Education Commons^™

American Ways: A Course In Contemporary U.S. Culture For International Students, Christopher D. Fitch

Capstone Collection

International student populations are increasing in large proportions at universities across the United States. The onset of culture shock and difficulty communicating and relating with their new peers compounds an already difficult situation. Universities and colleges need a method to accommodate these students and help facilitate their transitions into a completely new academic and social environment.

“American Ways: A course on Contemporary American Culture for International Students” is a semester-long university level course designed to give knowledge and understanding of “American” culture to international students attending U.S. higher education institutions. It will cover topics surrounding U.S. culture that …

A World Englishes Study Of Korean University Students: Effects Of Pedagogy On Language Attitudes, Patrick Rousseau

MA TESOL Collection

I examine the impact of raising awareness of World English varieties on the language attitudes of Korean university students. This study triangulated direct attitudinal measurements through the use of a 6-point Likert scale survey with indirect attitudinal measurements by employing a verbal guise test. The verbal guise test used recordings of representative speakers from six varieties of English: American, Chinese, Japanese, British, Saudi, and Korean English. Attitudinal measurements were taken pre and post a series of four 1½-hour practical English classes designed to raise awareness of world varieties, along with global trends in language use that highlight the importance of …

Movement In Learning: Revitalizing The Classroom, Marcus Van

MA TESOL Collection

Movement is a vital part of our every day lives, and it is also important for a healthy brain. The following paper examines the shift from movement based learning to a more restrictive rote format, which often has adverse effects on learning. This work discusses the ways in which teachers are under pressure to “teach to the test” instead of creating student-centered classrooms. Some of the side effects of a test-centered approach are low self-esteem (from not meeting strict academic requirements) and behavioral problems in students.

Adding more movement to lessons can provide variation and relief from the rote-only system. …

Narrative Inquiry In The Language Classroom: An Incubator Of Identity And Growth Exploration, Olga Culver

MA TESOL Collection

The paper examines narrative inquiry within the precepts of socio-cultural and ecological theories. The work touches upon constructivist learning ideologies and examines social approaches to learning with an emphasis on biographical narratives. The author makes a case for self-discovery, holistic learning, and creating collaborative learning environments. The study also presents a methodology with practical applications for implementing a narrative praxis in a second language learning environment.

Teaching As A Reflective Practice: Orgasmial Theory And Its Refutation, William Culver

MA TESOL Collection

An interdisciplinary study examining teaching as a reflective practice with special emphasis on expanding the underlying factors of constructing and maintaining an empowering learning environment, as well as the need for and development of “transformative integrity” as part of a proactive teaching praxis.

La Disciplina Y Los Procesos De La Enseñanza Y El Aprendizaje: Una Visión De Los Enfoques Hacia La Disciplina, La Enseñanza Y El Aprendizaje Basada En Las Observaciones De Una Escuela Concertada En Granada, Andalucía, Anna Lau

Spain: Language, Community, and Social Change

For my community service project, I worked as an English teacher at the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a charter school in the neighborhood of Realejo in Granada. My primary contact at the school was a professor, José Guerrero, who is also head of the school’s English department, among many of his other roles. He assigned me to work with a group of 16-year-olds one day per week, and 7-year olds on another. With the older students, I presented a different aspect of American culture at each meeting, after which I asked them to share their own traditions. With …

Alliances Et Cultures Nord, Emily Taft

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Alliances et Cultures est un centre social à Toulouse qui « apporte, par des actions collectives, une réponse à des problèmes d'intégration sociale. » L’association, qui a été officiellement créée en 1987, réalise cette mission par trois axes principaux: l’insertion social et les liens sociales, l’accompagnement à la parentalité, et l’accompagnement aux personnes âgées. L’Alliances et Cultures a trois endroits différents : Sept-Deniers, Mirail, et Nord. Pour ma présentation, je vais parler de l’association en générale, ses missions, ses activités, etc. Je pense qu’il est important de montrer tous les fonctionnes de l’association pour mieux voir comment elles travaillent ensemble …

La Enseñanza Informal Y Los Impactos Por La Influencia De La Educación Formal En La Comunidad De Santa Rosa De Huacaria, Veronica Puente

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación analiza la educación informal o la educación que los padres proporcionan a sus hijos sobre los valores culturales presente en la comunidad de Santa Rosa de Huacaria y explora como han sido afectados por la educación formal. Esta investigación surgió de las comunicadas brechas dentro de la literatura existente sobre la educación en pueblos indígena. La cual viene de la reforma la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe la cual tiene como objetivo incorporar el lenguaje y la cultura en la educación de comunidades indígenas. Sin embargo, no se ha podido realizar este objetivo. La metodología usada para este proyecto incluye …

Educación Intercultural Y Bilingüe Para Todos: Espoleando Para Un Quiebre Potencial En Las Normas De La Sociedad Chilena, Elizabeth Bickley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este trabajo aborda la interrogante sobre a quien está dirigida la educación intercultural y bilingüe (EIB) puesto que la sociedad chilena es multicultural y por lo tanto el desafío de rescatar las lenguas originarias y reconocer identidades culturales originarias son importantes. Para abordar esta cuestión, este estudio se enfoca en la población Mapuche, en tanto sujetos representativos de la población indígena en Chile. Se investiga en la ciudad de Santiago debido a que es la ciudad que agrupa a la mayor cantidad de población descendiente de pueblos originarios y en consecuencia expresa una mayor diversidad de fenómenos culturales, sociales y …

The English Language: Exploring Its Educational, Economic, And Social Market Value In New Delhi, Andrea Asai

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As English continues to solidify itself as the global language, the idea that proficiency in English is the key to upward mobility is spreading. This trend is especially present throughout India, yet the quality of English education continues to vary drastically. Unequal prospects from a young age greatly impact future opportunities and while many are using English to soar up, still a large percentage of Indians are being left behind. In many cases, English is still viewed as the language of the elite, but underprivileged groups are also using it to positively change their lives. By using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, …

Folktales And Philanthropy: Using Folktales As A Bridge To Community Service, Anne Michelle Myrick

MA TESOL Collection

Using folktales in an ESL/EFL classroom is not a new concept. Many teachers have found these ancient stories to be useful for language learning. In this paper I will explore some rationale for utilizing a student’s culture, folklore and folktales in particular in order to increase reading and writing skills, as well as other academic skills. In addition I will draw a correlation between folktales and philanthropy and show how folktales may be used as a bridge to community service task-based projects.

This paper also contains materials for a Folklore and Philanthropy course that I developed for my current teaching …

Educando Para El Futuro Mapuche: Un Estudio De Caso De La Enseñanza Intercultural En Nivel Media En La Ix Región De Chile, Henry Edelstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio se trata de la educación intercultural en un liceo técnico de la novena región de Chile. Analiza la educación como una herramienta de la preservación y revitalización de la cultura mapuche. El proyecto intenta buscar una respuesta a la pregunta de si se puede educar a los jóvenes para que adquieran una identidad clara mapuche con que puedan vivir en el mundo globalizado. Se usa métodos de observación, y los hallazgos muestran mucho sobre los éxitos, desafíos, y métodos utilizados en el liceo. Además ofrecen opiniones variadas sobre las posibilidades de aplicación del modelo de este liceo a …

Creating Imagined And Real Communities Through Classroom Activities, Bruna Tadross Ferrari

Sandanona

Young learners have strong negative associations with formal learning and uninteresting content. Furthermore, it is challenging for students to speak English outside the classroom in a TL removed context. To rectify this situation, the presenter will demonstrate some engaging and interesting activities to encourage student participation and make learning fun!

Not You/Like You, With You: Toward A Praxis Of Love, Learning, And Liberation In Teaching Efl Writing — On Zombies, De-Colonial Feminisms, And Freire In Efl Contact Zones, Jessmaya Morales

MA TESOL Collection

This paper explores EFL writing as a critical contact zone in which identity and subjectivity are found, denied, contested, de/constructed and occupied. The author opens with an account of a dream, utilized as a metaphor to examine EFL learning through the analytical lens of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The paper’s first section is a self-reflexive discussion of Freire’s pedagogy and why his unambiguous analyses of power, subjectivity, and the “banking system of education” are vital to the field of ELT. In the second section, the author discusses subjectivity, identity, and intersectionality as rooted in the work of …

English Language Teaching Using The Whole Student Philosophy, Tahira Y. Muhammad

MA TESOL Collection

Education in Kuwait is centered on rote learning methodology. Historically, the Kuwait educational system was created to mimic the Egyptian rote learning systems that date back to Pharaonic times. Furthermore, Kuwaiti educators are convinced that rote learning is the optimal form of education. In this paper, I will attempt to prove that this method is unsuccessful, and that educators, within their classroom and lesson planning, should adapt their teaching strategies to the adoption of the whole language philosophy.

The major limitation of this research is that the observer is also participant. However, the fact that the observer is fully trained …

Using L1 Culture To Acquire L2 Culture: Zpd Framework, Amjad Taha

MA TESOL Collection

Teaching the target language culture has been recently receiving much attention and focus in the fields of second/foreign language teaching. This paper examines the importance of using the learners’ L1 culture as a tool to teach the target language culture. In addition, the paper stresses the idea that the learners develop a dynamic, hybrid identity and space that represents both their L1 and L2 culture. These manifestations are presented in a profound framework that shows the development stages that the learners go through in developing their third spaces by using their L1 culture.

This paper includes four main sections: an …

Analysis Of National Association Of Bilingual Education, Sam J. Baumer

Capstone Collection

This research illustrates the benefits in coalitions as mechanisms for bolstering advocacy by bringing together diverse perspectives to help fuel more creativity in the process of furthering bilingual education and social change. This case study examines the role of the National Alliance for Bilingual Education (NABE) and its policy advocacy approach in the midst of the debate surrounding how best to educate our nations school children. An examination of the historical context of the issue and the current political paradigm that NABE navigates illustrate their approach to tackling the contested issue.

Road Scholar Service-Learning Corps: Reflection And Reciprocity In Rajasthan, India, Lezlie R. Weber

Capstone Collection

Road Scholar (RS) is the name for the programs developed and offered by Elderhostel, Inc., the not-for-profit leader in lifelong learning since 1975. RS inspires adults to learn, discover and travel (Road Scholar, 2012). Currently, RS is in the process of launching five new service-learning programs over the next two years. Road Scholar runs five different programs yearly to India; of the current programs offered there is no service-learning component throughout any of the programs. The specific location in India was chosen due to the need for an additional English teacher at the public school. There are a growing number …

Internationalization Of K-12 Schools Through The Eyes Of Public School Principals, Megan M. Landwehr

Capstone Collection

Today’s teacher education students have more opportunities than ever to incorporate study abroad into their degree and licensure requirements. This Capstone examines the value that public school principals place on internationalization, especially when it comes to hiring teachers. I approached this qualitative study utilizing action research through case studies. Data was gathered by conducting six in-depth interviews. Of these, three are current principals and three have been principals their entire careers and are now retired. The main research question is; what value do principals in Wake County, North Carolina place on global competence of teacher job applicants? The findings answer …

La Educación E Identidad De Niños Sordos Españoles: Un Estudio Comparando Con Los Estados Unidos. The Education And Identity Of Deaf Spanish Children: A Study In Comparison To The United States., Dana Michael

Spain: Language, Community, and Social Change

As a part of the community service component of the SIT: Spain: Language, Culture and Social Changes, I was afforded the opportunity to work at a local school assisting students in learning and practicing English. In my opinion, the most beneficial part of this community service project was working with a deaf girl and the exposure I received to Spanish Sign Language, the Spanish deaf community and their culture. With my background as a Deaf Studies major, I have been given a wealth of knowledge and experience with the American deaf community and I used this knowledge to compare to …

Addiction In Alaska: How Alcohol Abuse Is Impacting Community Members In Native Villages Throughout Rural Alaska, Cristina Casillo

Capstone Collection

Across rural Alaska are over 200 Alaska Native villages so isolated, they are only accessible by airplane, boat, and snowmachine. These villages strive to keep their Native culture alive and rich, but continue to struggle against Western influences. Introduced to Alaska Natives by European and Russian explorers in the 1700s, this paper examines how alcohol addiction is affecting community members throughout villages in rural Alaska. The research was conducted in two Iñupiaq Eskimo villages, Point Hope and Selawik, both located above the Arctic Circle in rural Alaska. Drawing from three years of personal observations and a series of interviews, this …

Exploring Locally To Grow Globally: A Community Excursion-Based Elective For Intensive English Programs, Andrea L. Bernasconi

Capstone Collection

The community excursion-based elective course (CE) has been designed for the Intensive English Program (IEP) at the International Language Institute (ILI) in Northampton, Massachusetts. The class provides access and information to international adult learners who are interested in learning more about the local community and culture for academic, professional and personal purposes. CE students will be exposed to various businesses, organizations, institutions and services in the community while being fully supported by a qualified teacher.

The types of excursions identified in this Capstone project differ in several ways from the extra-curricular activities and cultural exchanges that are commonly offered by …

Challenges In The Land Of Hope: Phoenix Area Refugees And The Recession, Valerie E. Nightingale

Capstone Collection

Refugees in the United States today have greater access than ever to training programs and specialized service providers who assist with cultural adjustment to the U.S. as well as pre-employment training, job placement and retention services. Service providers develop job opportunities in the local community through partnerships with dedicated employers who see value in hiring new Americans and purpose in collaborating with voluntary agencies to overcome barriers for employees. During the recession there has been greater challenges for employment specialists to find employment for refugee clients and employers have noted some reluctance in hiring employees with low or non-existent English …

Community Perspectives- How Study Abroad With Service Learning Impacts The Locals, Sarah J. Delcambre

Capstone Collection

This case study focuses on the community perspectives of homestay families, partner organizations, and local program staff that collaborated with Xplore USA Summer Language Adventure Camps in the Summer of 2011, in Asheville, North Carolina. The researcher focused on the service work aspect of the Xplore programming, and its impact on the local community via the local community’s perspective, to inform the reader of an underexplored subject. Interviews and survey results showed that the volunteer service projects performed by Xplore students and their local brothers and sisters were perceived as beneficial by an overwhelming majority of all local parties concerned: …

Consulting Cultural Informants: A Look At The Extent To Which Students Use Informants And Other Strategies To Learn From Their International Experiences, William Scott Leroy

Capstone Collection

This study explores the extent to which students from the United States consult with cultural informants while abroad when experiencing what Taylor (1994a, 1994b) refers to as “cultural disequilibrium”. The study also explores how this strategy compares to other learning strategies and which informants students most frequently consult.

Two research methods were used: a survey of 85 students who recently returned from an international program and interviews with nine students from the same sample. The survey sought to explore strategies students employ when facing cultural disequilibrium while the interviews aimed at uncovering why students preferred some learning strategies over others. …