Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Retelling With The Aid Of A Story-Map Procedure With Weaker Readers, Madeleine Boekeman

Theses : Honours

This study examines the effectiveness of the 'Retelling with the aid of a story-map procedure' as an instructional approach which could help weaker readers in their second year of schooling. Based on the literature and research findings which support a view of language as a developmental, holistic and natural process, the 'Retelling with the aid of a story-map procedure' was chosen. It was hypothesised that it would help the weaker readers make connections between oral language and written language, develop meaning seeking behaviours and increase their 'data pool' of linguistic knowledge. The goal of this study was to seek answers …

An Investigation Into Some Of The Processes And Strategies Underlying The Receptive Behaviour Of The Interlanguage Speaker, Kaye Malcolm

Theses : Honours

This study is based on Selinker's (1972, revised 1988) paper which describes the construct of interlanguage. Selinker claimed that the learner's interlanguage could be accounted for on the basis of three psycholinguistic processes and two strategies. He demonstrated how the operation of these processes and strategies could be inferred from the data of the learner's interlanguage performance in relation to the relevant first and second language systems, The processes and strategies identified by Selinker were: the processes of language transfer, overgeneralization and transfer of training, and the strategies of second language learning and second language communication. Selinker's claims relate to …

Creativity In Aboriginal Students And The Implications For Language Teaching, Raeme Goves-Jacka

Theses : Honours

The current level of scholastic success of Aboriginal students in Western Australian schools is overviewed together with some concerns regarding Aboriginal cognition. The issues which appear to inhibit in Aboriginal children the sort of cognitive development which is beneficial for schooling are reviewed. These are seen as cultural discontinuity, Vygotsky's belief in the cultural transmission of language, political constraints and the concept that different cultures with different needs produce different modes of thinking. Aboriginal child rearing practices are also reviewed together with the definition, process and product of creativity. The review also deals with the creative person, the creative environment, …

The Effect Of Media On The Listening Comprehension Scores Of Intermediate Esl Students, Marian Tyson

Dissertations and Theses

The use of videotapes has become widespread in ESL classes in recent years. The decline in cost of tapes and VCR equipment has assisted in the spread of this technology. These tapes are often used in listening comprehension classes and may replace or supplement the use of audiotapes. However, research has not established that the addition of the visual element, especially in the movie or TV type context of many videos, is an advantage to the language learner.

A total of seventy-six students participated in a listening comprehension recall exercise. Thirty-nine students viewed a videotape segment, and the remaining thirty-seven …

The Needs And Resources Of Foreign Students At Morehead State University, Bee Lan Ong

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

Applied project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Bee Lan Ong on August 28, 1989.

Chinese Voices: Towards An Ethnography Of English As A Second Language, Diane Niblack Fox

Dissertations and Theses

This study draws on ethnographic methods to provide background information for the English as a Second Language teacher who looks out at the classroom and asks, "Who are these Chinese students?" The goal is to let Chinese students describe for themselves their experiences learning English, both in China and in the United States.

English As A Second Language: Evaluation Of A Language Program Designed For & Implemented In The Colombian Oil Company's Research Institute, Patience Nave

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An incredible proliferation of knowledge has generated a critical need for professionals in all fields to have access to current information and research results. Costs for study and research are extremely high, particularly in science fields, and most professionals seek to minimize loss in time and funds by avoiding duplication of efforts. Language is often a handicap, preventing the voluntary sharing of valuable information between individuals and countries, and many recognize the establishment of a universal language as a means of eliminating this unnecessary barrier. English is rapidly becoming accepted as a universal means of communication, but those who seek …

The Academic Achievement Of Bilingual Students: A Study Of Limited English Proficient And Reclassified Students, Mary L. Serrano

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Omaha Language Preservation In The Macy, Nebraska Public School, Catherine Rudin

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

A native language renewal program at the Macy, Nebraska Public School is described that is designed to preserve Omaha, a native American Indian language that is only a generation away from extinction. At the time of this research, only about 100 fluent Omaha speakers lived on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. The language and culture program, instituted in 1970, has employed various instruction techniques and methodologies, including immersion, memorization of words and phrases, and publication of student-authored stories in English and Omaha. The program has suffered from a lack of consistency; frequent changes in funding, personnel, and curriculum; and a …

Preferred Perceptual Learning Styles Of Chinese Students, Alex Albert Pia

Dissertations and Theses

The basis for this study was work done by Joy Reid (1987) of Colorado State University. Reid's work analyzed the pref erred perceptual learning styles of several groups of English as a Second Language students and one group of American students. The learning styles concept has been established on the theory that students have a particular mode through which they learn best. The learning styles analyzed in this study were: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile, individual, and group. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationships that exist between the preferred perceptual learning styles of P.R.C. and American students …

A Comparative Study Of Chinese Efl Reading Instruction And American Esl Reading Instruction, Changhua Wang

Dissertations and Theses

Reading instruction in China and that in the United States are so different that they are not compatible. In fact, they seem to go in opposite directions. This study examined some of the differences between Chinese EFL reading instruction and American ESL reading instruction through analyzing selected tape-recordings of reading classes from China and the United States, and comparing Chinese EFL reading textbooks with American ESL reading textbooks.

This study was intended to answer the following questions.

1. Is a bottom-up method of reading really taught in China while a top-down method is taught in the United States?

2. Compared …

The Effectiveness Of Fiction Versus Nonfiction In Teaching Reading To Esl Students, Becky Kay Appley

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years with the growing emphasis upon communicative activities in the classroom, controversy has risen as to which type of reading material is best for teaching reading in the ESL classroom, fiction or nonfiction.

A study was conducted with 31 students of which 15 were taught with non-fiction and 16 were taught with fiction. Both groups were taught the same reading skills. Each group was given three pre-tests and three post-tests in which improvement in overall language proficiency and reading comprehension in the areas of main idea, direct statements and inferences was measured. Also, each group was observed for …

The Efficacy Of Bilingual Education In Relation To Student Linguistic Type, Program Type, And Program Setting, Carol Stubbs Rice

Dissertations

The focus of this study was the differential effectiveness of bilingual education models as determined through the examination of Title VII project evaluations. The evaluation data were subject to a meta-analysis and the results compared to national norms.

The study examined the efficacy of bilingual education in relation to student type, program type and program setting, using data produced by projects from 1983-1986. The study design was based on the gap-reduction design, as modified for Title VII evaluations, with group means used as the unit of analysis. The study sample contained 2,500 monolingual and limited English proficient students from the …

Approaches In Teaching Advanced Placement Spanish, Melinda L. Brager

All Graduate Projects

The curriculum developed in this project has been designed specifically for Advanced Placement Spanish students, although lt may be used ln almost any advanced foreign language class. In addition to building on prior knowledge and increasing target language proficiency, this curriculum attempts to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement Spanish Language Exam.

A Study Of The Compliance Review Of The Nep/Lep Program At Pomona High School, Manuel Gonzales

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Compliance Review Of The Nep/Lep Program At Pomona High School, Manuel Gonzales

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Project For Spanish Speaking Migrant Parents For Involvement In Home Reading Activities, Nancy J. King

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop parent involvement workshops and home reading activities for Spanish speaking migrant parents of the Highland School District. Four one-hour workshops were designed and implemented. In addition, kindergarteners participated in book reading activities. This project demonstrated that Spanish speaking parents could be successfully integrated into school-related activities; and through this integration, positive changes in attitudes and behaviors of both parents and children could be achieved.

Syntactic Complexity, Error And The Holistic Evaluation Of Esl Student Essays, John S. Sparks

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to test five hypotheses in order to answer the following general research questions: 1) Are measures of syntactic complexity valid indices of ESL writing quality as measured by the holistic rating of student essays? 2) Would a measure of frequency and seriousness of error reflect evaluators' perceptions of ESL writing quality?

Meeting The Needs Of The Foreign Matesl Student, Cheryl A. Roberts, Carolyn L. Shields

Faculty Publications

In response to the increasing proportion of foreign graduate students in master's programs for teachers of English as a second language (MATESL); students in the University of Northern Iowa's program were surveyed concerning the appropriateness of the programs' design. In in-depth interviews and on questionnaires; foreign graduate students were asked which courses are most applicable to their home teaching situation; what courses should be added; whether the program fulfills original expectations; how the differences in the educational system make the program easier or more difficult; and what changes might make the program more relevant to student needs. Overall; little need …

Script Effects And Reading Strategies : Ideographic Language Readers Vs. Alphabetic Language Readers In Esl, Minglang Zhou

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine script effects of the Chinese Language on Chinese ESL/EFL students· reading strategies, in comparison to those employed by ESL students from alphabetic orthographic backgrounds.

Esl: Teaching For Communication, Anne Hardie Padilla

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although the field of English as a Second Language – ESL – is a relatively new field for study, it grows out of a long tradition of teaching foreign or second languages. However, even without formal instruction in a second language, people throughout history have been learning second – and sometimes third and fourth – languages for purposes of trade, business, politics, social acceptance and even survival.

Entering the last quarter of the twentieth century second or foreign language teachers had used three primary methods or approaches in their instruction: the Grammar-Translation method, the Audio-Lingual method, and the Cognitive Code …

Storytelling In A Second-Language And Cross-Cultural Education: A Positive Approach To The Learner’S Unconscious Potential, Cynthia A. Jaffe

MA TESOL Collection

The paper describes the technique, and rationale of storytelling in second-language and cross-cultural education. The storytelling technique is designed to approach learners through subconscious pathways, in order to reinforce their linguistic skills, to engender a positive attitude toward their learning of the second language and their involvement in the second culture, and to stimulate the development of their creative potentials. The paper includes an extensive rationale for the application of the technique, a description and step­-by-step manual for the application of the techniques and skills involved in the telling of tales, ideas on how to select stories appropriate to the …

Teaching Languages The Natural Way With Visual Cues, Alain Bernard Mathey

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Games And Activities For The English As A Second Language Classroom, Mary T. Brunelle

All Graduate Projects

A study has been made to select activities and games that promote language use in the second language classroom. Low classroom and personal anxiety promote language learning; games and activities are a method of focusing the language on its message rather than its structural form. Ways for teachers to help decrease classroom pressure and encourage learning are discussed. Language games for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students are presented in the project portion of this paper and will be used as a handbook of games for English as a second language teachers.

A Whole-Language Approach To Bilingual Language Arts Curriculum, Grades K-4, Martha M. Floyd

All Graduate Projects

Bilingual Language Arts objectives were established by grade level, K-4, in both Spanish and English. One hundred six limited English proficient students are participants in the bilingual program for which this curriculum was designed. This study suggests how selected objectives can be implemented using a whole language approach during a 1-week cultural unit. The intent of the curriculum design was that children learn language naturally when it is in a meaningful context. Implications for success in using a whole-language approach are discussed.

Multicultural Education : A Book Of Readings, Gary Partington (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

The problem of obtaining texts with material relevant to the core course in Aboriginal and Multicultural Education in the W.A. College led me to suggest a book of readings selected by those teaching the course. Obviously this was a trap for the unwary, for the diversity of recommendations that I received meant that unless the book was to be of mammoth proportions, some lecturers were bound to be disappointed. This was compounded by difficulties in tracking down authors to obtain their permission in time to publish.

Even so, it is anticipated that the collection of readings finally assembled will contribute …

We Can Communicate, Bob Alcorn, Jan Kanda

Course Materials

A seminar on deaf culture and sign language in the church setting.

Literary Books Make The Difference In Teaching The Esl Student, Mary Appleberry, Elvia Ana Rodriguez

Faculty Publications

Eager, bright eyed children gather close around the teacher's chair, where she holds several enticing books. In this multiethnic class she makes very sure that Juanita, Pablo, and Kim, who know little English, are seated close to her where they can point to pictures and hear her words clearly. The teacher begins with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the children giggling as he eats his way through "One red apple", "Two yellow pears", etc. While the story is reread the children join in chorus as different pupils point to the pictures. The teacher continues with Teddy Bears One to Ten, Ape …

Reading And Listening Enrichment For Esl Students, Karen Aili Liu Lo

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Mexican-American Language : Usage, Attitudes, Maintenance, Instruction, And Policy, Pan American University At Brownsville. Rio Grande Series In Language And Linguistics

Rio Grande Research Group for Language and Linguistics Series

Golden Age, Boom, Sesquicentennial: Texas Spanish as a Natural Resource for the Humanities / Chesler C. Christian, Jr. -- Archaic Lexical Variants In The Spanish of the Lower Rio Grande Valley / George K. Green -- Archaic Forms With A Parallel Ponderative Function In The Spanish of the Lower Rio Grande Valley / George K. Green -- Parallel Ponderative Forms In The Spanish of The Lower Rio Grande Valley and The General Spanish System of Nuancing In Fixes / George K. Green -- Meaning and Placement of Standard and Kansas Spanish Adjectives / Gerald L. Denning -- Linguistic Attitudes and …