Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Ready-To-Teach Reads: Standards-Aligned Novel Studies For Seventh Grade Using Contemporary Middle Grade Fiction, Elizabeth Duvall

Senior Theses

This project aims to provide middle school English teachers with an easy way to update their curriculum to be culturally relevant using ready-to-teach unit plans based on diverse novels. Since research shows students benefit from reading texts from diverse cultures, each novel features minority voices. Both units include lesson plans for each day, and resources like slideshows, worksheets, and discussion questions. They were created using the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts. While these units are tailored to South Carolina teachers, they can be used by any educator whose standards align with the units’ learning …

Where Evidence-Based Research Meets L2 Pedagogy: Classroom Instruction Of Russian Case Morphology, Ryder L. Myrick

Senior Theses

Learners of Russian as a second language (L2) have long been documented to struggle with the Russian case system. However, pedagogy-oriented research on the acquisition of Russian case morphology remains limited. Addressing this gap, the current classroom-based and theoretically-motivated study reports a partial replication of Kisselev, Rubina and McManus (2025) with the addition of a delayed post-test, tutoring sessions, and improved materials. Quantitative findings match those of the original study, further supporting the effectiveness of Usage-Based instruction in Russian case pedagogy (90% average experimental-group score and 66% control-group score on a post-test). Qualitative analysis reveals additional factors shaping learning outcomes, …

Replacing Print With Program: Concerns With Digitizing Classroom Literacy, Alayna Ianiri

Gateway Reader- Individual Papers

• The Problem: Excessive time spent reading on digital devices creates a "screen inferiority effect" where students fail to assign academic importance to digital texts, leading to reduced reading comprehension, standard testing declines, and increased mind-wandering under time constraints.

• The Method: The researcher analyzed an existing study by Ladislao Salmerón and education professors that utilized student data from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and an MML regression equation method evaluating fourth- and eighth-grade English language arts students.

• Quantitative Finding: The discrepancy in PISA reading comprehension scores between students practicing and drilling on …

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Freedom Readers And Sustainable Development Goal 4: Advancing Literacy In Low-Income Communities Of South Carolina, Madison Hayes

Goal 4: Quality Education

No abstract provided.

The Internal Motivation Of English Language Learners To Acquire The Language, Milos Slaninka

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This case study utilized qualitative research to investigate how the adult education program at a school in a northeastern state’s English as a second language (ESL) program affected the students’ intrinsic motivation. Students’ recruitment followed the principle of homogenous sampling, which entailed choosing a small number of the population that fit the study’s parameters. As a result, the data collection for the study consisted of interviews with 11 individuals enrolled in the ESL program. All interviews were carried out in the interviewee’s private setting via the Zoom platform to ensure the collection of the most genuine data possible. The main …

Expanding Traditional Literacy Frameworks: A Multiliteracies Approach In Elementary Classrooms, Caroline Cuenca

Doctoral Dissertations

Teaching literacy in elementary schools can provide students with a rich, meaningful, and engaging learning experience. Furthermore, cultivating a culturally responsive approach to teaching and learning can promote feelings of acceptance and belonging in young children (Comber, 2018). However, elementary educators are feeling increased pressure to emphasize literacy instruction with a sole focus on foundational literacy skills, standardized curriculum, and accountability measures (Unadkat & Ochoa, 2026). Unfortunately, these instructional practices often limit students' opportunities to engage in creative, collaborative, multimodal, and meaningful learning (Unadkat & Cuenca, 2025). This mixed-methods study examined how a critical multiliteracies curriculum was implemented in a …

Iraqi Students' Engagement With English In Indonesia: Language, Identity, And Adaptation, Nirwana Nirwana, Yanty Wirza, Mutakhirani Mustafa, Muhlis Muhlis

The Qualitative Report

English as a lingua franca in higher education enables international students to participate in the global academic community. However, for Iraqi students in Indonesia, the use of English is not just a means of communication, but also part of identity negotiation, social adaptation, and cultural integration. This study explores how Iraqi students experience acceptance, resistance, and adaptation in using English in academic and social environments in Indonesia. The three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) is used as the primary analytical lens to explore how participants' experiences unfold over time, across relational contexts, and within specific physical and institutional …

From Arrival To Opportunity: A Policy Analysis For Supporting Newly Arrived English Learners In California, Valeria Gabrielli, Stephanie Mendoza Hernandez

School of Public Policy Capstones

Newly arrived immigrant students, commonly referred to as “newcomers,” represent a notable portion of the English Learner (EL) population in California’s K–12 public schools. As of Fall 2023, the California Department of Education reported that newcomers comprised 3.27% of total student enrollment. Although enrollment is projected to decline in the near term, the potential for future increases highlights the need for sustainable, evidence-based support systems. This study examines how California K–12 public schools with large EL populations provide academic and trauma-informed support services to newcomer students, with a particular focus on early intervention in grades K–5. Using the Bardach policy …

Linguistic Realization Of Marketing Strategies In Food Discourse: A Pragmatic Study On Instagram Account, Titik Sudartinah, Emi Nursanti, Regita Sekar Arrum

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

In today's digital era, speech acts are not only realized through face-to-face communication but also manifested in online interaction. One of the prominent platforms where online interaction occurs is Instagram. Nowadays, Instagram functions not only as a medium for sharing personal moments but also as a powerful business tool for promotion. This study examines (1) the types of speech acts employed in the @voilajogja culinary Instagram account and (2) how these acts manifest marketing strategies in food discourse. The study applies Searle's (1979) speech act theory and Kotler and Keller's (2021) marketing management framework within a mixed-method design. The analysis …

Early Literacy Footprints: Analysis Of Elementary School Students' Initial Reading Abilities Using Early Grade Reading Assessment (Egra), Novi Safitri, Rina Heryani, Angga Hadiapurwa, Atep Sujana

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Low initial reading skills are an indication of low student literacy. This research aims to analyze the early reading skills of Phase A students, which includes grades 1 and 2 of elementary school. The research used a descriptive qualitative method, involving 122 students from two elementary schools in Garut Regency, aged 6 to 8 years old. The instrument used in this study was the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) reading test. The results of the study showed that 68% of students in Phase A had early reading skills in the category of needing guidance. Meanwhile, 6.6% of students were in …

Development Of Big-Ideas Guided Thematic Unit Module For High School English As A Foreign Language Instruction In China, Wang Han

Student Works (2020-2029)

The 2017 National English Curriculum Standards for Senior High Schools in China position “Big Ideas” as a central organizing principle for thematic unit design. The absence of Big-Ideas oriented instruction is often linked to fragmented learning, rote memorization, weak knowledge transfer, and limited higher-order thinking, which collectively hinder the attainment of national core competency goals. Existing studies and teacher survey data suggest that students lacking exposure to Big-Idea pedagogy underperform in cross-text reasoning, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. Teachers also face multiple challenges: a superficial understanding of Big Ideas, a lack of structured instructional tools, and constraints posed by exam-driven …

Parents Engaging In Early Literacy (Peel): Outcomes From A Shared Reading Program Implemented Via Text Messaging, Victoria Henbest, Brenda L. Beverly, Gina M. Mejia

Victoria S. Henbest Publications

Purpose: Investigators delivered an asynchronous parent education for improving early literacy skills of typically developing preschoolers. The home-based shared-book reading program, PEEL, consisted of strategies modeled via videos and sent as text messages.

Method: Twenty parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to one of two 8-week programs targeting evidence-based early literacy strategies. One parent group was taught strategies to support print-related knowledge for learning to read, and the other learned skills to promote vocabulary and story knowledge underlying comprehension.

Results: The asynchronous parent education resulted in more frequent parental use of taught strategies compared to non-taught strategies during …

Restricting Academic Dishonesty At A Japanese University, Joel Weinberg

Japanese Society and Culture

This research explores three approaches to handling academic dishonesty: punitive, preventive, and positive. First, the history of cheating and the punitive approach is briefly discussed. Next, research results of a preventive approach that was used at a Japanese university are given. During this research, three surveys were conducted to gauge students’ opinions about cheating, to account for the methods, and to measure the prevalence of cheating on post-reading quizzes. The survey results show that at least eleven types of cheating on post-reading quizzes were used and that non-cheating students were concerned about this issue. As a result of the surveys, …

What’S Critical In Critical Media Literacy? Barriers And Good Practices In Adult Education, Stefanie Mayer, Stefanie Fridrik, Josef Mühlbauer, Brigitte Temel, Viktoria Eberhardt

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

While there is broad consensus regarding the social and educational need for CML, its actual didactic content and especially the meaning of ‘critical’ are far from clear. The article argues for a turn to educational practices. Findings are based on empirical research on adult education in Vienna (Austria) consisting mainly of interviews with expert-practitioners in the field of adult education and media and/or digital literacy. We confront academic definitions of the critical impetus of CML with an analysis of innovative projects, which were designed for accessibility and addressed learners facing high educational barriers. Our findings encourage a turn towards the …

Literacy And Equity: Exploring Teachers’ Lived Experiences Of Georgia Black Boys’ Difficulties With Reading Comprehension And Word Recognition, Roselle M. Caruth

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows that since 1992, Black male students in Georgia’s fourth through eighth grades have consistently scored low on reading assessments (The Nation’s Report Card, 2022c). Low reading achievement contributes to a persistent underachievement gap for Black boys, leading to unfavorable academic outcomes such as difficulty in phonological processing, limited fluency and comprehension, slow development of linguistic skills, lower proficiency in basic reading, and higher rates of high school dropout (Russell & Drake Shiffler, 2019; Tatum, 2024a; Washington et al., 2019). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how teachers …

Development Of Addie-Based Transformative Learning Technology Textbooks Oriented Towards Stylistic Analysis Of Novels For Pbsi Students: Testing Validity, Practicality, And Effectiveness, Ariesty Fujiastuti, Denik Wirawati

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The rapid advancement of digital technology over the past decade has significantly reshaped the higher education landscape, requiring students to develop critical, reflective, and adaptive thinking skills aligned with transformative learning principles. Despite this shift, the implementation of technology-supported transformative learning remains constrained by the limited availability of instructional resources that systematically integrate cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of learning transformation. Addressing this gap, this study aimed to develop a Transformative Learning Technology textbook grounded in the ADDIE instructional design model and oriented toward stylistic analysis of novels. The textbook was designed to serve as a systematic, relevant, and practical …

Tpack On Differentiated Instruction: Students' Critical Listening Literacy Skills, Deby Luriawati Naryatmojo, Imam Baehaqie, Mohamad Yusuf Ahmad Hasyim, Ahmad Nur Cahyo, Muhammad Azam

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The integration of Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) has been widely advocated in technology-enhanced learning; however, empirical evidence linking TPACK-based differentiated instruction to the development of critical listening literacy in higher education remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the pedagogical impact of a TPACK-integrated differentiated instructional model on undergraduate students' literal and critical listening competencies. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was employed involving 72 students from two Indonesian public universities. The experimental group (n = 37) received TPACK-based differentiated instruction, while the control group (n = 35) underwent conventional teaching. Data were analyzed using parametric …

From Classroom To Leadership: Anchoring My Leadership In Literacy, Character, And Equity, Amanda Patty-Ingram

Dissertations

My leadership journey as an urban educator has evolved through multiple roles—beginning as a classroom teacher, growing into an academic instructional coach, and now serving as an assistant principal. Across these roles, three values have consistently guided how I lead: literacy, character education, and equity. These are not separate initiatives—they are the foundation of my decisions, relationships, and instructional leadership.

Over time, I have come to understand that effective literacy leadership must be grounded in both character education and equity. Yet in practice, these values are often treated as disconnected: literacy becomes test prep, character becomes behavior compliance, and equity …

Multimodal Construction Of Ideational Meaning On Opening Pages Of English Textbooks In China, Yudie Wei, Uti Aryanti

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study aims to examine how ideational meaning is multimodally constructed on 31 opening pages through the interaction of theme images and Look and Share questions in four newly published junior high school English textbooks by People’s Education Press. Adopting the multimodal discourse analytic approach, the study analyzed representational processes in 32 images using Visual Grammar and ideational processes in 97 verbal interrogatives through transitivity patterns. The findings show that opening page images are predominantly narrative, frequently foregrounding action and reactional processes. The verbal questions, in contrast, show a strong tendency toward mental processes, while material and relational processes also …

Exploring Rural Educator's Perceptions Of Educational Accountability Measures In Alabama, Steven Sims Ii

College of Education

This qualitative study will examine rural stakeholders' perceptions of the educational accountability measures implemented by the state of Alabama, including Alabama’s adoption of mandatory retention laws, specifically the Alabama Numeracy and Literacy Act, accountability tests such as the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP), the ACT, and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), as well as how these initiatives impact the process of identifying and labeling schools as failing. This research explores stakeholders' perceptions of the efficacy of these policies. Through semi-structured interviews with 21 educators (20 teachers and one principal) from rural Black Belt schools, the study aims to …