Education Commons^™

Creating Bicultural Identities: The Role Of School-Based Bilingual Paraprofessionals In Ontemporary Immigrant Accommodation (Two Kansas Case Studies), Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study locates the professional and informal practices of school-based bilingual paraprofessionals (paras) in the context of the larger social phenomenon of acculturation, cultural brokerage, and identity construction. It demonstrates how the paras in two Kansas communities transform an assimilationist mandate into something quite different, the promotion of bicultural identities, as part of a process called “additive biculturalism.” Additive biculturalism incorporates Weiss’s characterization of paras as cultural brokers (1994), but expands upon it significantly. As the first part of additive biculturalism, bilingual paras model and promote bicultural identities among the English-Learner students and parents they work with. As the second …

Transitions: A History Of Trinity College Rome Campus, Alicia Linda Mioli

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis "gives a largely chronological narrative of the history of the program from when it was only an idea in [Professor Michael R.] Campo's head until it was integrated into Trinity's curriculum" (p. 2-3).

The Attitudes Of Children With Specialized Language-Learning Needs Toward Process Writing, Kara M. Mcalister

Masters Theses

Students with specialized language-learning needs, who had participated in a computer-based writing lab at Western Michigan University, were interviewed regarding their knowledge about and attitudes toward a process approach to writing instruction. The students orally answered questions posed by the researcher in individual thirty-minute interviews. A Likert-type scale was used to measure the students' attitude toward process writing along with open-ended questions to investigate the students' knowledge about process writing. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data.

Responses to the knowledge questions indicated that the students have a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of author groups than …

The Nature Of Data Sources That Inform Decision-Making In Reading By Experienced Second-Grade Teachers, Margaret Mary Dinan Davis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This qualitative research was designed to describe the nature of data sources that inform decision making in reading by experienced second grade teachers. Data was collected on seven subjects from multiple sources: seven, successive interviews, think alouds using videotaped lessons, classroom observations, and inspection of documents such as grade books, student work samples, report cards, and reading tests. Data analysis was accomplished by transcribing all data into a qualitative data base (Padilla, 1991). Text chunks were tagged and filtered by data source. Categories such as oral language and comparison of data were added as they emerged during analysis. The most …

Involving Parents Through Workshops To Promote Reading, Diane Kay Caldwell

All Graduate Projects

Three workshops were designed to assist parents in improving their children's reading development. These workshops focused on the significance of parents participating in their children's reading. The importance of reading aloud and techniques on how to do so were discussed. Specific activities parents could use to promote their children's reading, and the detrimental effects of television on developing minds were also described. The workshops were designed for parents of fourth grade children.

A Case Study: Effects Of Tutoring On The Sight Word Vocabulary Of A Nonreader, Paul L. Coppin

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide remedial instruction in reading to a ten year old nonreading student enrolled in the Ellensburg School District and to develop a case study that outlined the diagnostic and remedial procedures used with the subject. The case study approach was chosen as a way to document the progress of a single student whose initial diagnosis was as a nonreader. Because the initial diagnosis indicated a need to establish a sight word vocabulary, early instructional methods focused on this area.

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 Effects Of Sustained Silent Reading On The Attitudes Of Fourth Grade Students, Bernice Mcqueen-Bruce

All Graduate Projects

This project was conducted to determine whether sustained silent reading had a positive effect on the attitudes of fourth grade students. The Kear and McKenna Elementary Reading Attitude Survey was administered in a pretest, posttest format to three classes with one class designated as a control group. The results indicated no difference in attitude as a result of implementing a silent reading program.

Student Lessons To Enhance Reading Comprehension In The Social Studies Content Area, Dianne Marie Daily

All Graduate Projects

This project consists of lessons designed to increase reading comprehension of fifth grade students in the social studies content area. The lessons are developed based upon a review of research which indicates improved reading comprehension of expository text among students who are taught to use comprehension enhancing strategies. The activities include vocabulary development, text structure awareness, advance organizer usage, and study and reading guide strategy lessons. Additionally, a teacher's guide accompanies the lessons. These lessons are created specifically for use with the Civil War Unit entitled, "A Nation Divided," as found in Macmillan/Mcgraw-Hill's 5th grade social studies text entitled, United …

Children's Book Festival, Karen Rowell, Onva K. Boshears Jr., University Of Southern Mississippi

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival Programs

The program twenty-eighth annual Children's Book Festival held on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1995.

Reading Instruction In First-Grade Classrooms: Do Basals Control Teachers?, James V. Hoffman, Sarah J. Mccarthey, Debra Bayles, Debra Price, Bonnie Elliott, Mark Dressman, Judy Abbott

Faculty Publications

This study describes first-grade teachers beliefs and practices about reading instruction. Drawing from interview and observational data, 16 teachers from four districts were placed on a continuum from skills-based to literature-based in relationship to their use of the basal. Only 2 teachers were found to rely solely on the basal, while 3 teachers enhanced the basal with literature, and 4 teachers used only literature in their reading instruction. Six teachers enhanced their basal use with additional skills and 1 teacher relied on skills only in her reading instruction. This diversity' of teaching beliefs and practices was corroborated by questionnaire data …

Effects Of Direct Reading Instruction On Literacy Achievement In Urban, Literature Based Classrooms, Steven M. Scarcelli

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research examined two similar groups of first grade students and two different approaches to reading instruction within a whole language/literature based curriculum. The sample population for this research was drawn from four randomly assigned first grade classes attending an elementary school with urban characteristics. Teacher selection was based on results from the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile. Teachers in the experimental group implemented an approach that utilized a daily format for reading instruction developed by Dr. Patricia Cunningham. This approach involved strategies including phonics, writing, teacher directed, and self selected reading instruction. Teachers in the control group used the …