The Influence Of Bolded Keywords In Online News Texts On Reading Speed And Comprehension For Heritage+ Learners Of Arabic, Marwah Khost Aljarkas

Theses and Dissertations

Learners and readers of Arabic, especially Heritage Language Learners, suffer more than ever from the lack of focus while reading online texts. This becomes a challenge that negatively impacts their overall learning process. This paper explores the influence of one salience feature - bolded keywords - over reading speed and comprehension amongst Heritage+ Learners of Arabic. Heritage+ refers to Arabs living in the Arab world, but who have minimum exposure to the language. Thirty-two students, who are Heritage+ Learners of Arabic, currently studying at the American University in Cairo and belong to Generation Z (18-25 years), participated in the study. …

Syntactic Complexity In Reading Comprehension: An Eye-Tracking Study Of Text Processing Among Bilinguals And Monolinguals, Guoqin Ding

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For Chinese students, studying in a country with different cultural components and language structures is challenging. Compared to English, the Chinese prefers shorter and simple sentence structure and allows for two sentences to be stated side by side. Different sentence structures in Chinese may influence native-Chinese readers’ understanding of English sentences and even a whole text. This exploratory study examined whether there were any differences between English monolingual and Chinese-English children while reading varied English texts with simple or complex structures at different reading difficulty levels. This study explored the differences across texts and readers, as well as the possible …

The Study Of Morphological Awareness For English Learners, Jane Beeninga

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

English Learner (EL) students in American schools are becoming increasingly common, but there does not seem to be enough support for these students. This is causing EL students to fall behind in content areas such as reading (Richards-Tutor et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate what barriers are keeping EL students from succeeding in reading. After identifying a need for vocabulary instruction, the researcher will be conducting a morphological awareness intervention to improve EL students’ ability to figure out unknown words. Morphological awareness is the understanding of a word’s smaller units such as prefixes, suffixes, and …

The Effects Of Watching Text-Relevant Video Segments On Reading Comprehension Of Culturally Unfamiliar Texts With Adult English Language Learners Supported By The Schematic Information-Processing (Sip) Model Of Reading Comprehension, Amirreza Karami

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study was to investigate the effects of watching text-relevant video segments on reading comprehension of a culturally unfamiliar text when technical words are present or absent. Therefore, 44 adult English Language Learners (ELLs) with higher-intermediate to advanced English language proficiency levels from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) School of Languages located in the Dominican Republic were chosen and randomly assigned to two different groups: control vs. experimental.

First, the researcher compared two different types of reading instruction—traditional text-based vs. video-based reading instruction supported by the Schematic Information-Processing (SIP) model of reading …

Evaluación De Una Estrategia De Enseñanza Mediante La Plataforma Moodle© Para Promover La Comprensión Lectora En Inglés Como Lengua Extranjera, Javier Ricardo Acosta Méndez, Olga Yurany Acosta Méndez, Mónica Ríos Olarte

Maestría en Didáctica de las Lenguas

Esta investigación se realizó con la población de undécimo grado de la Institución Educativa Departamental Técnico Comercial de Tibacuy. El problema identificado fue la baja comprensión lectora en inglés como lengua extranjera. El proyecto se desarrolló bajo un enfoque cualitativo que permitió que los datos fueran tratados mediante la interpretación. El tipo de investigación correspondió a un estudio de caso debido a que se centró en una población específica con características particulares. Atendiendo a las necesidades, intereses y expectativas propias del grupo, se evaluó la adaptación de una estrategia de enseñanza que buscó promover mediante el uso de entornos virtuales …

Reading In Kapampangan, Filipino, And English: A Look At Multilingual Children In An Economically Challenging Philippine Community, Portia Padilla

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present studies advance current understanding of the skills and processes involved in multilingual reading, especially in less researched alphabetic languages. These studies examined whether the dominant models in reading in English can explain the reading processes involved among low-income multilingual speakers of Kapampangan (L1), Filipino (L2), and English (L3) in the Philippines, a developing country. Kapampangan and Filipino use the same Roman alphabet that English uses. However, these two languages have transparent orthographies while English has an opaque orthography.

Study 1 examined the psycholinguistic grain size theory within the context of multilingual reading. There were three hundred twenty-six children …

Improving Literacy Outcomes For Adolescent English Language Learners, Grace Diaz-Peterson

Graduate Teacher Education

As the population of English Language Learners in United States public schools has risen significantly in recent years, the unique academic challenges these students faced, particularly in middle and high school, became more apparent. A widening reading and vocabulary gap between English Language Learners and their native English-speaking peers posed particular barriers in secondary content area classes, where many teachers reported feeling ill-prepared to meet the specialized linguistic needs of their English Language Learner students. This paper analyzed a mix of recent, available qualitative and quantitative research on best practices to improve literacy outcomes for adolescent English Language Learners. As …

Using Phonics To Increase Reading Comprehension In English Language Learners, Lindsay Piekutowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

This paper discusses the implications phonics has on reading comprehension in the older English Language Learner. The subjects for this study were in the same Language Arts class in the Sheltered-Instruction Observation Protocol classroom, and they ranged from 15-20 years old. They were all in the same class because they were all Level III or IV with their language proficiency based on the WIDA ACCESS score in Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. The study used Lexile scores from the Reading Inventory test used in the READ 180 classroom as the summative assessment of reading comprehension abilities. The focus for …

An Investigation Of On Our Way To English®, A Reading Program For English Learners In A Rural Western Region North Carolina Public School District, Regina King

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined how a literacy program, On Our Way to English® (OWE), for English Learners (ELs) was implemented in one North Carolina public school district. The program contained the elements of phonics, vocabulary, reading, and writing instruction. The researcher collected documents from participants as well as conducted observations of teachers implementing the program with ELs while taking field notes. The data collected were analyzed to determine how competent the participants felt in implementing the program with EL students and how it impacted their academic success. The participants’ strengths were with using the vocabulary and writing instruction provided by the …

Reading Comprehension And Strategy Use In Fourth- And Fifth-Grade French Immersion Students, Bailey Frid

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Simple View of Reading (Hoover & Gough, 1990) assumes that reading comprehension success is determined by decoding skill and language comprehension (e.g., vocabulary). However, the strategies readers recruit during text comprehension should also uniquely contribute to reading comprehension success in both their first and second language. Seventy fourth- and fifth-grade French immersion students were assessed on language proficiency measures and on strategy use during a reading comprehension task by using a think-aloud procedure. Results indicate that students used more complex strategies (i.e., background knowledge, predicting and visualizing) in their dominant language, and more textbase strategies (i.e., summarizing) in their …

A Case Study Of Literature Discussions With Spanish-English Emergent Bilingual Children, Amy G. Clark

Dissertations

This classroom-based case study examines how Spanish-English emergent bilingual children in a second grade one-way immersion classroom draw on prior knowledge and experiences and use comprehension strategies to discuss and comprehend three texts with different levels of cultural relevance. Through an examination of the rich range of cognitive, cultural-experiential, and linguistic resources evident in children's discussion responses, a detailed sketch of key features of high-level discussion emerges. Findings build a case for the intentional use of culturally relevant texts as part of the literacy curriculum. Teacher pedagogy and classroom conditions also emerge as fundamental components for the achievement of high-level …

Estrategias Didácticas Del Docente De Español Para Desarrollar La Comprensión Lectora De Estudiantes De Sexto, Noveno Y Undécimo Grado Del Colegio Nacional Nicolás Esguerra, Sandra Patricia Palacios Valero, María Fernanda Bernate Campos, Nasly Carolina Baracaldo Benavides

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

La presente investigación estuvo orientada a describir e identificar las estrategias didácticas empleadas por los docentes del área de español para desarrollar la comprensión lectora en los estudiantes de sexto, noveno y undécimo grado del colegio Nicolás Esguerra. El propósito de la investigación fue analizar, desde el aula, la enseñanza de la comprensión lectora y a partir del análisis y las conclusiones aportar nuevas reflexiones sobre las estrategias didácticas empleadas por los docentes para cumplir con uno de los retos más importantes del sistema educativo: formar lectores competentes que estén en capacidad de responder a las pruebas nacionales e internacionales …

Una Propuesta Para El Diseño De Los Exámenes De Francés Desde La Comprensión Escrita Y La Inclusión Del Pensamiento Crítico, Elizabeth Ángel Sánchez, Lina Alejandra Bernal Castillo, Sindy Milena Bernal Rodríguez

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

El presente trabajo de investigación presenta una propuesta para abordar el diseño de los exámenes del área de francés desde la descripción de la sección de comprensión escrita e inclusión del pensamiento crítico. Para ello, desde una perspectiva mixta (investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa), se analizaron cuatro fuentes de información diferentes: encuesta aplicada a estudiantes, corpus de exámenes y syllabus del área de francés del año 2013 y entrevistas a docentes del área. Fueron piezas claves para la elaboración de la mencionada propuesta, hallazgos como: primero, los docentes reconocieron la importancia de trabajar con textos auténticos. Sin embargo, se encontró que …

The Effect Of Morphological Awareness On Reading Comprehension: A Study With Adolescent Spanish-English Emergent Bilinguals, Rebecca Curinga

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present research examines the role of morphological awareness in reading comprehension of high school emergent bilinguals. As an increasing number of research studies contribute to our understanding of morphological awareness, i.e. the ability to reflect on and manipulate morphologically complex derived words, we are better able to appreciate some essential components of reading that may have been overlooked in past decades. Previous research suggests that morphological awareness contributes to academic reading vocabulary and higher-level text comprehension, both crucial to the success of secondary school students in the United States (U.S.).

The population in the present study is newcomer Spanish-speaking …

The Impact Of Transactional Strategies Instruction On The Reading Comprehension Of A Diverse Group Of Second Graders, Sunjoo Shawn Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of TSI in teaching reading comprehension to a diverse group of second graders. The diversity included various levels of readiness in reading, language status such as English learners and native speakers of English, and various levels of participation by children in a whole-class setting. Part One of this study used teacher action research as its methodology to address reading comprehension and student autonomy. Part Two of this study used participatory action research, involving children as co-researchers, to investigate how second graders perceived Literature Circles as their reading comprehension instruction and …

Can Esl Teachers Teach Reading Metacognitive Strategies?, Adil Bentahar

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Metacognitive knowledge has been linked to use of metacognitive strategies and effectiveness in reading (e.g., Flavell, 1979). In the present research, I evaluated whether teaching three metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluating) would (a) improve English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ metacognitive knowledge, which in turn would (b) improve their comprehension. Eight non-English speaking students completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002) and a reading test at the beginning of a reading-writing course and again at the end of the course. The results revealed an increase from pretest to posttest in all three …

A Third Grade Bilingual Teacher's Knowledge And Practices For Developing Reading Comprehension, Miriam Guerra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher knowledge and practices for teaching reading comprehension to English language learners and socio-economically disadvantaged students in a third grade bilingual class. This study uses a conceptual framework of pedagogical content knowledge to investigate how kinds of content knowledge and pedagogical practices interact to create the teacher’s special way of knowing how to teach comprehension to her students. This study uses a case study methodology to investigate what the teacher knows and how her knowledge is enacted in her teaching practices. This case study provided an in-depth perspective of teacher knowledge. Through …

A Preliminary Study On Effects Of Graphic Organizers On Reading Comprehension, Trang Phan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates whether Graphic Organizers (GOs) are effective for various groups of undergraduate students at the University of Texas-Pan American on their reading comprehension. Thirty-five research participants were classified into groups by their language background (NSE, G 1.5 and ESLLs); levels of reading proficiency (low, middle, high); and levels of graphic skills (low, middle, high). The findings are based on between- and within-group comparisons of mean scores in the pretest and the posttest taken by the students. The GO tasks scores helped to consider correlations between students’ levels of graphic skills and their reading comprehension performance. Results revealed GOs …

Using Project Glad Strategies In The Teaching Of Literacy Genres To Second Grade Bilingual Students, Socorro Arellano

Theses Digitization Project

The project provides second grade teachers at the Perris Elementary School District with teaching approaches, tools, and strategies that have been proven to increase comprehension skills in English language learners (ELL) when teaching literary genres. Project GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) offers an alternative curriculum to the scripted curriculum as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

The Effect That An Intensive Literacy Program, Comprehension Early Literacy Learning (Cell) Has On English Language Learners' Reading Proficiency, Susana Puerta Ramos

Theses Digitization Project

This research paper investigates the effectiveness of an intensive literacy program, Comprehensive Early Literacy Learning (CELL), to teach second language learners to read and write in English. Since this program provides numerous opportunities to practice the English language through literacy activities, the researcher believes it is a good method to teach English in its oral and written forms.

Adult Esl Oral Reading Fluency And Silent Reading Comprehension, Kristin Lems

Dissertations

A descriptive study of second language adults studying ESL at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels in a post-secondary academic program revealed that their oral reading fluency had a significant, low-to-moderate correlation with scores on a measure of silent reading comprehension. The correlation was slightly stronger for measures of accuracy than speed, and strongest for miscue ratio. The correlation increased as proficiency level increased. Among different first language groups, the correlation was highest for Hispanic learners, and lowest for Chinese. Furthermore, all fluency measures correlated better with a listening measure than with the silent reading comprehension measure. When a system …

Academic Competence For Technical Reading In English As A Foreign Language, Mei-Fen Chen

Theses Digitization Project

This project offers a strategy-based curriculum designed to increase academic competence in technical reading for Taiwanese students of English as a foreign language. Strategies include acquiring specialized vocabulary words, enhancing background knowledge, and increasing metacognitive awareness.

Reading Comprehension, And Attitude And Behaviour, Of Students Taught Esl By Cooperative Learning In Prathom (Grade)6 Classrooms In Thailand, Sutaporn Chayarathee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A system-wide educational change has been implemented in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Thailand. One major aspect of the change was the requirement for all students from grade I onwards to study English as a second language (ESL). The change requires new methods of teaching and learning, such as cooperative learning, to be introduced in Thai ESL classrooms. This study aims to determine if cooperative learning improves English reading comprehension, and attitude and behaviour to learning ESL, compared to a Thai communicative methodology. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 involved creating a linear scale of English …

Mini Shared Reading: A Mediational Reading Strategy, Delia Villagomez

Theses Digitization Project

This project presents a reading strategy in which students who are learning to read are introduced to the reading process in a comprehensible manner regardless if it is in the student's primary language.

A Correlational Study Of Reading Comprehension In Spanish And English, Kristine Dianne Nicholls

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Prereading And Postreading Activities For Children's Multicultural Trade Books, Sandra Gail Beardsley

All Graduate Projects

A review of literature was completed to support the need for, and value of, using multicultural literature within the elementary classroom. The criteria for selecting multicultural literature was also reviewed. The project consisted of a booklist and prereading and postreading activities for twenty-five multicultural trade books. The purpose of the project was to heighten student's awareness of the multicultural community in which they live and appreciation of cultures throughout the world. The strategies and activities developed for these books were based on the whole language philosophy. The twenty-five trade books were divided into four themes: 1. Grandparents, 2. Folktales and …

The Effectiveness Of Semantic Mapping On Reading Comprehension, Sharon Fredricks

Dissertations and Theses

It is the goal of all reading instructors to use techniques that will enhance reading comprehension. This is certainly no less so in the second language classroom. Studies have shown that readers possess schemata for text structure that is activated during the reading process. It has also been shown that a reader's textual schemata may be culturally influenced and that second language students may possess textual schemata that conflicts or interferes with the structure of the text making comprehension more difficult. For this reason, second language learners may benefit from explicit instruction in text structure and content relationships. Semantic mapping …

The Effect Of Expository Writing As A Pre-Reading Activity On Comprehension Of Expository Text, W. B. Day

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a pre-reading expository writing task on comprehension of expository text. It was undertaken in order to ascertain the usefulness of writing as a pre-reading activity in the development of schema theoretic reading teaching strategies. The theoretical position of the study was that writing before reading would activate prior knowledge in the form of content and structure in the working memory of the reader and thereby enhance reading comprehension. The sample, comprised selected from a small, of 51 year 6/7 students, school in the outskirts of was the metropolitan area. …

The Effect Of The Teaching Of An Explicit Top-Level Expository Text Structure On The Structure Of Year Seven Children's Semantic Memory, Les Phul

Theses : Honours

In order to examine the effect of the teaching of a top-level expository structure through writing on children's schemata for text structure, children in year seven were asked to display graphically the relationships between 42 randomly presented text items related to a central topic. The text items were designed to approximate the kinds of information that may be found in an encyclopaedia or a science text about a given topic. One class of children was then allocated to the control group and the other to the experimental group. The experimental group was taught the top-level structure for a scientific report …

Collaborative Reading At Home To Assist Children With Reading Difficulties, Criste R. Goldy

All Master's Theses

The effects of a collaborative home reading program on children with reading difficulties was studied. Students selected for the study were currently enrolled in special programs for reading and/or English as a second language. Students who participated in the Reading-At-Home program made substantial and immediate gains in reading skills, although greatest gains were made by younger students (five to eight years old). Participant reactions were also discussed.