Date of Conferral

11-11-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Amy Adcock

Abstract

Spanish-speaking students, also identified as Hispanic or Latino/a/x, have been reported to have lower high school graduation rates, and lower enrollment and retention rates in higher education than their peers. Research exists describing technology and emergency remote teaching (ERT) as widening the achievement gap, however Spanish-speaking students’ perspectives of their high school experiences in digital technology-enabled learning environments (DTELEs) are missing in the literature. To fill this gap this qualitative study explored six Spanish-speaking students’ perceptions of Garrison’s social, teaching, and cognitive presences with the addition of Cleveland-Innes and Campbell’s emotional presence in public high schools in the northwestern United States. Findings suggest that social presence was perceived as increasing learning and enjoyment when interacting with peers with shared academic goals, but negative interactions regarding language or cultural differences lead to withdrawal from engaging in courses. Teaching presence was perceived to create bridges to learning and opportunities, but poor teaching practices were found to create additional barriers to learning and cognitive presence. Emotional presence unveiled complexities in students’ lives that were often misunderstood, mischaracterized or were simplified into misleading stereotypes. These findings could have implications for positive social change by informing more effective teaching practices and policies that may better meet the needs of Spanish-speaking students and expand from individualistic cultural norms to include student values from familial-collectivist cultures. This could also benefit society in general by advancing diverse perspectives leading to more inclusive practices.

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