Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

A Systemic Functional Analysis Of Toefl Sample Writings, Yuki Nakamura

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to investigate the tendency of the structural and lexico-grammatical features between high score writings and low score writings by comparing some sample writings of TOEFL practice text books from the perspectives of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Especially, this study focuses on analyzing clause complex, grammatical metaphor, lexical density, and causality of the sample writings of TOEFL practice books. The analysis shows the tendency to get higher scores with appropriate and effective writing structure of the writing section of TOFL iBT. Actually, most practice textbooks briefly provide only the templates that enable the test takers to …

Literacy Leaders : An Analysis Of West Virginia Secondary School Principals' Self-Reported Literacy Leaderships Perceptions And Practices, Stephanie Adria Burdette

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sweeping changes, such as those ushered in as a component of contemporary school improvement initiatives, have created an educational culture in which all teachers are now considered to be literacy instructors with principals being placed in the role of instructional leader. Yet, review of research literature reveals a severe lack of funding and adequate professional development necessary to ensure that secondary school teachers and administrators have the training they need to provide such literacy services to students. The purpose of this research study was to examine the literacy perceptions and practices of West Virginia’s secondary school principals to ascertain the …

Relationship Between The Wj-Iv Ach Reading Tests And The Gort-5, Emily D. Nestor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study examined the relationship between the Gray Oral Reading Test – Fifth Edition and the Woodcock Johnson-IV Achievement Tests in reading in a sample of 104 school age participants between the ages of 7 and 18. Pearson correlations tests indicated large correlations (r=.87, p=.01) between the GORT-5 ORI and the WJ IV ACH Broad Reading cluster. Additional comparisons for fluency and comprehension yielded comparable results (r=.85, p=.01; r=.84, p=.01). Similarly, a Fisher’s Exact Test illustrated that the odds of scoring at or below the tenth percentile on the WJ IV ACH was very high when a student scored …

From The Ground Up: Providing Support To Emergent Bilinguals To Distinguish Language Difference From Disability, Andrea Golloher, David Whitenack, Lisa Simpson, Donna Sacco

Faculty Publications

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data reveal that students with disabilities who are emergent bilinguals (English language learners) have the lowest levels of profficiency in reading and mathematics among all student groups. We consider issues related to the instruction of emergent bilinguals, including those identified as having specific learning disabilities, using a Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model. In so doing, we argue that instructional practices consistent with a robust Tier 1 framework are beneficial to emergent bilinguals with and without learning disabilities while differentiating Tier 2 and 3 interventions may improve outcomes for emergent bilingual …

Filling The Reading Void: Studying Reading Stamina In A Suburban High School Through Action Research: A Companion Research Study, Lindsey Ruth Weycker

Education Dissertations and Projects

A common practice in elementary schools is to allow students silent reading time during school. Experts agree this is best practice due to the benefits to students, especially in vocabulary development and reading stamina. As students age, however, this practice tends to decline in favor of activities that are meant to teach vocabulary in isolation and test preparation skills. In addition to these activities, English language arts classes typically read and study novels together as a class for the purpose of studying literary devices and literary analysis. Because of these practices, secondary students tend to read less, which in turn …

Filling The Reading Void: Studying Reading Stamina In A Suburban High School Through Action Research: A Companion Research Study, Lindsey Weycker

Education Dissertations and Projects

A common practice in elementary schools is to allow students silent reading time during school. Experts agree this is best practice due to the benefits to students, especially in vocabulary development and reading stamina. As students age, however, this practice tends to decline in favor of activities that are meant to teach vocabulary in isolation and test preparation skills. In addition to these activities, English language arts classes typically read and study novels together as a class for the purpose of studying literary devices and literary analysis. Because of these practices, secondary students tend to read less, which in turn …

French And Spanish Teacher Experiences In Teaching Middle And High School Students In One North Carolina School District: A Mixed-Methods Study, Maguy Techer Yancey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined French and Spanish teacher experiences teaching middle and high school students in one North Carolina school district. The themes derived from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Educator Questionnaire show several areas of concerns world language teachers face in the nation: large class sizes, lack of opportunities to enhance best practices and technology integration, teacher isolation, inadequate instructional material, limited resources, and limited funding.

This dissertation was designed to analyze the experiences of middle and high school teachers of French, Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers.

The researcher conducted a digital survey using …

Agindaasodaa!, Skyler Kuczaboski, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Nalmiwh Miky'iwyul, Muriel Ammon, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Qoe Jic Tae Qae Yaqf Nteqi Riqc Qine, Muriel Ammon, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Qnea, Tyqanh Qoe Ntkwaj Renqe, Skyler Kuczaboski, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Tqaj Loi Tyqanh Jyanj Qnej, Michael Robelo, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Qnea, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Nah Ngwac Mihnyiqj Kanqg?, Joseph Waring, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Tsana Ntyqana Renqa Tqwaa Tyqai Tqoe, Miranda Worl, Michaela Artavia-High, Hilaria Cruz

Mother Language: Chatino, Ojibwe and Hupa Children’s Books

Originally produced by students in the Winter 2018 "Language Revitalization" course at Dartmouth College, taught by Hilaria Cruz, Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Avoiding Heteronormativity: Breaking Barriers In The English Classroom: A Potential Model For A Teaching Workshop, Jessica Morris

Honors Program Theses

English Language Arts has typically been characterized by the texts taught in the classroom. The traditional English classroom is filled with a combination of texts from the British canon and classic American works. I recognize that English teachers now are striving to include current texts, but the traditional curriculum still thrives today. Students still read Shakespeare and To Kill a Mockingbird and Frankenstein. Given that fact, we should also teach students how to find themselves within those texts.

Within English education, we tend to interpret literature in a very “standard” way. We stick with what we know and what …

The Effect Of Project-Based Poetry Writing Intervention On Writing Attitudes Among Students With Severe Learning Disabilities, John M. Bonanni

The Graduate Review

Writing attitudes of three learners with severe disabilities were surveyed in a substantially separate special education classroom within a public school in Massachusetts in order to determine the effect on learners’ writing attitudes after a project-based creative writing intervention in poetry. Writing skills were measured using teacher-created rubrics and attitudes were measured using pre and post survey data. Primary diagnoses of students involved included Intellectual Impairment, Autism, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Findings indicated that the intervention was most successful for the student with autism, moderately successful for the student with Traumatic Brain Injury, and not successful for the student with …

Critical Coaching: Approaching Literacy Coaching Through A Critical Lens, Melissa Wells

Education Faculty Articles

Based in critical theory, this qualitative case study explored how a new genre of literacy coaching, called critical coaching, developed and what outcomes it produced. The researcher (a literacy coach) built a critical coaching partnership with an early childhood teacher, and two findings emerged: (1) self-reflection occurred through defining educators’ identities as cultural beings, as well as by naming and challenging assumptions; and (2) taking action occurred through critical networks, advocacy in public spaces, and planning culturally relevant pedagogy. Implications include seven essential conditions for building critical coaching partnerships.

Language Learning In The Virtual Wild: The Influence Of Emotions On Learning Another Language In Informal Virtual Environments, Iwona Barbara Lech

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates learning a foreign language in informal virtual environments (the “virtual wild”) and learners’ emotions connected to the process. Evidence suggests that incidental foreign language contact in unstructured, virtual environments can enhance second language (L2) learning, and that the use of online informal learning of language activities with students learning English as an L2 results in higher fluency, lower error rates, and greater engagement compared to learning that occurs in a traditional classroom setting. The research on online informal learning of English (OILE) aligns with the newest research in linguistics asserting that language is learned through experience with …

Exploring High Performing Second Grade Students' Reading Achievement And Time Spent On I-Ready With Their Motivation To Read., Chloe Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The motivation to read plays a key role in any student's reading development and success. In the context of 21st century literacies and learning, students engage in reading with print and digital texts and read in traditional and multimodal settings. This situated thesis explored the topic of second grade students' motivation to read through the lens of reading performance and time spent reading and improving their reading skills using i-Ready. Fourteen second grade students in a Central Florida elementary school classroom received the Motivation to Read Profile- Revised (MRP-R) (2013), an established survey, that is designed to gauge elementary school …