Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in General Education
Kirtney Metz
Immigrant Children and School
View Kirtney's project online
My project examines the ways in which immigrant children are integrated into the American education system. It does this by reviewing the legal requirements as well as the human experiences of those involved in the process.
What is your major and expected year of graduation?
I am a Communications major expected to graduate in Fall 2023.
What inspired you to pursue your project?
I was inspired to research my topic after completing an interview. Through this interview, I learned of the troubles some students face as English language learners within the American education system. I was surprised to hear this and desired to discover more.
What does winning this award mean to you?
This award means so much to me as it helps bring this topic to more people’s attention. This award helps bring these conversations to the forefront so they can continue to be had. It also validates me as a scholar as I continue to grow and pursue my academic interests.
How did the Libraries support your research?
I relied heavily on Temple Libraries resources to gather my information. I utilized Temple Libraries’ course research guides as well as its scholarly article search system. Both these tools enabled me to best select and find sources that informed my topic from various perspectives. These tools also helped me gain knowledge and develop myself as an aspiring researcher.
I am delighted to see Kirtney’s excellent work receive this recognition. Her presentation fulfilled a three-part assignment for Immigration and the American Dream. In the first part, students developed a research project inspired by an interview with an immigrant. They then had to use peer-reviewed articles and online scholarly sources to address their question. Kirtney’s interview led her to ask about programs for English language learners in the public schools. Her presentation engages the scholarly debate regarding ESL programs. The Prezi clearly and elegantly conveys her findings and connects them to her original interview.
—Heather Levi, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
This award is generously sponsored by Gale, a Cengage company.