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Cultivating Cultural Competence to Inspire Social Responsibility in Middle School Students
Full text linkIn World Language education, teachers pair linguistic and cultural instruction to prepare students to engage effectively with speakers of the target language. In my French classes, where most students enjoyed dominant racial and socioeconomic identities, I noticed limited cultural competency skills in students, as well as a lack of readiness to engage with diverse cultures. This was unsurprising, as pervasive White eurocentrism permeates American schools, covertly impacting students\u27 social and curricular experiences. Specifically, curricula of World Language courses where the language of study originates in a country with colonial history, such as French, cloud and ignore the linguistic and cultural diversity of diaspora speakers.
In hopes of nurturing change-makers by inspiring a sense of social responsibility and building social literacy skills, this study sought to determine if decolonizing curriculum and centering instruction in cultural exploration and self-reflection could develop cultural competency skills in a group of racially, socioeconomically, and linguistically privileged students. The findings revealed mixed results; quantitative data showed no notable change in students’ attitudes toward culture, a slight decrease in their readiness to engage with culture, and a significant increase in their cultural self-awareness while qualitative data indicated that self-reflection and exposure to the diversity of the francophone world did initiate curiosity, questioning, and the recognition of cultural hegemony in some students.
Students’ cultural privilege and isolation were likely explanations for the mixed results of the study. Bolstering a limited knowledge base while critically examining their cultural selves challenged students’ coping mechanisms for engaging with diversity. In this regard, the intervention served as an effective initial step in developing cultural competency skills in students. Data informed instruction and suggested that similar curricular modifications throughout the school year could deepen students’ sense of social responsibility and better prepare them to engage with cultural diversity. The results of this study are not generalizable but may be relevant to other World Language teachers or applicable to other content areas and age groups, as well
Co-Teaching as a Transformative Tool: Enhancing Cultural Competence, Linguistic Responsiveness, and Pedagogical Practices of Veteran Teachers
Full text linkGuided by the Vygotskian (1978) principles inherent in co-teaching and Lucas and Villegas’s (2013) culturally and linguistically responsive framework, this qualitative, action research study investigated the impact of implementing a co-teaching model between a multilingual learner program specialist and a veteran general classroom teacher for the purpose of enhancing the veteran teacher’s pedagogical practices related to multilingual students. Data from professional development, interview, and conversation transcripts, in addition to observations, revealed the impact of the intervention. This study covered 3 years of a co-teaching partnership in a southeastern U.S. state. The data indicated teacher growth in cultural and linguistic knowledge and skill development using co-teaching as embedded professional development
On Finite Groups with Essential Dimension 2 Over ℚ
Full text linkWe determine all finite subgroups of Aut(X) which have essential dimension 2 over ℚ, where X is a minimal Del Pezzo surface of degree at least 5. Additionally, finite groups with essential dimension 2 whose order is divisible only by the prime numbers 2 and 3 are classified with the exception of the groups dic 12 , C12, and Dih24, whose essential dimensions remain unknown, but may possibly be equal to 2
Generalized Sierpiński Numbers and New Irreducibility Criteria on Legendre Polynomials
No full textA Sierpiński number is an odd positive integer k such that k·2n +1 is composite for all n ∈ Z+. Similarly, a Riesel number is an odd positive integer k such that k · 2n − 1 is composite for all n ∈ Z+, and a Brier number is a number that is both Sierpiński and Riesel. In this dissertation, we consider a generalization of a Sierpiński number and establish their existence by showing, for every fixed A ≥ 2, there are infinitely many odd positive integers k such that the k · an + 1 is composite for every integer a ∈ [2, A] and every n ∈ Z+. We produce the analogous Riesel-type result and Brier-type result. In an extension of the work of M. Filaseta, C. Finch-Smith, and M. Kozek in [16], we also show, for fixed integers R ≥ 1 and A ≥ 2, the existence of infinitely many odd positive integers k such that the expression kr · an + 1 is composite for every integer r ∈ [1, R], every integer a ∈ [2, A], and every n ∈ Z+. Each of these results in fact corresponds to an arithmetic sequence of such k. Further, these arithmetic sequences form a congruence class of the form L (mod M ) where L and M are relatively prime. As such, the work of J. Maynard and D. K. L. Shiu in [32] and [40] respectively allows us to extend these results to classifications of prime numbers. Legendre polynomials, where the nth Legendre polynomial, written Pn(x), is of degree n, are a classical family of polynomials that first arose in A. M. Legendre’s [27] study of the forces of attraction between spheroids. It has long been conjectured (see the 1890 letter [44] from Stieltjes to Hermite) that P̅n(x) := Pn(x) is irreducible for n ≥ 2 even and P̅n(x) := Pn(x)/x is irreducible for n ≥ 3 odd. Using Newton polygons, along with other techniques, we present an algorithm to determine if P̅n(x) is irreducible for a given n. We then use this algorithm to deduce the irreducibility of P̅n(x) for all n ≤ 10^7. Using similar ideas, we produce several new irreducibility criteria for P̅n(x) that build on prior results. Most notably, in an extension of existing irreducibility criteria, we show, for a fixed odd prime q, that P̅p+q(x) is irreducible for every prime p that is not in some finite exceptional computable set of primes Pq. We demonstrate the computational aspects of this result by showing P̅p+q(x) is irreducible for every odd prime q ≤ 13 and every prime p, and we obtain some additional partial results for q ≤ 29
OCD Online: Strategies to Build Engagement for Mental Health Content on Social Media
Full text linkSocial media is a tool with the potential to shape health communication. This study seeks to apply models of social media engagement from brand communication studies to explore how social media practitioners can effectively build engagement for mental health messaging. The study takes root in the concepts of social media engagement behavior (SMEB) and active vs. passive engagement outlined in the work of Dolan et al. (2019) and Shahbaznezhad et al. (2022). The application of these concepts to health communication provides new insight into the effectiveness of various messaging strategies—with a focus on OCD, a disorder that faces high levels of stigma and misrepresentation online. To achieve this purpose, this study created a real Instagram account (@ocd_otter), which was filled with educational content about OCD. Each piece of content fits within either side two key variables: video/infographic and rational/emotional. The following analysis looks at the Instagram metric results, and the results of a survey promoted on the account to determine which attributes were most successful in generating overall and various types of engagement. The results were widely inconclusive but provided some insight into the usefulness of various content types in generating specific engagement behaviors. Videos and emotional content both led to higher impressions/traffic. Infographics led to more saves than videos, and rational content led to more likes than emotional. The dual method of the metrics and survey led to complexity in the analysis. While research implications are limited, the project’s methodology led to a real-world impact in terms of mental health advocacy. Social media users reported that they felt represented by the OCD Otter account and learned new things as a result of its content
