Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Borderland'

This qualitative study explored multimodal biliteracy found in the Arizona-Sonora borderland, a region thriving with linguistic and cultural diversity despite having an English-only policy. According to Reyes (2012) biliteracy is to think, speak, read, and write in two or more languages, and there are various modes for reading and writing in the 21st century (Reyes, Acosta, Fierro, Fu, & Zapien, 2017). This dissertation focused on Spanish and English bilinguals. First, I present a literature review (Appendix A) informed by a sociocultural framework (Vygotsky, 1978) for understanding biliteracy as a social practice and valuing language as a resource (Ruiz, 1987). Funds of knowledge (González, Moll, Amanti, 2005; Moll, González, Amanti, & Neff, 1994) is an important component in framing this qualitative study and applying methods informing an inclusive pedagogy for bilinguals. Subsequently, I go over the photographs and multimodal composition presented in two case studies of Spanish and English bilinguals. The first case study (Appendix B) documents biliteracy in the household and local community of bilinguals through photography. It contributes to previous research by Reyes, DaSilva Iddings, and Feller (2016) and the two themes from their analysis: 1) Expanding definitions of language and literacy and 2) Deepening the understanding of funds of knowledge. The second case study (Appendix C) examines how bilinguals critically and creatively expressed their Spanish and English in a multimodal composition. Thinking critically about literacy meant reflecting on their everyday reading and writing practices as bilinguals, while being creative meant thinking about the various modes of reading and writing in two languages. This moves literacy beyond a monolingual and monomodal practice into one that cultivates diversity for equity in education for bilinguals. I seek an empowering pedagogy for bilinguals by valuing and making space for linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom. Biliteracy is a valuable contribution to class and the learning process of students with more than one language. The primary purpose of this dissertation, like funds of knowledge, was to develop critical innovations in teaching (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & González, 1992) biliteracy for the 21st century. Findings from the photographs, multimodal compositions, written reflections, and retrospective interviews demonstrate how Spanish and English biliteracy is practiced in various modes (e.g. music, dancing, singing, traditional family recipes, and religious/spiritual altars) in the Arizona-Sonora borderland.

This thesis explores the American Civil War in Indian Territory, focusing on how clashing visions of sovereignty within the Five Tribes—Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—led to the one the most violent and relatively unknown chapters of the Civil War. Particular attention is paid to the first two years of the war, highlighting why the Five Tribes allied with Confederacy, and why those alliances failed over time. Chapter One examines Indian Territory as a borderland, unveiling how various actors within that borderland, including missionaries, Indian agents, white neighbors in Arkansas and Texas, and Indians themselves shaped Native American decision-making and convinced acculturated tribal elites to forge alliances with the Confederacy. These alliances, however, did not represent the sentiments of many traditionalist Indians, and anti-Confederate Creeks, Seminoles, and African-Americans gathered under the leadership of dissident Creek chief Opothleyahola. Cultural divisions within the Five Tribes, and differing visions of sovereignty in the future, threatened to undermine Indian-Confederate alliances. Chapter Two investigates the Confederacy’s 1861 winter campaign designed to quell Opothleyahola’s resistance to Confederate authority. This campaign targeted enemy soldiers and civilians alike, and following a series of three engagements Opothleyahola’s forces were decisively defeated in December. During this campaign, however, schisms with the Confederate Cherokees became apparent. In the weeks that followed, Confederate forces pursued the men, women, and children of Opothelyahola’s party as they fled north across the frozen landscape for the relative safety of Kansas. The military campaign waged in 1861, and the untold suffering heaped upon thousands of civilians that winter, exposes how a hard, violent war rapidly emerged within the Confederate borderland, complicating historians’ depiction of a war that instead grew hard over time.

Chapter Three documents the return of Federal forces to the borderland via the First Indian Expedition of 1862. Although the expedition was a military failure, the sudden presence of Union forces in the region permanently split the Cherokee tribe into warring factions. The Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole tribes spent the next three years fighting their own intra-tribal civil wars. Moreover, the appearance and retreat of Federal forces from Indian Territory created a geopolitical vacuum, which would be filled by guerrilla violence and banditry. The failure of either Confederate or Union forces to permanently secure Indian Territory left Indian homelands ripe for violence and lawlessness. The thesis concludes by evaluating the cost of the conflict. One-third of the Cherokee Nation perished during the war; nearly one-quarter of the Creek population died in the conflict. By war’s end, two-thirds of Indian Territory’s 1860 population had become refugees. Urged to war by outsiders and riven with their own intra-tribal strife, Native Americans of the Five Tribes suffered immensely during the Civil War, victims of one of the most violent, lethal, and unknown chapters in American history.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the narratives of Native American youth to develop an understanding of social practices supporting and hindering educational achievement and attainment for Native American youth from their own perspectives. In this study, young adults who have recently completed K-12 education in a small rural school district tell their story of their schooling experiences. Understanding their lived experiences contributes to the body of research regarding Native American schooling in the Pacific Northwest.

This study adds to our understanding of schooling for Native American students who attend public schools in rural borderland settings. Though limited in scope, the personal retrospective accounts contain rich descriptions of the lived experiences of the five participants from which to gain directions for educational practice and educational research. Tribal Critical Race Theory analysis of in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with five young adults ages 19-24 from a confederation tribal organization in the Columbia Plateau yielded four major themes. These themes are: The legacy of colonization still present in schools, schooling, and social contexts, importance of school credentials/credentialing to move on with life, power of relationships to shape our realities, and forging our own reality.

Future leaders from public schools and tribal education agencies in rural borderland settings can use this research to inform educational practices for Native American students. Future researchers may wish to replicate this study increasing the scope, range of participants, and locations to further our understanding of schooling practices supporting and hindering educational achievement and attainment through strengths based explanations.

The aim of the study is to examine high school mathematics teachers' lesson plan development and implementation practices used in the border region of Mexico and USA. The study also attempts to determine how a transition from Mexico (Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua) to the U.S. (El Paso, TX) impacts high school mathematics teacher’s lesson plan development practices incorporating the Borderland Pedagogy. The Borderland Pedagogy theoretical framework (Cline & Necochea, 2006; Romo & Chavez 2006; Fiume, 2005) was developed to explore educational experiences of teachers situated within border regions. The framework highlights key characteristics of Borderland Pedagogy that influence lesson plan development and implementation practices. The framework was used to design multiple case studies research to examine and understand teaching practices on both sides of the border in general, and pedagogical experiences of transitioning teachers in particular. Elbaz-Luwish (2007) and Sabar (2004) defined teacher transition as an adaptation of a teacher to a new language, culture, and new educational system. Scholars (Shimizu, 2008; Diazgranados et al., 2008; Lit and Lit, 2009) suggest that lesson plans are designed according to teachers’ experiences, knowledge about the subject matter, and beliefs about teaching, and learning. The study is built on understanding that teaching on the border impose unique requirements on lesson plan development practices reflecting flexibility, cultural and linguistic diversity. The research sample included two Mexican teachers, two US teachers, and one transitioning teacher. The design of the study is operationalized based on the following data sources: (1) teacher-developed lesson plans, (2) classroom observations, and (3) structured interviews. Data was analyzed using frequency-based initial and focus coding scheme. The key observation in lesson plan development among participating Mexican and US teachers revealed complexity and uniqueness of borderland teachers’ practices in recognizing, addressing, and implementing national/ state standards and curriculum (Secretaría de Educación Pública, Texas Education Agency). Results of the study suggest that the Borderland Pedagogy could serve not only as a framework but also as an instrument to document and interpret transformative pedagogical practices of teachers teaching on the border.