Funded Projects
Collaborative research groups are awarded funding through a competitive proposal process each year. Funded projects include the following:
Enlazando/Rompiendo Fronteras con Trabajo, Orgullo Y Generosidad/ Weaving/Breaking Borders with Work, Pride and Generosity Research Team: Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Stephanie Alvarez, Freyca Calderon-Berumen, Ana Lopez |
Our vision for this SIRG project is to illustrate how Latinas/Chicanas in higher education come together to engage in collaborative work to support the HSI faculty’ and students’ efforts on becoming our own democratic leaders. |
Implementing High Leverage Practices in Virtual and F2F Classroom Environments at a Hispanic Serving Institution Research Team: Veronica Estrada, Carmen Peña, Denise Love |
What is the impact of Practice Based Teacher Education pedagogies, with particular attention to embedding culturally responsive teaching practices and using mixed reality simulations? |
SABES: Spanish As a Bridge to Educational Success Research Team: Angela Chapman, Zulmaris Diaz, Mirayda Torres-Avila, Shizue Mito |
SABES will explore the extent to which Spanish as linguistic capital supports learning in college STEM classes by integrating L1 Spanish specific strategies into biology and chemistry courses |
Discovering Latinx Graduate Students's Perceptions of Online Teaching at an HSI Research Team: Javier Cavazos, Pierre Lu, Clarissa Salinas |
The purpose of this study is to explore HSI counseling graduate students’ perceptions of online teaching, learning, and support during a pandemic. |
Latinx Preservice Bilingual Elementary Teachers: Exploring the Intersections of Mathematical Proficiency, Language Use, Self-efficacy, and Problem-solving Research Team: Maria Diaz, Jair Aguilar, Victor Vizcaino |
A continuation from Year Four |
Researching Our Identity as an HSI: A Significant Case Study of How and What Faculty, Administrators, and Staff Do to Improve Student Success Research Team: Israel Aguilar, Jesus Abrego, Federico Guerra, Erica Benavides, Neda Ramirez |
A continuation from Year Four |
Border Pedagogies for Teacher Preparation Research Team: Alcione Ostorga, Christian Zuñiga, Kip Hinton |
A continuation from Year Two, Three and Four |
Researching Our Identity as an HSI: A Case Study of How and What Faculty, Administrators, and Staff Do to Improve Student Success Research Team: Israel Aguilar, Jesus Abrego, Federico Guerra, Erica Benavides |
This study explores the perspectives of educational leaders and administrators at an HSI. |
Graduate Counseling Students’ Perception of their Preparedness to Practice Play Therapy Research Team: Clarissa Salinas, Eunice Lerma, Yih-Juen Shen, Diana Delinda Ruiz |
How are graduate counseling students prepared to use play therapy with Latinx children? |
Deep Dive into HSI Students' Testimonios to Build and Learn Faculty Paths Research Team: Karin Lewis, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Vejoya Viren, Juana Dolores Montiel |
In order to learn from Latinx students, the SIRG elicited student testimonios. |
Latinx Preservice Bilingual Elementary Teachers: Exploring the Intersections of Mathematical Proficiency, Language Use, Self-efficacy, and Problem-solving Research Team: Jair Aguilar, Maria Diaz, Victor Vizcaino |
How do bilingual students use Spanish and English to solve mathematical problems? |
Proposing a Culturally Relevant Framework and Assessments for teaching Nature of Science and Authentic Science to Latinx Preservice Teachers Research Team: Noushin Nouri, Angela Chapman, Pierre Lu, Leslie Garrido |
The SIRG is developing and validating a culturally relevant assessment for Nature of Science. |
The Experiences of Women Faculty of Color within and Beyond the CEP and HSIs Research Team: Elena Venegas, Jacqueline Koonce, Lorenza Lancaster, Julissa Bazan |
A continuation from Year Three |
Border Pedagogies for Teacher Preparation Research Team: Alcione Ostorga, Christian Zuñiga, Kip Hinton |
A continuation from Year Two and Three |
Agency and Identity Among Math and Science Teachers in the Borderlands Research Team: Dr. Angela Chapman, Ariana Garza, Felicia Rodriguez, Johanna Esparaza, Alicia Cronkhite |
Math/science educator identity influences classroom culture. However, power structures in RGV schools encourage dominant American cultures even though the majority of teachers and students are Hispanic. This SIRG seeks to investigate ways to help secondary teachers develop a strong identity and agency as a means of transforming their classroom culture. |
Science is Socially and Culturally Embedded: How It Is Useful for Hispanic Elementary Teachers in the RGV Research Team: Dr. Noushin Nouri, Vero G. Frady, Patricia Ramirez |
This project has been designed to increase Hispanic preservice teachers’ understanding of nature of science and to improve their attitude towards science and the teaching of science. |
Developing a Border Pedagogy for Teacher Preparation Research Team: Dr. Alcione Ostorga, Dr. Kip Hinton, Dr. Christian Zúñiga |
In this meta-analysis of the professional literature we examine border pedagogy, particularly focusing on the following questions: What is border pedagogy and how is it defined or understood? What are border pedagogical practices for Latinx teacher preparation? |
Listening to HSI students’ testimonios to build and learn our OWN paths. Research Team: Dr. Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Dr. Karin Lewis, Dr. Vejoya Viren |
Deconstructing racism in higher education must be part of the institutional identity of HSIs as well as embracing and including indigenous knowledges and rejecting the separation between academic work and community involvement. This project will share student voices through their testimonios of resilience, challenges and success before, within and after their UTRGV/HSI experience, locating these experiences within the Latinx tradition of political struggle and pride to help to develop strategies for social change and an opportunity for decolonizing and transcontinental (South-North) understandings based on indigenous-mestizo wisdom and ethics of communality. |
Investigating Hispanic Serving College of Education Students’ Perspectives and Experiences Regarding High Impact Practices: Latinx Success Stories Research Team: Dr. Ming-Tsan Lu, Dr. María Díaz, Dr. Johanna Esquivel |
The purpose of this mixed methods study is to investigate CEP students’ perspectives and experiences with high-impact practices. |
The Experiences of Women Faculty of Color Within and Beyond the College of Education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions Research Team: Dr. Elena Venegas, Dr. Jacqueline Koonce, Lorenza Lancaster, Julissa Bazan |
The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the experiences of women faculty of color, who are not Latina, both within and beyond Colleges of Education at Hispanic Serving Institute |
Transforming Teacher Preparation in HSIs: Exploring Translanguaging
Research Team: Dr. Sandra Musanti, Dr. Alma Rodríguez, Dr. Alyssa Cavazos |
Translanguaging is a natural occurring phenomenon in bi/multilingual communities and an identity marker of the community in the RGV. This SIRG seeks to investigate how translanguaging pedagogies at a HSI impact bilingual and writing teacher candidates’ perceptions of linguistically inclusive literacy instruction to improve teacher preparation. |
Hispanic Family Engagement Practice Through Mixed Reality Simulation
Research Team: Dr. Hsuying Ward, Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez, Leticia Frias-Perez |
This study describes how we provide mixed-reality IEP learning opportunities to prepare students to advocate social justice and become culturally responsive scholars towards the education of their PK-12 pupils with disabilities. This research investigates the effect of intervention using MRS- TeachLiveTM as the tool to help practitioners see how their words and actions effect their collaboration with Hispanic parents of children with disabilities. |
Reflections on Teacher Education Practices of First-Year Tenure Track Professors at an HSI
Research Team: Dr. Gilberto Lara, Dr. Hitomi Kambara, Dr. Maria Leija, Dr. Gerardo Aponte Martinez |
The objective of the SIRG is to reflect on our teacher education practices as first year tenure track professors at an HSI. In this research project, we wrestle with the following questions: What does it mean to be a professor at an HSI? How am I inclusive of my students’ knowledge, experiences, language and culture? What activities do I engage in as I work towards becoming a professor that encourages the sustainment of my students’ culture and language? |
Transformative Practice through Technology Integration: How to Leverage the CEP HSI Frames of Reference
Research Team: Dr. Leticia De Leon, Dr. Zulmaris Diaz, Dr. Michael Whitacre, Dr. Janet Martinez |
Perception of technology competence and university instructor use of instructional technology play a vital role in preservice teachers’ willingness to use it in their own practice. In this SIRG, we explore the question, Will technology integration in learning transform student frames of reference in a HSCOE? |
Science is Socially and Culturally Embedded: How It Is Useful for Hispanic Elementary teachers in the RGV
Research Team: Dr. Noushin Nouri, Dr. Jair Aguilar, Patricia Ramirez |
This project has been designed to increase Hispanic preservice teachers’ understanding of nature of science and to improve their attitude towards science and the teaching of science. |
Developing a Border Pedagogy for Teacher Preparation
Research Team: Dr. Alcione Ostorga, Dr. Kip Hinton, Dr. Christian Zúñiga |
In this meta-analysis of the professional literature we examine border pedagogy, particularly focusing on the following questions: What is border pedagogy and how is it defined or understood? What are border pedagogical practices for Latinx teacher preparation? |
Agency and Identity Among Math and Science Teachers in the Borderlands
Research Team: Dr. Angela Chapman, Ariana Garza, Felicia Rodriguez |
Math/science educator identity influences classroom culture. However, power structures in RGV schools encourage dominant American cultures even though the majority of teachers and students are Hispanic. This SIRG seeks to investigate ways to help secondary teachers develop a strong identity and agency as a means of transforming their classroom culture. |
Language and Literacy Practices of CEP Students at an HSI
Research Team: Dr. Janine M. Schall, Dr. Veronica Estrada, Dr. Elena Venegas |
Language and literacy practices play an essential role in academic success, yet we know little about how undergraduate CEP students use language and literacy practices to navigate their personal, work, and academic lives. This exploratory study will use student surveys and focus groups to explore this question. |
Agency and Identity Among Math and Science Teachers in the Borderlands
Research Team: Dr. Angela Chapman, Ariana Garza, Felicia Rodriguez |
Math/science educator identity influences classroom culture. However, power structures in RGV schools encourage dominant American cultures even though the majority of teachers and students are Hispanic. This SIRG seeks to investigate ways to help secondary teachers develop a strong identity and agency as a means of transforming their classroom culture. |
Language and Literacy Practices of CEP Students at an HSI
Research Team: Dr. Janine M. Schall, Dr. Leticia De Leon, Dr. Veronica Estrada |
Language and literacy practices play an essential role in academic success, yet we know little about how undergraduate CEP students use language and literacy practices to navigate their personal, work, and academic lives. This exploratory study will use student surveys and focus groups to explore this question. |
Exploring and Sharing an Ethic of Care in Critical Pedagogy: Outsiders/Non-Hispanic Faculty at an HSI
Research Team: Dr. Karin Lewis, Dr. Jacqueline Koonce, Dr. Vejoya Viren, Dr. Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto |
This qualitative study explores the intersectionality of diverse professor and student cross-cultural, racial, social, and linguistic differences and offers ways to cultivate an ethic of care in critical pedagogy at an Hispanic Serving Institution in order to transcend boundaries, bridge insider-outsider epistemologies, engender trust, develop mutual understanding, respect, reciprocity, and empathic teaching-learning relationships. |
Literacy 2.0: Family and Community Literacy
Research Team: Dr. Cinthya Saavedra, Dr. Joy Esquierdo, Dr. Isela Almaguer, Dr. Dagoberto Ramirez |
The purpose of Literacy 2.0 SIRG is to examine the organic literacies of Hispanic families living in the Edinburg Housing Authority public housing as a way to address the development of literacy skills for Hispanic families through the creation of a culturally relevant literacy center that will produce digital and print bilingual stories. |