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The primary purpose of this study is to explore factors and contexts that influenced and motivated individuals to enroll in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA, commonly called Obamacare, is also known as the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange (NMHIX). The study is specifically designed to examine the participants lived experiences and opinions regarding the acquisition, or opposition to health care insurance coverage. I have employed the hermeneutic phenomenological research methodology to conduct this study. Nine self-identified Hispanic residents of the San Miguel County (SMC) participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. The research site for the current study was the SMC located in northern New Mexico (NM). The major findings in this study revealed the following response patterns: (a) participant's memory of having health care insurance while growing up was divided among those that had health care insurance and those who did not have health care insurance or those who had state supported health care insurance such as Medicaid; (b) Trusted sources such as family and friends are methods that were used to obtain and learn about the NMHIX; (c) Mandate and penalty assessments for not having the health care insurance coverage was the number one motivational factor to enrolling in the NMHIX; (d) Participants had more negative experiences than positive in the enrollment process; (e) Nearly 90% of the respondents felt they have benefited from having health care insurance coverage, and; (f) The findings revealed that if participants had the authority to change something with health care insurance coverage, participants would like co-payments and deductibles reduced or eliminated. The results of this research provide a venue to strengthen the implementation of the ACA. In addition, there may be the notion to rethink and systematize ideas that enable and support local communities to operate as health communication channels aiding citizens navigate the optimal u

This study seeks to understand the racial discourses of teacher education students (TES) in the urban Southwest. This study is needed given the current post-racial or 'we're beyond race' climate in the U.S. (Bonilla-Silva, 2009). This study adds to the discussion of whether or not TES are really 'beyond race.' By critically analyzing TES' racial discourses it is hoped that a deeper understanding can be gained as to how this specific population both conforms and resists current racial discourses in the US. Because discourse reveals how people understand and represent the world, interviewing participants was a key method used in this study. In this qualitative study, 17 participants participated in two 60-120 minute semi-structured interviews. Participants were purposively drawn from a pool of over 150 students enrolled in an elementary teacher education program within a large, urban Southwestern university. Interviews with participants revealed that the racial discourses of TES fell along a spectrum that encompassed Non-Critical/Conformist discourses to Critical/Non-Conformist discourses. Their position along the spectrum depended on many variables that impacted and influenced their racial discourse and ideology such as family, schooling, peers, etc. The other major finding was that the more Critical/Non-Conformist TES experienced what I have referred to as racial witnessing events - i.e. defining moments where an individual experiences a strong event in which they (or someone they care deeply about) were racialized, Othered, and/or treated differently (usually negatively) because of their racial group, racial affiliation, etc. In conclusion TES both conform and resist larger racial discourses. Some TES adhered to problematic racial discourses such as the continued use of stereotypes and colorblind ideologies, while others were more critical and questioned the function of race and racism in the US. This study sheds light on the need for teacher education programs

The purpose of this study is to apply the lens of social reproduction theory to explore how English language educators view English language education (ELE) and to understand how the English language is used to create social distinctions between Taiwanese English language educators and others in Taiwanese society. Unlike other foreign languages, English enjoys a unique status and prestige in Taiwan because it is the preferred language for international communication. The belief in social mobility is the rationale for learning the English language. This study examines how the predominance of the English language creates internal conflicts and competition among groups. The role of ideology in language reveals how individuals make sense of the social order. From the outside, it seems that Taiwanese people benefit by learning English because it will lead to better jobs, but it is important to look within and among Taiwanese sub-groups and to acknowledge who truly has benefited from current English language policies. The approach taken in this study was to use qualitative methods. The data included two individual interviews with 15 elementary English teachers, one focus group discussion, journal writings, and analysis of ELE documents produced by the participants schools and the Taiwanese Ministry of Education. The findings from this study reveal that English teachers rationalized the problematic educational policies toward students by perpetuating the value of dominant cultural capital and by blaming working-class parents' neglect of ELE. The study concludes that participants' conforming to English skills (four domains, i.e., reading, writing, speaking, and listening) is a form of cultural and linguistic capital that has become a key to social mobility and stratification in Taiwan.'

This dissertation is a qualitative study utilizing action research methods to develop a case study on the experience of urban public elementary school Native American students in collaborative mathematics activities. Data was collected with observations, mathematics assessments, and interviews to study how public school Native first graders experience collaborative mathematics activities when culturally modified with Indigenous ways of knowing and being? A major challenge in analyzing this work was finding a theoretical framework that could explain the experience of Native students in a multicultural public school. Sociocultural theory was selected because it operationalizes the key features of the study: Indigenous ways of knowing and being and the joint activity of learning mathematics in a public school classroom. The study suggests that Native students were heterogeneous learners and responded to cognitive pluralism, a variety of instruction, student practice options and assessments, in differentiated ways. Furthermore, the collaborative activity of learning mathematics was influenced by the affective factors developed in classroom culture. The teacher designed the classroom as a caring community that acknowledged students cultures with an appreciation and respect for the reality of student lives. The findings from this study suggest that collaborative mathematics activities can promote Native students' learning when teacher and student participation is varied in style and function, and when this joint activity is nested within a larger context of a supportive community classroom. Key to this premise is the concept of nested joint activities; where the synergy of learning operates within and between joint activities.'

This dissertation is a qualitative study utilizing action research methods to develop a case study on the experience of urban public elementary school Native American students in collaborative mathematics activities. Data was collected with observations, mathematics assessments, and interviews to study how public school Native first graders experience collaborative mathematics activities when culturally modified with Indigenous ways of knowing and being? A major challenge in analyzing this work was finding a theoretical framework that could explain the experience of Native students in a multicultural public school. Sociocultural theory was selected because it operationalizes the key features of the study: Indigenous ways of knowing and being and the joint activity of learning mathematics in a public school classroom. The study suggests that Native students were heterogeneous learners and responded to cognitive pluralism, a variety of instruction, student practice options and assessments, in differentiated ways. Furthermore, the collaborative activity of learning mathematics was influenced by the affective factors developed in classroom culture. The teacher designed the classroom as a caring community that acknowledged students cultures with an appreciation and respect for the reality of student lives. The findings from this study suggest that collaborative mathematics activities can promote Native students' learning when teacher and student participation is varied in style and function, and when this joint activity is nested within a larger context of a supportive community classroom. Key to this premise is the concept of nested joint activities; where the synergy of learning operates within and between joint activities.'

Economic and educational globalization presents Chinese college students with career and academic incentives to develop their oral English communicative competence; however, at the secondary level, students study English mainly for the purpose of written tests. As a result, their oral English learning is largely overlooked. In addition, significant challenges exist for learning oral English at the college level: large-sized classes, an English-as-a-foreign-language-learning (EFL) environment, traditional rote learning, student diversity, and different English-learning histories. This research aims at investigating effective teaching pedagogy suitable for large-sized college classes of students developing oral communicative competence in an EFL environment. With Vygotsky sociocultural theory as a foundation, I apply practitioner action research to conduct two phases of study. The action applies a collaborative, communication-oriented pedagogy in a large-sized oral English class. In phase one of the study, students' group or pair work on communicative activities promotes and facilitates their social interactions in an EFL environment that enhance comprehensible input and output. In phase two of the study, continual practicing of communicative activities in groups or pairs facilitates their oral English grammatical knowledge, speaking strategies and sociocultural discourse rules through meaning negotiation and EFL teacher and or learners' collaboration and assistance. Also, practicing communicative activities actively engages students in their own learning process and offers a new role for the EFL teacher: introducing language social rules, directing students to resources, encouraging peer-to-peer assistance, and focusing on feedback that enhances strategic competence. Therefore, I suggest that for developing students' oral English communicative competence in an EFL environment with large-sized classes, consistent group or pair work using diverse communicative activiti

This study investigates K-1 teachers´ perceptions, practices, and equity issues in the integration of contextualized problem solving into the curriculum as a way to adapt instruction to meet the needs of Latino students who were English language learners. We draw from three bodies of literature: Cognitively Guided Instruction, language and culture as pedagogical resources, and equity issues in mathematics. This qualitative study takes place in the context of a situated professional development between bilingual teachers and researchers in a southwestern elementary school in the United States. Data sources included classroom observations, videotaped lessons, and interviews with the teachers. Through classroom episodes, this study illustrates how both teachers: (1) valued the integration of contextualized problem solving into their curriculum and used language and culture to scaffold understanding of complex mathematics concepts, (2) prioritized the use of the native language in their teaching and the development of different ways to communicate mathematically their ideas and strategies, and (3) prioritized equitable teaching by valuing and promoting a student centered approach to teaching as well as students´ identity as mathematics learners., Esta pesquisa qualitativa explora as práticas e percepções de duas professoras (K-1), assim como os assuntos de equidade implícitos na integração curricular de problemas de matemática contextualizados para adequar o ensino de estudantes latinos que estão aprendendo inglês como segunda língua. Este estudo se baseia em três enfoques: o enfoque cognitivo guiado do ensino de matemática, a linguagem e a cultura como recursos pedagógicos, e o ensino de matemática para a equidade. A pesquisa se desenvolve no contexto de uma iniciativa de desenvolvimento profissional situado entre professoras bilíngues e pesquisadoras em uma escola primária do sudoeste dos Estados Unidos. Os dados recolhidos incluíram observações de aula, classes gravadas em vídeo e entrevistas com as professoras. As descobertas indicam que ambas as professoras (1) valoram a integração no seu currículo de problemas de matemática culturalmente contextualizados para apoiar a compreensão de conceitos matemáticos complexos, (2) priorizam o uso da primeira língua no ensino e a incorporação de diferentes modos de comunicação matemática das suas ideias e estratégias, e (3) priorizam um ensino para a equidade ao valorar e promover um modelo de aprendizagem centrado nas capacidades dos alunos e na construção da identidade dos estudantes como sujeitos capazes de aprender matemática., Esta investigación cualitativa explora las prácticas y percepciones de dos maestras (K-1), así como los asuntos de equidad implícitos en la integración curricular de problemas de matemáticas contextualizados para adecuar la enseñanza de estudiantes latinos que están aprendiendo inglés como segunda lengua. Este estudio se basa en tres enfoques: el enfoque cognitivo guiado de la enseñanza de matemáticas, el lenguaje y la cultura como recursos pedagógicos, y la enseñanza de matemáticas para la equidad. La investigación se desarrolla en el contexto de una iniciativa de desarrollo profesional situado entre maestras bilingües e investigadoras en una escuela primaria del suroeste de Estados Unidos. Los datos recogidos incluyeron observaciones de aula, clases grabadas en video y entrevistas con las maestras. Los hallazgos indican que ambas maestras (1) valoran la integración en su currículo de problemas de matemáticas culturalmente contextualizados para apoyar la comprensión de conceptos matemáticos complejos, (2) priorizan el uso de la primera lengua en la enseñanza y la incorporación de diferentes modos de comunicación matemática de sus ideas y estrategias, y (3) priorizan una enseñanza para la equidad al valorar y promover un modelo de aprendizaje centrado en las capacidades de los alumnos y en la construcción de la identidad de los estudiantes como sujetos capaces de aprender matemáticas.

The current political, economic, and social conditions facing Mexican immigrant families within post 9/11 United States have a direct effect on their daily lives. The current climate of anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and racist discourse is perpetuated through mainstream media, political agendas, and even ordinary U.S. citizens and has a direct influence on state and federal policies. This qualitative case-study used a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework and methodology to examine how Mexican immigrants make sense of the neo-liberal social, economic, and political policies through their lived and educational experiences. This study took place in a metropolitan urban center in the southwestern region of the United States. The use of qualitative methods through in-depth interviews were conducted with each participant in order to gain their testimonios on how they made sense of the economic, social, and political policies through their daily lived experiences. In addition, this study attempted to look at how such lived and educational experiences were connected to transnational labor and migration within the context of neo-liberal ideology. Finally, the formation of an emigrante epistemology was devised from Mexican immigrants testimonios and counter-stories in order to validate and privilege their experiences. Emigrante epistemology derives from Mexican immigrants transnational, bilingual, and bi-cultural identities having lived in a third world' country near the U.S./Mexico border but is also influenced by the political, social, and economic conditions of the U.S. southwest. In this sense, emigrante epistemology is a form of counter-knowledge that is based on the acknowledgement that Mexican immigrants as a raced people employ multiple ways of seeing, reading, interpreting, and deconstructing the political, social, and economic policies through their daily lived experiences within post 9/11 United States.'

This study explores the mathematical thinking of native Spanish-speaking, primary-grade Latina/o students learning in bilingual classrooms where the majority of their mathematics instruction has been in Spanish. Guided by sociocultural theory, which emphasizes the important connection between language and conceptual development (Mahn, 2008; Sfard, 2001; Van Oers, 2001; Zack & Graves, 2001), and the theory and methods of Cognitively Guided Instruction [CGI] (Carpenter, Ansell, Franke, Fennema & Weisbeck, 1993; Carpenter, Fennema & Franke, 1994; Carpenter, Fennema & Franke, 1996; Carpenter, Fennema, Franke, Levi & Empson, 1999; Fennema, Franke, Carpenter & Carey, 1993; Turner, Celedón-Pattichis & Marshall, 2008), data were collected on students developing abilities to solve CGI problems and explain their thinking about their solutions. An expanded notion of mathematical explanations and discourse was used in the analysis that goes beyond student language to include their gestures, the tools they selected as problem solving aids, and their drawings and equations (Gee & Green, 1998; Moschkovich, 2002). This qualitative, longitudinal study is based on individual CGI interviews with four students over the course of their first three years in school and follows a grounded theory tradition (Creswell, 1998; Glaser & Strauss, 1980) to uncover themes in their mathematical thinking. The overarching motivation for this research was one of equity where the broader methodology sought to encourage a high-quality mathematics learning environment for Spanish-speaking, Mexican immigrant students in bilingual classrooms (Secada & De La Cruz, 1996). Groundbreaking findings from this study add to the literature on how young students make sense of the numbers in mathematical word problems (Fuson, 1988). The findings demonstrate that students are making sense of the numbers in fundamentally different ways and carry major implications for CGI theory, mathematics teaching and learning, and s