Problems And Suggestions To Improve Pronunciation Skills Of English Language Learners In China, Yi Fang

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project is based on the input hypothesis theoretical framework. The literature review explores the importance of pronunciation in English communication, problems with pronunciation and what causes them will be talked about for people learning English. Lastly, since the goal of this field project is to help English language learners in China improve their pronunciation, the third theme is about how to solve pronunciation problems and what learners need. One of the conclusions is that Chinese language learners' performance in the English language is significantly influenced by motivation, attitudes, parental support, openness to communication, and other linguistic and nonlinguistic factors. …

Improving Elementary Nutrition Education Curriculum In San Francisco - A Program Analysis Of The Food Education Project, Audrey N. Chang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Childhood obesity and food insecurity are problems within San Francisco, California. The purpose of this program analysis is to assess the Food Education Project (FEP), which is one of many projects addressing nutrition education and the long-term public health impact is to solve the problems of food insecurity and childhood obesity. Through primary data collection, students shared their honest feelings about food and were able to openly discuss what they know and do not know about food. A literature review was conducted through research from various databases from the University of San Francisco to identify not only current interventions but …

Esp In Nursing: Building Communicative Competence For Internationally-Educated Nurses, Sami Vuong

Master's Projects and Capstones

The nursing shortage in the United States has been an ongoing issue due to nursing burnout and retirement. Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has further exhausted the healthcare system’s resources and healthcare providers. In order to sustain the healthcare system in society, a large number of internationally educated nurses (IENs) have been transferred to work in the United States. As a result of different nursing practices, cultures, and communication styles, many IENs experience language and cultural barriers at work. Difficulty in communication influences the quality of patient care provided, which can lead to negative health outcomes for patients and …

Teaching English As A Foreign Language In China: A Unit Plan For Educators, Yun Xie

Master's Projects and Capstones

The ultimate goal of English learning is to enable students to communicate in English.

However, English education in China ignores the importance of English communicative ability. The problem lies in the teaching method, that is, solely adopting the Grammar Translation Method; the teaching model, only the “teacher-centered” teaching model is adopted for teaching, thus students do not have enough opportunities to practice spoken English; moreover, the teaching materials lack authenticity, practicality and content of target culture.

These three problems were explored as three themes in this field project and provided a unit plan on how to improve these problems. This …

Decolonizing The Brazilian Efl Classroom: Creating Space For Afro-Brazilian Students Of English, Robyn Diane Mosely

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

Afro-Brazilians constitute the majority of Brazil’s total population. When compared to White Brazilians, Afro-Brazilians are more than twice as likely to live in abject poverty. These striking disparities have significant implications for this community and the socioeconomic well-being of the entire country. Securing access to quality secondary education is imperative for the Black communities of Brazil to ascend out of poverty and hardship.

Completing a foreign language program, typically English, followed by successfully passing a rigorous competency exam, is a prerequisite to obtaining a postsecondary degree in Brazil's university system. This assessment can present a dilemma for Black Brazilians …

Navigating Acculturative Stress: A Guide For Supporting Newcomer Students In California Esl Classrooms, Daniela Lopera Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Acculturation has been widely studied as a post-migration phenomenon that individuals face when coming in contact with their new recipient culture and environment. The different experiences, tasks, and requirements that newcomers must endure upon arrival may lead to their suffering prolonged periods of discomfort. This moderate, intermediate, or acute feeling of uneasiness is defined as acculturative stress. In it, the continued exposure to stressors such as adjusting to a new culture, rules, behavioral patterns, a second language, finding housing, and obtaining an education and employment can lead to trauma. This field project has been designed to provide educators and allies …

Interactive And Engaging Virtual/Online English Classes: Fostering Teaching And Social Presence, Merve Beyazit Taner

Master's Projects and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to the education field. Due to the enforced immediate transition from in-person to online teaching, teachers, policymakers, administrators, and students had difficulty adapting themselves. Nearly three years since the pandemic began, it is clear that English language teachers have improved their digital literacy skills to sustain effective teaching. However, more than digital literacy skills are required to build community in the online learning environment. The claim for the literature review is that fostering interaction and creating presence, especially high levels of social and teaching presence, may contribute to academic achievement in online English learning. …

Enculturation For International Students In Online Classroom, Xiaohan Liang

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project addresses the challenges that faced by international students who especially having online classes through an easily-accessed guidebook and the theme of which is sports. The guidebook developed for this field project included a brief literature review on the challenges faced by new international students and the effectiveness of participation in sports on enculturation. The guidebook may contribute to the gap of ways to adaptation for international students when they are having online classes by providing ample exercises, useful tips and appeal face validity that are easily accessible to students and teachers.

Strategies In Toefl Reading Comprehension For Chinese Students, Xiwen Li

Master's Projects and Capstones

With China’s development, an increasing number of students choose to further their studies abroad. However, many Chinese students do not know how to prepare for the TOEFL test by themselves.Thus, there are three sections in my literature review, which are the introduction of TOEFL, TOEFL Reading Comprehension Strategies for Native Chinese Speakers, and TOEFL test preparation for Chinese students.After that, this project includes original materials so that beginning level students can get a preliminary understanding of the TOEFL reading comprehension tests. The material is deliberately based on Chinese culture, which makes it relevant and easier for beginners to understand. This …

Brain Waste Among Highly Skilled Immigrants In The United States, Kimberly Alva-Chavers Gardner

Master's Projects and Capstones

The issue of brain waste and underemployment among highly skilled immigrants is a key issue facing the United States today. This problem of equity has turned into an issue of economic stability in a country with a waning population whose workforce will soon depend on immigrant and international workers. Multiple agencies, including government programs and nonprofits, are attempting to address this issue from a language learning perspective. Using the theoretical framework of Cultural Capital and Community Cultural Wealth, this research project suggests that the key to reducing brain waste and underemployment among highly skilled immigrants is to take the focus …

The Child Care Crisis: Through The Social Ecological Lens, Jocelyne Saldana

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Objective - Working mothers face mental strain when returning to work due to the challenges of the current child care system. It is unclear how the instability of the child care sector impacts the mental health of working mothers.

Methods - The systematic review of literature was conducted to identify existing evidence to determine the influence access to quality, dependable, and affordable child care has on maternal mental health outcomes in working mothers. Multiple databases were used including PubMed and Scopus.

Results - Subsidized programs help reduce the cost of child care, however, income eligibility criteria makes it difficult …

The Nonprofit Sector And Cannabis Industry: Creating Cross-Sector Partnerships For A Sustainable And Equitable Future In New Jersey And Beyond, Abigail Rose Perl

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Cannabis industry is currently rolling out a legal industry, medical and recreational, across the United States. While some state legislators are celebrating legalization as a success alongside Multi-State Operators (MSOs), Legacy operators, or those involved in the Cannabis industry prior to legalization, have yet to bask in the benefits of legalizations as their corporate successors. Even more so, those who have faced adversities or have been criminalized by Cannabis have yet to see the benefit of Cannabis than many MSOs do. While legislators try to reverse the wrongdoings of the War On Drugs set out by our own government, …

Remembering The Bracero Program: Decolonizing Community Spaces & Expanding Migrant Representation In Children’S Literature, Ariadna Santoyo Zarate

Master's Projects and Capstones

This applied project explores the history of Bracero workers in the United States. This history of Braceros serves the purpose of deepening immigrant farm working communities’ understanding of who they are. This research study aims to expand narratives of the migrant experience by highlighting the Bracero program and addressing the lack of diverse representation in children’s books. This research gathers the personal experiences of Braceros through the book ‘OUR GRANDFATHERS WERE BRACEROS AND WE TOO’ by Abel Astorga Morales & Rosa Martha Zarate Macias and explores articles teaching us about decolonizing frameworks and indigenous ideologies. I’m writing a book that …

Bridging Language Through Folktales And Authentic Outings: A Guidebook For Esl/Efl Teachers, Natalie Sauvain

Master's Projects and Capstones

There is a real need for authentic and culturally relevant materials to be integrated into ESL and EFL classrooms. Swiss classrooms, as well as the language acquisition curricula used in them, need to be redesigned with the native languages and culture of the learners’ in mind. All too often, teachers are dependent on textbooks, which can raise anxiety and decrease motivation among ELLs since the learners lack an authentic relationship with the teacher, language and materials. The aim of this field project is to address the lack of authentic materials in Swiss ESL classrooms. The creation of this field project …

“I Want Them To See Me As A Complete Person”: Sustaining People Of Color In Predominantly White Institutions Through Counter-Hegemony, Jessica Albavera

Master's Projects and Capstones

Education in the United States is inequitable. Independent schools in particular add to this inequity because of limited access and affordability. This creates a situation in which educators who are fighting for more diversity, equity, and inclusion have to reconcile working in an institution that is part of an inequitable system. This research-based field project, through the method of focus groups, sought to examine the ways in which educators in an independent school in San Francisco are utilizing counter-hegemonic strategies in their classrooms to support the diverse and intersecting identities of their students. The focus group also provided a space …

Navigating School: An English As A Second Language Curriculum For Multilingual Caregivers, Kerry Stimpson

Master's Projects and Capstones

If multilingual families feel that they are not able to communicate with school staff, then these families may not become involved in their child’s school, and the child’s learning could be negatively impacted. The purpose of this project is to create a roadmap and lessons for English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors to implement in their classes with multilingual caregivers. This curriculum will address the lack of understanding that ESL teachers have in regard to the needs of multilingual caregivers to communicate with their child’s school staff and understand the school system in the United States. Given the content …

The Need To Belong: Interweaving State History In Adult Esl To Support Culturally Responsive Teaching, Sandra Watkins

Master's Projects and Capstones

As an increasing variety of cultures is represented in our adult ESL classrooms, and there is a growing need for instructors to employ culturally responsive teaching methods to bridge the gap between students’ cultural backgrounds and the current curriculum and instructional practices being used in our community college noncredit classrooms. The existing cultural dissonance between the mainstream culture and their own may cause learners to internalize negative individual and group identities resulting in low expectations for life changes. Without understanding the relationship between your home and your host country, the history of the new place, or a sense of connection …

Zest For English: Teaching Esl Content-Based Instruction Through The Culinary Arts, Melinda Joan Wright

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT As only one-third of all degree-seeking California Community College English as a Second Language (ESL) students successfully complete transfer-level English within six years, new approaches ought to be considered to better meet the needs of these students. As most ESL classes are skills-based, offering more Content-Based Instruction (CBI) may be one solution to increasing successful student outcomes in ESL classes and pathway programs. The purpose of this project was to develop a content-based curriculum for community college and adult education students who are interested in the culinary arts as a way of engaging learners who may not be as …

Teaching American English Pronunciation In A Spanish Speaking Context: A Guide For Efl Teachers In Chile, Martin P. Quarto

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project addresses the lack of education surrounding pronunciation teaching, and it specifically responds to the opportunities available within English as a Foreign Language settings. This project is especially relevant to English language teachers who would like to study pronunciation teaching and its history. The objective of this research is to inform educators of the validity of teaching pronunciation and to teach educators effective strategies that can be used. Theories of Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis form the foundation of this project, as well as theories of Interlanguage and Markedness. The literature review includes extensive research into the subject …

Runaman Tukuy: Language Revitalization Strategies For Runasimi Heritage Learners, Allison B. Bejar

Master's Projects and Capstones

The legacies of colonization remain a pervasive force in society and actively work against Indigenous communities and their right to their languages, knowledge systems, and cultural practices. More specifically, the colonial legacy of linguicide has endangered and marginalized thousands of Indigenous languages all over the world. This field project focuses on Quechua language revitalization and aims to better understand and contribute to Indigenous language and identity scholarship. This field project is informed by a brief qualitative study through participant interviews with six Quechua heritage learners and educators. The study explores the limitations and possibilities of formal Quechua language learning, reiterates …