This study aims to motivate researchers, teachers and learners to utilize critical social research methodology in the field of second language learning and teaching in which neoliberalism and neocolonialism have been profoundly embedded and overwhelmingly dominant. Therefore, critical reflection (CR), participatory action (PAR) and emancipatory…

Science and mathematics have international and global origins and impacts that are intertwined with national origin, race, culture, religion, language, and gender, to mention a few. This means that scientific and mathematical knowledge goes beyond myopic narrow confines. Put another way, teaching science and mathematics without explicating their…

In-class participation is a common component of many university students' course grade, yet there has been some debate over whether it is fair to grade participation, given that some students are " naturally" introverted. In this paper, we problematize the central assumption that the arguments against grading participation rest upon:…

The expanding hegemony of English caused English Language Teaching to suddenly turn into an international business with huge financial investment, and accordingly produced EFL textbooks evolved into a cornerstone of the business. Further, studies on the relation between ideology, hegemony, and textbooks have multiplied in recent decades as a…

This paper discusses pre-service teachers' (PSTs) resistance to some of the core concepts of multicultural education in a large Midwestern university. The data collected from document reviews, observations, and interviews with a selected group of PSTs point to cultural-ecological factors as major sources of the resistance. The paper examines these…

Yearly, thousands of international students seek the United States to further their education, bringing cultural and financial capital into the country. Though previous studies have examined international students' experiences adapting to the receiving country, research is needed to investigate their lived experiences in a predominantly White…

This qualitative study explores the sources of the self-efficacy development of five Chinese doctoral students' use of English as a second language in a southeastern university in the United Sates. Although individual differences were reported, common themes were also recognized. Consistent with the self-efficacy theory and previous studies in…

The following article summarizes a research study which involved an investigation of the educational experiences of Afro-Caribbean student immigrants who were academically successful in the United States (U.S.). Although immigrants of African descent experience barriers such as immigrant status and racial minority status which leads to a double…

Despite a recent increase in the number of studies examining diversity in a contemporary society in relation to gender/sexuality, family, culture, and bilingualism; no study has investigated the intersections of these four areas. The current study discusses the results of an empirical study that explored how discussions about books depicting…

This study examines the ways in which a pair of identical-looking fraternal twins -- first-generation Indian-American adolescent male students at a private all-boys school -- construct personal meaning, or textual relevance, as readers. Semi-structured interviews with the two young men were conducted to determine the degrees to which their…

In this paper we build a conceptual framework to argue for culturally compelling instruction that leads to teaching for change. Culturally compelling instruction calls for a substantive shift in how teachers view their students, communities, and what the perspective might mean for students' future when they have access to alternative learning…

The current demographic gap that exists between a predominantly white and female teacher force and an increasing diverse K-12 student population has prompted a focus on the recruitment and retainment of teachers of color. These recruitment and retainment efforts at times come at "the expense of preparation" (Gist, 2014, p. 266). Further,…

Situated in social capital theory, the purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between African-born immigrant parents' educational level, income status, family structures, and academic performance of their children in the United States (U.S.). To that end, 205 African-born immigrant parents from a metropolitan city…

As part of a four-year professional development program centered on increasing special education faculty members' cultural responsiveness, the faculty members interviewed culturally and/or linguistically diverse (CLD) teacher candidates nearing completion of the special education program at a large Western university. The interviews, which focused…

Parent involvement has been shown to be one of the keys to student educational success, their ability to perform at a high level and persevere. The latest government statistics reveal that 53 million Hispanics now reside in the United States and 75 % of this population speaks Spanish at home [Cooper, M. (2014). "Hispanics in America and in…