Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Brian Taberski
Second Advisor
Ana Margarita Rivero Arias
Third Advisor
David Fainstein
Abstract
Costa Rican schools are struggling to navigate an influx of Nicaraguan migrant students. Studies and reports repeatedly show extensive opportunity gaps between native Costa Ricans and their migrant peers. Most existing global literature on gaps between immigrant and national populations focus on second language acquisition. However, Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans share a common language; thus, language does not explain these gaps in this context. A complex system of internal and external factors affects the educational outcomes of Nicaraguan migrant students in Costa Rica. This narrative case study through the theoretical lens of systems theory seeks to understand the perspectives of teachers and other school leaders as they navigate these internal and external factors. It investigates two teachers and one other school leader in a school in a traditional, rural pueblo (town) in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Guanacaste is unique among Costa Rica's seven provinces; this setting gives added insight into how culture and biases play out in these schools' challenges. The research will include semistructured open-ended interviews with two teachers and one other school leader.
Recommended Citation
Benavides, Meghan Vismara, "La Vuelta del Perro sin Parar: Systems Thinking in Costa Rican Schools to Address Nicaraguan Student Opportunity Gaps" (2023). Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations. 23.
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/23