Education Commons^™

Guidebook For Esl Teachers Of Chinese Students, John M. Tubbs

Master's Projects and Capstones

There are currently many Chinese speakers studying and working in the United States. Some of them find English pronunciation to be very challenging. The Guidebook is meant to be a tool for the teachers of Chinese speaking ESL students. English language instruction in China is often teacher centered, with the instructor lecturing and students taking notes. Most classes do not focus on communicative skills. Different language groups often vary in terms of which English sounds they find difficult to pronounce. Vowel sounds have been identified as a particular challenge for Chinese speaking students. The front-vowels in English are the focus …

Teaching Academic Skills To Chinese Undergraduate Students In U.S. Academic Institutions, Ruisi Gui

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this field project is to help Chinese undergraduate students succeed in the American classroom through guidance on academic skills. To achieve this goal, a series of situationally-based curriculum modules about different academic skills are developed as the central part of this project. This curriculum is designed not only for Chinese undergraduate students, but also for instructors in U.S. academic institutions to increase their awareness of the academic skills issues among international students.

This project is presented in the form of a teaching manual and a brief syllabus. The teaching manual provides Chinese undergraduate students with practical rules, …

Writing Research Papers: A Guide For International Students, Veronica Andrew

Master's Projects and Capstones

The recent dramatic influx of international students to universities in the United States has presented many difficulties, both to those students and to those who work in American higher education. One of the most significant of those challenges is helping international students learn, understand, and practice the conventions of research that are a part of academic writing curricula. Grounded in the pedagogical theories of critical literacy, community of practice, and process-based learning, this project presents international students with concepts and skills used in source-based writing. The project, in the form of a workbook, introduces students to the research-related ideas of …

Teaching Diversity Through Multicultural Children's Literature: A Guidebook For Korean English Elementary School Teachers, Yeon Sook Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project focuses on developing guides and lesson plans promoting multiculturalism, intended for Korean teachers to use during English language immersion camps. The goals are to encourage students to affirm themselves as unique individuals, accept and respect others who are different, learn about other cultures, overcome prejudice, apply critical thinking skills to issues related to cultural diversity, and become advocates for social justice. With these goals in mind, a literature review of established conceptual frameworks for multicultural education is presented, along with an exploration of ways in which students benefit from multicultural literature. Results of recent studies and surveys of …

From Culture Shock To Cultural Adaptation: A Workbook For International Students, Gregory R. Sugajski

Master's Projects and Capstones

San Francisco’s complex communal tapestry can lead to cultural disorientation, dislocation, and unfamiliarity for recently arrived F-1 and M-1 international students, a series of events that when related to problematic adaptation issues and negative adjustment implementations is known as culture shock. Easing the adaptation process for this population is considered to be of academic importance from a progressive, economic, sociocultural, and intercultural perspective. Thus, the organizing purpose and principle of the project is to enable cultural adaptation for students who reside in San Francisco by instilling in them proximal, behavioral, and situational safety awareness. The project takes the form of …

Learning Through Reading: A Handbook Of Literature-Based Lessons For Esl, Lota I. Rygiel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Learning through Reading: A Handbook of Literature-based Lessons for ESL A Field Project written by Lota Rygiel in the spring of 2016. This project is a handbook of lessons for adult ESL students at intermediate or advanced proficiency levels of English as a Second Language. The handbook offers the use of authentic materials in the form of short stories and poems in English. The authentic materials serve as a challenge to students (Krashen's "i + 1" level): with careful guidance of the instructor they will be interesting and meaningful to students. The use of various literary genres corresponds to the …

Teaching Culture Through Social Situations In English As A Second Language Classes, Irina Andreeva

Master's Projects and Capstones

To develop communicative competence, second language learners in addition to mastering linguistic, strategic, structural and discoursal aspects of the language, have to acquire sociolinguistc rules and conventions. The project sought to design a handbook to teach communicative competence along with sociolinguistic competence, as second language learners can never succeed in being fluent speakers in the target language without developing both competences. The handbook includes series of lessons to promote a deeper appreciation of how culture and language interact.

Civil Aviation English For Pilots: An English Air-Ground Communication Course Based On Simulating Videos, Yuting Li

Master's Projects and Capstones

Communication between pilots and ATCs is one crucial element that affects flight safety. As a result, with the significant increase of international air service, ICAO decided English as the mandatory language of international civil aviation in the 1950s. According to the English requirement of ICAO, an English proficiency test was required in China. However, pilot’s lack of English background and the imperfect English air-ground communication curriculum in China cause a dilemma.To solve this problem, a simulating video based English air-ground communication course with an effective language teaching approach, CLT, was developed in the project.

Culturally Aware Teaching: A Supplemental Reference Guide For Intermediate Secondary School English Language Learners, Jessica A. Mccrane

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project takes a critical eye at the cultural biases in place in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) curriculum and the New York State (NYS) English Regents examination currently being used in the state of New York. Taking into account the diverse population of students currently attending secondary school in NYS, more culturally diverse lesson activities have been created. These activities take the Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis (Whorf, Lee, Levinson, & Carroll, 2012) and interlanguage pragmatics (Martínez Flor & Alcón Soler, 2008) into consideration to help English language learners (ELLs) learn the language in a manner that lowers anxiety and is …

Modernizing The Integrated Approach: A Dynamic Teaching Method Using Podcasts And Multimedia Content, Justin T. Hughes

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project explores ways to create a curriculum in which multimedia and technology such as podcasts, streaming video, and online articles are utilized effectively in order to develop academic skills for adult international students, specifically those with the goal of attending an American university. Through this integrated approach that combines all of the essential language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing), students will build confidence and thus become empowered and individualized learners. They will be able to attain mastery of an essential academic skill set that will assist them in attaining their goals in many different realms.

This project engages …

Enhancing English Language Proficiency In Taiwan’S Heterogeneous Efl Classrooms Through Informed Cooperative Learning Strategies, Donald S. Jacobson

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT This Field Project acknowledges the high prevalence of heterogeneous classes in

Taiwan’s EFL language schools and, additionally, seeks to empower EFL teachers by providing a solution for said imbalance. Because of the misinformed EFL guidelines that have influenced Taiwan’s language-in education policies, the stakeholders of Taiwan’s EFL classrooms-e.g. administrators, students, parents, etc.- have not directly addressed the complex issues that have contributed to the problematic heterogeneous classroom situation (as cited in Chen, 2013, p. 159). For this reason, my Field Project seeks to empower and educate foreign NEST teachers who are working in Taiwan so that they may contribute …

¿Como Se Dice “Techie” En Español?: An English Language Development Curriculum To Prepare Latinx High School Students To Enter San Francisco’S Tech Workforce, Caitlin E. Martin

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the age of informational technology being, quite literally, at the touch of a button, the demand for adequate talent in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields is higher than ever, and those who are qualified to supply work in STEM fields are valued, both monetarily and socially, above other professions. In looking at San Francisco, California, a dynamic, diverse, and cutting edge city, on the pinpoint of what is being called the “tech boom”, one can see that technical careers are highly valued in comparison to alternate professions, technical workers are more significantly valued, and therefore, are paid …

Four Chords To Freedom - Human Rights Education Through Music Performance, Noah Romero

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this field project is to develop and implement a workshop called Four Chords to Freedom, which combines music performance with decolonizing, postcolonial feminist human rights education to serve as a space for transformative praxis in formal and non-formal educational settings. This field project includes observations from the activity, as well as recommendations for educators who are interested in combining human rights education with music performance to explore pedagogical approaches that develop skills and orientations centered on a critical understanding of human rights.

The Taiwanese-American Perspective On Discrimination In English Language Teaching, Kuan Cheng Song

Master's Theses

This is a qualitative study examining the perspectives of five Taiwanese-American English teachers on their experiences of discrimination in the English language-teaching field of Taiwan. An extensive amount of literature has been written about the nativeness paradigm and its effect on the English language-teaching field, but the Taiwanese-American experience concerning those issues has yet to be explored. The study used Asian Critical Race Theory, Social Identity Theory and Asian American Racial Identity Theory to analyze the history of English language teaching in Taiwan, the critical studies on native and non-native English language teachers and the social issues affecting Asian Americans …

Women Of Color In Higher Education, Kristin Conner

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

This essay examines Vargas’s (2002) and Stanley’s (2006) primary and secondary theses. I examine the primary thesis of each text as the experience of women faculty of color in the classroom, namely their relationship and interactions with predominately White classrooms. I then examine the secondary thesis of each text, which focuses on the limited support faculty of color receive in contrast to White faculty, specifically through such means as mentoring.

Asian American Women Faculty: Stereotypes And Triumphs, Celeste Fowles Nguyen

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

"Asian American women are a small but growing population of higher education faculty in the United States. In 1980–81, there were 252 female Asian full professors in the United States, which increased to 1, 267 in 1999–2000 (Hune, 2006, p. 28). Of all Asian Pacific American faculty, 19% were female in 1979–80, and 30% were female in 1999–2000. Asian American women faculty work primarily at the junior level, and are less likely than Asian Pacific American men to hold tenure (Hune, 2006, p. 28). The statistics give a general overview of Asian American women in the academy, but the individual …

Campus Climate And Coalition Building For Faculty Of Color, Stephanie H. Carlos

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

"It is common practice for colleges and universities to tout the diversity of their faculty, staff, and students in marketing materials and mission statements, but one must look beyond the shiny veneer of websites and brochures to understand the daily challenges faculty of color face in academia. In 2000, people of color comprised only 12.9% of full-time faculty (Diggs, Garrison-Wade, Estrada, & Galindo, 2009). The texts Faculty of Color: Teaching in Predominantly White Colleges and Universities, edited by Stanley, and Women of Color in the White Classroom, edited by Vargas, are collections of reflections by faculty members of color on …

Epilogue: Why Women Of Color Matter In Higher Education, Mary Wardell-Ghirarduzzi

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

No abstract provided.

Roles Of Black Women And Girls In Education: A Historical Reflection, Brian Arao

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

No abstract provided.

Mentorship And Women Of Color In Higher Education: The Stronger Our Voice, The Greater Impact We Might Forge, Victoria Duran

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

This essay examines the experience of women faculty of color in institutions of higher education, specifically focusing on the lived experiences of Latinas and the role of mentorship. Mentorship for women of color in higher education is essential to increasing tenure rates, overall success in academia, and the retention and recruitment of Latina and African American female students, particularly in predominately White institutions, to break through the glass ceiling. This essay explores historical accounts of the formation of the education system, the history of mentorship, and the different forms of mentorship for Latinas.

Listen To This Silence: Women In Higher Education In Pakistan, Anniqua Rana

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

Pakistan has a fairly short history of just over 50 years, becoming independent from British colonial rule in 1947. It shares a much older history with India; however their recent relationship has been turbulent because of disputes over the territory of Kashmir. Despite this, the country has made some economic progress. The education system, however, has not reflected this progress. This is obvious not only in the overall educational indicators, but also in the education of women. Because of religious and cultural practices, women have not been involved in mainstream activities outside of home life. This essay traces the historical …

Women Of Color In Higher Education: Challenges In The Hiring Process For Prospective Administrators, Demerris Brooks-Immel

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

Women of color face unique challenges and barriers in higher education due to longstanding bias that directly impacts how objectivity, meritocracy, individuality, and experiential knowledge are viewed and assessed. In Women Faculty of Color in the White Classroom, Vargas discussed the challenges women of color face in pursuit of faculty positions in higher education. This essay highlights similarities to, and provides examples of, comparable challenges for women of color in pursuit of management and executive positions in institutions of higher education. It also makes specific recommendations regarding current practices in the hiring process of one state university.

Supporting The Success Of Female Asian American College Students, Gregory V. Wolcott

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

This essay outlines important research on female Asian American college students as they weave through the shared experiences of college campus life, and through the multidimensional complexities of identity development. In it, I suggest that colleges should develop programs outside of so-called traditional developmental models and celebrate the history, traditions, and contributions of all student groups through relevant programs and support. In particular, a more formalized theory of development needs to be developed in regard to female Asian American students. The aforementioned point of view is supported in the research literature.

Native American Women In Academia, Edward Miamee Salce

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

"This essay is meant as a guide to help Indian women understand aspects of the race- and gender-based educational and social problems created by the American system to subdue their ascension. I present real-life examples of women who have flourished, despite the intentional obstacles laid before them. I hope to do justice for the women of my ethnicity who have contributed to my life in ways they may not have known affected me, including as matriarchs of the family, scholastic mentors, inspirational figures, and supporters of my past attempts to understand gender differences while retaining the fact that they were …

Colonialism And Resistance: The Filipino American And Pacific Islander Women Professorship Experience, Ingrid Mariano Gonzales

Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education

Racist stereotypes such as the Asian American modelminority myth falsely depict the Asian American community as homogenous and devoid of any educational equity problems. Consequently not many scholars consider the lack of representation of Asian American women faculty members in higher education. Pilipina American and Hawaiian female professors are the minority within the minority in institutions of higher education. Pilipina American and Hawaiian women professors are leading the struggle through academic and nonacademic fronts to advance the equity and social-justice movement in the United States and the world. Pilipina American and Hawaiian women professors use the process of decolonization as …

Cultural Incongruence In Nursing Education, Chenit Ong-Flaherty

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Arabic Teachers' Perception Of An Integrated Approach For Teaching Arabic As A Foreign Language In Colleges And Universities In The United States, Abeer Al-Mohsen

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the perception of Arabic teachers on whether an integrated approach is critical for students’ communicative competence in Arabic. Additionally, the study attempts to uncover what might be potential barriers to the integrated-approach program-wide implementation in the field of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language in higher education institutes in the United States. Although many studies investigated students’ perception of learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) only, few studies focused on teachers’ perceptions of the issue and understanding of what communicative Arabic instruction should entail.

Using a mixed-method study, the researcher conducted the study in two sequential phases: a …

Nuancing Human Rights Discourse And Practice: Perspectives From Myanmar, Amy Marie Argenal

Doctoral Dissertations

Through a participatory action research project with human rights activists in Myanmar, this study builds on discourse around inherent power imbalances in international human rights work by highlighting voices often left out of the human rights discourse. Using postcolonial and third world feminist frameworks, this research offers analysis of ten research participants’ narratives on their relationship with human rights discourse and a discussion of their practice. By looking at questions of how community activists from Myanmar engaged in a human rights discourse, the study offers nuanced understandings and critical analysis of how and why certain activists will embrace or reject …

Building Communicative Competence: An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of An Intensive Japanese-Language Program, Yukiko Konishi

Doctoral Dissertations

Even though language-program evaluations provide educators with various types of information on teaching practices and the programs in which they work, insufficient literature discusses issues related to language-program evaluation. This mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of a Japanese-language program offered at a government-sponsored Institute located in northern California on language-program evaluation and developing communicative competence at postsecondary schools.

Data comprised two sets of surveys, six individual interviews, and one group interview. Survey respondents were 35 former students of the institute and 12 Japanese instructors who are currently teaching Japanese or have taught Japanese at the Institute. Of the 35 students, …

Mother Tongue Interference In English Language Pronunciation Of The Chinese Immigrant In The United States, Chaowei Hu

Master's Projects and Capstones

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. As an unofficial lingua franca, it serves a key role in cross-cultural communication. Chinese immigrants in the US will certainly encounter many difficulties in acquiring L2 proficiency. Some of these challenges are tied to 1) Chinese immigrants’ history in the US and the variety of Chinese dialects; 2) distinctions between Chinese and English phonological systems; 3) diversity among Chinese Americans; 3) mother tongue influence on English language learning; and 4) foreign language anxiety.