students who are non-native English speakers (i.e., students whose native language is not English), there is little information on what role math attitudes and math self-efficacy play in understanding STEM outcomes. This information is critical to inform educators and policymakers on how to better prepare students and provide them the proper skills to be college and career-ready in STEM careers. To address this need, this dissertation explores the relationship between native and non-native English speakers’ math attitudes and math self-efficacy with their 12th grade math achievement, STEM bachelor degree attainment, and STEM career attainment. More specifically, this study examines students’ STEM outcomes at three levels of educational attainment including the graduation of high school, community college, and university.

Using the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002), I performed a latent class analysis (LCA) to group a nationally representative sample of U.S. 10th grade students (N=9,270) based on their math attitudes and math self-efficacy. Fitting independent LCAs on the sample of non-native and native English speaking groups revealed that there were different patterns of math attitudes and math self-efficacy among these groups. Results from this study suggest that regardless of English proficiency level, female students were less likely to have high math attitudes and high math self-efficacy beliefs relative to their male peers. In regards to STEM outcomes, students with high math attitudes and high math self-efficacy had higher 12th math achievement scores and had higher proportions of individuals with a STEM degree and STEM career. In particular, results from this study suggest that math self-efficacy played a stronger role in predicting STEM outcomes regardless of math attitudes. In regards to non-native English speakers, those with at least a bachelor’s degree were not far behind their native English speaking peers in terms of their STEM outcomes. Findings from this study will help educators and researchers understand ways to support positive math attitudes and math self-efficacy, particularly for non-native English speakers and female students so that they can persist in STEM and meet the high demand for STEM professionals. Additionally, findings from this study indicate the need for positive perceptions of non-native speakers and recognize the important roles they may play in creating a multilingual STEM workforce.

Indigenous students in California experience considerable challenges in the educational system. They are identified as “Hispanic” which does not take into consideration distinct linguistic and cultural traits they possess which vary greatly from other Latinx groups. Institutions play a large role as gatekeepers within education, which impacted Indigenous youths’ perception of themselves within this system. My previous study (Villa, 2017) found that a disproportionate number of Indigenous students begin their path to higher education at a community college by default due to being tracked into non-college preparatory courses. This study seeks to explore institutional and student-centered barriers that Mexican Immigrant Indigenous students confront as well as the strengths they draw upon to help them navigate higher education. It is the goal of this investigation to highlight the strengths and cultural wealth that Indigenous students possess to inform institutions and to propose ways in which these institutions can build on the cultural strategies those students employ to create stronger pathways for transfer. The data collection involved participant observation and semi-structured interviews with fifteen members of the Nacavi youth group that served the Indigenous Mixtec and Zapotec communities along the California Central Coast. I interviewed students who were in different stages of their educational paths beginning with: 1. Matriculation from High School to community college, 2. Completion of coursework for transfer eligibility, 3. Application to four-year universities, and 4. Experiences at the university. I utilized Critical Race Theory framework to examine the inequalities, structures, policies and procedures that reproduce unequal outcomes and limit educational opportunities for students of color. I also took an assets-based approach to examine the students’ resiliency and supports they received which helped them navigate through college. The findings of this study show that the Nacavi students chose to attend community college for a number of reasons. Primarily, a disproportionate number of students were tracked into remedial coursework in high school which severely restricted their eligibility for admittance into a university. Lower track placement rendered them unable to receive equal access to: College information; English courses that qualify for college entry; and academic content and critical writing skills. In addition, financial challenges were also a major influence in attending a community college. The results also illustrate the various forms of supports students used. Most all the Nacavi students reported receiving college preparation and support through program interventions such as Nacavi, Migrant education, the EAOP program or through community college representatives directly. In addition, all the students mentioned that their parents’ expectations and encouragement were the prime motivator in pursuing higher education. The findings of this study add to limited research that analyzes the educational experiences of Indigenous communities in the United States. The study concludes with a discussion of limitations and suggestions for future research.

In 2010, an estimated 214 million people migrated throughout the world seeking out a temporary or permanent nation of residence (Koyama & Subramanian, 2014, p. 1). This massive movement of people creates particular challenges regarding the ways in which immigrants are coming to understanding their old and new worlds as they define and redefine themselves and their environment. Rather than solely reaffirming their past identities and reconstructing their old lives, immigrants are focusing on new spaces of meaning that reveal the unique experience of each immigrant and their respective group. By redefining their sense of self through their ethnic, racial, pan-ethnic, national, or transnational identities these immigrants are actively dictating how they interact and identify with their community, their new nation, and their homeland. As these individuals create new identities issues of hybridity, marginality, and liminality arise as a result of the clashing of cultures as immigrants assimilate, acculturate, and adapt to the culture of their new country of residence.

This dissertation seeks to further understand and explain the ways in which immigrants and refugees come to define their new lives and the communities in which they reside. By conducting twenty-five in-depth interviews with Liberians immigrants and refugees in an ethnic enclave in southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this research examines how identities are formed and transformed as a result of the issues that catalyze migration and the challenges faced as migrants interact with their new communities and their new societies. Additionally, this research seeks to understand the key actors and organizations involved in the identity-making process of the community by interviewing key informants with regards to the impact that community organizations have on the day to day lives of the Liberian population.

The data suggests that while cultural assimilation may be the primary manner in which cultural interactions have historically occurred, a shift may be occurring in which immigrants are holding steadfast to their cultural heritage and merging it with the dominant culture rather than altogether relinquishing theirs. In an attempt to retain their Liberian cultural heritage, many community members were participating in community organizations that empowered them to make a difference in their local and transnational communities. This newfound sense of agency in one’s life was a byproduct of the exchange of cultural values as individuals became immersed in American culture while still holding on to their own. Although the outcome of this exchange was not always perceived as positive, overwhelmingly the interviewees viewed their transformed identities as increasing their ability to create positive change. Rather than fully assimilating into American culture these immigrants selectively chose which attributes to merge with their own heritage in an effort to create a new hybrid set of individual and community values. These findings promote the notion that alternative cultures should not only be accepted, but embraced, because through this process unique and transformative manifestations of culture can occur to empower individuals and the community.

Currently, more people than ever are migrating globally as a result of issues such as the search for economic resources, negative effects of environmental degradation, and displacement due to political conflicts. Considering that the mass movement of peoples is continuing at a strong pace, it is evident that immigration and its regulation by the state are major issues to be faced the 21st century. While there are multiple sites within the public domain in which the state and immigrant communities may interact, schools provided an ideal environment to investigate this relationship in Argentina due to the state-mandated enrollment of all children. Consequently, many immigrants had at least some contact with the state through educational institutions, as a substantial portion, such as Bolivian, Peruvian, and Paraguayan (i.e., Latin American) immigrants in Buenos Aires, often relocated with their children.

Given the increasing heterogeneity of student populations around the world as a result of immigration, public schools occupy increasingly conflicting roles; while there is potential for formal education to serve as a means for attaining social and economic mobility, public schools also have been heavily criticized for reproducing inequities within society. This unique position of schools makes them especially salient in the experiences of nondominant immigrant populations, and therefore this study utilized the reception of Latin American immigrant populations in the public education system of Buenos Aires as a window into examining the treatment of nondominant immigrant populations by state institutions. Taking special consideration of the impacts of the intersection of race, class, and culture in the reception of such populations, this research was carried out as a 15-month ethnographic, comparative study of two public primary schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2014-2016. Methods included participant observation within the schools, semi-structured interviews with 13 school personnel, and photo-elicitation interviews with 48 5th grade students.

Findings from this study suggested that despite outward promotions of equality and the recognition of diversity, deeply-rooted biases and notions of the superiority of whiteness dominated the interactions between public schools in Buenos Aires and Latin American immigrant communities, reflecting the treatment of Latin American immigrants throughout Argentine society. Overall, problematic perceptions of Latin American immigrant students and families circulated among school personnel, negatively impacting their approaches to working with such populations. Nonetheless, there was also a small yet determined group of school personnel engaged in critical education working to improve the educational experiences of Latin American immigrant students and families. Ultimately, however, formal and informal policies upheld by the schools systematically positioned Latin American immigrant students and families as outsiders within the school system, leaving them at a disadvantage in their pursuit of an equitable educational experience.

These findings indicated that in addition to examinations of formal policy, there is a need for investigations of the implementation of such policies and other informal policies that shape the day-to-day happenings within schools and other public institutions. This is vital as they relate to the promotion of the equitable treatment of nondominant populations by the state, as this study indicated that superficial multicultural policies alone were insufficient at combating biases among the dominant population and dismantling institutionalized discrimination. Findings from this study also suggested a continued need for the examination of race and whiteness in Latin American contexts.

ABSTRACT

Making it Through the Maze: The Triumphs and Trials of Women of Color Administrative Leaders at Two Historically White Universities in California

byClare Johnson Washington

The problems being addressed in this study addresses the lack of voice about the unique leadership experiences of women of color mid-level, senior- and executive-level administrators at two different historically White universities in California. It illuminates the unique challenges that these women must endure, as they negotiate a system deeply entrenched in a dominant ideology. Simultaneously, the study highlights how these women perceived and experienced leadership within their administrative roles. The purpose of this qualitative research, guided by critical race theory, was to investigate the experiences of midlevel, senior and executive-level women of color administrators at the two different historically White institutions and to understand the strategies for success that led to their advancement in the positions they currently hold. Participants included African American/Black, Latina, and Native American women. The twelve participants interviewed recounted experiences of tokenism, perceptions of communication styles, and inequitable compensation. They also reported support systems such as mentors, giving back, and spirituality that influenced their thoughts, actions, reactions, decisions, and motivation to continue in their positions, and in higher education. The implications of the study encourage institutions to provide funding, personnel resources, and training for all employees to address unconscious bias as well as encouraging and support systems. Current women of color administrators should be encouraged to discuss their professional experiences to continue informing scholarship and practice.

Demand for public transit services in most urban areas is increasingly concentrated in the peak period. However, peak period service is significantly more expensive to the transit agency than its other services and usually produces larger deficits. Faced with pressures to maintain or increase commuter services, yet also to control rapidly escalating deficits, transit agencies are in need of strategies which improve the cost-effectiveness of commuter transportation. Several innovative service strategies which make use of the private sector--service contracting, service turnovers, vanpooling-chave considerable potential to achieve this objective, and are alternatives to traditional transit agency approaches to problem solving.

Based on a study of 8 transit agencies in 8 diverse metropolitan areas, all with some significant private sector activity in commuter transportation, this paper examines transit agency utilization of these innovative private sector strategies. It determines the reasons these agencies have or have not adopted these strategies, and identifies the major barriers to their more widespread utilization. 

The initial incentive to consider non-traditional approaches comes from fiscal and/or service pressures which require some change in the status quo, but whether private sector strategies are actually utilized depends largely on four factors: 1) management interest in non-traditional approaches, 2) analyses which demonstrate the utility of innovative approaches, 3) discretionary rather than dedicated local subsidies, and 4) the ability of local government officials to influence the transit agency's service and budget decisions. The main barriers to innovation are traditional management orientation, labor constraints posed by federal legislation and/or local union contracts, and subsidy and decision making arrangements which give the agency no strong incentive to improve the cost-effectiveness of its different types of services.

Section 15 data has already proven itself a useful tool in transit decision making. Yet, its wider use has been inhibited by the difficulty of accessing it electronically. This paper describes a set of strategies for extracting, reorganizing and evaluating data originating in the electronic data files disseminated by Transportation Systems Center on magnetic tape. 

The current organization of information within the files is unsuitable for most statistical software packages. Therefore, it is necessary to extract information from the Section 15 files and rearrange it in a form suitable for analysis. Different classes of missing data are also defined and remedies for the problem are addressed. Additionally, the cross-validation of values and the computation of basic transit variables are considered. 

Many statistical models make assumptions about the distributional characteristics of variables. Differences of scale among transit systems on such measures as size of fleet often result in variables whose distributions violate these assumptions. Transformations which remedy the problem are recommended.