Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Spoken Accent On Verbal Working Memory Performance, Faithe Snyder

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Language diversity is continually increasing in the United States. In the 2007 American Community Survey taken by the U.S. Census Bureau, it was found that about 20 percent of the U.S. population spoke a language other than English at home. As language diversity increases in the country, the language diversity of individuals diagnosed with cognitive or communicative impairments also increases. As a result, understanding how language and spoken accent difference affects the accuracy of diagnostic testing becomes an important question. A large challenge facing speech-language pathologists regarding culturally and linguistically diverse clients is distinguishing communication differences from communication disorders. As …

Alternative Venues: An Efl Writing Center Outside The University, Brooke R. Schreiber, Snezana Djuric

Publications and Research

Recent years have seen an increasing presence of writing centers in diverse English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings, particularly in East Asia and in Europe (Bräuer; Chang). These new centers face familiar issues such as a lack of resources, the need to adapt pedagogy to the local context (Reichelt et. al.; Broekhoff), and ideological resistance to the idea of peer learning (Turner) or even providing support for writing at all (Bräuer). In some cases, these difficulties may force potential writing centers to seek a platform entirely outside of the university, bringing both challenges and new possibilities as the center …

Academic Engagement And Learning Experience Of English Learners: A Case Study Of Chandler Magnet Elementary School, Worcester, Ma, Clara J. O'Rourke

Sustainability and Social Justice

Drastic increases in English Learner (EL) populations in public schools have prompted districts to investigate ways to improve programs for EL students to support their academic growth. This study explores academic engagement of ELs at Chandler Magnet Elementary School to understand how student success may differ among three distinct EL programs. This study incorporated teacher and EL student interviews, however, limitations prevented this study from making conclusions about student success by program. The findings of this study reveal that student learning experience is unique and academic engagement is influenced by many factors that are not necessarily associated with the EL …

An Internationally Adopted Child's Transition: A Family Story, Holly C. Heckmann

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to contribute to the literature on international adoption by conducting a case study with one adoptive family. Data was collected using a semi-structured, in-depth interview that was audio recorded and transcribed word-for-word. The interview questions asked about family configuration, language background and use, adoptive family decisions about cultural inclusiveness, and the transition from home to school. The analysis was member-checked following coding for the themes that emerged. Results indicated that lingering differences from reduced exposure to language in the first year of life took the form of subtle language differences that continued through the …

A Well-Rounded Experience: Connecting The Home Campus To The Study Abroad Experience And The Study Abroad Experience To The Home Campus, Mary Aurora Grandinetti

Capstone Collection

Many small liberal arts colleges across the United States partner with third-party providers or foreign institutions to provide their students with an opportunity to study abroad. Denison University, a small liberal arts school in Ohio, traditionally sends 50% of its student body to study abroad before they graduate. Since students have the option to spend a semester or two participating in study abroad, it is important for the students to be well prepared, for the experience to be integrated into their overall Denison education and for the students to transition back to campus successfully. To determine how students were preparing …

Higher Education: The Impact On Bosnian Women Who Came As Refugees To The United States, Belma Sadikovic

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact college education has on Bosnian refugee women who resettled to the United States. The research findings help us better understand the effect higher education has on female students who came to the United States as refugees, their self-sufficiency and their overall integration into their new society. Using Kunz’s refugee theory and Bourdieu’s theory on social and cultural capital as a theoretical framework, the study explores socio-cultural factors that enable and constrain the ability of Bosnian women to navigate the facets of higher education, and how those factors affect their self-sufficiency and overall integration. The participants …

Personalized Learning: Utilizing Canvas Technology For Ell Success, Rebekah A. Struble

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was put in place in order to identify the possible benefits of utilizing a flipped classroom technology program called Canvas in the sixth grade mathematics class. This implementation was meant as a means to enhance the academic success of the ELL students through a more individualized instruction plan with the aid of a technology program. Video-audios, peer discussion boards, and independent student research in conjunction with teacher guidance, redirection, and classroom group activities were utilized throughout a statistics unit over a one-month period. To properly compare the benefits of the technology program implementation there was also …

Arabic And English Sentence Patterns: A Comparative Guide, Cliff Breedlove

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This text explores verb time, tense, aspect, and mood through comparison of Arabic and English sentence patterns. It includes examples of the Arabic patterns from classical and popular sources so Arabic students can learn by explanation and example how to formulate cohesive and grammatically correct sentence structure.

While this guide is intended mainly for English-speaking students studying Arabic, the charts also provide a quick reference of English sentence patterns for Arabic speakers.

The book is designed as a supplement.

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"Off From Lost": Generation 1 Learners' Transition From Adult Esl To Developmental Education, Emily Kyungjin Suh

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

Immigrant students access community colleges with increasing frequency (Teranishi, Suarez-Orozco, & Suarez-Orozco, 2011); however, the majority of research focuses on Generation 1.5 students who completed K-12 education in the U.S. Generation 1 learners are defined in this study as adult immigrants (Rumbaut, 2004) and adult learners (Knowles, 1970) who began American education in adult ESL. Learners’ unique experiences and social roles motivate their transition to higher education and produce distinct linguistic and cultural needs. Many immigrant students begin in developmental education (Teranishi, Suarez-Orozco, & Suarez-Orozco), which is strongly influenced by the adult learning theory of andragogy (Knowles, 1968). This multiple …

"Y'All And All These Assessments Is A Little Bit Too Much" : The Effects Of High-Stakes Testing On Critical Literacy Pedagogy., Diana Lalata

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

As the United States of America becomes increasingly diverse, there is a need for teachers to embrace multiculturalism within the classroom. Shifting away from the traditional “banking model” of teaching, educational researchers call for a more critical approach—one in which teachers and students challenge dominant beliefs and practices of education. Foregrounded in those aims of cultural competence and critical consciousness, “critical literacy pedagogy” addresses the politicization of literacy education and employs conscious curriculum and teaching strategies to empower marginalized voices. Although a number of case studies on critical literacy pedagogy show considerable promise in disrupting dominant discourse and developing cultural …

Role Model Stories That Unite Children Of Oaxacan Immigrants, Erica Juarez Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Through my internship at Castroville Library Homework Center I endure power by telling stories to unite with children of Oaxacan immigrants while helping them with homework. Dacher Keltner power principles helped me have a trusting communication to learn the success and struggles in the children of Oaxacan immigrant’s education.

English Learners' Positioning During Interactions With Monolingual English-Speaking Students, Amanda Sugimoto, Kathy Carter

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, English Learners (ELs) are being educated in mainstream classrooms alongside English fluent students. Using a positioning theory framework, this multiple case study explored how ELs reflexively positioned themselves during interactions with their peers as well as how English fluent peers interactionally positioned ELs. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifacts), and using cross case analysis techniques, we found that ELs’ reflexive positioning was influenced by their language history and schooling context and peers’ interactional positioning moves limited ELs’ access to academic interactions. These findings pose important considerations regarding the academic and linguistic access of ELs in …

Using Humor To Enhance Metalinguistic Awareness And Expand Cultural Competence In Adult Esl Classrooms, Jean L. Hilburn

Master's Projects and Capstones

Research has shown that there are many benefits to using humor in the ESL classroom. Although this is known, oftentimes humor is avoided. There are a variety of reasons for humor not being incorporated into the ESL classroom. In addition, because much of the research and curriculum development regarding humorous wordplay and its benefits for ESL students has been focused on children, there is a paucity of curriculum, materials, and resources which focus on humor and wordplay relating to adult topics and themes.

The purpose of this project is to fill the gap between what is available and what is …

English Language Learners In The Mathematics Classroom, Julia Mccormick

Senior Honors Projects

Mathematics is often considered a universal language. Most of us have heard this statement from a math teacher at some point throughout our academic careers. However, for students moving to the United States from another country with minimal fluency in English, this is clearly not the case. They may walk into math class, a subject area in which they may have excelled in their native country, and see the words “polynomial”, “coefficient”, and “differentiate” on the board. Regardless of their experiences in their native language, there are disconnects and cultural differences between languages and skills emphasized that prevents mathematics from …

Chandra's Story: An Adult Education Student Journeys From Fear To Gratitude, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This article presents the story of Chandra (her real name), a middle-aged, Guyanese-American woman attending an adult education center in the Northeast United States. Chandra grew up in extreme poverty in Guyana, and was taken out of school at age eight to help meet the family’s basic needs. At age 22, she immigrated to the United States in hopes of better opportunities. Through narrative methods, Chandra’s story is constructed from 34 narrative and expository written texts that she composed for a literacy tutoring program, as well as three in-depth oral interviews. The result is a moving account of Chandra’s childhood …

The Back Burner: A Case Study Of A Teacher’S Dilemmas When Working With English Learners, Amanda Sugimoto

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, mainstream classroom teachers are working with (ELs), however, little is known about what dilemmas these teachers face in their practice with ELs. Using a dilemmatic spaces framework, this case study explored the dilemmas a fourth grade teacher negotiated while working with ELs in her low-incidence school. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifact analysis), and using iterative and thematic analysis techniques, three dilemmas were identified. These included: (1) a lack of professional experience with ELs, (2) lack of support from the ESL teacher, and (3) conflicting administrative expectations. These findings pose important considerations for the teaching …

Black Voices Matter, Shenika Hankerson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines the role of voice in the writing of African American students from the African American Language (AAL)-speaking culture. Drawing on data from a qualitative study, this article presents empirical evidence that is likely to inform existing and new initiatives to support the voice and writing practices of AAL-speaking students, and by extension, all culturally and linguistically diverse students. This rarely considered insight, I argue, is important as in recent decades there have been a growing number of calls for instructional material that meets the language and literacy development needs of second language speakers and writers. By generating …

El Desarrollo De La Escritura En Dos Idiomas En Niños De Kindergarten, Gloria S. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

El presente estudio se llevó a cabo en una clase de kindergarten bilingüe en un pequeño distrito escolar en el centro de Texas. El propósito de la investigación fue comparar las habilidades escritas de estudiantes bilingües que empiezan su desarrollo literario en sus primeros años de formación académica. Esto se realizó examinando las diferentes oportunidades de escritura que tenían los estudiantes en cada uno de los idiomas dentro del ámbito escolar. La investigación se concentró en tres estudiantes de enfoque, de los cuales se tomaron ejemplos escritos y se analizaron en base a las herramientas disponibles para su crecimiento en …

A Wood Comes Toward Dunsinane: The Synthesis Of Traditional And Constructivist Methodologies, Randall L. Kaplan

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Education professionals now favor Constructivist and project-based strategies for learning over Traditional methods, which include such frowned upon practices as rote memorization and recitation. The Constructivist approach is being taken to its natural apex by educators like Larry Rosenstock who have created Constructivist utopias such as High Tech High in San Diego, the school put under the microscope in the 2015 documentary film Most Likely to Succeed. Project-based, experiential units of study are effective, exciting, and edifying for both students and teachers. They promise to prepare students for the type of world they will inhabit, a world whose economy …

"We Run A Different School Within A School": Educator Perceptions Of Guatemala-Maya Students In A North Georgia Public School System, Anna Tussey

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

In recent years, the social and political persecution of the Maya population throughout Central America has led to an influx of Maya women and children migrating to the United States. The increased population of immigrant children presents new challenges for the United States, especially in public education. Maya people are rarely distinguished from the Latinx population, subsequently causing their linguistic and cultural needs to go unmet and unacknowledged. This project focuses on the education of Guatemalan-Maya students in a North Georgia public school system, framed through interviews with educators. The educators selected for this study worked almost exclusively with elementary, …