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Selected Factors Related To The Mathematics Academic Achievement Of Eighth Grade English Language Learners, Anthony Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to examine selected factors related to the 8th grade mathematics achievement levels of English Language Learner (ELL) students in selected South Texas middle schools. The dependent variable, ELL mathematics achievement, was measured by the ELL student’s raw score on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) or the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness linguistically accommodated test (STAAR L). The factors examined in this study were 1) parent’s educational background, 2) socioeconomic status, 3) parental involvement status at school, 4) number of people in the household, 5) family structure, 6) primary …

How To Tame A Wild Tongue: Language Rights In The United States, Panayota Gounari

Panayota Gounari

The call for a "common language" and a "shared identity that makes us Americans" not only hides a more pernicious social and cultural agenda but it is also part of the present attempt toward the 'reorganization of a 'cultural hegemony' as evidenced in the conservatives on the multiplicity of languages spoken in the United States. This ultimately guarantees that these groups will remain repressed, marginalized and cut off from the wealth of resources that the dominant group has full access. As a result, the current debate over bilingual education has very little to do with language per se; the real …

Sheltered English Immersion Vs. Two-Way Bilingual Education: A Case Study Comparison Of Parental Attitudes And Hispanic Students' Perceived Self-Efficacy, Edith A. Mcgee

Theses and Dissertations

Two common forms of teaching English to English-language learners are bilingual education and sheltered English immersion. While both programs claim successful second language acquisition, other effects of the programs need to be considered. This research examines one of those effects: self-efficacy, or students' perception that they will be successful or unsuccessful in doing a specific task or acquiring a specific skill. Using archival records and semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions, this qualitative study draws on the work of Bandura (1977, 1986, 1997) to explore differences in self-efficacy between students who have participated for 5 years in a two-way Spanish-English bilingual …

A Professional Development Program For The Mother Tongue-Based Teacher: Addressing Teacher Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Mtbmle, Rebecca J. Paulson Stone

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigates teacher attitudes about language and education. The purpose of the study is to help program designers develop professional development efforts that successfully address some of the major identified challenges teachers face when transitioning into Mother Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTBMLE), including negative attitudes. It also suggests protocols and issues that trainers should consider when designing professional development for MTBMLE teachers.

The research question guiding this study is:

1. Do teachers' attitudes towards and knowledge about mother tongue-based instruction change after they participate in professional development that is consistent with good professional development practice?

a. What were teachers' …

Self-Esteem And Identity: A Case Study Of Two Bilingual Education Students, Julia Gomez Montalvo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This qualitative study focused on the self-esteem, sociocultural identity, and academic performance of transitional and dual language students as they moved through their respective programs. A case study was conducted on two randomly selected students, one from the transitional program and one from the dual language program. The two students attend the same school and have participated in their respective programs for 12 years in the same school district. Both students were asked to complete surveys on self-esteem and participate in an interview where they were asked various questions about their self-esteem, sociocultural identity, and academic performance. Data collected from …

A Review Of The Literature On Bilingual Education, Lorna Rivera

Lorna Rivera

Changes in bilingual education will have an important impact on the future well-being of the growing Latino community in Massachusetts. This report summarizes some of the major research findings regarding the purposes and effectiveness of bilingual education. Questions that will be addressed include: What are the existing bilingual education models? Which bilingual education models work best? Should there be time limits for bilingual education? Do immigrants resist learning English? Does speaking another language interfere with learning? Should bilingual students be exempt from state-mandated testing? Are bilingual teachers qualified? Are bilingual education students more likely to dropout? It is hoped that …

Bilingual Teacher Beliefs And Practice: Do They Line Up?, Claudia Peralta Nash, Celia Den Hartog King

Claudia Peralta

A qualitative study used observation and collection of artifacts to examine the pedagogical strategies of six teachers; four taught in a two-way bilingual education school, while the other two were first-year teachers in a school setting with large numbers of English language learners. Informal interviews were conducted throughout the time of the study; semi-structured interviews were conducted at the end of a semester of observation and recording of field notes. Some interviews attempted to uncover the beliefs teachers had about student learning, and in particular, that of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Teachers were asked about the influences and sources …

Educational Leaders Serving Language Minority Students (1965-2001), Jenny Maria Neal

Dissertations

This study analyzes three legislations that affected education for language

minority students. The research starts with a historical overview of the foundation of the

United States and the education of the non-English speaking population. It examines the

conditions that led to the first Bilingual Education Act of 1968, the changes that appeared

in the Bilingual Education Act of 1974, and the development of Title III of the No Child

Left Behind Act of 2001. The country's response to English language learners and their

individual learning needs is looked at throughout each listed time period, as well as the

implications for …

Bilingual Education As An Eeo: Educational Enrichment Opportunity For All, Anaida Colón-Muñiz, Norma Valenzuela

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"In this chapter, we present our position on the need for more, not less, bilingual education based not only on our personal experiences and on the evidence that is available in the literature verifying the value of bilingualism and biliteracy. Even with our bumpy experiences as young bilingual children, we are still better for it than if we had been raised without the benefit of two languages. But we also know it is time to do a better job with our youth in the United States as it refers to language development.

In Part I, we argue that bilingual education …

Perspectivas Contradictorias: La Necesidad De Reconfigurar La Educación Bilingüe En Estados Unidos En El Siglo Xxi, Margaret Hutchison

Hispanic Studies Honors Projects

The current-day field of Bilingual Education in the US finds itself at a critical juncture. While some proponents of Bilingual Education emphasize its ability to form multilingual students for academic and economic success on a global stage, a contrasting perspective within the field emphasizes the importance of Bilingual Education to best support the achievement of language-minority students in particular. Interviews with three employees of St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, who are each involved with the implementation of a Bilingual Education program indicate the existence of this ideological split within the local context of St. Paul. This division …