Digital Commons Network^™

Cooperative Language Learning In Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling, Jing Gao

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) is becoming widely recognized and implemented in K-12 language classrooms across the nation. Cooperative language learning structures interactive group work for learners’ language development. In communicative language classrooms, cooperative learning can be implemented in TPRS to encourage students’ interaction and communication in collaborative tasks. This article explores the application of cooperative language learning in the TPRS Chinese classroom. Specific teaching methods are discussed in each step of TPRS, including establishing meaning, story asking, and story reading. Cooperative language learning in TPRS increases students’ engagement and motivation in language learning and promotes their language …

Using Lessons From Collaboratively Processing Written Corrective Feedback, Nicholas Carr

Journal of Response to Writing

This case study investigates how two English language learners use knowledge co-constructed while collaboratively processing written corrective feedback (WCF) on jointly produced texts. It does so through the lens of sociocultural theory (SCT). This study extends the extant literature by investigating how co-constructed knowledge emerging from their interactions was manifested in subsequent individual writing and speaking tasks which were similar—but not identical—to the original collaborative writing tasks. Data were collected from video recordings of participants’ interactions as they collaboratively processed WCF; individual retrospective interviews, during which participants watched the video recordings and identified what they learned; and observation of individual …

"So Many Hopes": A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Children's Picture Books That Portray Refugees, Janine J. Darragh, Jane E. Kelley

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Researchers used content analysis to analyze 40 award-winning and “best of” children’s picture books that portray refugees to answer the questions: How are refugees depicted in picture books? What messages are embedded in those depictions? Results show patterns and themes regarding depictions of trauma and violence in conjunction with setting as well as the portrayal of the arts as a vehicle for refugees to ignite personal agency in coping with the trauma they experienced. Implications for practice are discussed.

The Teacher’S Role In Writing: A Study Of Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions, Joy Myers, Kelly Tracy, Amanda Wall, Linda D. Smetana, Chinwe H. Ikpeze, Sonia M. Kline, Jenn Raskauskas, Roya Q. Scales, Vicki Mcquitty, Pamela Hickey

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacher’s role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing students’ confidence in writing. Some mentioned …

Differences In Elementary Students’ Self-Regulated Processes For Computer Versus Printed Reading Assignments, Katerina Sergi, Anastasia Elder, Tianlan Wei, Kristin H. Javorsky, Jianzhong Xu

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this study was to investigate metacognitive self-regulated learning (SRL) differences in computer- and paper-based reading assignments across elementary students. Students in two after-school programs in a southeastern U.S. public school district were recruited. The final sample consisted of 48 students in Grades 2–5 who participated in two counterbalanced conditions involving a computer- and a paper-based reading assignment. The study employed a 2 x 4 (condition-by-grade) mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) and followup tests to examine metacognitive SRL differences between conditions and grades. The results indicate that elementary students used various metacognitive SRL skills across both conditions. The …

Exploring The Experiences Of Spanish-Speaking Students With Limited Or Interrupted Formal Education In Newcomer Programs In The Midwest: A Mixed Methods Narrative Inquiry Study, Karen Sander

Theses and Dissertations

Secondary students with limited or interrupted formal education who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) make up a unique subpopulation of our country’s growing EAL population. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted in order to explore the experiences of Spanish-speaking secondary SLIFE in a midwestern school district to determine how their prior experiences in three areas affected their school experiences in the United States. The following questions were the focus on the research: 1) What are the experiences of secondary SLIFE in a newcomer program? 1a) How did students’ literacy and oracy experiences impact their academic …

Predictive Effects Of Poverty, Gender, Native Language Spoken, And Elpa21 Proficiency On Reading Performance, Carrie Bradow

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the predictive effects of poverty, gender, native language spoken, and English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) proficiency on reading performance measured by the ACT Aspire Summative Reading Assessment for Grades 4, 7, and 10 English language learners in a Northwest Arkansas school district. Through Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the influence of poverty, gender, native language spoken, and ELPA21 proficiency were studied for influences on reading performance. Through a multiple regression analysis I examined the Spring 2019 state assessment and demographic data collected from over 20,000 student records. The findings …

A Discourse Analysis Of Cheers, Paul Wiesenborn

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This paper analyzes the pragmatics features of the language in an episode of the sitcom Cheers to find out what second language learners need to know about the language of the sitcom and about the background knowledge informing it for that episode to be understandable to them and for it thus to be an effective as an instruction tool. To answer this question, the researcher transcribed the speech in the episode and used a speech act theory-based approach to identify and categorize deixis, locutionary forms, illocutionary types, and instances of reduction and types of indirect speech. Categories in these areas …

Identity Tensions And Negotiations Of English Teachers In Costa Rica Through Narrative Inquiry, Hazel Vega Quesada

All Dissertations

This study examined the identity tensions and negotiations of novice three English teachers in Costa Rica, and English as a foreign language context. Grounded in a Communities of Practice framework, this research describes how teachers’ identities are constrained and enabled in complicated academic, social, and political settings. In this study, identity tensions referred to dilemmas that juxtaposed internal and external expectations, values, and practices. Negotiations referred to teachers’ choices, proposals, and changes that denoted their appropriation or contestation of practices and meanings of their communities of practice. I used narrative inquiry to collect and analyze teachers’ experiences learning English and …

The Benefits Of Dual Immersion Programs On Elementary School Students, Allison E. Williams

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone aims to share the benefits of Dual Immersion Programs at the Elementary school years. Understanding what a Dual Immersion Program is and knowing that there are different models within the program allow for parents to select which program is best suited for their students. A key point in clarification is that a Dual Immersion program does not aim to replace an English, or standard, education program, but add a target language to enhance the learning of the students. This study looks at the short- and long-term academic and social benefits students can gain from kindergarten through fifth grade …

From Lesson Plan To Observation To Self-Assessment In A Chinese As A Second Language Class, Yu-Shan Lin

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of what the author has learned in the field of Chinese as a second language in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. There are three main sections in the portfolio. The first section contains the author’s teaching philosophy statement, with a focus on the communicative approach, a game-based approach, and alternative assessment. The second section consists of a reflection on a classroom observation. The main paper presents how the author designed a lesson plan and implemented it, as well as her analysis and introspection on a video recording of the …

Understanding Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Knowledge Of Vocabulary Development And Practices For Teaching Vocabulary To Students From Low-Income Backgrounds, Adria Waters

Theses and Dissertations

The link between vocabulary knowledge acquisition and its effect on reading comprehension has been well established over years of research, however, students from lowincome backgrounds may have less access to the opportunities that allow for the building of this vocabulary knowledge prior to and including entry into formal schooling. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more equitable opportunities for learning and practice in literacy. It is important to begin to understand what teachers currently know and understand about how vocabulary develops and how to best teach it. A nationwide survey collected data about Title I elementary classroom teachers’ knowledge of …

Counteracting Epistemicide: Social And Cultural Capital Of Teachers In A Dual Language Program, Katrina Liu, Richard C. Miller, Jorge Inzunza

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This case study explored the social and cultural capital of teachers in a rural Midwestern Spanish-English dual-language immersion (DLI) program as they overcame an Anglocentric epistemological hegemony in their daily practice. Working from Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of social capital and Rios-Aguilar and Kiyama’s (2012) approach to funds of knowledge, this research demonstrated that DLI teachers faced challenges ranging from resistance by non-DLI teachers in the school afraid of losing their jobs, to a broader fear of the DLI program taking resources away from the monolingual anglophone classrooms. To overcome these challenges, the DLI teachers drew extensively on their global social …

Creating Counter-Hegemonic Spaces In A Spanish Language Arts Classroom, Mercedes Valenzuela

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This qualitative case study used practitioner research methods to address the question: How does a Mexican American teacher create counter-hegemonic spaces in a Spanish Language Arts classroom utilizing critical race and borderlands theories? The research focused on how I as a teacher-built trust and respect through place—here, the classroom, classroom activities, and discussions—thereby creating a place for students to express their thoughts and feelings and to build relationships with the teacher and their classmates for learning to occur. This study also analyzed how using critical race and borderlands theories influences and shapes Mexican American students’ educational experiences beyond a …

Veteran–Novice Pairing For Tutors’ Professional Development, Xuan Jiang, Jennifer Peña, Feng Li

The Writing Center Journal

This mixed methods study examines whether veteran–novice mentorship between tutors, as part of continuous in-service professional development, would have a positive effect on either party’s transferable skills (e.g., communication, collaboration, and professionalism). Quantitative findings from pre- and postsurveys about the veteran–novice mentorship suggest that tutors have significant gains in some transferable skills, such as oral/written communication skills, teamwork/collaboration skills, digital technology skills, and career management skills, after attending the continuous in-service professional development. Quantitative findings from the pre- and postsurveys further indicate that novice tutors improve more, compared to veteran tutors, in their self-perceived oral/written communication skill levels. Qualitative findings …

Graduate Writing Groups: Evidence-Based Practices For Advanced Graduate Writing Support, Wenqi Cui, Jing Zhang, Dana Lynn Driscoll

The Writing Center Journal

Writing centers seek to expand their services beyond tutoring and develop evidence-based practices. Continuing and expanding the existing practices, the authors have adopted graduate writing groups (GWGs) to support graduate writers, especially those working on independent writing projects like a dissertation or article for publication. This article provides an effective model on how to develop and assess virtual graduate writing groups (VGWGs). This replicable, aggregable, and data-supported (RAD) research applied a mixed-methods design with pre- and postsurveys over the three semesters of running the VGWG. It found that the VGWG offered a full range of writing support that met graduate …

"Analytical," "Angry." And "(Too) Honest"?! Learners' Stereotypes About Teachers Of German., Lucian Rothe

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study investigated stereotypes about teachers of German that 67 novice learners of German at a U.S. university had reportedly encountered. Consequently, the investigation explored the perceived accuracy of clichés associated with native-speaker and non-native-speaker instructors. Students' stereotypical notions were sorted into categories using principles of grounded theory. Statistical analyses showed that respondents were able to list various stereotypes about instructors of German. Responses also reflected societal narratives concerning native-speaker and non-native-speaker teachers' strengths and shortcomings. Last, and of importance to the future of German Studies, participants considered more favorable stereotypes about teachers as more accurate and less-favorable clichés as …

Physical To Cyber: A Case Study Of The Print And Digital Literacy Of Burgeoning Older Adult Learners, Laura Elizabeth Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This intrinsic single case study explored the ways in which two older adult burgeoning literacy learners in a capital city in the U.S. Gulf South utilized the skills of print literacy and digital literacy both together and apart. This study was an investigation of print and digital literacy, individually and combined, in order to examine the way older adult burgeoning literacy learners used one kind of literacy (print) to develop the other (digital). Using semi-structured interviews, observations, and literacy journals, participants’ perceptions were explored. Findings included that fully literate older adults used their literacy to enact and maintain social connections, …

P-24 Rethinking Diversity In A Hybrid Foreign Language Class, Daniela Ortiz

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

This poster session represents an ethnographic study of a hybrid foreign language class, focusing on the challenges created by students’ multiliteracy practices. Students range from high schoolers enrolled in dual programs, to heritage speakers, to adults who look for a career change. Reaching such a diverse group of students can be challenging but challenges create Third Spaces where learning is expanded and literacies improved (Smagorinsky, 2021; Gutierrez, 2011; Hulme et al., 2009; Lynch, 2008).

These Third Spaces are created by using diversity and even conflict as a source of students’ multivocal discovery of self. Heritage speakers often feel in limbo, …

Investigating The Theoretical Orientations Of Select Louisiana Preservice Teachers Regarding Teaching Reading: A Mixed-Methods Study, Megan Jenny

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher quality is one of the most significant factors contributing to student success, and Teacher Preparation Programs (TPPs) are traditionally responsible for teaching preservice teachers how to teach reading. Effective reading instruction is responsive, complex, and equitable. Acknowledgement of a disconnect between preparation programming and critical teacher knowledge for teachers of reading indicated a need for this exploratory mixed-methods study. The purpose of the current study, grounded by the theoretical framework of Sociocultural Theory, was to investigate what a select group of 21 preservice grades 1-3 elementary teachers were taught about teaching reading, preservice teachers’ theoretical orientations for teaching reading, …

A Delphi Study Of The Most Effective Actions Taken By Rural Superintendents In California To Improve Achievement For English Learners, Diana Jimenez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to have rural school superintendents whose districts have shown academic improvement as measured by the California School Dashboard identify the actions they have taken to improve academic achievement for English learners. In addition, it was the purpose to rate the effectiveness of the identified actions, and to describe the best methods for implementing the five most effective actions identified from the ratings. Methodology: This study employed a Delphi method, comprising three rounds to collect data. In Round 1, participants were asked to identify what actions they have taken to increase academic outcomes …

Review: Counterstories From The Writing Center By Wonderful Faison And Frankie Condon, Alexandria Hanson

The Writing Center Journal

Counterstories from the Writing Center is a book that centers the perspectives and experiences of peoples of color in writing centers as tutors, administrators, and students. The book aims to educate all readers, but specifically “white, straight, cisgendered women (WSCGW)” (p. 5), whose presence has permeated writing center scholarship and work, about how writing centers often engage in representational change or practice, applying Band-Aid solutions that fail to enact social justice and antiracist practices. The goal of the book is to get readers to exercise a certain level of humility, to reflect on and accept responsibility, in order to enact …

Pilot Study Of The Dynamic Early Literacy Framework For Implementation Of Science Of Reading Aligned Instruction, Jaclyn Galbally Ph.D., Nancy Scharff

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

A growing, research-based consensus supports addressing our nation’s literacy crisis through instruction aligned with the Science of Reading (SoR). We recognize, however, that the complexity of SoR content, alongside the multiplicity of instructional decisions and practices, and the unique features of each classroom and school, make simple implementation designs unlikely to achieve desired results. To guide schools in developing higher levels of SoR-aligned early literacy instruction, we developed the Dynamic Early Literacy Framework (DELF). The DELF primarily serves as a framework to guide inquiry and innovation of SoR-aligned early literacy drivers, while documenting progress as well as identifying change priorities. …

Why Phonics (In English) Is Difficult To Teach, Learn, And Apply: What Caregivers And Teachers Need To Know, David Reinking, Sharon L. Reinking

Publications

No abstract provided.

Social Interaction With Native Speakers’ Effect On Foreign Language Enjoyment And Foreign Language Anxiety, Emma Stravers

Selected Honors Theses

This study yielded data surrounding the relationship between knowing a native speaker and foreign language acquisition, alongside the factors of foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety. Through a survey conducted with 46 language learners from a variety of backgrounds who were contacted through social media, the research questions guiding the study were answered with implications for all language learners both inside and outside the classroom. Through statistical analysis, data proved that knowing a native speaker of the target language is a significant predictor of language learners having a higher perception of proficiency. A higher perception of proficiency is also …

From Language To Literacy: Structural Features Of Acquired Languages Facilitating English Morphological Awareness, Erin N. Callahan

Selected Honors Theses

Morphological awareness is a crucial metalinguistic skill, specifically for English Language Learners (ELLs). Since languages differ widely in degree of orthographic opacity, degree of morphological fusion, and degree of morphological synthesis, this thesis sought to evaluate the impact of the structural features of other languages upon ELLs’ levels of English morphological awareness. Additionally, the study investigated the relationship between morphological awareness and perceived levels of literacy and oracy proficiency. Multilingual individuals responded to an online survey containing a morphological awareness task and a language history questionnaire. Each language represented in the sample was coded according to its structural features. Subsequently, …

The Effectiveness Of Professional Development On The Literature-Based Chinese Teaching, Gracelynn G. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The surge in Chinese language learning as CSL/CFL increases needs for quality teacher professional development training. Although researchers report advantages of employing literature and confirm the value of literature in teaching foreign language, few studies focused on CSL/CFL teacher training, specifically, for the use of literature-based Chinese language teaching for CSL/CFL classes. Professional Development (PD) provided opportunities for Chinese teachers to learn and practice strategies that are necessary to teach CSL/CFL with literature-based teaching. The researcher conducted the PD training evaluation to determine the significant effect on the Chinese teachers’ confidence, attitude, and overall preparedness for teaching literature to non-Chinese …

Supporting Black Children Within A Eurocratic Educational System: Making Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Foundational To The Role Of The Literacy Coach, Jennipher C.K. Frazier

Theses and Dissertations

This critical qualitative study documented what was learned about the process of making culturally relevant teaching foundational to the commitment of a literacy coach while working closely with a kindergarten and first grade teacher for one school year. Critical Race and Black Critical (BlackCrit) theories were the driving theoretical frameworks used to design the study, represent findings, and provide insight into the process of working to make culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) foundational to the role of a literacy coach with a particular focus on supporting the Black child. The methods used to gain knowledge about CRP as foundational to the …

Social Interaction With Native Speakers’ Effect On Foreign Language Enjoyment And Foreign Language Anxiety, Emma Stravers

Selected Honors Theses

This study yielded data surrounding the relationship between knowing a native speaker and foreign language acquisition, alongside the factors of foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety. Through a survey conducted with 46 language learners from a variety of backgrounds who were contacted through social media, the research questions guiding the study were answered with implications for all language learners both inside and outside the classroom. Through statistical analysis, data proved that knowing a native speaker of the target language is a significant predictor of language learners having a higher perception of proficiency. A higher perception of proficiency is also …

Evaluating A Suite Of Strategies For Reading Graphic Novels: A Confirmatory Case Study, Maribeth Nottingham, Barbara J. Mcclanahan, Howard Atkinson

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

This article describes a qualitative study conducted by two researchers who are teacher educators and a literacy coach in a private school. The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of a set of strategies for reading and teaching about graphic novels by examining the responses of three elementary-grade teachers in a reading workshop environment to a semester-long professional development. Challenges both expected and unexpected were encountered but results overall were positive for teachers. In addition, they provided guidance to researchers for using the strategies introduced in the professional development in further studies.