Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Teachers' Beliefs And Practices About Grammar Teaching In Public High Schools In Kosovo, Marigona Morina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many linguists have tried to answer when and how to teach grammar based on research, as well as whether to teach grammar at all. On the other hand, for many teachers, grammar is the backbone of language learning (Sitorus, 2012). This paper analyzes teachers’ beliefs and practices and their relationship regarding grammar teaching in Kosovo’s public high schools. Teachers’ beliefs are resistant to change (Williams & Burden, 1997); knowing what the majority of teachers in Kosovo believe to be true regarding grammar and language teaching can lead to an update on the curriculum of English Language Teaching programs in order …

Effects Of Watching Feature Films In English Learning For Chinese College Students, Chun Wang

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses

As the world is experiencing language globalization, English has been playing an important role in this transition. It is important to master English as a language skill in many non- English speaking countries. These learners, have limited authentic English language environment, and Chinese learners face particular challenges because of the differences of cultural and thinking modes. Feature films have been used to help English Language learners to get the opportunities into authentic English environment. This study aims to investigate how watching English feature films impact Chinese college students’ perception on English language learning. 131 Chinese college students from different majors …

Fostering Transformative Learning In An Online Esl Professional Development Program For K-12 Teachers, Karin Sprow Forte, David Blouin

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study examines evidence of transformative learning surrounding sociocultural issues in the K-12 classroom of in-service teachers, while participating in an online English as a Second Language (ESL) professional development program. Using inductive data analysis, precursors and catalysts to transformative learning were identified to understand the ways in which 24 purposefully sampled participants experienced learning. Areas explored included ways in which the candidates participated in critical reflection of their own perspectives, ways in which this process affected their meaning making of their experiences, potential for action in changing their practice as ESL educators, and transformative learning features present throughout …

Senegal's Language Problem: A Discourse Of Disparity, Monica Naida

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to assess the deficiencies of the Senegalese education system and to evaluate improvements to the system so that it works for the Senegalese, instead of against them. My research is mostly concerned with the process in which the French language is taught in schools. I explain these deficiencies in the education system through elucidation of the discourse used by the French colonizer, politicians, non-governmental organizations, teachers, and parents. My approach to this research includes an extensive literature review as well as my own personal observations during a faculty-led research trip to Dakar, Senegal during …

Four Chords To Freedom - Human Rights Education Through Music Performance, Noah Romero

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this field project is to develop and implement a workshop called Four Chords to Freedom, which combines music performance with decolonizing, postcolonial feminist human rights education to serve as a space for transformative praxis in formal and non-formal educational settings. This field project includes observations from the activity, as well as recommendations for educators who are interested in combining human rights education with music performance to explore pedagogical approaches that develop skills and orientations centered on a critical understanding of human rights.

Issues In Mainstream Assessment Guidelines In A Tefl Context, Amy Puett

Sandanona

While mainstream assessment guidelines, such as the ACTFL, are the main source of assessing students in a TEFL context, issues arise when using these guidelines in some non-Western cultures. My presentation will focus on spoken assessment guidelines and ways in which we can expand their scope.

Doctor, Lawyer, Social Worker?: Exploring The Experiences Of Asian American Pacific Islander (Apia) Social Work Students, Jiabao Zhang, Kathleen J. Bergquist, Arthur Tabrizi

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This study examined preliminary result using a snowball sample of 121 APIA social work students from accredited institutions that offer social work programs. The purpose of this study was to explore APIA social work students’ perceptions and experiences in the program and their expectations from classmates, APIA faculty, field liaison, and agencies. A 44-item survey was sent through an online survey site to APIA students. The results indicated that while most participants reported that family do not have a strong influence on their profession, 39% out of 83 respondents reported positive experiences with social workers drove them to pursue this …

Teaching Special Education In The Es/Fl Classroom, Melinda Koerth

Senior Honors Theses

English language learners (ELLs) are growing in number in the United States school system. With this increase in population comes the task of providing quality and appropriate education for these students. A great part of this responsibility falls on instructors of English as a Second/Foreign Language (ES/FL) courses. As with every other content area, the possibility of having students with disabilities and disorders in the classroom exists. However, in the context of language acquisition unique obstacles and pitfalls exist which are particular to this field. Providing services for ELLs with special needs is a major concern in the realm of …

The Erasmus Teaching Staff Mobility: The Perspectives And Experiences Of Turkish Elt Academics, Enisa Mede, Filiz Tuzun

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perspectives and experiences of the Turkish ELT academics about joining ERASMUS Teaching Staff Mobility Program. Under the light of former studies and literature, this study attempts to investigate the preferences of the ELT academics for participating in the ERASMUS Teaching Staff Mobility, to examine the contribution of the enrollment in this program to their professional development and home institution, and finally, to learn about the problems they faced during the mobility period(s). Purposive sample method was used to select seventeen Turkish ELT academics to participate in this study. The data were …

Technology, Games And Learning In An Intermediate Spanish Class, Rosalind Arthur

South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL)

This presentation examines some theories of learning at the tertiary level of education, and tests them in a research activity involving games and learning/knowledge. Two Intermediate Spanish classes are engaged in preliminary research to measure the effectiveness of a simple game (hangman) and technology (Responseware/clickers) as practice and review tools versus traditional methods; in formative assessment.

The presentation will consist of reporting on the Quantitative results focusing on the impact of using games in learning on students in the digital age. Student attitudes based on a qualitative survey administered to the students involved will be included in the report.

Both …

Digital Libraries For Creative Writing, Pilar G. Carcedo

South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL)

This research has focused on the changes of paradigm that digital technology and globalization have exerted in the study of the literary act. The methodology has been guided by the constant integration of literary, pedagogical and technological reflection around Digital Literature and Creative Writing.

In our Research Group LEETHI we have created different Webs to approach Literature in the classroom. One of the is our DIGITAL LIBRARY TROPOS. It has developed innovative approaches, and anticipated uses of the computer, highlighting both the limits and the rich potential of the digital. Always creative, it continues to propose new possibilities, as a …

Latina/O Adolescents' Funds Of Knowledge Related To Engineering, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Indhira María Hasbún, G. Sue Kasun

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Background: According to a growing body of research, many Latinas/os experience dissonance between their everyday cultural practices and the cultural practices prevalent in engineering. This dissonance contributes to many Latinas/os' sense that engineering is “not for me.”

Purpose: This study sought to explore the meaning in the relationship between engineering cultural practices and the funds of knowledge found in Latina/o adolescents' familial, community, and recreational settings.

Design/Method: This ethnographic study followed seven groups of Latina/o adolescents as they identified problems in their communities and solved them through engineering design processes. Using a modified form of constant comparative analysis, we analyzed …

Situated Learning And Latino Male Gang Members At Homeboy Industries, Mauricio Arocha

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Gang intervention is crucial to improving the lives of Latino males in Los Angeles. The effectiveness of these programs is dependent on society’s perspective of gang members, and its ability to support the work of gang intervention programs. As documented in this research, Latinos face unique obstacles and situations, in education and in life. This qualitative research study aimed to provide insight as to the perceived impact of a Gang Intervention Program, Homeboy Industries, on Latino males. This study also provided insight as to the methods, behaviors, strategies, and situated learning perceived to positively affect former gang members at Homeboy …

Facilitating Cultural Competence Among Students In Health Care Fields Of Study, Jordan Remington, Michelle Lynn Bloomfield

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

The purpose of this study is to document and statistically analyze a protocol-driven cultural competency training session, combined with hands-on culturally diverse experiences, in order to improve health care students’ cultural competence. This study is focused on undergraduate students at James Madison University who are seniors in the pre occupational therapy major or social work major. There was a total of 27 students involved in this research study, 19 of the students were declared social work majors and 8 were in the pre occupational therapy professional program. 18 of the students were in the experimental group and 9 students were …

The Impact Of Diversity On Student Engagement And Academic Success, Latosha C. Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of diversity on student engagement and academic success within a university setting. Understanding the impact of diversity at postsecondary institutions is important because the population of the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, a trend that is also reflected in educational institutions. Previous research has largely focused on diversity among the study body (i.e. admissions) and in the classroom (i.e. curriculum). However, the current study focuses on student experiences with diversity outside of the classroom. Student interactions with peers from diverse backgrounds were measured using the Experiences With Diversity Index …

Scaffolding In L2 Reading: How Repitition And An Auditory Model Help Readers, Etsuo Taguchi, Greta Gorsuch, Kristin Lems, Rory Rosszell

Faculty Publications

Reading fluency research and practice have recently undergone some changes. While past studies and interventions focused on reading speed as their main goal, now more emphasis is being placed on exploring the role prosody plays in reading, and how listening to an audio model of a text while reading may act as a form of scaffolding, or aid, to reading comprehension. This article explores how two elements unique to repeated reading (RR) practices likely provide scaffolding for L2 learners’ reading comprehension: repetitions in reading a text, and having learners read along with an audio model of the text. Scaffolding is …

Ñaan Baat : Ousmane Sembène Et L’Adaptation Wolof Comme Discours Accessible Sur La Politique Linguistique Sénégalaise, Xavier Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Utilisant les romans écrits en français d’Ousmane Sembène et leurs adaptations respectives réalisées en wolof, j’avance que nous pouvons mieux comprendre la politique linguistique de la société dakaroise, particulièrement au sein des langues wolof et françaises, à travers une analyse sociolinguistique de la consommation et la production de littérature et cinéma au Sénégal. En particulier, j’essaie de mélanger une étude sociolinguistique avec une analyse littéraire et une critique culturale afin de comprendre comment Sembène utilise les langes pour atteindre une audience sénégalaise dans ses adaptations wolofs. J’avance que l’existence des « langues internes » démarque une réalité de la vie …

Teacher Responsiveness To Engaging African American Males: A Qualitative Examination Of Inclusion And Understanding, John D. Marshall

Dissertations

This study examined the influence of teacher practices on the engagement of African American males. Two teachers were selected for observation while teaching African American males. The teachers for this study were found to have a propensity to be culturally responsive and to exude some of those qualities while engaging the African American males. The observations were held in one high school with a high percentage of African American males. The observations, supported by field tested inventories, the Culturally Responsive Inventory Observation Protocol, and the Multicultural Education Awareness Survey, revealed that teachers with an understanding of inclusion and responsiveness (1) …

Hearing And Deaf Teachers' Lived Experiences At A Residential School For The Deaf: A Phenomenological Study, Meena Mann

Dissertations

This study provides reflections on a topic that has received surprising attention on cultural challenges at a residential school for the Deaf. Deaf education in residential schools for the Deaf has changed dramatically over the years. Recent research has shown the number of hearing teachers employed at residential schools for the Deaf has increased in the United States (Amos, 2000; Marlatt, 2004). Most hearing teachers who are certified in Special Education and hold teaching positions at a residential school for the Deaf. Deaf teachers proficient in ASL struggle with passing the written Praxis state certification in the content areas due …

Identifying Best Practices To Increase Latino Student Enrollment And Retention At Non-Hispanic Serving Institutions, Katherine Lopez

Higher Education Student Work

Latino college students are the fastest growing population in the United States, yet their educational attainment falls significantly behind compared to Asians, Whites, and Blacks (Santiago & Soliz, 2012). This study sought out to identify best practices to recruit and retain Latino students at US four year colleges and universities. Interviews with seven knowledgeable stakeholders at non-Hispanic Serving Institutions across the country were conducted. Participants were asked about specific programming and strategies used at their institutions to meet the needs of the Latino population. The findings suggested that this special population needs additional financial, cultural and academic support in order …