Digital Commons Network^™

A Literacy-Level Curriculum For Adult Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners With Limited Formal Education, Kirsten L. Keihl

Master's Projects and Capstones

Many Spanish-speaking adult immigrants in the United States face an immediate need to learn English, but also suffer from a lack of formal education as many did not complete middle school or high school. These learners need a curriculum that is tailored specifically to their needs. This project provides a communicative curriculum for teaching English and Spanish literacy, English speaking and listening skills, and basic classroom skills utilizing native language instruction when helpful using learning strategies and authentic materials that are appropriate for adults. It also addresses sociocultural and sociopolitical concerns of this population and utilizes culturally relevant materials.

Critical Literacy For Linguistically Diverse Students, Jennifer Ann King

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone is how can a critical literacy unit on exploring identity enable secondary ELLs to find voice and take action? It documents the creation of a twelve lesson unit organized around three target texts and one digital storytelling project. These lessons blend the components of the SIOP Model for effective instruction of English learners (Echevarría, Short, and Vogt, 2013) with activities to promote critical literacy. Additionally, the author documents the relevant research used in the creation of the curriculum along with the successes and challenges of the curriculum development process. In reflecting on the …

Tutoring As An Elementary Reading Intervention To Benefit Bilingual Learners In Mexico, Hannah Marie Paulson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone project is, can peer tutoring be used as an effective elementary reading intervention to benefit bilingual learners in Mexico? Key influence for this capstone was the author’s observation of a lack of effective reading interventions in bilingual environments. The study is a qualitative study in which the author implemented a seven-week peer tutoring training with nineteen fifth grade tutors. These peer tutors each worked one on one with a fourth grade student to apply specific reading strategies. The goal of the capstone was to determine whether peer tutors could positively affect student outcomes …

Practices And Routines In Siwi Lessons That Develop Skills In Reading, Paulson A. Skerrit

Doctoral Dissertations

The average performance of Deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) students on test of reading comprehension is several grade equivalents below their high school hearing peers. The reading-writing connection is one way to address the literacy challenges of D/hh learners. This study explored that connection in instruction that was driven with a high fidelity to the principles of Strategic Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI). The data for this study came from two grade three classes involved in the second half of a Year II project that was part of a 3-year Institute of Education Sciences-funded project to develop SIWI for use …

From Text To Context: Literacy Practices Of Native Speakers Of Arabic In Arabic And English, Ghada Gherwash

Open Access Dissertations

Previous studies that looked at the written product of native speakers of Arabic in their second language (L2), English, have identified traces of Arabic rhetoric (L1), mainly Classical Arabic, in their writing (e.g., Atari, 1983; Kaplan, 1966; Ostler, 1987). These studies focused primarily on the L2-written texts, where the written product is used to make inferences about the rhetorical structures of the writers’ L1. The results from these studies portrayed the native-Arab writer’s text as highly influenced by Classical Arabic. This was evidenced by “foreign” rhetorical structures that Arab writers employ when producing texts in their L2 that are considered …

Transaction Circles With Digital Texts As A Foundation For Democratic Practices, Sally Brown

Democracy and Education

Transaction circles weave together elements of guided reading and literature circles in an open conversational structure that supports students as agentive learners. Discourse within these circles utilizing digital informational texts assist in the development of democratic practices even in a time when federal mandates limit curricula and prescribe programs. The findings of this study reveal the importance of aesthetic learning experiences in knowledge construction and the ways in which thinking through complex issues with others benefits social action.

Auditory Processing And Linguistic Prosody As Cross-Linguistic Precursors In Reading Development, Wei-Lun Chung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the role of prosody in word reading. Mandarin-English bilingual speakers who speak Mandarin as a first language (L1) and English as a second language (L2) are particularly interesting because they must acquire two segmental/phonology systems (Mandarin has simpler syllable structures than does English), linguistic prosody systems (Mandarin tone and English stress), and orthographic systems (Chinese characters and English alphabet). The two papers included in the dissertation implemented correlational designs to examine the contributions of prosodic awareness and other variables to word reading in adult Mandarin-speaking English learners and Mandarin-English bilingual children. The first paper examined English …

Pim Pedagogy: Toward A Loosely Unified Model For Teaching And Studying Comics And Graphic Novels, James B. Carter

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The article debuts and explains "PIM" pedagogy, a construct for teaching comics at the secondary- and post-secondary levels and for deep reading/studying comics. The PIM model for considering comics is actually based in major precepts of education studies, namely constructivist foundations of learning, and loosely unifies constructs inherent therein with other available frames and frameworks for studying comics. As such, the article fills a dire need in the scholarly literature on comics pedagogy and paves a way for those who seek to teach comics courses in the future but who need direction and for those who seek to study/read comics …

Cultural Capital, Agency, And Voice: Literacy Practices Of Middle School English Language Learners, Bogum Yoon

Middle Grades Review

Grounded in cultural capital and agency theory, this study examines two middle school English language learners’ (ELLs) participatory behaviors in literacy practices in the U.S. classroom. A closer examination of the ELLs’ participatory behaviors through their authentic voices is important to understand for their literacy development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the interconnection among ELLs’ agency, identity, and classroom dynamics for their language and literacy learning. The data sources include formal and informal interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts, including reading and writing projects. Findings suggest that, despite the students’ similar background of race, native language, age, gender, …

Validity Of A Nonspeech Dynamic Assessment Of Phonological Awareness In Children From Spanish-Speaking Backgrounds, Bianca Angelica Loreti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy development in Spanish-speaking children is a growing concern in the United States (Invernizzi, 2009). Phonological awareness is a predictor of literacy achievement in most alphabetic languages (Anthony et al., 2011; Davison & Brea-Spahn, 2012; Durgunoğlu, Nagy, & Hancin-Bhatt, 1993; Goikoetxea, 2005). Bilingual children with complex communication needs (CCN) demonstrate increased difficulties in speaking, reading, and writing, making learning two languages a difficult task (Toppelberg, Snow, & Tager-Flusberg, 1999). Literacy attainment in bilingual individuals who have CCN is important to improve their overall language development and communication interaction skills (Harrison-Harris, 2002). A valid and reliable phonological awareness assessment that does …

A Moving Target: Literacy Development In Situations Of Diglossia And Bilingualism, Lotfi Sayahi

Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship

The present paper analyzes the challenges of literacy development in cases of classical diglossia and bilingualism. The main argument is that the diverse levels of proficiency in the varieties present in a given linguistic market have implications for and are shaped by processes of literacy development, feelings of linguistic insecurity, and the overall outlook for educational and socioeconomic success. With a special focus on Tunisia, where diglossia and bilingualism are part of the students’ linguistic reality, this paper argues that surmounting the initial marginalization of the native vernacular in favor of literacy in Standard Arabic does not seem to be …

Preparing Literacy Teachers In An Age Of Multiple Literacies: A Self-Reflective Approach, Antonio Causarano

Education Faculty Articles

This article discusses the importance of rethinking the content and delivery of literacy instruction in university courses for pre-service and in-service teachers by aligning curriculum and instruction to new literacies to prepare the next generations of teachers to support the literacy learning of students in K-12 schools in the 21st century. The author proposes rethinking curriculum and instruction in literacy courses by building up on the recommendations of the Middle State Commission on Higher Education to rethink our curriculum and instruction in literacy courses in higher education.

Media, Culture, And Education: One Teacher’S Journey Through The Mediated Intersections, Crystal L. Beach

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Today’s classrooms often have a plethora of new ways of reading and writing entering the room, but too often these new ways of “doing” are disregarded and checked at the door. For this reason, one educator shares her journey through the mediated intersections of media, culture, and education. In this piece, she explores how literacy transformations are impacting her classroom and her students’ lives, how she tries to make connections for her students, as well as noting what these mediated intersections might mean for the future of education.

Reading Queerly In The High School Classroom: Exploring A Gay And Lesbian Literature Course, Kirsten Helmer

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how teaching an English literature curriculum centered on the stories, experiences, cultures, histories, and politics of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex) people constitutes a meaningful site for teaching and learning in a high school classroom. The dissertation offers insights on how the teaching of LGBTQI-themed texts in English language arts classes can be reframed by bridging the goals, practices and conceptual tools of queer theory to critical literacies teaching. The project follows principles of critical qualitative research and employs an ethnographic case study approach with the purpose of transforming educational …

Effective Conversations Around Tough Text Within Middle School Literature Circles, Gretchen Elizabeth Enselein

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how can I ensure that effective conversations around tough text are occurring within middle school literature circles? It explores the role of literature circles within middle school classrooms. The capstone outlines the scaffolding provided for student success. Defined is the term “tough text” and how text can successfully be implemented with the use of discussion to promote effective conversations. The author documents the related research to identify and define best practice strategies to implement and support existing curriculums in a middle school. Created to be implemented school-wide as a supplement to existing …

Using A Culturally Relevant Text Effectively To Support Diversity, Racial Equity, And School Community Building, Syra Yang

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed is, how can a culturally relevant text be used effectively to support diversity, racial equity, and school community building? This capstone shows how our school system is not constructed to support African American students’ learning as it does not acknowledge racial and cultural differences. The author was influenced by her own educational experiences and current racial equity journey. The author stresses how culturally relevant text and meaningful conversations or dialogue implemented into classrooms provides opportunities for everyone to learn from and acknowledge each other. In addition, she includes a curriculum design that is culturally responsive, focusing …

Practitioner Inquiry: Teaching Literacy With English Language Learners, Rosemarie Brefeld

Dissertations

This qualitative research examines a practitioner inquiry group comprised of teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) with the following research questions in mind: What happens when a group of ESL teachers collaborate in a dialogically inspired professional development context to learn about navigating discussion with complex texts and their ELL students? How does teacher learning evolve and address the complexities of the teacher/learner discourse under discussion in the professional development inquiry? What are the thematic and discursive contours of teaching and learning in this professional development context? In what ways will lesson development be relevant to the needs of those …

Korean Migrant Youth Identity Work In The Transnational Social Field: A Link Between Identity, Transnationalism, And New Media Literacy, Sujin Kim

Dissertations

Informed by the new understandings of space, culture, and identity in the fast-changing world where communication technology connects and compresses multiple spaces, this qualitative study examines how Korean migrant youth understand, negotiate, and articulate their complex identities across and beyond various borders. The research questions were: (1) What are the contexts in which migrant youth negotiate their identities? (2) How do youth understand and negotiate their sense of belonging? (3) How do youth’s cultural and literacy practices, particularly in new media, inform and shape their identities? Using an ethnographic case study design, I collected data from 32 survey participants and …

Print Awareness: A Comparison Between Print And Electronic Assessments In Typically Developing Preschool Children, Peter Kao

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared print and electronic formats of the Concepts About Print (CAP) assessment in typically developing preschool children. The researchers were interested in comparing print awareness skills using two different reading modalities. Independent variables were mode of presentation and age, dependent variables were the CAP scores. To account for a learning curve, two different versions of the CAP assessment were used and counterbalanced. Modes of presentation was also counterbalanced. Examiners achieved a 98.24% agreement (K = 0.964) across 40% of all assessments.

A significant correlation (r =.919) was found between the scores on the CAP and scores on the …

Adolescent Street Literacy: The Art Of The Hustle, Regina L. Welch

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis is an ethnographic analysis of street youths, runaways and foster children. It focuses on the rhetorical and literacy practices that serve as a foundation for an underground community. Very little research, within the English field or from a literacy perspective, has been done on this demographic. This study includes data from interviews conducted with eight individuals who were “homeless” between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. Homeless is being defined as any duration spent absent of a stable living situation, including, but not limited to, foster homes, sleeping on the streets or in temporary settings, with …

Mediation In Literacy : Language, Technology, And Modality., Hem Sharma Paudel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issue of difference in writing, both in terms of language diversity and modalities, has received increasing attention in the context of new developments in technologies, increasing global migration, and intensified intersections of cultural and linguistic practices accompanying these changes. Theories of language and modality are trying separately to develop ways to best respond to the challenges and opportunities brought about by these changes. Responding to scholars’ recent calls for bridging the gap between studies of multilingualism and those of multimodality, this dissertation offers an approach that, instead of separating the study of modality and languages, questions such a tendency …

Academic Language In Book Clubs, Tanya Marie Schuh-Modelli

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Book clubs are increasingly used by teachers to help raise ELL literacy levels. Yet, there has been little research on whether this tool actually contributes to improved oral language proficiency. The research question is, after being taught the academic language needed to ask and answer higher order questions, how well are students able to ask and answer questions? This study examines to what extent students are able to engage in higher-order questioning after receiving direct instructional support through book clubs. The methods employ anecdotal notes, transcripts of student conversations, and student written work to assess how students can discuss text …

Literacy And Social Skill Development: A Technology-Focused Curriculum Design, Karissa Sue Wentzel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The curriculum design created in this project was centered around the concept that the integration of technology into a 6th grade classroom can facilitate the advancement of both literacy and social skill development. It documents one teacher’s use of various technological applications and reading related activities to cultivate academic conversations and see growth amongst five pre-selected and targeted social skills. The author documents the details of the unit and provides researched literature to support the foundation for the curriculum design. The key influence for the study was the author’s personal experience at a one-to-one iPad school. The author concludes the …

Shared Reading Activities: A Recommendation For Deaf Children, Donna Jo Napoli, G. Mirus

Linguistics Faculty Works

There should be a focus on fun in shared reading activities with preschoolers in order to prepare them for later literacy, particularly those at risk of a poor foundation in a first language (L1), including deaf children (here “deaf” covers hard of hearing, as well). We look at how shared reading activities (SRAs) develop pre-literacy skills and describe bilingual-bimodal ebooks aimed purely at producing enjoyment, so families will engage in SRAs frequently.

Sacred Spaces: A Narrative Analysis Of The Influences Of Language And Literacy Experiences On The Self-Hood And Identity Of High-Achieving African American Female College Freshmen, Michelle Flowers Taylor

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Late-adolescent African American students face unique difficulties on their journey to womanhood. As members of a double minority (i.e., African American and female) (Jean & Feagin, 1998), certain limiting stereotypes relevant to both race and gender pose challenges to these students. They must overcome these challenges in order to excel within the various and changing environments they move through on a daily basis (hooks, 1981, 1994). Within the context of social justice, this dissertation provides insight into the role that language and literacy practices play to help enable the positive and affirming development of self-hood of African American college freshmen. …

Reported Literacy, Media Consumption And Social Media Use As Measures Of Relevance Of Spanish As A Heritage Language, Isabel Velázquez

Spanish Language and Literature

Aims and objectives: This paper explores one dimension of language maintenance among college-aged heritage speakers of Spanish (HSS) in three communities of the U.S. Midwest. The aim was to understand whether Spanish was relevant at a point in life in which they were developing their own networks away from their families. Research questions: Were reading and writing in Spanish relevant for the participants? Did they use Spanish when on social media? Did they text in Spanish? Was Spanish relevant for them when consuming content on electronic media?

Methodology: This analysis is part of a larger study on HSS in communities …

The Integration Of Play Into The First-Grade Language Arts Curriculum For English Language Learners, Cheryl Jean Sanderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, can the integration of play and games with rules into the first-grade Language Arts curriculum improve the oral speaking and reading skills for English language learners? To investigate the answer to that question, I studied how a child’s first language develops. For children who learn a second language, Krashen’s models were utilized in learning how a second language is acquired. Play and games with rules are defined. Looking primarily to Piaget and Vigotsky, I learned about the development of the child, play, games with rules and how a child learns through play. …

Effect Of Latinos In Action Peer Tutoring On Elementary Student Oral Reading Fluency Scores, Darren M. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

The Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States, making up 16.3% of the total population. As the Latino population of the US grows, the Latino student population within schools across the nation is also growing, accounting for 10.5% of the student population. While the Latino student population continues to grow, there is evidence that this group is not achieving academically at the same rate as other groups. Latino statistics in Utah showed a similar situation within public schools. Fifty-one percent of Latino fourth graders were reading below the expected levels, compared to 22% for Caucasian students. …

English Learners' Participation In Mathematical Discourse, Lindsay Marie Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the increasing diversity of mathematics classrooms today, teachers need guidance on how to support English Learners (ELs) in mathematics classes in a way that situates language learning within mathematical activity. Unfortunately, neither mathematics education research nor EL education research is sure how to navigate the complexity of teaching ELs mathematics while supporting both their language development and their mathematical development through their participation in mathematical activity. This study examined ELs' participation in mathematical Discourse, investigating both the mathematical purposes ELs accomplished by using multiple symbol systems, and the way ELs used non-English language (NEL) symbol systems to support …

Language And Thought In Egypt's Schools Today: What Does Arabic Mean To Arabic Native Speakers? A Literature Review, Diego Dalle Carbonare

Capstone and Graduation Projects

Sociocultural education initiated by Leo Vygotsky strongly believes that language of instruction affects thinking. With regards to the present situation in Egypt, the present research explores the current literature on the value that Arabic has in the Arabic speaking world. Over against a wide-spread opinion that English should be used as the only medium of instruction in early years of literacy, literature shows that some forms of immersion have negative impact on the mastery of mother tongue, and on the very development of cognitive skills. The linguistic and educational scenario is further complicated by the fact that Arabic is a …