Welcome!

Dr. Garcia-Nevarez received a B.A. in Psychology and Child Development from California State University, Northridge. She was a Regents' Graduate Academic Scholarar from Arizona State University where she received her masters' and doctoral degrees. Dr. Garcia-Nevarez has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Elementary Education/ Bilingual Education.

Courses for Fall 2010 & Spring 2010

• CHDV 123 - Methods of Observation & Assessment in Child Development
• CHDV 136 - Developmental Experiences, Methods, & Curriculum

Courses Taught

• Language Development - CHDV 131
• Cross Cultural Child Development - CHDv 135
• Developmental Experiences, Methods and Curriculum - CHDV 136
• Curriculum & Instruction in Preschool Settings - CHDV 248

Papers and Publications

1. Garcia Nevarez, A., Gomez, S., Knutson Miller, K., & Strage, A. (2009). Service learning in preservice teacher preparation: Building foundations for engaged professionalism in the new millennium. Academic Exchange Quarterly.

2. Gomez, S., Strage, A., Knutson Miller, K., & Garcia Nevarez, A. (2009). Meeting the need for K-8 teachers for classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse students: The promise and challenge of early field experiences. Teacher Education Quarterly.

3. Garcia-Nevarez, A.G., Stafford, M.E., & Arias, B. (2005). Arizona Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Toward English Language Learners' and the Use of Spanish in Classroom Instruction. Bilingual Research Journal,29(2), 295-318.

4. Garcia-Nevarez, A.G. (2005). Promoting Attitudinal Change, Career Development and Civic Engagement in University Freshmen Through Early Service-Learning Experiences. Higher Education Abstract, 40(2).

5. Vallejo, C. & Garcia, A.G. (2001). Teacher Recruitment and Employment Practices in Selected States: Promising Prospects for Foreign Trained Teachers. Intercultrual Development Research Association.

6. Garcia, A.G. & Gonzalez, J.M. (2000). The Views of Mexican Normalista and U.S. Bilingual Education teachers: An Exploratory Study of Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes. Intercultrual Development Research Association

Research Projects/Interests

Her recent studies examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers toward their career development, working with economically and culturally diverse settings, and civic engagement.

Previous research projects have focused on the attitudes and perceptions that foreign-trained teachers and bilingual education teachers have towards their education training and the promising prospects these teachers have in the United States. Her dissertation, a mixed method study entitled Attitudinal Differences Among Elementary Teachers Toward the Use of the Native Language, explores the attitudes that some elementary teachers have toward the native language of their non-English speaking students.

Her research interest was sparked by her own experiences as a second language learner and later as a teacher. She has found that teachers play a vital role in a child's life and in their educational goals. Her observations and research as a teacher confirm that English language learners see a teacher as a role model. While at the same time, Latino parents tend to see the teacher as a leader within their community.

Professional Associations

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)