Program
K-12 Administration Ed.D.
Number of Pages
129
Year Approved
2025
First Advisor
Dr. Meg Cavalier
Second Reader
Dr. Kristen Nichols-Besel
Third Reader
Dr. Sarah Tahtinen-Pacheco
Abstract
Students who are new-to-country and arrive with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) are increasing in number in Minnesota schools, which is forecasted to continue to grow. Many of these students arrive with trauma, and this ultimately impacts their continued educational experience. Based on student perspectives, schools must be better prepared to receive these students and provide the education they need to ensure their future success. This phenomenological case study aimed to understand whether current program models within a high school in the metro area of Minnesota best served new-to-country SLIFE students. Seligman’s Theory of Well Being (2011) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943) were used to inform how each student’s prior experiences in their home country and the trauma they carried impacted their educational experiences. The lived experiences of new-to-country SLIFE students were investigated through in-person semi-structured interviews to better gauge their experiences in a public school in Minnesota. The findings from these interviews pointed to the importance of a translanguaging approach in the classroom, additional research on how to best support SLIFE students, continued opportunities for professional development for teachers, and the support of staff with similar linguistic backgrounds.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Aadland, K. L. (2025). Equitable Educational Outcomes for New-to-Country SLIFE Students in Minnesota: The Student Perspective [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1173
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