Education Commons^™

Assessments And Accommodations For English Language Learners: A Literature Review, Heidi Jo Bartlett

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

While research in how English language learners (ELLs) use assessment accommodations is lacking, there are some general conclusions that one can draw. First, teachers must know their students’ abilities. This includes knowledge of their English proficiency, knowledge of their first language skills, especially as it pertains to literacy skills, and knowledge of their content area understanding. If teachers are aware of areas of weakness in students’ assessments, they should work to compensate for them by either changing their instruction or providing assessment accommodations. Second, it is important for teachers to recognize the various types of assessment accommodations that are available …

Resources For Content-Area Teachers Educating Ells: A Literature Review, Heidi Jo Bartlett

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

Educating English Language Learners (ELLs) is a rapidly growing need in K-12 schools. While often viewed as a homogeneous group, in reality this population is varied in terms of prior knowledge, access to formal education, age, and native language. Despite these differences, students must be taught first social, and then academic, English in order for them to be successful in their classes and graduate. While in previous decades, ELLs were isolated from the mainstream population, common education practices now integrate them into their grade-level classes. However, while working with this high-need population, mainstream content-area teachers often lack the time, professional …

English Language Learners And Special Education: One District's Journey Through The Collaborative Problem Solving Process, Laura S. Salem

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

English Language Learners are a growing population in schools in the United States. There are many challenges that face this group of students in addition to learning English as a new language. A major issue for teachers, schools, and districts is determining whether an English Language Learner is experiencing academic difficulties based on issues primarily related to language acquisition or whether a learning disability is contributing to the academic challenges. As a result, English Language Learners are often misidentified for Special Education services and may be placed in classrooms that are not adequately prepared or appropriate to meet their needs. …

The Effect Of A Self-Regulated Vocabulary Intervention On Word Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, And Self-Regulated Learning For Elementary English Language Learners, Qizhen Deng

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing population in U.S. public schools. Research reports from the past two decades suggest a persistent reading underachievement for ELLs. Academic vocabulary knowledge, due to its frequent use in academic texts, contributes significantly to ELL children’s English language development, reading comprehension, and general academic achievement. However, a gap of vocabulary knowledge exists between ELLs and their mainstream peers. One potential approach to address this issue is to help ELLs become mastery independent and proactive word learners. This study examined the effect of a researcher-led self-regulated vocabulary intervention on word knowledge, reading comprehension, and self-regulated …

Partnerships Through Adult Education: Re-Conceptualizing Family Literacy In The New Latino Diaspora, Jennifer Leigh Stacy

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Schools are complex social institutions that mediate the experiences of newcomer families in the US. In recent years, a body of scholarship known as New Latino Diaspora has followed the migration of Latino families as they have moved away from traditional gateway communities and settled into territories that have previously been home to few, if any, Latino families. As a result, both institutionalized and grassroots educational initiatives have emerged as vehicles to support newcomer families as they learn English and adapt to living in a new community. This dissertation looks at the cultural space of a family literacy program that …

The Effect Of Morphological Strategies Training For English Language Learners, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of morphological strategies training for English language learners from an Intensive English Program with different English proficiency levels. A secondary goal was to investigate how the training influences their cognitive load during morphological analysis tasks. Findings from 22 participants revealed that morphological strategies training positively affects the morphological awareness of ELLs and reduces the cognitive load of ELLs for all types of morphological tasks regardless of their English proficiency level: sentence completion, analogy, break down words, and meaning guess.

[Note: Download button links to pdf version; PowerPoint slide version attached …

Protecting The Civil Rights Of English Language Learners Today: A Study Of The Recent Doj And Ocr Investigations Of Selected School Districts In The United States, Omobola Oyeleye

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of the study was to examine the circumstances and practices that led to OCR and DOJ investigations in seven selected school districts, and to determine the emerging themes from the details of the settlement agreements between the school districts and the United States. The themes developed through this study were aimed at providing a framework for school officials all across the nation, assisting them to examine their practices and align the practices with the results of the recent investigations and settlement agreements.

Representing the intermingling of the field of law and education, the study addressed the question: What …

The Relationship Of Preservice Teachers To English Language Learners In Mainstream Classrooms, Susan F. Alford

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of preservice teachers by examining their attitudes and perceptions to English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. An ever-increasing population of ELLs in U.S. classrooms has challenged the preparation of preservice teachers to meet the specific needs of this group of students. Preservice teachers’ attitudes toward their ability to connect with ELLs, their self-efficacy toward preparation to teach ELLs, and their attitudes toward language use in the classroom were probed. The research design included both quantitative and qualitative inquiries. A survey was administered to preservice teachers in three teacher preparation …

All The World's A Stage: Reaching English Language Learners Through Drama, Laura M. S. Fortney

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

The use of drama with language instruction has long been considered a legitimate practice. A recent survey of the literature shows that English Language Learners (ELLs) may have even more to benefit from the use of drama in the classroom. Studies showed an increase in language and problem-solving ability, as well as student self-efficacy that was transferrable across activities. Following an analysis of the literature is a proposed curriculum based on the findings of the researchers cited. This unit is centered on dramatic activities that make use of all four language domains and includes the examination of plays in writing, …