Social and Cultural Influence 
(EDG 6301)
1. Examine varying definitions and perspectives of multicultural education, consider diversity in adolescent development and experiences (age characteristics, individual and group identity, and cultural influences).

2. Assess the elements contributing to heightened awareness of culture and diversity: age: gender, socio-economic status, geography, ethnicity and race, religion, exceptionality and language.

3. Explore the relationship of these factors to curriculum in schools and to student success or failure, link home, neighborhood, and community contexts and be able to respond to family uniqueness in supporting communication and relationships between home and school.

1. Justify the use of different types of methodologies

2. Write a professional quality empirical research article.

3. Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative data and understand their uses.

 

Research
(EDG 6304)
1. Develop knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of research, including the formulation of research questions, the development of purpose and problem statements and the review of literature concerning a topic of study.

2. Develop an understanding of how research is used to inform significant issues in education and how research findings can improve teaching and learning, provide accountability, and produce evidence-based practice.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of how research is conducted from an educational perspective.

The second key concept of this course was to evaluate the factors that contribute to a heightened appreciation of students' culture and diversity. In this course, candidates created and presented an analysis of home visits and bilingual programs' influence on current educational issues. Specifically, the sample provided shows how teachers gained an understanding through engagement in-home visits that enhanced both the teacher's and students' learning experiences. The sample provided emphasized that educators should communicate with interpreters the key points prior to the home visit to help teachers maintain eye contact with parents as they speak even though they may not understand what is being said, body language “is very important to maintaining a connection to the family member” (Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz, 2019, p. 66). 

The final key concept discussed in this course is that candidates will explore the relationship multicultural education and diversity have on schools' curriculum. The presentation shared in the portfolio addressed cultural awareness's connections to student success or failure by discussing educators' importance in supporting communication and relationships between home and school. Home visits provide “insight into learners’ lives, language, culture, and needs,” which can be implemented to ensure a comprehensive multicultural learning environment that enables each student, including immigrant students, to meet high standards (Yaafouri-Kreuzer, 2017, p.22.). Candidates learned how teachers understand students' diversity and distinct cultures to ensure inclusive learning environments enable each learner to meet high standards.

This portfolio's presentation and writing sample outline the fundamental concepts of this social and cultural influence course. This project required teachers to assess the social and cultural connections of marginalized populations. In this case, the writing sample provided is a conference presentation that addresses the causes, effects, and solutions to immigrant families and students' language barriers. The presentation outlines programs educators can implement to communicate with immigrant families and build strong collaborative relationships to help immigrant students succeed. The first measure explained is the importance of instituting a bilingual program to help educators and immigrant families communicate. This bilingual communication program will help keep parents updated with school events, resources available, and their child’s academic progress. 

The bilingual communication program will be the foundation for educators to conduct effective home visits. The writing sample explains how teachers will use home visits to impact school culture and student achievement positively. Home visits will lay the foundation for trust between students, their families, and educators. Besides, educators can use the knowledge of a family's cultural and ethnic background gained during home visits to support a multicultural curriculum in the classroom.

Ilhan, F., Ozfidan, B., & Yilmaz, S. (2019). Home visit effectiveness on students’ classroom behavior and academic achievement. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 10(1), 61–80. 

Yaafouri-Kreuzer, L. E. (2017). How home visits: Transformed my teaching. Educational Leadership, 75(1), 20–25. 

The first key concept of this course required candidates to write a professional quality empirical research article. Provided in this portfolio is a written sample of the empirical research paper on interactions that impact student success related to the curriculum and instruction program. One of my research questions asked to what extent do online graduate students feel a connection to their university. Winton, Palmer, and Hughes (2018) explain that “the number of non-traditional students is increasing, the barriers that these students face are also abundant,” one of the barriers can be the lack of connection online graduate students feel (p.165). Through this research I was able to understand the various means of assessing and engaging students by providing a connection to the course whether instruction is taking place in person or online. 

This course's second key concept was to differentiate between qualitative and quantitative data and understand their uses. The written sample provided in this portfolio directly correlates to the competency regarding instructional practice and assessment by evaluating and implementing different research methods for quantitative and qualitative data analysis and using it as a guide in the teacher’s decision making. The empirical research paper is evidence of my knowledge of the different research methods for quantitative and qualitative studies. Educators are expected to utilize skills such as those gained through this course to assess and engage their students. The written sample demonstrates how interviewing students, surveying, and observing students will help teachers monitor student progress. Also, teachers analyze testing data and look for patterns that can help guide instructional plans and decision making.  

The last essential concept discussed in this course is justifying the use of different types of methodologies. Teachers employ other research methods to assess students learning and guide instruction for each student properly. The results and discussion portion of the empirical research paper prepared me to analyze the data collected and use coding to identify any patterns or gaps. Teachers need to understand how to analyze and use the data collected from students to implement instruction to best benefit the class. Throughout this course, I demonstrated how interviewing, surveying, and observing students will help educators monitor student progress. I also had firsthand experience analyzing data and looking for patterns that can help guide instructional plans and decision-making.

Winton, S. L., Palmer, S., & Hughes, P. J. (2018). Developing leadership for increasing complexity: A review of online graduate leadership programs. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(1), 162–176. https://doi.org/10.12806/v17/i1/a4

This course's next key concept was to comprehend how research is used to appraise significant education issues and use findings to improve teaching and learning, provide accountability, and produce evidence-based practice. In the written sample provided, I emphasize the importance of overcoming educational barriers by providing teachers with the support and resources to help students acquire the knowledge and skills to engage in online learning. The tasks carried out due to this project required me to take on responsibility for online student learning. I was provided with a forum to collaborate with other educators and share Lewis and Alirezabeigi (2018) acknowledgment that although students live in a technological and digitally prosperous society, it does not necessarily mean that they are using the information retrieved from it appropriately. Educators need to teach students how to narrow their research and not become overwhelmed by the amount of information available. 

The final key concept of this course was to develop knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles of research, including the formulation of research questions, the development of purpose and problem statements, and the review of the literature concerning a topic of study. The writing sample provides an analysis of literature investigating how causes and effects of access and lack of access to digital information have been researched, studied, analyzed, and identified. The overall consensus is arguments that advocate for fair digital access to information. Positive results provide evidence identified in studies to support the ethical responsibility to promote culturally literate societies, equal and engagement in political and civic matters. 

As a result of this course, I was provided the resources and skills to collaborate with teachers and school professionals to research and develop a plan of action to seek support and resources that would promote student growth and teacher professional development. This assignment prepared me to collaborate with other school professionals to meet the diverse needs of students. The COVID-19 pandemic “has resulted in schools shut all across the world…globally over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom” (Li & Lalani, 2020, para. 1). As educators and students have transitioned from face-to-face interactions in the classroom to distance learning, this field's impact and the topic discussed is prominent. 

Li, C., & Lalani, F. (2020, April 29). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/

Wilson, Z. S., Iyengar, S. S., Pang, S., Warner, I. M., & Luces, C. A. (2011). Increasing access for economically disadvantaged students: The NSF/CSEM & S-STEM programs at louisiana state university. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 21(5), 581-587. https://doi:10.1007/s10956-011-9348-6