Digital Commons Network^™

Los Beneficios De La Enseñanza De Lenguas Extranjeras Con Cuentos Bilingües En Escuelas Rurales, Morgan Gosdin

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This action research explores and reflects on the use of bilingual storytelling as a model for foreign language education in third-grade classrooms. Previous research indicates that familiar stories foster an ideal environment for young learners, shifting the focus to language rather than content (Kirsch, 2008). Stories invoke curiosity in students and allow learners to view a foreign language as comparable to their own rather than simply a list of rules and vocabulary words. The action research, conducted in rural Middle Georgia third-grade classrooms, incorporates cultural and linguistic education. A class of undergraduate language students conducted biweekly lessons reading Spanish stories, …

Disproportionality Of English Learners In Special Education, Alysa Gordon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the presence of disproportionality of English learners in special education. The search process yielded evidence of both overrepresentation and underrepresentation of English learners in special education, with some studies indicating disproportionality in specific disability categories. Underrepresentation was found to be present in categories of emotional behavioral disability, speech and language impairment, other health impairment, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Overrepresentation was found to be present in multiple disability categories, especially with specific learning disabilities and speech language impairment. Potential variables that could be contributors to overrepresentation were found to be educators’ …

Stories Of Navigating Higher Education Toward Success: A Narrative Inquiry On The Experiences Of Thai American College Students, Archawee Dhamavasi

Dissertations of Practice

This narrative inquiry explores the experiences of Thai American college students, focusing on how cultural identity influences their academic success, sense of belonging, and progress toward graduation. Despite the growing body of research on Asian American students in higher education, Thai Americans remain an underrepresented and understudied group. Through in-depth interviews, this study examined how participants navigated dual cultural identities and drew upon familial values, community engagement, and cultural practices to define their place in academic and social environments. Findings revealed that cultural identity is a dynamic and lived experience, deeply intertwined with students’ motivations, behaviors, and aspirations. Using Yosso’s …

An Exploration Of Change In Teachers’ Sel Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Beliefs After Participation In A Sel Professional Development Course For Uruguayan Teachers Of Secondary Schools, Sheila Coli

Dissertations of Practice

This convergent mixed-methods study explored how secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Uruguay changed their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of social emotional learning (SEL), and their beliefs about their role in SEL integration, after participating in a six-week online professional development (PD) course. Amid increased international emphasis on the importance of social and emotional competencies (SECs) for students’ academic and personal success, Uruguay’s EFL national curriculum calls for the promotion of these competencies, yet offers limited guidelines or training for their EFL educators. The PD course was designed by the researcher to address this gap, providing …

A Qualitative Examination Of Multilingual Latino Students’ Perspectives Of Their Educational Journeys In Preparation For Careers In Stem, Rebecca S. Powers

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of six bilingual Latino students regarding their experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in high school, and how these experiences influenced their decision to pursue STEM careers. Using Norton-Peirce's investment theory as a theoretical framework along with Gay’s culturally responsive pedagogy, the study explores how participants' identities, social and cultural capital, and ideologies interact with their educational experiences.

The findings reveal that family involvement, bilingual mentors, and students' funds of knowledge played a crucial role in their academic success and career choice. However, participants also faced significant challenges, including: segregation, negative …

Multilingual Voices: Transforming Professional Development Based On Student Perceptions Of Literacy Learning, Nicole Ferguson-Sams, Emily Howell, Rebecca Kaminski, Mihaela Gazioglu, Victoria Pennington

Publications

Acknowledging student perceptions of academic learning has been shown to increase the effectiveness of classroom instruction. However, existing research on multilingual learners (MLs) often focuses on their pedagogical and linguistic needs, overlooking their perceptions of literacy learning. This research, part of a large-scale, design-based research (DBR) project, explores MLs' perceptions of literacy learning to increase the capacity of instruction through professional development to classroom teachers in a high-needs school district. Using grounded theory coding, we analyzed MLs' responses from a self-efficacy survey to gain insight into their perceptions of literacy learning. Those findings were used to inform DBR modifications, including …

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 32 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the education of foreign-born students and families who have recently arrived in the United States, often referred to as Newcomers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding Newcomers in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working …

English Learners With Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

English Learners with Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding English Learners (ELs) who are dually identified as students with disabilities. These annotations build on the annotations regarding ELs with disabilities in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence …

Designated Eld: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Designated ELD: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 19 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding designated English Language Development (d-ELD). These annotations build on the annotations regarding designated ELD in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for English Learners.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 17 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding research-practice partnerships between universities and districts and schools. These annotations build on the annotations regarding university and district partnerships in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors …

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the preparation of preservice teachers preparing to be bilingual teachers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding bilingual teacher preparation in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs. …

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 18 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the assessment of English Learners and Multilingual Learners. These annotations build on the annotations regarding assessment in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

College, Career, And Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

College, Career, and Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 13 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding educational practices that impact the opportunities available to English Learners’ (ELs) in secondary schools and beyond. These annotations build on the annotations regarding college, career, and course access in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and …

How Self-Perceptions Relate To Recorded Proficiency: An Action Research Project Aimed At Implementing A Supplemental Reading Program For Balinese Students, Katherine L. Johnson

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has had a complex history globally. This is especially true for Bali, Indonesia, where tourism is the main driver of the local economy. Learning English is highly valued, yet many students are left struggling to build the skills needed to rise above the local poverty line. In this action research study, the primary goal was to analyze students’ reading proficiencies to recommend the implementation of a reading program that could be appropriately tailored to individual students. This was done through administering a reading test, tracking both comprehension and reading speed, and a survey …

The Scale And Sustainability Of An Early Childhood Dual Language Program, Michelle Belfiore Loconte

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The history of multilingual education in the United States over the last fifty years has gradually transitioned from a subtractive bilingual approach to additive approaches, where students increase their cognition of both their native language and the target language. The dissertation study explored the scale and sustainability of one dual language early childhood program that has been implemented over the past 19 years, expanding across grade levels. The research question of this dissertation study was, “What can we learn from a long-lasting and steadily expanding public early childhood dual language program?” The data for this dissertation was collected through a …

The Impact Of Affect On Second Language Acquisition: A Literature Review, Chante Warner

2024-2025 Bill Martin Jr. Yearbook

The purpose of this study is to provide a description of affect as one of the most important factors that impacts second language acquisition (SLA) based on literature from the field. In this study, I expanded on the current work of individual differences in SLA by examining how affect and cognition intersect according to the literature. Additionally, I explored the link between emotions, thinking, and learning as well as how they impact language acquisition.

Supporting Multilingualism In Michigan Schools: Educator Perspectives On Language Education And The Seal Of Biliteracy, Janet Leppala

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Learning more than one language has cognitive, emotional, and social benefits. Despite evidence in favor of bi/multilingualism, and a growing multilingual American population, bilingual education programs are scarce in the United States, foreign language education programs are being eliminated at an alarming rate, and English learners often do not receive the support that they need in American schools. Historically, political positions in the United States have ranged from espousing monolingual language ideologies that enact educational policies favoring English-only education to multilingual language ideologies that create policies in support of multilingual education. Surprisingly, despite the longstanding monolingual hegemonic pull by conservative …

Language-Related Episodes In Individual Observations Versus Collaborative Interactions: The Case Of Advanced Learners Of Spanish, Emilia Alonso-Marks, Mariche G. Bayonas, Diana Marysol Contreras-Licea

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The pandemic forced many students to complete tasks individually either at home or in virtual classrooms. This study compares individual task performance with small group collaborations in terms of Language-Related Episodes (LREs) and the honing of pronunciation. Two groups of advanced Spanish learners from India and the USA participated in the study. Results note that having more than one learner does not increase LRE productivity; individual learners produce more affective/metacognitive LREs; and linguistic forms focused on by individual learners are more memorable than those discussed collaboratively. Pedagogical recommendations are proposed for both types of learning scenarios.

Book Review - Language Ideologies And Linguistic Identity In Heritage Language Learning., Michelle F. Ramos Pellicia

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

No abstract provided.

La Integración De La Literatura Chicana En La Enseñanza Del Español Como Lengua Adicional Hacia La Competencia Cultural Y Lingüística En Ee.Uu., Marina Linares Klauke

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Los enfoques tradicionales para la enseñanza del español como lengua adicional en los Estados Unidos han dependido en gran medida de perspectivas eurocéntricas que priorizan las variedades peninsulares y latinoamericanas, presentando el español como una lengua extranjera desconectada de su realidad sociolingüística dentro del país. Este enfoque obsoleto ignora la presencia histórica y contemporánea del español como una lengua viva utilizada por comunidades hispanohablantes en todo EE. UU., lo que contribuye a una desconexión cultural y lingüística tanto para los estudiantes de herencia como para aquellos que aprenden español como lengua adicional. Esta tesis examina el impacto de la integración …

Latine Students In U.S. Schools: An Interactive Resource Book For Educators, Melissa Colón

OER Textbooks

This interactive resource book provides educators with highly curated research, academic scholarship, and community-based materials to better inform and support their work with Latine students, families, and communities. Grounded in critical and culturally sustaining pedagogies (Rendón et al., 2014; Alim & Paris, 2017). This book encourages educators to cultivate a spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning, recognizing that serving Latine students well requires both commitment and ongoing inquiry.

The Experience Of Child Language Brokering In Latin/Hispanic Students: Understanding How Clb Shapes Attitudes Towards Higher Education, Noemi Maldonado

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Immigrants often pursuing a better life than that in their own places of birth migrate to the states. In order to make lives in the states they bring their families with them or begin to create their own already inside the host country. With little knowledge of the place, they arrive and with nothing more than the help of their children, they seek to find a place in the society they became a part of. Immigrant children or those who come from migrant families often must help their parents, caretakers, or extended family manage the English language and American culture …

Afghan Students Are More Than Just English Learners, Farilla Saboor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis examines the strengths that Afghan students and their families bring to U.S. schools and how these strengths are often overlooked. Drawing on my experience as an Afghan immigrant, math teacher, and bilingual instructional aide, I explore how Afghan students, parents, and teachers describe these cultural, linguistic, and relational assets that shape students’ learning and sense of belonging. I use the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and Funds of Knowledge (FoK) as guiding frameworks to understand the aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital present in participants’ experiences (Moll et al., 1992; Yosso, 2005).

I conducted qualitative interviews with …

Long-Term English Learners: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Long-term English Learners: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 25 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the education of students considered Long-term English Learners (LTELs), a subgroup of English Learners (ELs) who have not attained English language proficiency after six or more years. These annotations build on the annotations regarding LTELs in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource …

Forging Common Ground In Second Language Acquisition And Teaching: A Combined Synergy Statement, Marije Michel, Dwight Atkinson, Amable Custodio Ribeiro, Theodora Alexopoulou, Marco Cappellini, Søren Wind Eskildsen, Xuesong (Andy) Gao, John Hellermann, Hayriye Kayi‐Aydar, Steven L. Thorne, Multiple Additional Authors

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this final article in this guest‐edited issue on synergies in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T), we attempt to bring together the main content of this issue in an overall, combined synergy statement, concluding this project as a whole. Let us remind readers of the project: A shared effort by 17 scholars taking 11 different perspectives on SLA/T is not the norm in our field. Our aim has been to promote the intermingling and cross‐pollination of ideas, on the conviction that such efforts are needed to promote a field that is more than simply the sum of its parts, …

Layers Of Influence: Examining Teacher Experiences In The Selection And Implementation Of Multicultural Texts In Secondary English, Marine Feron Leabeater

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative collective case study explored high school English teachers’ experiences selecting, planning with, and teaching using multicultural texts. Existing research highlights the benefits of culturally centered theories and models of teaching, and high school English teachers’ first-hand experiences in navigating the systems within which they work while implementing these practices provide valuable first-hand accounts to contribute to research. This study focused on the experiences of high school English teachers as they selected, planned with, and taught using multicultural texts within their complex layers of influence, framed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. In semi-structured interviews, teacher participants shared their lived …

Unveiling Raciolinguistic Ideologies: Pre-Service Teachers’ Insights On Refugee Integration In Schools, Tuba Yilmaz, Rosanna Ellis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigates pre-service teachers' ideologies about refugee students' belonging and integration in Türkiye and examines how these ideologies shape their anticipated pedagogical practices. Using the framework of raciolinguistic ideologies, the study highlights how linguistic and cultural hierarchies influence educational practices, often perpetuating systemic exclusion. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 pre-service teachers from various educational programs, utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological design. The findings reveal a predominant reliance on deficit-based perspectives, with refugee students framed as linguistically deficient and culturally "othered." While participants expressed professional commitments to inclusivity, their approaches often emphasized assimilation into Turkish norms, reflecting cultural …

Teacher Training For Diversity: Analyzing Inclusive And Intercultural Education In Early Childhood Degrees Of Three Universities Located In Spain, France And Columbia, Odet Moliner, Aida Sanahuja, Daniel Niclot, Mariaangelica Yazzo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines the integration of inclusive and intercultural education principles in the Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at three Universities located in Spain, France and Colombia. An analysis of 116 course syllabi is conducted to identify the specific references to Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, inclusion, diversity and interculturality. A second content analysis was conducted to categorize the units of meaning into four categories and determine the predominant underlying approach to the use of the term 'inclusion' in each degree program. The results indicate that the concepts of accessibility and UDL are the least represented, followed by …

Bridging Language Barriers: How Secondary Teachers Support English Language Learners In The Classroom, Mason Daniel Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

English Language Learners (ELLs) represent a growing student population in U.S. secondary schools, yet many educators feel underprepared to support their unique needs effectively. This mixed-methods study examines how Pennsylvania high school teachers approach the teaching of ELLs, focusing on their self-efficacy, instructional decision-making, and strategies for fostering an inclusive classroom community. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, data was collected through surveys from a limited group of 40 high school educators followed by in-depth interviews with three participants. Findings revealed that while teachers express a strong desire to support ELLs, they often experience uncertainty and frustration due to …

Eng 110: Narrative Essay, Justine Matias

Open Educational Resources

This assignment asks students to compose a reflective narrative essay examining a significant moment in their language and literacy development. Drawing from literacy studies and linguistic justice frameworks, the assignment positions students' diverse language experiences—including multilingualism, code-switching, and various communication modes—as valuable resources for meaning-making rather than deficits requiring correction. Students select a meaningful personal moment related to language or literacy, develop it through rich sensory detail and narrative techniques, and analyze its broader social significance by connecting individual experience to larger cultural, educational, or societal patterns. The assignment incorporates Universal Design for Learning principles through multiple pathways for success: …