Education Commons^™

Short Report: Raising Children Bilingually, Henriette Langdon

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to describe the process of becoming bilingual by sharing my own experience being raised in a four-language environment and how it influenced the upbringing of my daughter in two, and subsequently three languages. The other purpose is to dispel the myth that children with language, developmental and/or intellectual impairments or those diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum cannot or should not be exposed to two languages because it is confusing, or because they simply cannot handle two languages due to their disability. As a bilingual speech and language pathologist (SLP) who has practiced …

Looking Within: Teacher Critical Self-Reflection On Language And Cultural Integration In Multilingual Schools, Kathryn Brooks, Katya Karathanos, Susan Adams

Faculty Publications

Genor (2005) proposed a framework for teacher reflection that included three stages of reflection: Unproblematized reflection, problematized reflection and critically problematized reflection. This study built upon Genor’s (2005) framework. The researchers of this current study taught English as a second language (ESL) coursework over two semesters to inservice educators. Analysis of participants’ course documents and instructional artifacts revealed factors that contributed to changes in beliefs and professional practices in teaching multilingual students. These factors included teachers’ (1) capacity to identify one’s biases and assumptions, (2) perceived purposes for incorporating students’ native languages and cultures in instruction, (3) levels of self-efficacy, …

Equitable Education Of English Learners In The Common Core Age: Implications For Principal Leadership, David Whitenack

Faculty Publications

This paper highlights the importance of school principals in English Learners’ academic achievement in the age of the Common Core State Standards. Revising the curriculum of administrator preparation programs to include a greater emphasis on curriculum and instruction is one approach to enhancing principal leadership for English Leaners. Another approach is to reculture site-level instructional leadership through professional development to address the academic learning needs of English Learners.

Towards An Assumption Responsive Information Literacy Curriculum: Lessons From Student Qualitative Data, Rob Morrison, Deana Greenfield

Faculty Publications

This chapter will describe how the collection of data on college student assumptions impacted the development and revision of credit courses in digital information literacy. Drawing on qualitative data from pretests, assignments, questionnaires, reflection journals, and student evaluations, the authors will detail their teaching experiences and the development of an assumption responsive curriculum which challenges students to draw connections between new material and prior questions, concerns, and beliefs. We will also discuss the impetus for the development of our pretest survey tool, thoughts on why student assumptions matter in the classroom, and provide excerpts from the qualitative student data that …

Review Of Schooling For Resilience: Improving The Life Trajectories Of African-American And Latino Males, Nina M. Ellis-Hervey

Faculty Publications

References

Fergus, E., & Noguera, P. (2010). Doing what it takes to prepare black and Latino males in college. In C. Edley & J. Ruiz (Eds.), Changing places: How communities will improve the health of boys of color (pp. 97-139). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Noguera, P. (2012). Saving black and Latino boys: What schools can do to make a difference. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(5) (February 2012), 8-12.

Schott Foundation. (2010). State report on public education of black males. Cambridge, MA: Author. www.blackboysreport.org.

Book Review: Biliteracy From The Start: Biliteracy Squared In Action, Allison Briceño

Faculty Publications

A review of Kathy Escamilla, Susan Hopewell, Sandra Butvilofsky, Wendy Sparrow, Lucinda Soltero-González, Olivia Ruiz-Figueroa, and Manuel Escamilla. (2014). Biliteracy from the Start: Literacy Squared in Action. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing. 224 pp.

Interpreter-Assisted Speech-Language Intervention In Poland: Needs, Possibilities And Prospects (Współpraca Polskiego Logopedy Z Tłumaczem – Potrzeby, Możliwości I Perspektywy), Katarzyna Gaweł, Henriette Langdon, Katarzyna Węsierska

Faculty Publications

Due to the constantly evolving global demographic situation, speech-language therapists (SLTs, also: speech-language pathologists – SLPs) have to deal with an increasing workload of bilingual/multilingual clients. This article presents results of a survey conducted among Polish SLTs aimed at investigating their views with regards to the possibility of collaboration with an interpreter during therapeutic intervention. The original version of the questionnaire (Gaweł & Węsierska, 2014) used in this survey was filled out by 206 respondents from different areas across Poland. The following issues were addressed in the study: the SLTs’ views on the incidence of bilingualism in Poland, their self-evaluation …

"I Don't Understand What You're Saying!": Lessons From Three Esl Writing Tutorials, Eun-Young Julia Kim

Faculty Publications

This article presents three case studies that closely examine various types of inter-actions taking place in writing center tutorials involving newly arrived pre-ma-triculated ESL writers. By learning what strategies tutors commonly use and how successfully the ESL writers negotiate their goals for the visit and the form and meaning of their text through this sample, this study aims to help identify what characterizes successful tutorials and what unique challenges English language learners might face when interacting with tutors. Results from these case studies show that it is not how many corrections tutors make or suggest for the students’ papers, but …

How Does Focus On Form Affect The Revising Processes Of Esl Writers?: Two Case Studies, Eun-Young Julia Kim

Faculty Publications

This study considers the ongoing “grammar correction debate” in second language writing by examining how a focus on formal accuracy would affect the revising processes of ESL writers and the students’ written products. A case study approach was used to find out how two ESL students would respond in the two different rewriting situations: (a) when there is no explicit expectation for them to produce grammatically correct text, and (b) when this expectation was clearly present. The protocol analysis and interviews with the participants showed that students’ revision processes had not been affected by the kind of instruction and expectation …

Unpacking The Language Of Stem For English Language Learners, Kristin Lems, Jason Stegemoller

Faculty Publications

This article is a follow-up to a workshop we presented at STEMTech 2013 entitled “Unpacking the language of STEM for English language learners.” We chose this topic because, in our roles as co-directors of the ESL STEM Success Grant (a 5 year national professional development grant from the Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education), we have been exploring ways that teachers across the grade levels can rise to the challenge of more effectively teaching English language learners (ELLs) in the STEM disciplines. (STEM, of course, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.) When teachers embed their understandings …

Microblogging: Using Digital Literacies To Engage Middle School English Learners, Carolyn Stufft, Susan Casey

Faculty Publications

As a result of the changing technologies associated with the 21st century, the definition of literacy has changed and expanded (Antonacci & O’Callaghan, 2011) to encompass e-books, text messages, blogs, and even videogames and the peripheral literacies associated with gaming. These new literacies have demonstrated promise for engaging students in literate practices (Gee, 2007; Gerber, 2009). One practice in particular, microblogging, provides a way to engage English learners in writing and responding to text. Microblogging is a participant web technology that allows users to interact and share information in succinct online posts (Hricko, 2010). For middle school English learners, microblogging …

Insight For Teacher Preparation Program Administrators: Enhancing Pre-Service Educators’ Intercultural Sensitivity And Deep Proficiency In Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Short-Term Study Abroad, Gloria J. Gresham Dr., Paula Griffin, Tracey Hasbun, Vikki Boatman

Faculty Publications

Teacher preparation program administrators face the issue of expanding curricula to prepare teacher candidates for the diverse population of students they will encounter (Trent, Kea, Oh, 2008). Globalization demands that teacher candidates grasp how to function in a more integrated and interdependent society (McGrew, 2005). According to Smith-Davis (2004) students from non-English speaking countries compose the fastest growing United States K-12 student population, and those identified as limited English proficient were over 10 million in 2004. The United States Census reported in the ''New Census Bureau Report" the number of individuals five and older who speak languages other than English …

Educating Students Who Do Not Speak The Societal Language: The Social Construction Of Language-Learner Categories, Guadalupe Valdés, Luis E. Poza, Maneka Deanna Brooks

Faculty Publications

On 21 September 2012, California Assembly Bill 2193 was approved by Governor Jerry Brown. The bill added sections to California’s Education Code defining the terms long-term English learner and English learner at risk of becoming a long-term English learner. It mandated that the Department of Education collect data on the number of students corresponding to both new categories and report those data to school districts. This specific example of the construction of categories and labels matters because it is a clear example of how coexisting discourses and language ideologies provide a set of cultural rules, conditions, practices, and power …

Entre Familia: Immigrant Parents’ Strategies For Involvement In Children’S Schooling, Luis E. Poza, Maneka Deanna Brooks, Guadalupe Valdés

Faculty Publications

Teachers and administrators in schools with large, working-class Latino populations often complain of parents’ indifference or lack of involvement in children’s schooling because of their low visibility at school events and relatively little face-to-face communication with teachers and school administration. In a series of semi-structured interviews with Latino immigrant parents, this study finds that, despite different educational experiences than those of their children in the United States, these parents engage in many of the parent involvement strategies observed by previous research to be most beneficial, though often through avenues bypassing the school itself. This finding presses schools and districts to …

Review Of 2013 Aall Diversity Symposium, Affirmative Action, Banned Books, And Mexican American Studies: The Current State Of Diversity And Education In America, Michele Lucero

Faculty Publications

The Diversity Symposium offered an overview of how affirmative action and multi-cultural studies affect diversity in the professional world. The Symposium began with Ulysses N. Jaen, Ave Maria School of Law Library’s Head of Public Services, discussing how the need for diversity continues to be an element that the legal profession and library schools struggle with – with low numbers of diverse individuals within the profession. We have resources such as mentoring, scholarships, affirmative action, and ethnic studies, which help raise awareness but are not the definitive solution. Many people have differing viewpoints and ideas on what diversity is, with …

The Transformative Potential Of Boundary Spanners: A Narrative Inquiry Into Preservice Teacher Education And Professional Development In An Nclb-Impacted Context, David Whitenack, Patricia Swanson

Faculty Publications

This narrative inquiry uses pedagogic discourse theory and organization theory to frame pre-service teacher education and in-service professional development initiatives in a school district facing tensions related to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Implications for similar future initiatives are considered.

Language Choice Motivations In A Bribri Community In Costa Rica, Janet Blackwood

Faculty Publications

A growing body of research has been undertaken in a variety of contexts worldwide to explore language preference and use as well as the attitudes and beliefs that may impact the maintenance and revitalization of endangered languages. There has also been considerable examination of the motivations that impact second language learning and the choices speakers make regarding second language learning and use. However this research has rarely extended to exploring the motivations influencing language choices in contexts where one of the languages is an endangered mother‐tongue language. Analyzing a portion of the data gathered from a larger study on language …

A Biliteracy Dialogue Approach To One-On-One Writing Instruction With Bilingual, Mexican, Immigrant Writers, W. Jason Stegemoller

Faculty Publications

This interpretive study explores the writing and writing experiences of 2 bilingual, Mexican, immigrant undergraduates at a US university. Hornberger and Skilton-Sylvester’s (2003) continua model of biliteracy situates writing interactions to understand how students explore and draw on their bilingual and bicultural resources as they develop academic writing in English in the university. Data include questionnaires, literacy history interview-conversations, text-based conversations, student writing, course syllabi, and assignment sheets. Biliteracy dialogues demonstrate how students approached writing. The 1st student, Diego, focused on negotiating what he perceived as appropriate to include in his writing, while the 2nd student, Nicolas, connected to academic …

Understanding Ells At Different English Proficiency Levels In Dual Language Programs, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research is to examine the language proficiency and reading achievement of a diverse group of 1045 grade 4-8 ELL students enrolled in a dual language program. These students differed in background factors (parent education, SES), dual language program model (90:10, 50:50), and English language proficiency level (Begin/Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Advanced, reclassified Fluent English Proficient). Results show that there are significant effects due to language proficiency group, parent education, SES, and program model on student outcomes - English language proficiency, Spanish reading, and English reading achievement at program entry, grade 3 and current grade. Results are discussed …

Improving Principal Quality For Schools With English Learners: Reculturing Instructional Leadership [Aera Paper], Noni Reis, Barbara Flores

Faculty Publications

In this paper we draw attention to the importance of school leadership on the academic achievement of English Learners. Furthermore, we suggest that school leaders can play a key role in advocating for equitable policies that will improve the academic achievement of English learners. For within-school factors related to student achievement, school leadership quality is second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teacher’s instruction (Heck & Leathwood, 2000; Leithwood and Riehl, 2003). The literature reports, however, that the influence of school leadership on student learning is not so evident in low-performing schools (Riordan, 2003). Furthermore, studies …

Into The Breach With Aall's Diversity Committee: Law Libraries' Struggle To Achieve Diversity Goals, Michele Lucero, Beau Steenken

Faculty Publications

The authors discuss the progress of the professional group the American Association of Law Libraries' (AALL's) Diversity Committee as of 2013, which aims to increase racial diversity among the staff of U.S. law libraries. The annual Diversity Symposium, globalization, and cultural intelligence (CQ) are discussed, as well as AALL's Minority Leadership Development Award (MLDA).

Examining Disequilibrium In An Immersion Experience, Carol J. Brazo, Genevieve Harris, Rebecca A. Addleman

Faculty Publications

This study examines the disequilibrium raised by a cultural immersion experience, using the structure of White racial identity development, in an effort to better scaffold the immersion experience in the future. Thirty-two students participated in an immersion experience in Quito, Ecuador. The study follows their experience as they strive to make sense of their experience and begin to understand and unpack their own sense of privilege. The six stages of racial identity development are used as a grid through which to view and consider the experiences of teacher candidates in a cultural immersion experience. Two predominant themes included schools/classroom management, …

Increasing The Cultural Competence Of Assessment Professionals Via Online Training, Jennifer L. Schroeder, Maximino Plata, Harry Fullwood, Melanie Price, Jennifer Dyer

Faculty Publications

The preponderance of literature suggests that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners demonstrate unexpected underachievement in academic areas, mainly due to educators’ inability to differentiate between students’ cultural attributes rather than demonstrable cognitive dysfunction. Thirty assessment practitioners participated in a study to investigate the effectiveness of teaching cultural information and culturally-relevant assessment practices via an online teaching platform. The Munroe Multicultural Attitude Scale Questionnaire (MASQUE) and short-answer tests were used to obtain participants’ pre- and post- training attitudes and knowledge regarding cultural diversity. Results indicated that online training improved attitudes toward multicultural issues in education. A number of suggestions for …

Integrated Or Isolated Experiences? Considering The Role Of Service-Learning In The Spanish Language Curriculum, Gabriel Ignacio Barreneche, Héctor Ramos-Flores

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Background And Achievement Of English Language Learners With Different Levels Of English Proficiency In Dual Language Programs, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research is to examine the language proficiency and reading achievement of a diverse group of 899 grade 4-8 ELL students enrolled in a dual language program. These students differed in background factors (parent education, SES), dual language program model (90:10, 50:50), and English language proficiency level (Begin/Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Advanced, reclassified Fluent English Proficient). Results show that there are significant effects due to language proficiency group, parent education, SES, and program model on student outcomes - English language proficiency, Spanish reading, and English reading achievement at program entry, grade 3 and current grade. Results are discussed …

Diversity Symposium On Cultural Intelligence: Are You Culturally Competent?, Michele Lucero

Faculty Publications

Have you ever wondered if you are culturally competent and how important it is in the workplace? Have you ever considered if librarians and your stakeholders are culturally competent and how it impacts you? The 2012 AALL Diversity Symposium this past July addressed just that – with insights from presenter and AALL Diversity Committee member, Michele Lucero.

Bridging Professional Development And Context: Integrating Mathematics And Academic Language In A District Facing Takeover, Patricia Swanson, David Whitenack

Faculty Publications

This quasi-experimental, multi-phase study uses mixed methods to evaluate a professional development initiative focused on integrating mathematics and academic language. The context is a highly diverse urban district facing state takeover. The professional development focused on the understanding of key mathematics concepts and developing content-specific academic language. It linked explicitly to district-adopted texts and prescribed lesson formats. Teachers perceived the strategies to be feasible and beneficial to student learning, and had high rates of implementation. Nonetheless, pacing guides pressuring teachers to quickly cover content pose challenges for continued implementation. Implications for (1) professional development focusing on integrating subject-matter content and …

A Review Of "Pragmatics: Teaching Speech Acts", W. Jason Stegemoller

Faculty Publications

Book review of Pragmatics: Teaching Speech Acts.

Evaluation Study Of C.A.R.E., The National Education Association's Culture, Abilities, Resilience, And Effort Professional Development Training, Noni Reis, Denise Alston, Linda Bacon, Brooke Whiting, Sheila Simmons

Faculty Publications

This was an evaluation study of C.A.R.E., National Education Association's Culture, Abilities, Resilience and Effort (C.A.R.E.): Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps. The training is based on culturally relevant pedagogy and on the Center for Research on Educational Diversity and Excellence standards. The research questions for the study were: 1.Did the training lead to changes in instructional practices? 2.Were the tools and materials provided by the C.A.R.E. guide used? 3.Did the strategies lead to changes in student behavior and school practices Participants (n-275) completed an on-line survey and/or a telephone interview. Two-thirds (66%) of the participants noticed improvements in student achievement, …

Meeting The Need For K-8 Teachers For Classrooms With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: The Promise And Challenge Of Early Field Experiences, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Faculty Publications

The writers present the findings of their study focused on teacher learning through early fieldwork experiences to address the problem of teachers working with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Data were analyzed from an archive collected from approximately 500 students enrolled in six undergraduate child development courses at three state university campuses located in urban areas of California. Findings suggest that early field experiences provide participants with opportunities for career goal clarification, and the context of field experience is significant and may lead to outcomes beyond the initial goal of the experience.