College of Education and Human Development Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/1173
Browse
Browsing College of Education and Human Development Theses and Dissertations by Author "Aguilar, Israel"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Experiences of middle and high school avid students from an urban South Texas school district who played college ready-the game(2017-12) Reynolds-Perez, Cecilia (Cissy); Gonzalez, Elsa; Aguilar, Israel; Elliff, D. Scott; Gurney, DavidThe college education gap between Latinas/os and whites has grown to 29 percentage points (Kolodner, 2017). I am a product of this gap. As a high school principal, I believe the solution to this problem lies within the creative minds of school principals/leaders. When a resource was not available to address the college readiness gap at my campus, I created one. The resource I created is College Ready-the Game. You can create one too! The purpose of this qualitative study is to discover the experiences of middle and high school AVID students who played College Ready-the Game. John Dewey’s theory of pragmatism guided the study. The intent behind the development of College Ready-the Game was to create a vocabulary resource that students can learn by doing. The methodological framework was based upon tenets of Action Research. Patterns of experiences from participants of the same social group (students in the AVID program) that had played the college-ready game were observed through an interpretivist lens. Data from interviews were unitized and sorted into categories. Secondary AVID classrooms who most widely use the game were chosen for the selection of participants. The classrooms are located in Title I and Non-Title I campuses to help ensure diversity of the participants. The emergent patterns of responses conclude the following: • Game-play of College Ready-the Game sparked conversations that developed college-ready vocabulary. • Physical movement, competition, and repetition of game-play motivated students to learn college-ready vocabulary. • Community of inquiry and a college-going culture were established through game-play. • Bank of college-ready vocabulary empowered students to participate in college-talk and earn social and cultural capital. • The social and cultural capital led the students to the critical predisposition stage to pursue college with their counselors, peers and parents. While the study adds to the literature of college readiness, future qualitative studies are recommended to uncover the experiences from a variety of student and parent populations, such as speakers of other languages. Longitudinal quantitative studies are recommended to discover the effects of students who play College Ready-the Game throughout their school years.Item The impact of the bring your own device program on academic achievement in mathematics in a sample of 7th graders: an explanatory sequential mixed methods inquiry(2017-05) Tijerina, Patricia Aurora; Kouzekanani, Kamiar; Aguilar, Israel; Bruun, Faye; Elwood, SusanThe State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program were among the major topics of interest in Texas middle schools in the 2014-2015 school year. Many institutions have been implementing a BYOD policy, which allows students and teachers purchase their own electronic devices without offering detailed specifications. The primary purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the BYOD on standardized academic achievement in mathematics. The mixed methods study was conducted in two middle schools in South Texas. The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores were analyzed to test the hypothesis that 7th graders who used the BYOD program (n = 297) would score higher on standardized mathematics achievement than did the students who had not used the BYOD program (n = 297). For the qualitative component of the study, a focus group was conducted to document the perspectives of a sample of teachers and educational leaders regarding the effectiveness of the BYOD program on mathematics academic achievement. Based on the quantitative results, the study’s hypothesis was not supported and it was concluded that the students who used the BYOD program did not score higher on the seventh grade standardized mathematics STAAR test than did the students who had not used a BYOD program. There were 13 educators who participated in the qualitative component of the study of which, eight did not feel that achievement in mathematics could be affected by the BYOD program, complementing the quantitative results. Analysis of the qualitative data resulted in five themes, namely, Access to BYOD, Distractions Due to BYOD, Cost of BYOD, Monitoring of BYOD, and BYOD as a Tutorial Tool. The study examined the impact of the BYOD program on seventh grade standardized mathematics STAAR scores in a South Texas middle school setting. After adjusting for the confounding variables, the results demonstrated that, at the 0.01 level of significance, the non-BYOD group outperformed the comparison group on the majority of the outcome measures. The educators in the focus group stated that the BYOD program, when properly used, helps students access the newest mathematics resources that may result in academic achievement. In non-BYOD schools, other factors that may influence the outcomes must be taken into consideration, which may include parent and community involvement, teacher assessments, teacher-made worksheets targeting specific objectives, daily in-school small group tutoring, and after school tutoring prior to the STAAR test. Additionally, providing the teachers with sufficient planning time to develop the subject areas may be instrumental in increasing mathematics scores. Whatever the case may be, it can be informative to examine the effectiveness of other potential interventions.Item Perceptions of Latino males participating in a mentoring program pursuing an undergraduate degree at two Hispanic-serving institutions(2020-05) Luis, Stephen; Banda, Rosa Maria; Aguilar, Israel; Elliff, Doyne; Pena, JoeThe underrepresentation of males of color, and in particular, Latino males in higher education persists. While there has been considerable studies on males of color in higher education, few research has been conducted that specifically focuses on Latino male experiences and persistence in attaining a college degree. This qualitative study sought a better understanding of the perceptions of six Latino male college students participating in a formalized mentoring program while pursuing their undergraduate degrees at two Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). By focusing on the experiences of the six Latino males participating in a mentoring program, the findings of the study found that that participants perceived their participation in a formalized mentoring program provided various sources of support networks such as academic support, mentoring opportunities, and social support as critical to their persistence in their undergraduate degrees at their institutions. This study also found that their participation in a mentoring program and interactions with their mentors served to validate the participants in this study and also created a sense of belonging for them over time at their universities. Finally, the study found that as a result of their joining a mentoring program, participants encountered additional beneficial opportunities which included building their leadership skills through participation in college activities, the availability of mentors to serve as role models, and the expansion of their social support network in meeting new peers outside of the classroom.Item A quantitative assessment of Texas house bill 505: college dual credit courses and academic success among high school students(2017-12) Klimitchek, Michelle Leigh; Bowden, Randall; Banda, Rosie; Aguilar, Israel; Benibo, BilayeTexas House Bill 505 expanded dual credit programs to include high school freshmen and sophomores. This study examined the relationship of high school student characteristics and academic success in first attempt dual credit courses. Characteristics refer to year in high school, gender, and high school size. Success is passing scores in English, mathematics, and history. Data were collected from a community college, providing services to area high schools. Of 826 cases 10 were freshmen and sophomores. More data from the state was unavailable as the state does not require reporting. Therefore, analyses included juniors and seniors with chi-square and logistic regression. House Bill 505 was assessed with Fowler’s (2013) Six-Stage Model of public policy. Results from statistical analyses were mixed, indicating context plays a large role and it is not known how well House Bill 505 functions. Future research should focus on tracking high school students in dual credit courses.Item Unfamiliar territory: a case study of college professors teaching on high school campuses(2016-05) Cade, Barbara Levene; Hemmer, Lynn; Bowden, Randall; Smith, Nancy; Aguilar, Israel; Bonnette, RandyThe increase of enrollment in dual credit courses in high schools is staggering and traditional methods of delivering dual credit stop short of meeting the demand. In one newer model, college professors teach dual credit courses on high school campuses. However, little is known about how the uniqueness of the high school setting informs the professor’s experience and professional practice. Using organizational theory and symbolic interactionism, through this qualitative case study, the researcher explored the experiences of college professors teaching in this model, using thematic analysis of interviews, classroom observations, and a focus group. Findings suggest that the high school setting informs the experiences of the professor in four ways: (a) professors may occupy a distinctive niche that is not necessarily connected to the socio-cultural structures found within the high school; (b) context, which includes the cultural, organizational, and environmental aspects of the college and high school campus, emerged as a driving factor in the experiences of professors; (c) the act of teaching on a high school campus elicits specific feelings and actions and may present communication problems that require adjustment and redefinition; and (d) formal and informal communication between the high school and college entities is important to foster both vitality and structure in a partnership. Implications for practitioners, researchers and policy makers are provided. There is a need for administrators to understand individual and interpersonal constructs that may be dependent of environmental conditions when offering innovative ways to deliver dual credit. Recommendations for future research include: 1) an opportunity to explore other districts attempting to implement innovative dual credit models, 2) the extension of the dual credit committee formed by the college, and 3) the exploration of the student perspective when taking dual credit courses in high school taught by college professors.