Matching Items (14)
Description
The purpose of the research study was to explore the perceptions of Navajo mothers and Navajo fathers in the development and childrearing practices of their children and to what extent each parent was involved in their children by gender and age. The objective of the interviews was to capture the perceptions of each parent as to child development and childrearing practices as well as the beliefs that they have on parental involvement. In the current study, the interviews provided information regarding attitudes and perceptions of parental involvement from the Navajo mothers and the Navajo fathers who participated in the study. By using probing questions, deeper insights into the understanding and perceptions of parental involvement were obtained.
ContributorsTsosie, Berdina (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas A (Thesis advisor) / Spencer, Dee A (Committee member) / Duplissis, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Ultimately, the examples and foundation provided at home will impact the child as a student and lifelong learner. In Navajo society, there are some families who continue to instill the importance of heritage language and culture. And then there are those who choose not to, or who are not capable of doing so due to the lack of knowledge to share such teachings. Diné language and culture are vital elements of who we are as Diné. They are what identify us as a people. Our language and culture separate us from the western society. As parents and educators, our attitudes affect our homes, schools, and children. Our way of thinking may inhibit or perpetuate cultural teachings. However, no one knows how parents' attitudes affect cultural integration at an immersion school. This quantitative study examined parents' attitudes toward cultural integration in a Navajo language immersion school (Ts4hootsoo7 Diné Bi')lta' with the Window Rock Unified School District #8 in Fort Defiance, Arizona). Surveys were used to examine parents' attitudes about language and cultural integration. The survey asked about Navajo language and culture, about the extent to which it was practiced at home, and their opinions about how Navajo language and culture was being taught at school. The data were reported in basic descriptive statistics for the total group of respondents and then disaggregated by age, place of birth (on the reservation or off), gender, marital status, and highest grade completed in school. The data has shown that overall parents are supportive of Navajo language and culture. Their attitudes may vary based on age, place of birth, gender, marital status, and education. In spite of this, Navajo language and culture are in the home. However, the degree to which it is spoken or practiced is not measured. Parents are supportive of the school teaching Navajo language and culture.
ContributorsPlatero, Audra J (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas A. (Committee member) / Gilmore, Treva (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an alignment exists between the mission of Puente de Hozho Magnet School and the visualization of how current Navajo students view their education at the school. Qualitative research was used as an opportunity to explore the significance and to gain an in-depth understanding of how Navajo students view their education in the context of their personal experiences. The population consisted of six Navajo fifth grade students who lived outside the boundaries of their Indian reservation and attended school at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. The six student participants were asked to respond to the question, "What does your education look like at Puente de Hozho Magnet School?" through the pictures they took with a camera in and around the school. After the pictures were developed, students were individually interviewed by utilizing selected pictures to prompt their memory in eliciting descriptions and meanings of the images they captured. The students' responses generated a data set for coding and analysis, from which a wealth of data yielded prominent themes as to their education at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. Analysis of this research concluded that the students' visualization of their education at Puente de Hozho is aligned with the original mission and vision of the school. The student voices represent a relationship of natural connections to their cultural heritage as experienced in their school by disregarding stereotypes and rising above the expected.
ContributorsYazzie, Lamont L (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas A (Committee member) / Gilmore, Treva C (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Most educators believe that parental involvement and parental satisfaction with their children's school are key ingredients as to how each student will learn and become academically successful. Children learn best when significant adults are involved in their learning--parents, teachers, and other family and community members. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the factors that influence the extent of parental involvement in their children's school, to identify parental attitudes, and to identify perceptions of barriers as to parental involvement. Eight questions with subquestions compiled in a survey were responded to by 196 parents of children in two Arizona elementary schools adjacent to the Navajo Reservation having a combined total of 586 students whose ethnicities were Native American, White non-Hispanic, and Hispanic. One school had a state letter grade of A; the other a C. The survey data inquired as to demographic characteristics, how the parents were involved in their child's school, the level of communication with their child's school, satisfaction as to the school's expectations of their child, parent participation in decision-making, parents' image of the school, parents feeling welcomed in their child's school, and barriers faced as to involvement in their child's school. Parents' reasons for non-participation in school activities were in the areas of child-care, transportation, or not receiving announcements in a timely manner. Less than half of the parents responded that their child's principal responded to their concerns. However, more than half of the parents thought they were provided with excellent communication; three-fifths of parents responded that their schools held high expectations from their children. More than half of the parents felt welcomed by the front office, felt that the principal made parents feel welcomed, that their child's teacher made them feel welcomed; that the teachers responded to parents' concerns. More than half indicated that parents were provided specific strategies and necessary material for helping their child's learning. More research needs to be conducted to obtain the perceptions of Native American parents in the surrounding school districts adjacent to the Navajo Nation.
ContributorsBegay, Jonnye Kaibah (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas A. (Thesis advisor) / Yazzie, Lamont L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
DescriptionThis research was focused on determining the relationship between student achievement, teacher evaluation scores, and performance pay for an Arizona school district.
ContributorsRazo, Adrienne (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Jasmer, Shelby (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Descriptionbold-Navajo Language-bold
italic-Novice, Intermediate, Proficient, Advance-italic
italic-Novice, Intermediate, Proficient, Advance-italic
ContributorsTodacheeny, Frank (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Gilmore, Treva (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
An underrepresentation of females exists in the STEM fields. In order to tackle this issue, work begins early in the education of young women to ensure they are interested and have the confidence to gain a career in the STEM fields. It is important to engage girls in STEM opportunities in and out of school to ignite their interest and build their confidence. Brigid Barron's learning ecology perspective shows that girls pursuing STEM outside of the classroom is critical to their achievement in the STEM pipeline. This study investigated the impact after-school STEM learning opportunities have on middle school girls by investigating (a) how the length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the confidence of female students in their science and math abilities; (b) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the interest of female students in attaining a career in STEM; (c) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect interest in science and math classes; and (d) how length of engagement can affect how female students' view gender parity in the STEM workforce. The major findings revealed no statistical significance when comparing confidence in math or science abilities or the perception that gender plays a role in attaining a career in STEM. The findings revealed statistical significance in the areas when comparing length of engagement in the girls' interest in their math class and attaining a career in three of the four STEM fields: science, technology, and engineering. The findings showed that multiple terms of engagement in the after-school STEM programs appear to be an effective catalyst to maintain the interest of girls pursuing STEM-related careers, in addition to allowing their interest in a topic to provide a new lens for the way they see their math work during the school day. The implications of this study show that schools must engage middle school girls who are interested in STEM in a multitude of settings, including outside of the classroom in order to maintain engagement in the STEM pipeline.
ContributorsCupp, Garth Meichel (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Schauer, David K (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Career and technical education was founded on the common practice of apprenticeships integrated into the public schools at the beginning of the 20th century as manual arts, which continued to evolve into a culture and practice of its own as vocational education, and into what is now career and technical education,with an evolving focus on college and career readiness. This study sought to collect and compare the perceptions of superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and deans who were affiliated with ten Northeastern Arizona high schools, which were members of Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) to seven similar sized high schools in rural Arizona, which were not affiliated with NAVIT. The NAVIT schools were members of the Joint Technological Educational District. The member schools were required by intergovernmental agreement to operate their career and technical education programs by specific guidelines and curriculum.This study also compared the combined average academic achievement of the 2011 CTE concentrators of the NAVIT high schools, the non-NAVIT high schools, and all Arizona statewide CTE concentrators. Both NAVIT and non-NAVIT administrators were administered a survey, designed to measure perceptions of college/postsecondary preparation, career guidance and counseling,academic tracking, and curriculum. Results revealed that both NAVIT and non-NAVIT administrators were supportive of career and technical education, but for different reasons. The NAVIT administrators tended to view students in career and technical education programs as more mainstream, with college opportunities. The non-NAVIT administrators supported career and technical education as a system of programs that offered students opportunities for success, whether college bound or not. A significant number of NAVIT and non-NAVIT administrators opted for no opinion responses for several potentially controversial survey questions, which suggested discomfort with the topics. The academic achievement of the NAVIT, non-NAVIT, and statewide CTE concentrators as measured by the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards pass rates were marginal between groupings. The statewide average was highest, followed by NAVIT, and non-NAVIT. Recommendations for further research include conducting personal interviews of administrators to better assess leaders' perceptions of career and technical education and their influences on the academic and postsecondary career successes of students.
ContributorsHaussman, Charles E (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Mckinnon, Jeri (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
DescriptionNo.
ContributorsCody, Herman (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Becenti, Carmelia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
In 2005, the Navajo Sovereignty in Education Act was signed into law by the Navajo Nation. Like the No Child Left Behind Act, this Navajo Nation legislation was as much a policy statement as it was a law. It marked the first time that the Navajo Nation linked sovereignty with education by expressing its intent to control all education within its exterior boundaries. The objective of the law was to create a department of education that would resemble the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah in which the Navajo Nation resides. Through their department of education, the Navajo Nation would operate the educational functions for its populace. This study looked at the implications and impact that perspectives of this law would have on public schools within Arizona from the perspective of five superintendents in Arizona public schools within the Navajo Nation were gained through open-ended interviews. It examined the legal, fiscal, and curricular issues through the prism of sovereignty. Through the process of interviews utilizing a set of guided questions in a semi-structured format, five superintendents in Arizona public schools within the Navajo Nation shared their perspectives. Analysis of the five interviews revealed curriculum, funding, jurisdictional, and fear or mistrust as problems the Navajo Nation will need to overcome if it is to begin full control of all aspects of education within its boundaries. There is a strong need for the Department of Dine' Education to educate public schools with regards to the Navajo Nation Sovereignty in Education Act of 2005. Administrators need more training in tribal governments. Like the constitution, the Navajo Sovereignty in Education Act will be interpreted differently by different people. But, without action, it will be ignored. Within the Act's pages are the hopes of the Navajo Nation and the dreams for our young Navajo students.
ContributorsRoessel, Karina A (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Wauneka, Jacquelyne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011