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Full-Text Articles in Education

Second Language Gesture And Acculturation In Study Abroad Contexts, Christie Marie Gardner Dec 2013

Second Language Gesture And Acculturation In Study Abroad Contexts, Christie Marie Gardner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Motivationis an integral part of learning; Gestures are an important aspect of human communication, and culture plays a significant role in shaping all of these human elements. This study explores the relationship betweensocial, cultural-historical activityand second language(L2) gesture acquisitionas student motivations both drive, and emanate from, the L2 learning process. Six American students participating in a study-abroad program in Chile were evaluated at three different levels of L2 proficiency (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) for L2 gesture articulations and motivational developments. During the semester-long investigation, three audio-video recorded interviews were conducted to observe L2 gestural behaviors, and two e-mail logs were …


Improving Implicit Learning And Explicit Instruction Of Adult And Child Learners Of Chinese, Li-Hui Kuo Jun 2013

Improving Implicit Learning And Explicit Instruction Of Adult And Child Learners Of Chinese, Li-Hui Kuo

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the main effects and interaction effects of implicit learning and explicit instructional approaches on the language acquisition of beginning adult and child learners of Chinese and analyzed the successful adult and child learners' learning styles in their information processing time, second language acquisition techniques, and cognitive strategies. Volunteers from Brigham Young University and Wasatch Elementary School were randomly assigned to either an Explicit Instruction Treatment (EIT) or an Implicit Learning Treatment (ILT). Following the treatment, the participants completed an online survey and a vocabulary application test. Results from a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA indicated that adults …


Service Learning: Engagement And Academic Achievement Of Second Language Acquisition Students In An Advanced Grammar Course While Participating In Service Learning Activities, Sara T. Ulloa Dec 2012

Service Learning: Engagement And Academic Achievement Of Second Language Acquisition Students In An Advanced Grammar Course While Participating In Service Learning Activities, Sara T. Ulloa

Theses and Dissertations

Service learning has been proposed as a way to create a meaningful environment for the language acquisition process (Weldon & Trautmann, 2003). As a pedagogical tool for second language acquisition the greatest benefit of utilizing service learning activities is that it creates connections to the target language community and provides authentic experiences for target language use (Long, 2003; Morris, 2001). However, there is no detailed record of how service learning actually impacts language and culture acquisition (Bloom, 2008). This multiple case study describes the ways in which four advanced Spanish learners engaged with service learning and the influence of this …


Recuerda Que Yo Estoy Aqui Tambien : A Bilingual Picture Book, Liliana Ivette Funes Jan 2011

Recuerda Que Yo Estoy Aqui Tambien : A Bilingual Picture Book, Liliana Ivette Funes

Graduate Student Independent Studies

My independent study for my Integrative Masters consists of a bilingual (Spanish/English) picture book that is based on personal experience, and endeavors to describe the emotional distress and anxiety children can experience as second language learners entering a monolingual classroom for the first time. The book addresses not only the emotional and academic struggles of the child, but also the ways in which peers and teachers can intervene to ease the child's transition into English. Thus the book can serve as a resource to support monolingual classrooms. The study also includes a personal reflection of the process and journey, I …


Planning Their First Language Lesson: Applying Constructivist Values To The Design Of Objective Training For Part-Time Teachers At The Missionary Training Center, Chandler Scott Rudd Jul 2009

Planning Their First Language Lesson: Applying Constructivist Values To The Design Of Objective Training For Part-Time Teachers At The Missionary Training Center, Chandler Scott Rudd

Theses and Dissertations

The newly hired teachers at the Missionary Training Center are expected to learn to teach foreign language well enough to prepare students to communicate functionally in that language within 2-3 months. These teachers have very little to no language teaching experience and must tend to the responsibilities of this part-time job while juggling the demands of full-time school work and social lives. This report details the design and development of a prototype training program aimed to initiate young teachers into the culture of methods and tools employed at the MTC by walking them through the process of planning their first …


The Effects Of Reading & Reading Strategy Training On Lower Proficiency Level Second Language Learning, Lane O. Steinagel Nov 2005

The Effects Of Reading & Reading Strategy Training On Lower Proficiency Level Second Language Learning, Lane O. Steinagel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what effect reading in a second language has on the knowledge and language performance of young adult missionaries studying to learn a foreign language. It was hypothesized that reading would improve vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension, and it was further hypothesized that reading aloud would improve language speaking performance. The subjects of the study were 214 missionaries learning Spanish as a second language at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. The missionaries were all beginner level students of Spanish, and they were randomly assigned to reading aloud and silent reading groups, …