Digital Commons Network^™

Language And Identity: How Music Affects Language And Communication, Hannah Helwig

Emerging Writers

First-place winner in the 2018 Emerging Writers Contest Academic Category. The essay examines the connections between music, language acquisition, and personal identity.

Musicking And Literacy Connections In The Third Space: Leveraging The Strengths Of A Latinx Immigrant Community, Angelica Ortega

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The music-making classroom is a space were students enact their multi-literacies. This space is especially important for Latinx bilingual students who are often labeled as struggling in school. In the music-making classroom, students reinvent their identities as integral members of a learning community, are accepted as leaders by their peers and are seen as literate in their music making practices. This habitus of success can have a durable, generative and transposable impact on the identity formation for the bilingual student that goes beyond the music classroom. This occurs because the music–making classroom acts as a third space both cognitively and …

Conciencia Bilingüe : The Multilingual And Academic Writing Practices Of Undocumented Immigrant Activists., Sara Del Pilar Alvarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research and community-based engagement focuses on the critical examination of the texts that 12 U.S. Southern and New York City undocumented young adults have produced in relation to immigrant rights advocacy. Adapting Lillis and Curry’s 2010 text-oriented ethnography methods and drawing on a collective framework informed by García and Wei’s (2014) theorization of dynamic bilingual practices, translingual theories of language difference in academic writing (Horner et. al, 2011; Lu & Horner, 2016), and Flores’s and Rosa’s (2015) call for raciolinguistics as a way to interrogate academic writing, this study examines the bilingual stances that these immigrant activists bring …

Teaching Peer Feedback As Ethical Practice, Derek Miller, Troy Hicks, Susan Golab

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Even with weeks of building a classroom community and deliberate instructional scaffolding, students may not engage in thoughtful peer review. One teacher discovers how he must place a deep, intentional value on the feedback itself—and the writers who provided it to one another.

From Policy To Practice: Exploring Principals’ Experiences In Facilitating The Implementation Of Cross Curricular Literacy Standards To Early Adolescents, Sherri Betton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that early adolescents continue to need literacy development in middle school. Furthermore, states that adopted the current comprehensive school reform policy must implement literacy instruction across content areas in grades six through twelve. This study will explore principals’ experiences as they facilitate the implementation of cross-curricular literacy standards. Qualitative case study methodology will be used to examine the perceptions of seven middle school principals as they act as change agents in the implementation process.

The Role Of Discourse And Its Effects On Reading Comprehension In The Ela Classroom, Laurie Coville

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Researchers have consistently found a link between quality classroom discourse and the increase in student reading comprehension. Classroom discussions help students make sense of fiction and nonfiction texts while deepening their understanding. Incorporating the principles of Vygotsky’s social constructivism as the theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the use of accountable talk sentence stems and the quality of discussion using the fishbowl discussion strategy as a means of increasing student comprehension of a text. Observation of the effects of student discourse of 18 students over the duration of six weeks yielded measurable differences …

Meaningful Vocabulary Instruction: Bridging The Way To Comprehension, Joanne Riback

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Beginning with Hart and Risley’s study that brought to the forefront a significant gap in word knowledge in students from a lower socioeconomic status, the importance of vocabulary instruction has been emphasized. Extensive research has long acknowledged that vocabulary knowledge plays a crucial role in reading comprehension. With the rigorous expectations of the CCSS, vocabulary has become an essential component of instruction. Consequently, this study, utilizing social constructivism as the theoretical framework, focused on determining the most effective strategies to enhance vocabulary instruction in order to bridge the gap between students who struggle with vocabulary learning and those who do …

Vocabulary Acquisition For Els, Sarah Johnson

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Researchers have shown a gap in the vocabulary development of children based on socioeconomic status, as well as an increase in the number of students in American public schools that qualify as English Learners (ELs). Based on previous studies showing that vocabulary acquisition is related to increased reading comprehension and academic success, the aim of the present study was to determine for the most effective strategies for vocabulary acquisition using an interactive read aloud routine. Using Vygotsky’s social constructivism as the theoretical framework, we examined the effectiveness of these strategies in an action research project with seven second grade ELs, …

Abc: It’S As Easy As 1, 2, 3 – The Importance Of A Multisensory Approach In Phonological Awareness Instruction, Chelsey Marsh

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Currently, more than 20% of kindergarten and first grade students struggle with an aspect of phonological awareness. Further, 80% of struggling readers exhibit weaknesses in phonological processing, which is the basis for grappling with unfamiliar words. Students whose reading achievement is not at grade level by third grade are at risk for not catching up to their more-capable peers. Using social constructivism as the theoretical framework in this action research study, we examined the effect of a multisensory, explicit, and systematic approach in phonological awareness for students in the primary grades. From the larger school population, this study focused on …

Discourse In The Elementary Classroom, Kathryn Hardy

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

As literacy standards across the country grow more rigorous, literacy practices need to follow suit. With the implementation of the Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards in 2010, classroom instruction in the facilitation of student discourse has become not only beneficial, but required. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an instructional framework for student discourse called Statement Stem Discourse/Accountable Talk (SSD/AT). This instructional frame included discussion stems, teacher prompts, and guidelines for student responses. This study observed the impacts of discourse on 19 students over the course of six weeks. With a focus on questions …

The Social Factors Of Fossilization, Ashley Brigham

MA TESOL Collection

The notion of fossilization has been one of the most controversial, yet enduring topics in second language acquisition (SLA) theory since its first appearance in Selinker’s 1972 seminal article “Interlanguage.” In the past, work regarding fossilization sought to either support or challenge its existence, to determine the putative causes and to predict what linguistic items were prone to becoming fossilized. Initially, the possible causes which enjoyed the most attention were first language interference and the learner’s age and length of residency in the target language community. Now, however, with the current climate of SLA acknowledging that both learning and non-learning …

How Cultural Responsiveness Informs The Development Of And Decision-Making About K-12 Ela Curricula: A Mixed Methods Approach, Christa Tamanas Wade

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore how cultural responsiveness informed the development of and decision-making about K-12 English Language Arts curricula in New Jersey. Through the use of a survey and interviews, twelve curriculum supervisors offered an array of insight regarding their professional agency, curriculum processes, and factors that influence the areas associated with the program of study. Findings revealed that although supervisors do not have autonomy in the curriculum development process, they do have greater agency when it comes to selecting supplemental instructional resources and classroom supports. Another key theme was how a district's demographics …

Teachers’ Professional Identity Construction: A Narrative Inquiry Of Non-Native English Speaking Teachers In Saudi Arabia, Mustafa Abdo Hersi

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This qualitative study examineshow five in-service male non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) constructed and negotiated their professional identity as teachers to make meaning of their lived experiences in an EFL milieu, a Saudi Arabian university. The study also explores the challenges related to NNESTs’ teaching lives and how they negotiated them as they constructed their professional identities. I approached the studied phenomena by employing a narrative inquiry method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and an autobiography. The study draws on Clandinin and Connelly’s framework of three-dimensional space (temporality, sociality, and place), Bourdieu’s theory of forms of capital,and Gee’s …

Historical Traditions And Critical Perspectives: An Exploration Of The Textual And Pedagogical Choices Of Four Language Arts Teachers In An Urban, Diverse Secondary School, Annmarie L. Sheahan

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Even as current critical research in the teaching of English calls for a widening of traditional secondary texts and curricula choices, the presence of certain district, local, and state policies continue to permeate classrooms in extensive and oppressive ways that have limited the literature, the instructional strategies, and the autonomy that teachers bring into educational spaces. This qualitative study examines the pedagogical choices of four secondary language arts teachers within the framework of both historical and critical perspectives on the teaching of literature and within the realities of a high-stakes, evaluative teaching environment. Utilizing participatory action research (PAR) and collaborative …

Pizza Bagel Sundays, Kate D'Auria

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Kate D’Auria worked on an independent study where she created her own children’s book. The book is called Pizza Bagel Sundays and was illustrated by Yan Gabriella Peropat. Pizza Bagel Sundays is a memoir about her childhood and how she grew up in a single parent household. Though single parenting is one of the focuses of the book, it does have other themes such as family, love and how we spend time together. Research was done to see what other types of children’s literature is out there and see where the book fit in. Look at the literature that was …

Practicing Abstraction Argument And Explanation: The Little Goat And The High Priest, David Marshall

Open Educational Resources

A one page handout to illustrate and practice concepts of abstraction argument and explanation. There are suggested activities using the handout and for generating other similar assignments.

Acquisition Of Word Spellings And Meanings During Reading In Nonnative Chinese Speakers, Yang Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the acquisition of word spellings (orthographic learning) and word meanings (incidental word learning) during reading in adult nonnative Chinese speakers. Two studies were designed for this dissertation. In Study One, 45 Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners at intermediate and advanced proficiency levels participated and completed a character learning experiment in a self-teaching paradigm. Results indicate that CFL learners were able to use the phonetic regularity and semantic transparency of radicals to learn the spellings and pronunciations of new characters after limited exposures to the characters in a story context. In Study Two, 72 CFL learners …

The Use Of American Sign Language On The Sight Word Acquisition For Primary Elementary English Language Learners, Kaitlin Woodrow

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

While being a language with which to communicate, American Sign Language (ASL) has also been used in some elementary school settings to supplement curriculum for different students. There has been little research, however, on how sign language can be used to teach the specific population of English Language Learners. This is an important student group on which to focus because the number of EL students has consistently increased over the last ten years. With this in mind, teaching professionals need to find the most effective strategies to support their diverse students. Many primary EL students struggle particularly with sight words, …

Gjr Volume 41 Number 1 Spring 2018, Lina B. Soares

The Georgia Journal of Reading Archive

The Georgia Journal of Reading's Spring 2018 issue includes:

Letter from the Editor by Lina B. Soares (pg. 4)

President’s Page by Ron Reigner (pg. 5)

Give the Neurological Impress Method Another Chance for One-to-One Fluency Interventions by Melissa M. Mitchell and Dr. Vassiliki Zygouris-Coe (pg. 6)

Building Comprehension through Explicit and Organic Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners by Marisa Gonzalez and Dr. Robert A. Griffn (pg. 13)

Children’s Literature to Develop Awareness and Advocacy for Social Justice by Dr. Katie Kelly and Dr. Lindsay Yearta (pg. 22)

Maximizing Learning: Embedding Phonological Awareness throughout the Day by Dr. Shawnna Helf, …

Language And Personal Growth In Study Abroad, Cynthia Columbus

Capstone Collection

Language and Personal Growth in Study Abroad will explore student perceptions of the role language learning during study abroad played in four key areas of personal growth: self-confidence, ability to problem-solve, learning about their host culture, and learning about themselves. This study aims to highlight and increase understanding of the individual’s study abroad experience. Eight students participated in this research. Data was collected from participants through an online survey and through individual semi-structured interviews. Student blogs written both pre-departure and during study abroad were also analyzed. Findings reveal a belief amongst participants that language learning helped them to become more …

Addressing The Assumption; A Case Study On Student Motivations And Barriers To Study Second Language Abroad, Rebecca Schano

Capstone Collection

Historically, second language learning and study abroad programming have run in natural conjunction. However, in recent years there has been a slow but steady decline in the number of foreign language students in higher education who are choosing to study abroad to further their second language acquisition. This study explores this topic through a case study at Marquette University, and aims to answer the research question: What are the motivations and barriers of foreign language students to study their second language abroad? Using a student survey and in-person interviews with professionals in the field, data is collected on the most …

Development Of Reporting Scales For Reading And Mathematics: A Report Describing The Process For Building The Uis Reporting Scales, Ross Turner, Ray Adams, Ursula Schwantner, Dan Cloney, Claire Scoular, Prue Anderson, Alexander Daraganov, Jen Jackson, Sandra Knowles, Gayl O'Connor, Pam Munro-Smith, Stavroula Zoumboulis, Pauline Rogers

Monitoring Learning

As a technical partner of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, ACER-GEM has created reporting scales for reading and maths, with the intention of enabling countries to examine and report the outcomes of their assessment activities using a common framework. This report gives the theoretical and contextual background to the scales, and describes the steps in the drafting process.

Lumos Literacy: Utilizing Harry Potter As A Guide For English Language Learners, Kayla Punt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This research paper and project looks at teaching literacy in a 9^th grade Standard English classroom with accommodations for high-level English Language Learners through JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It explores three schools of thought surrounding ESL education: transitional bilingual education, developmental bilingual education, and two-way immersion, and then uses this information to guide a full unit plan, complete with assessments, a lesson map for 20 days, and two appendixes of lesson plans. Drawing inspiration from Parker Palmer (1997), Lourdes Ortega (2013), and Kylene Beers (2003), the unit focuses on the engaging elements of Harry Potter …

Linguistic Interactions Of Spanish Speaking Mexican American Families, Adelfio J. Garcia

Dissertations

This study explored the bilingual linguistic interactions in Mexican families and their impact on children’s language and literacy development. This qualitative study gathered data using different methods, namely, interviews, direct observations, participant observation, and physical artifacts to examine parents’ perceptions of their own educational path in comparison to their children’s educational path in an American school system, together with their daily linguistic interactions in various social contexts, and the features, themes and roles of linguistic interactions participants. Study results assisted in gaining deeper understanding of daily conversations happening in different social contexts and their impact on the language and literacy …

Leading With Compassion: Support For Ld Students' Identity, Academic Success, And Social Integration, Kristin E. Capezio, Katy A. Angelone

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This workshop is intended for K-12 Teachers and Leaders. The topic is on Compassionate Leadership and Integrating the LD Student. The workshop's content is predicated on the research and study of Richard Lavoie's work with linguistically & phonologically challenged students, and their difficulty developing social identities among the general population within public schools. In particular, this workshop will present Lavoie's findings in his two authored works "FAT CITY: Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension in the LD Student" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On" with support from the work of Lavoie's colleague, Charlie Applestein, MSW, and his recently published book, …

The Influence Of The Heritage Language On The Cultural Integration Of Second-Generation Hispanic Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Camille Schuler

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the influence of the heritage language on the cultural integration of 10 second-generation Hispanic adolescents, ages 15-19. Data were collected using in-depth interviews that asked participants to share their experiences with their heritage language, and in what situations they found themselves feeling more Hispanic, more American, and more bicultural, when speaking their heritage language. Participants also shared the formal course of language study they chose, such as Spanish, Heritage Spanish, and AP Spanish Language, why they chose it, and how that choice influenced their perceptions of the heritage language and their cultural integration. Berry’s (2005) Acculturation …

Alternating Treatments For Idiom Interpretation By Children With Specific Language Impairments, Monique S. Kaye

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of two idiom interventions by students with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Idioms are linguistic expressions that have figurative meanings other than their literal interpretation. There is a strong correlation between idiom interpretation and academic success (Nippold & Martin, 1989). Students are exposed to idioms in media, in school, literature, and in daily interactions with peers and adults (Nippold, Moran, & Schwarz, 2001).Method: Three school-aged students (n=3) with SLI ages 11;9–13;8 (mean age = 12;8) were provided a language intervention for idioms embedded in stories with pictures (n=10) …

Teacher Interculturality In An English As A Second Language Elementary Pull-Out Program: Teacher As Broker In The School’S Community Of Practice, Carmen Durham

The Qualitative Report

This case study investigated how one teacher, Lidia (a pseudonym), used her own cross-cultural experiences to socially and academically assist elementary school students who were crossing cultural boundaries of their own. This study used ethnographic interviews and classroom observations to explore Lidia’s experiences and struggles as she crossed cultural boundaries and built intercultural competence and how those experiences related to her teaching methods. Lidia used stories, multicultural images, and the students’ home languages so that her students could become confident in their multicultural and multilingual identities instead of solely assimilating. Teaching interculturally for Lidia meant empowering students to balance their …

Breaking The “Fourth Wall” In Qualitative Research: Participant-Led Digital Data Construction, Nettie Boivin, Anna Cohenmiller

The Qualitative Report

This article reconstructs the typical researcher-participant focus - where the participants are doing for us - instead we followed the participants’ lead in the construction of research. Using a qualitative literacy event case study as an example, we describe how participants unexpectedly co-constructed knowledge through a participant-led digital data collection. In this theoretical article, we provide an explanation of the original study, which used observations, semi-structured interviews, and home visits as a collective qualitative case study on parental participation in social literacy practices. The original investigation led to the important shift that occurred in participant-researcher roles. In this article, using …

Using A Shared Vocabulary To Teach Key Qualities Of Good Writing In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Kristi Schoppe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to investigate what happens when teachers replace traditional grammar instruction methods with small group guided instruction focused on a set of vocabulary terms used in writing. The vocabulary terms represent the key qualities of writing; the terms for teachers and students is word choice, ideas, conventions, organization, voice, sentence fluency, role, audience, format, and topic. This study aims to learn more about this topic by investigating how using a shared vocabulary during writing instruction in a fourth grade classroom will engage students longer to improve their writing through the writing process.