Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Facilitating Shared Reading Exposure To Promote Health Outcomes In A Rural Pediatric Primary Care Clinic, Meredith L. Longino

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this scholarly project was to address a gap in early literacy promotion for rural children by incorporating the Reach Out and Read program. This program bolsters foundational literacy by providing a book and anticipatory guidance at every well-child visit from birth through age 5. This project was expected to decrease no-show well-child attendance rates and improve provider morale.

Background

The project was implemented in an established rural pediatric primary care clinic in Northeast Texas. 

Methodology

Process implementation was measured through books distributed and EHR documentation of the intervention. Process objectives were measured by no-show rates for …

Models Of Emulation: Representations Of Foreign, Indigenous, And Accented Speech In Early American Literature, Elaina A. Frulla

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

“Models of Emulation: Representations of Foreign, Indigenous, and Accented Speech in Early American Literature” explores how American writers used depictions of “nonstandard” English and accented English language speech, traditionally described as “literary dialect,” as a way to negotiate identity, power, and political belonging in the formative years of nation building after the American Revolution. Beginning with Noah Webster’s mission to establish a standardized pronunciation of the English language that would simplify and purify spoken American-English and definitively differentiate it from what he saw as the corrupted, cosmopolitan British-English model, each of the three chapters examines literary representations of nonstandard emulated …

Meaningful Work: A Phenomenological Study Of Embedded Writing Peer Mentors, Susan S. Detwiler

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This phenomenological case study examines the experiences of writing peer mentors who are embedded in a first-year inquiry-based writing seminar. It aims to understand how peer mentors who are engaged in the complex practice of supporting first-year writers in a writing classroom make sense of themselves and writing. At a large R-1 diverse university, I interviewed 6 writing peer mentors 3 times over 1 calendar year. I traced their development from mentees, (first-year writing students), through their three semesters of peer mentoring. They also shared written reflections from their training praxis course (a course for peer mentors focusing on their …

Teoría Y Creatividad. La Literatura Como Herramienta Educativa En El Aprendizaje Moderno De Textos Clásicos En El Idioma Español, Isabel D. Simon

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In the following master’s thesis, literature is studied as an educational tool in the modern learning of classical texts in the Spanish language from both theoretical and creative perspectives. The theoretical framework to be used is based on the hermeneutic theory of Jean Grondin. The study is divided into three chapters, each focusing on a different literary piece. First, the medieval period is examined through Poema de Mio Cid (Cantar de Mio Cid) of anonymous authorship. In the second chapter, the Golden Age is analyzed through Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. In the closing …

Exploring The Experiences Of Late Age-On-Arrival Multilingual Learners In Postsecondary Education, Robyn D. Ecklund

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Multilingual learners (MLs) are the fastest growing population in the United States public school system (Biondi et al., 2024; Kanno & Cromley, 2013; Perez & Morrison, 2016; Varghese & Fuentes, 2020). Within this population of students, there is a subset of students that arrive in the United States during secondary school. These “late age-on-arrival” students face significant linguistic, cultural and social challenges in their pursuit of postsecondary success after high school (Kanno, 2021; Kanno & Cromley, 2013; Perez & Morrison, 2016). This interpretative phenomenological analysis sought to answer the research question: what are the lived experiences of late age-on-arrival MLs …

High School Teachers' Perceptions And Experiences Of Legislative Changes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Marie Lewis

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore the perceptions and experiences of high school English Language Arts teachers in one public school district in the state of Florida as they navigated educational legislation that has been implemented over the last five years. The study interviewed ten experienced high school ELA teachers who had taught for more than five years in Florida’s public school system. One semi-structured interview was conducted along with brief follow-ups to share thematic statements with the participants. This study also included a document analysis of HB 1467 and HB 1069 as well as the …

How Do Reading Specialists Shape Their Identities As Literacy Leaders? An Exploration Of Competence, Performance, And Recognition Within Communities Of Practice, Christina Glance Petrone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative multiple-case study explored how reading specialists enact literacy leadership within elementary schools in West Virginia. Although reading specialists are increasingly expected to support schoolwide literacy improvement, leadership responsibilities are not always explicitly defined within their roles. Guided by a communities of practice framework and an identity model, this study examined how reading specialists develop and demonstrate literacy leadership through their daily interactions with teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. Data sources included participant questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with participants, their principals, and colleagues from their school. Participants in this study included three reading specialists (interventionists) working in K-5 …

K-3 Literacy Teachers’ Sensemaking Of Early Literacy Policies In New York State: A Survey Study, Abigail Ferris

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Teachers must have opportunities to engage deeply in sensemaking during periods of major literacy reform, as unclear expectations can limit their ability to implement policy with fidelity. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study explored K-3 literacy teachers’ perceptions, awareness, and factors related to their sensemaking of three science of reading literacy policies and initiatives in New York State. Findings suggested varying levels of awareness of the three literacy policies and initiatives, with teachers reporting that policy messages were communicated primarily through top-down structures, such as principals and literacy coaches within their organizations. Participants drew on personal, organizational, and external …

Phonics And Friends: A Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis Of Popular Teacher Influencers' Content, Zachary T. Milford

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This critical multimodal discourse analysis examined how five teacher-influencers aligned with the Science of Reading (SoR) movement performed authority, constructed discourses, and used affective and semiotic resources in viral TikTok videos about reading instruction. Drawing on Kress and van Leeuwen's (2001) multimodal social semiotics, Fairclough's (1992) critical discourse analysis, Foucault's (1977, 1982) theorizations of power, Papacharissi's (2014) theory of affective publics, Ong's (1982) secondary orality, and Taussig's (1993) mimesis and alterity, this interpretive, qualitative, multiple-case study analyzed fifty viral TikTok videos and four semi-structured interviews with teacher-influencers. Data were analyzed through within-case and within-mode coding, cross-modal analysis, and cross-case analysis …

From Deference To Dialogue: How International Gtas From High Power Distance Cultures Adapt To U.S. Classroom Dynamics, Deborah Akua Afi Appiah

Theses and Dissertations

International graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from high power distance cultures play a significant role in undergraduate education at U.S. universities, yet they face challenges that go well beyond language proficiency. Coming from educational backgrounds where teacher authority is unquestioned and hierarchical, these GTAs must navigate American classrooms that operate on fundamentally different assumptions, where authority is earned rather than assumed, informality is the norm, and students expect to question, negotiate, and be personally known by their instructors. The present study examined how eighteen (18) international GTAs from seven (7) high power distance countries perceived and adapted to these differences while …

Vocabulary Assessment And Washback: English Teachers' Practices In Preparing Students For The Wassce In Ghana, Ishmael Nii Amon Neequaye

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent concerns in WAEC Chief Examiners’ Reports consistently attribute declining student performance on the WASSCE English Language examination to limited vocabulary knowledge. Despite these recurring observations, little research has explored how teachers respond to the vocabulary demands embedded within this high-stakes examination. This qualitative study investigates (1) how Senior High School English teachers prepare students for the vocabulary demands of the WASSCE English paper and (2) how the assessment pressures influence instructional practices and classroom decision-making.  Drawing on communicative competence, multiliteracies, and washback, the study employed a descriptive case study design and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and focus group …

Parents’ Utilisation Of The Literacy-Based Text Message Program Kindytxt, Amanda Binns

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Text messaging programs have emerged as effective tools for enhancing parental engagement in children’s home-based literacy development, as substantiated by a growing body of research. This paper presents findings from a doctoral study that examined parental experiences and perceptions of a literacy-based text messaging program, with particular emphasis on how such initiatives inform and shape literacy practices in families with kindergarten-aged children. Rooted in the frameworks of social constructivism and interpretivism, the research privileges participants’ unique perspectives to explore the varied meanings parents construct around their use of the Kindytxt program. The study was theoretically informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, …

Noongar Culture, Arts Learning, And Wellbeing Literacy In Early Childhood: A Case Study Of The Song Room’S Deadly Arts Early Years Program In Western Australia Government Primary Schools, Jason Goopy, Narelle Lemon, Megan Mcpherson, Libby Jackson-Barrett, Jacqueline West

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This report presents findings from a case study examining how The Song Room's Deadly Arts Early Years program supports wellbeing literacy in early childhood education through engagement with Noongar culture, arts, and storytelling at Western Australia government primary schools. Conducted on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar at Huntingdale Primary School and Orelia Primary School, the research was co-designed with Indigenous and non-Indigenous teaching artists, school communities, and The Song Room.

The study adopted wellbeing literacy — the capability to understand and intentionally use language about and for wellbeing across contexts — as its theoretical framework. Creative arts-based methods, including draw and tell …

Impact Of The International Engineering Program (Iep) At The University Of Rhode Island (Uri): What’S In It For Languages And For Engineering?, Sigrid Berka

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Garnering External Support For Languages In International Engineering Programs, Michael A. Nugent

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Study Abroad And Languages: Leveraging Study Abroad For Engineering Education During Turbulent Times, Chad M. Gasta

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Collaborations And International Partnerships: Keys For International Education In Times Of Change, Bettina Cothran, Amy Bass Henry

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

International Engineering Education In Turbulent Times: Concluding Observations And Selected Publications By John M. Grandin, Sigrid Berka, Mark W. Rectanus

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Centering Ai Literacy: Exploring Brazilian International Students’ Perceptions Of Chatgpt And Peer Tutoring, Leigh Ann Dunning, Raissa Borges De Oliveira Leal

The Writing Center Journal

For English as an Additional Language (EAL) students, generative AI (GenAI) offers meaningful support for writing in English, while also introducing a new set of challenges. Supporting EAL students in developing AI literacy is crucial to their growth as confident, adaptable writers, and writing center tutors are uniquely positioned to facilitate this development. This case study explores the experiences of undergraduate Brazilian international students at a small liberal arts college who received writing feedback from both peer writing center tutors and ChatGPT. Findings indicate that students valued the human connection, contextual understanding, and rhetorical support offered by peer tutors, while …

Attending To Present Others: A Framework For Supporting Multilingual Graduate Writers, María P. Carvajal Regidor, Allison Kranek

The Writing Center Journal

Extending prior work on present others, individuals who are not physically present in writing center sessions—such as advisors, colleagues, and peers—but who directly or indirectly impact what happens during consultations (Kranek & Carvajal Regidor, 2021), we argue that attending to present others is one way to more holistically support multilingual graduate writers. Based on data from session recordings, we contend that present others can be used as a framework to train consultants to better address the specific needs of this student population by acknowledging their socialization processes, feedback networks, language needs, and emotions. Then, we share two approaches to consultant …