Imagine: A Promise Scholars and McNair Scholars Journal

Past research has shown that English language classes for English learners (ELs) often center around English-only policies and do not encourage the use of students’ existing linguistic and cultural knowledge (Figueroa & Torff, 2018). Classes for English learners only focus on learning English, and the curriculum is not meant to help students succeed in other subjects, often causing them to fall behind non-English learners (Figueroa & Torff, 2018). Furthermore, teachers may not be adequately trained to teach ELs coming from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Nieto, 2000). Asset-based pedagogies encourage the use of curricula for ELs that incorporate the cultural and linguistic backgrounds that students already have. Using the literature on asset-based pedagogies, I identified six core characteristics of this approach: valuing student assets, evaluating current practices, analyzing personal views, incorporating family and community, teaching content that demonstrates high expectations, and teaching relevant content (e.g. Ladson-Billing’s, 1994; González & Moll, 2005; Hollie, 2011; Hammond, 2017; Paris & Alim, 2017). This research contributes to a better understanding of how asset-based pedagogies can be used to create more appropriate curricula for English learners.

Previous studies have investigated the importance of group identification and the negative implications that can follow, such as depersonalization and unwavering loyalty to a  group’s attitudes and beliefs. The study compares the differences between support-or-conflict conditions and leadership-or-non-leadership conditions, with a focus on the exhibited behavior of the group members and the emotions they experience. We predicted an interaction effect of Support x Leader, Conflict x Non-leader, and Conflict x Leader conditions. We conducted a 2 x 2 (support/Conflict x Leader/Non-leader) factorial ANOVA to determine the effects of each dependent variable and analyze whether there were any main effects on participants emotions, group-supportive behaviors, or any possible interaction effects. We found that participants in the Support x Leader condition had the strongest positive emotions toward their group, participants placed in the Conflict and Non-leader condition resulted in lower group-supportive behavior, and participants in the Conflict and Leader condition demonstrated weaker positive emotions compared to those in the Support and Leader condition. Overall, our results have important implications since people form similar connections not only in teams, clubs, and organizations but also in the workplace, volunteering, etc. It is important to set up a supportive environment that allows others to be connected, to feel a sense of belonging, and to self-identify with their group.

At the University of California, Santa Barbara, 3,408 college students were academically dismissed between the years of 2008 and 2021. Through data gathering and comparison research, we discovered that the elevated rate of dismissal among college students was associated with certain self-identified race/ethnicity groups and socioeconomic factors. We distributed a survey to the listed academically disqualified students and with 42 survey responses, it was indicated that mental health played a significant role in the increased rate of college student dismissals. Following mental health issues, the change in environment caused by the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, as well as feeling lost and unmotivated, also had an impact on many students. In this study, the data showed that the majority of students affected were Chicano/Latin/other Spanish, White/Caucasian, and Asian/Pacific Islander, in that order, according to the data regarding academically dismissed students. For the affected students, difficulties started in the first-year fall quarter, which led to a larger proportion of students being placed on probation during the following winter quarter. Among the dismissed students, it was also found that first-generation and low-income students were impacted at higher rates. The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons why students struggle academically and are dismissed at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It is crucial to identify the causes of these negative outcomes so the university can better support its students.

This paper examines the psychological toll of U.S. immigration policies on Latinx immigrants through a historical and social lens. Challenging the idealized narrative of the American Dream, the study explores how structural violence, U.S. intervention in Latin America, and the conditions within detention centers contribute to long-term trauma and mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Using scholarly research and firsthand accounts, the paper reveals the multilayered trauma experienced across three stages of migration: pre-migration, en route, and post-migration. Particular attention is given to the experiences of undocumented individuals, children, and mixed-status families who face systemic discrimination, the threat of deportation, and institutional neglect. The study argues for urgent reform of immigration practices and detention systems, advocating for a humane approach that centers psychological support, family unity, and accountability.

This study focuses on the critically endangered giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) and the current conservation efforts to help preserve the species. The giant sea bass is the largest bony fish on the California coast measuring up to 7 feet and weighing about 255 kilograms. They nearly went extinct due to their slow growth rate, predictable aggregations, and heavy fishing pressure. There are commercial and recreational landing restrictions in California that make it illegal to catch giant sea bass, yet fishing activities remain legal in Mexico. Although past fishing regulations have successfully increased the giant sea bass population, there is more that can be done to prevent future declines. Various research projects are expanding our understanding of giant sea bass, such as UC Santa Barbara’s Spotting Giant Sea Bass project, UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and a marine research lab at CSU Northridge; all are determined to develop the most efficient conservation strategies to help increase the species’ population. Based on data from past regulations and current research on giant sea bass, marine protected areas should be expanded geographically to further increase the protection of the species, especially in aggregation and nursery habitats. Implementing expanded protection areas would eliminate incidental catch-and-release mortality of giant sea bass, significantly reduce the sale of the species in fish markets, and allow for young-of-year and juveniles to survive and mature into adults.