NARRATIVE OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS ACADEMIC YEAR

(Summer 2013 through Spring 2017)

2013 (Accepted) Mexican-American children who have lost their Spanish language and

culture: Exploring their relationships with their Mexican, Spanish-speaking grandmothers.

The purpose of this study is to examine the communication issues and loss of cultural capital

that monolingual English-speaking Latino children face when they are unable to communicate

with their monolingual Spanish-speaking grandmothers due to language loss. This study will

focus on the following questions:

1. Do first generation monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican grandmothers perceive that there is a

loss of cultural capital when they are not able to communicate with their third generation

monolingual English-speaking Mexican-American grandchildren? If so, to what extent?

2. In what ways do first generation monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican grandmothers perceive

that their relationship with their third generation monolingual English-speaking Mexican-

American grandchildren has been affected by their grandchildrens loss of the Spanish language?

This study depicts 20 first generation monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican

grandmothers perceptions and reflections of language and cultural loss for their third generation

monolingual English-speaking grandchildren. Interview questions focused on grandmothers

attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts related to language and cultural loss and the implications of such

on the intergenerational relationship. Results indicate that grandmothers are concerned about

cultural and language loss which have started with their children and are increasing with new

generations, and their impacts on relationships between grandmothers and grandchildren because

they think that their relationships with their grandchildren are inevitably affected by language

barrier and this unfortunately influence cultural and language loss throughout generations.
2014 (In-progress): Childrens Cooperative Engagement: Exploring Their Interactions around

Multi-Touch Technology.

This paper explores how young learners engage in collaborative interactions especially

cooperative play around an interactive table. The educational processes are restricted by the

physical and temporal boundaries of classroom lessons, supporting few connections with

students social relationships as well as failing in activating a virtuous life-long learning process.

What can reverse this situation of the school system can be stimulating students engagement and

participation in the educational process by means of technology-enhanced tools. The aim of the

study is seeking answers the following question. What is the nature of young childrens

cooperative engagement around multi-touch technology?

The research was conducted in an urban preschool in the southeastern region of the

United States. The study involved one pre-kindergarten classroom with 22 students. The process

of collecting data took place over a 3-week period in the Spring semester, when students were

engaged in natural classroom operations utilizing the multi-touch table from Monday to Friday

between 8 am and 9 am. Before data collection starts, required permission was obtained from

IRB, and forms which allowed children to participate study were signed by parents. Then, data

collection began with observation to identify where researchers would put the camera to find out

the best view for videotaping. The researchers then began videotaping. For data collection, the

research team used a camera with tripod, microphone, and webcam. The camera remained on the

tripod, and the view of the camera included only the table and the children who were at the

center with the multi-touch table.

2016 (In-progress): The State of Technology: Linkages between Kindergarten Teachers Career

Stages and the Stages of Technology Adaption in Turkey

The use of technological tools continues to rise in early childhood programs as well as in

other levels, and technology is being used as a tool for improving program quality in many

interesting ways (Donohue, 2003). Thus, over the past decade, educators and governments have

been under pressure to reform school through technology (Keengwe and Onchwari, 2009).

Turkey is the one of these countries, which the implementation of educational technology is the

central focus right now (Kurt, 2010). Ministry of National Education has been designing new

projects to increase technology integration in education (MNE, 2012). However, Karaca et al.

(2012) said that the feedback which is given by teachers was very insufficient because of

different reasons. The most remarkable reasons are poor preparation at the university level and

teachers age and career stages as there is a negative relationship between technology use and

age. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the linkages between kindergarten teachers

career stage and technology adaption in Turkey.

Six kindergarten teachers who are working at technologically well-equipped kindergarten

classrooms will be interviewed for this study. Data will be coded and analyzed based on

Technology Integration Matrix (TIM)s characteristics of learning environment: active,

collaborative, constructive, authentic and goal-directed and levels of technology integration into

the curriculum: entry, adoption, adaption, infusion and transformation. In addition, teachers

career stages will be coded based on Steffy, Wolfe, Pasch and Enz (2000) stages: novice

teacher, apprentice teacher, professional teacher, expert teacher, distinguished teacher and

emeritus teacher.
 SERVICES

2017 Served as a presenter for GLOCER

2016 Served as a presenter for NAEYC

2016 Served as a volunteer for NAEYC

2015 Served as a facilitator for the 3rd Annual COEDU inquiry Conference.

University of South Florida

2015 Served as a presenter for AREA