Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Implementing Computer-Assisted Language Learning In The Teaching Of Second Language Listening Skills, Jesse Gene Greenleaf

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With the advent of new technology, more programs become available for the integration of technology inside second language classrooms. Especially exciting, is the enhancement that such tools allow in the skill of listening. For years, listening comprehension has been taught through the use of audio cassette tapes that do not provide an authentic setting for adequate acquisition. To help develop an effective way to teach listening to second language students, this paper researched how computer-assisted language learning (CALL) could be used in listening instruction in order to enhance outcomes. To research this, a qualitative study that included the observations of …

Implementing A Sheltered Science Course In An Iowa High School, Erin Holt Johnson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

English Learners (ELs) entering U.S. schools at the high school level face the enormous challenge of acquiring academic literacy as well as secondary-level content in a relatively short period of time. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that a significant number of the ELs entering at the secondary level are students with limited or interrupted formal educations as a result of family migrations, unequal schooling in their home countries, political unrest or even war. In response to this pressing need to teach language and content simultaneously, many school districts are adopting the sheltered instruction (SI) model. This paper will …

Best Practices For Collaboration Between Esl And General Education Teachers, Mike Burgess

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The research begins with a historical overview of ESL service models and explores how different types of collaboration between ESL and general education teachers impact student learning. The historical overview section delves into the origins of ESL and how ESL has evolved since its inception. Also included is information about how ESL programming has changed in response to the type of English Language Learners it serves. The next focus is on the recent trend toward close collaboration between ESL and general education teachers in terms of program effectiveness and the overall strengths and weaknesses of different models.The paper closes with …

An Evaluation Of Writing Samples By English Learners In Special Education, Brett Patrick Frayseth

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there was any pattern in the types or frequencies of errors made within writing samples produced by English Learners (ELs) in special education and whether those patterns differentiated them from ELs not in special education or whether there was commonality between the types or frequencies of errors made by ELs in special education and native-English speakers in special education. The intent is that once a pattern is recognized that the written work of ELs can help aid in determining placement in special education. The quantitative method was applied in this study. …

Beginning With El Barrio: Learning From Exemplary Teachers Of Latino Students, Jason G. Irizarry, John Raible

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study draws from data collected through phenomenological interviews with a group of urban teachers identified as “exemplary” by Latino students, parents, and community members. The authors critically examine the participants’ biographies and document factors they cited as most germane and influential to informing their practice with Latino students. The article concludes with a discussion of barrio-based epistemologies and ontologies, or ways of being and knowing that are informed by extended immersion in and connection to Latino cultural and linguistic communities, particularly as they are developed explicitly and leveraged to improve educational experiences and outcomes for Latino youth.

Navigating The Waves Of Social And Political Capriciousness: Inspiring Perspectives From Dream-Eligible Immigrant Students, Amanda Morales, Socorro Herrera, Kevin Murry

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This article examines the psychological and sociological impacts of the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and instate tuition legislation on DREAM-eligible students in the Midwestern United States. The researchers sought to capture the lived experiences of undocumented immigrant students through their rich interpretations of current immigration policy and how participants described their situation, their identity, and their dreams in relation to the volatility of their external environment.

Resumen: Este manuscrito examina el impacto psicológico y sociológico del propuesto Acto de Desarrollo, Asistencia, y Educación para Menores Extranjeros (DREAM) y la ley de educación para …

Selecting Ell Textbooks: A Content Analysis Of Language-Teaching Models, Jeffrey Labelle

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Many middle school teachers lack adequate criteria to critically select materials that represent a variety of L2 teaching models. This study analyzes the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 teaching models represented. The researchers asked to what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language-teaching models in illustrations and written texts. Using content analysis, they measured the range of depiction of the 4 language-teaching models and concluded that 4 of the 33 textbooks had considerable to extensive frequency and variation of L2 teaching models

Schooling And The Everyday Ruptures Transnational Children Encounter In The United States And Mexico, Edmund T. Hamann, Víctor Zúñiga

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Using examples of students in Mexico who used to attend US schools and examples from Georgia of students who used to and might again attend Mexican schools, this chapter considers how an unremarkable, quotidian activity—the act of attending school—can become means for transnationally mobile children to experience shock, disconnection, and a reiterated sense of dislocation if schools are incompletely responsive to learners' biographies.

The Anglo Politics Of Latino Education: The Role Of Immigration Scripts, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In the 41 states without a substantial historic Latino population, large-scale schooling of Latinos is a comparatively new issue and the nature of that schooling is fundamentally shaped by how the more established (usually Anglo) populations understand this task. This chapter describes the understandings that led to, but also limited, one particularly comprehensive attempt in Georgia to respond to Latino newcomers. In that sense, this is a study of the cosmologies that can undergird the politics of schooling of Latinos. This chapter utilizes the concept of the script, or broadly shared storylines about how things are or should be, to …

Instructors' Perceptions Of The Bologna Model Of Higher Education Reform In Cameroon, Zachary Y. Mngo

Dissertations

Problem Statement. The literature on education in Cameroon suggests that there is a deep-rooted history of resistance to educational reform and harmonization both at the K12 and higher education levels. Attempts by political and educational leaders to reform and harmonize the two very distinct systems of education, inherited from former colonizers (France/Britain), have failed in the past because of failure by policy makers to take care of the socio-cultural, professional, and academic demands of educational stakeholders—faculty, students, parents, and educational leaders. At the center of resistance has been the fear by Francophone and Anglophone students and faculty that their …

The World Englishes Paradigm And Its Implications For International Students' Acquisition Of Standard American English For University-Level Studies In The United States, Karen Applequist Clement

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Because English, as the predominant international language, is now used in many different forms and contexts globally, attitudes are changing towards variety in English, the construct of English proficiency tests, and methods of teaching English. This paper addresses the fact that many students of English are exposed to non-standard indigenized or lingua franca Englishes, thus potentially marginalizing them in their efforts to succeed on international tests of English based on standard American or British conventions. It examines non-standard grammatical features of world Englishes, summarizes the results of studies on bias in English proficiency tests, and details suggestions for best teaching …

The Impact Of Revisionist History On Pre-Service And In-Service Teacher Worldviews, Franklin Titus Thompson, William P. Austin

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Students sometimes find the study of history to be boring and irrelevant. Many question the accuracy of accounts given. The introduction of revisionist history to a convenience sample of students (A^ =164) from a college of education program located at a Midwestern university made a positive difference in historical learner perspective. Students gained a greater appreciation for the study of the past, as well as a better understanding of how the melodramatic hyping of events and heroes discourages the formulation of a balanced and accurate view of history and its leaders. Pretest-to-posttest changes in mean scores were found to be …

El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo: Un Sistema Educativo Alternativo En Colombia, Caitlin J. Latta

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the success of the academic program of El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo, a small private school in Facatativa, Colombia, and the ways in which the school may be a model for other similar private schools both nationally and internationally. Using observation and personal interviews with parents, administrators and students affiliated with El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo, this thesis discusses the school’s main strength, its close-knit and compassionate community, as it relates to the school’s success.

Language And Literacy In The Borderlands: Acting Upon The World Through Testimonios, Cinthya M. Saavedra

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

Saavedra discusses how children in the borderlands can inform our language and literacy practices through the Latin American literary genre known as "testimonio." Drawing from the work of Chicana/Latina feminist pedagogy, I frame my "experiencias" with language and literacy in three different moments in my life. Through these "testimonios," I make connections to the lived realities of many border crossers in the US, arguing that immigrants, border crossers, and transnational children have important lessons to teach us about language and literacy. Furthermore, "testimonio" continues the project of critical pedagogy through the political act of remembering, as that is also a …

Scaffolding English Language Learners' Reading Performance, Lolita D. Mckenzie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English language learners (ELLs) spend a majority of their instructional time in mainstream classrooms with mainstream teachers. Reading is an area with which many ELLs are challenged when placed within mainstream classrooms. Scaffolding has been identified as one of the best teaching practices for helping students read. ELL students in a local elementary school were struggling, and school personnel implemented scaffolding in an effort to address student needs. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine how personnel in one diversely populated school employed scaffolding to accommodate ELLs. Vygotsky's social constructivist theory informed the study. Research questions were …

Improving K-12 Ell Students' Comprehension Of Academic Text, Peggy Lynn Linsmeier

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Successful acquisition of academic English is dependent upon a multitude of cognitive, linguistic, and educational variables, all based on the socio-cultural perspectives and powers that regulate what occurs in the classroom. The function and meaning of academic texts may be lost on the student with limited knowledge and experience with academic social contexts. The teacher must work within the confines of societal and educational boundaries. The provision of experience, motivation, and opportunities for interaction is highly beneficial, in addition to explicitly teaching vocabulary and learning strategies. A functional linguistics approach, delivered through Readers' Workshop, based on the work of Aguirre-Munoz …

Building A Learning Community Within The Constraints Of Open Enrollment, Megan Pugh

MA TESOL Collection

            This paper introduces the ways in which the challenges of open enrollment ESL programs affect both students and teachers and the importance of group cohesion in adult learning.  The effects caused by open enrollment can be abated by building a strong community of learners through involving new students to build a sense of belonging to the class, meeting the needs of individuals within the group, having a supportive learning environment, and using selected best teaching practices to build community.  With the solutions proposed in this paper, teachers can meet student needs and the negative effects of open enrollment will be …

Filipino American Educational Leaders In Northern California K-12 Public Schools: Challenges And Opportunities, Cynthia Manalo Rapaido

Doctoral Dissertations

The assumption that all Asians are model minorities is incorrect. The largest group of Asian American people is comprised of Filipino people followed closely by Chinese people; although Filipino people comprise the largest population, they lag behind Chinese and other Asian American groups with respect to academic achievement. Hence, Filipino American people are underrepresented as educational leaders in K–12 public schools in California.

Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, Filipino American people have (a) a lower achievement level for academic success, (b) a lower percentage enrolled in college in the United States, (c) a lower percentage 25–29 years of age …

African American Male Teachers In K-12 Education: A Limited Quantity, Kelley A. Peatross

Dissertations

This study examined the underrepresentation of African American (A/A) male teachers in three Midwestern school districts. The study sought to determine: (1) the perception of A/A teachers concerning their K-12 teaching experiences when disaggregated by the number of years of teaching, (2) their perception of why they went into teaching when disaggregated by the number of years of teaching, (3) their perception of the need for A/A male teachers, and (4) their perception of value and accomplishments as A/A male teachers in the classroom.

This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design and was based upon Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs …

Supporting International Students To Meet Assessment Expectations, W. Gornisiewicz, O. Bass

Research outputs 2011

This paper offers practical suggestions for teaching strategies that will assist international students. A case study is presented involving the delivery of an introductory engineering unit at the Perth Institute of Business and Technology. The approach detailed allowed the academic staff to identify areas of concern in students’ learning early in the semester. Detecting and addressing these issues led to a signifi cant improvement in preparing these students to meet the exam requirements.