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Vocabulary Matters : Why Vocabulary Instruction Is Important And How To Implement Quality Instruction In Preschool, Melanie Blocker

Graduate Research Papers

This review examined why vocabulary instruction is important in preschool, and ways that a teacher can implement quality vocabulary instruction into the classroom. The review describes why vocabulary instruction is crucial in preschool, and then provides five different ways that a teacher can implement vocabulary instruction into the preschool classroom. Vocabulary instruction is valuable as it builds the foundation for later reading skills, such as comprehension. The conclusion of this literature review provides recommendations on how to implement vocabulary instruction into preschools, educational policies, and teacher practices.

Constructing A Sense Of Story: One Block At A Time, Joanne M. Robertson-Eletto, Smita Guha, Marina Marinelli

Graduate School of Education Publications and Research

This photo essay focuses upon the literacy practices of two groups of preschoolers as they built, illustrated, and dictated stories in response to their participation in a “Castle Project.” Data, including literacy artifacts, photodocumentation, sociodramatic play scenarios, and conversations are qualitatively analyzed, coded, and evaluated over a three month period. We use a narrative approach to describe the three- and four-year-olds’ talk, actions, and ideas, and the ways block play facilitated their sense of story and motivation to write. We suggest a reciprocity of thinking between the building and composing processes. Preschoolers’ story ideas, we deduce, were conceptualized and rehearsed …

A Collective Case Study On Vocabulary Instruction In Fifth Grade Classrooms, Farrukh Nazir

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this qualitative research study, I investigated how vocabulary instruction takes place in two fifth-grade classrooms from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. Vocabulary knowledge holds key importance in learning to read, academic success in all school subjects, and achievement in life beyond school (Graves, 2016. p.2). Due to the importance of vocabulary, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) also put an increased focus on the process of vocabulary acquisition. Recent vocabulary research has found that vocabulary instruction in classrooms is weak, thin, and not research-based (Carlisle, Kelcey & Berebitsky, 2013; Graves, 2016; Wright & Neuman, 2014). To investigate vocabulary instruction the …

The Use Of Responses To Reading As A Vehicle To Opinion Writing In The Primary Grades, Zoi A. Philippakos

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Writing to persuade is an important writing purpose that students and learners need to develop and use both in their academic lives and in the workplace. The Common Core State Standards set specific expectations for students’ opinion writing starting from Kindergarten. This article explains the use of response to reading as a way to introduce opinion writing in the primary grades. The approach is based on strategy instruction, reading and writing connections through interactive read alouds, collaborative reasoning through oral expression, and evaluation to revise through the use of specific evaluation criteria. Resources are suggested for teachers interested in implementing …

Constructing A Sense Of Story: One Block At A Time, Joanne Robertson-Eletto, Smita Guha, Marina Marinelli

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This photo essay focuses upon the literacy practices of two groups of preschoolers as they built, illustrated, and dictated stories in response to their participation in a “Castle Project.” Data, including literacy artifacts, photodocumentation, sociodramatic play scenarios, and conversations are qualitatively analyzed, coded, and evaluated over a three month period. We use a narrative approach to describe the three- and four-year-olds’ talk, actions, and ideas, and the ways block play facilitated their sense of story and motivation to write. We suggest a reciprocity of thinking between the building and composing processes. Preschoolers’ story ideas, we deduce, were conceptualized and rehearsed …

The Frequency Of The Twelve Verb Tenses In History Papers Written By University Native Writers, Bushra Qahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the variety and complexity of verb tenses in English, English as a Second Language (ESL) / English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners often experience difficulty in mastering English verb tense system. This corpus-based study was conducted to ascertain the most frequently used verb tenses by English native speakers (NSs), specifically in their academic writing in a history course. As this study aimed to examine the naturally-occurring language produced by NSs, specifically in their academic writing, an original corpus of 101,713 words was assembled. The corpus consisted of 130 research papers written by 65 students. The corpus was …

The Effect Of Speech Elicitation Method On Second Language Phonemic Accuracy, Nicole Carrasquel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study, a One-Group Posttest-Only Repeated-Measures Design, examined the effect of speech elicitation method on second language (L2) phonemic accuracy of high functional load initial phonemes found in frequently occurring nouns in American English. This effect was further analyzed by including the variable of first language (L1) to determine if L1 moderated any effects found. The data consisted of audio recordings of 61 adult English learners (ELs) enrolled in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at a large, public, post-secondary institution in the United States. Phonemic accuracy was judged by two independent raters as either approximating a standard American …

(Mis)Reading The Classroom: A Two-Act “Play” On The Conflicting Roles In Student Teaching, Christi U. Edge

Journal Articles

This case study examined concentric and reciprocal notions of reading—that of high school students, a pre-service teacher, and a teacher educator. An intern charged with teaching students to read, interact with, and compose texts in an English/language arts classroom constructed her role in the classroom based on her reading the “text” of her internship experiences, relationships, and responsibilities. Using interviews and observations, a teacher educator read and interpreted the classroom “text” the pre-service teacher “composed” during her internship and then constructed a two-act “play” which details the conflict in the intern’s enacting the dual role of student-teacher and her subsequent …

Storying Our Journey: Conversations About The Literary Canon And Course Development In Secondary English Education., Elsie L. Olan, Kia Jane Richmond

Journal Articles

Olan and Richmond present preservice English teachers’ stories about having little experience with canonical texts they are asked to teach in their field experiences.

Exploring Interactions Between Adult English Learners And Their Teachlive Digital Character Peers, Ting Yan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peer interaction is an important part of language learning. The results of previous studies showed advantages and disadvantages of peer interaction between native speakers and English learners. Using the educational simulation platform TeachLivE as the interaction platform, this qualitative descriptive case study explored the possibilities of bridging the gap between classroom language practice and real-life second language communication. The study recruited eight participants for a task-based interaction project. Using conversation analysis, the study revealed details in communication between adult English learners and their digital character peers. During the interactions, the participants were actively involved and the most frequent communication patterns …

Teaching In A Mixed Secondary Spanish Classroom: A Case Study Of Strategies And Successes Of Minnesota Teachers, Meredith Gunderson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The population of Spanish heritage language learners is increasing throughout the state of Minnesota. This change in demographics impacts schools in a variety of ways; one such consequence is the creation of classes for Spanish for Native Speakers in locations with high Latino populations. However, in most locations, such programs currently do not exist, resulting in Spanish heritage language learners enrolling in Spanish foreign language classes. These classrooms, called mixed classes due to the combination of second language learners and Spanish heritage language learners in the same classroom, pose a unique challenge to the foreign language instructors. This qualitative multiple …

Perceptions Of Students With And Without Limited Formal Schooling, Sarah Schmidt De Carranza

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the perceptions that refugee and non-refugee English language learners hold of their academic performance and their perceived sense of membership in a school community. Students currently served in EL programs in grades 9-12 in a large urban school district were invited to participate in the study. Student perceptions were measured using the Morgan Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES) and Goodenow Pyschological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale.

Unexpectedly, the results indicated that differences of perceptions of student efficacy and school membership between the two groups of students were not statistically …

Expanding Our Space: Stories Of Mindful Practice, Emily Jean Whitecotton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation tells the story of a qualitative, narrated inquiry study on the narrated experiences of the students and teacher who participated in a mindfulness workshop, designed by the teacher-researcher, and learned within a classroom where the teacher-researcher used mindfulness techniques as a part of their classroom life. This study was designed as an inquiry into the question: How do the students and teacher narrate their experiences as members in a mindfulness workshop over the course of a year? The teacher-researcher collected audio recordings of interviews with participants and whole group discussions that occurred within the workshop and classroom. These …

Conversations With Chris: Discussing Racial Diversity In A Professional Book Club, A. Brennan Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to understand and describe the experiences and the effects of one high school teacher’s membership in a professional development book club focused on issues of racial diversity with the overall aim of change toward equitable teaching practices through the following actions: confronting personal biases, discussing and reflecting on personal experiences and beliefs, questioning and critiquing personal beliefs and teaching practices, interacting with other professionals and with the readings in a supportive environment in which we celebrated and supported articulations of social justice or positive change. Thematic analysis was used to analyze …

The Use Of Print Referencing Techniques Through Preschoolers’ Play-Based Creative Writing Experiences: The Impact On Oral Language Development, Print Awareness, And Literacy Abilities With Children Diagnosed With Language Disorder, Catherine Ann Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explored the lives of 10 children who were diagnosed with a language disorder. The children were enrolled in a therapeutic half-day speech-language preschool classroom for 3- and 4-year-old children within a public-school system in the rural Southeast. The research included a 15-week mini-ethnographic case study utilizing participant observation. Through a sociocultural Vygotskian approach used to meet their language and literacy needs holistically, I encouraged the children to use meaningful artifacts from which their play, talk, and stories developed. I collected both qualitative and quantitative data to assess how creative writing experiences including print referencing approaches impacted …

Learning To Question The World: Navigating Critical Discourse Around Gender And Racial Inequities And Injustices In A Second And Third Grade Classroom, Christopher L. Hass

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study, situated within a critical theory frame (Friere, 1970; Grant, Brown, & Brown, 2016; hooks, 1994; Kincheloe, 2008), explored the ways elementary students engaged in and constructed meaning from critical classroom discussions exploring inequities and injustices as related to gender and race. The questions guiding the study were: (1) How do my students construct meaning during class discussions regarding issues of equity and injustice around gender and race?, (2) What role do I play in constructing, shaping, and maintaining opportunities for students to create meaning during these discussions?, and (3) What tensions do my students encounter when engaging …

The Effects Of Digital Story Writing Instruction On Narrative Writing Skills Of Junior High School Students In Indonesia, Elsa Widya Hapsari

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objectives of the study were: 1) to explore the effects of digital story writing instruction on narrative writing skills of junior high school students in Indonesia; 2) to investigate how digital story writing instruction enhance English writing motivation of junior high school students in Indonesia. The instruments used in this study were online narrative writing test, writing motivation questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The sample in this study was 35 students from eighth- grade who were studying in 2017 academic year at Sekolah Menengah Pertama Islam Terpadu (SMP IT) in Indonesia. The research design was one-group pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design. …

Effects Of Direct Vocabulary And Vocabulary Learning Strategies Instruction On Indonesian Prospective English Teachers’ Vocabulary Size, Sudarman -

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objectives of the study were: 1) to explore the effects of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies instruction on Indonesian prospective English teachers' vocabulary size, and 2) to investigate the students' opinions towards the treatment of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies instruction. The study was one-group pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design. The instruments employed in this study were the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) and a semi-structured interview. The samples were the 33 first-year students majoring in English education at University of Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia for the Academic Year 2017/2018. The findings of the study showed that there was a significant …

The Development Of The English Content-Based Reading Materials For Buddhist Student Monks, Phatchareporn Supphipat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objectives of this study are 1) to develop the English content-based reading materials for Buddhist student monks, 2) to examine the attitude of student monks towards the quality of the English content-based reading materials, and 3) to examine the attitude of teachers towards the quality of the English content-based reading materials. The study was conducted in 6 stages starting from the identification of needs to create materials to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed materials. The participants of 42 student monks and 3 English teachers were purposefully selected from the Education Department of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in …

Effects Of Holistic Approach Using Local Cultural Content On English Oral Communication Ability Of Sixth Grade Students In Phrae Province, Wasida Sawongta

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aimed to study the effects of Holistic Approach using local cultural content on English oral communication ability of sixth grade students and to investigate their opinions towards learning through Holistic Approach using local cultural content. The participants were 21 sixth grade students studying in Phrae Province in academic year 2017. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected in 13-week experiment using seven instruments including need analysis questionnaire, English oral communication test, English oral communication scoring rubrics, lesson plans, self-evaluation form, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory questionnaire, and focus group discussion. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, mean scores, and standard deviation …

'The Writing Writes Itself': Deleuzian Desire And The Creative Writing Mfa Degree, Ginger Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This post-qualitative inquiry project investigated subjectivity (sense of self) among graduates of creative writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs. The project asked how subjectivity is involved in the creative writing process and how that process fuels further writing after a creative piece (such as the MFA thesis) is completed. A post-qualitative, thinking-with-theory approach was used to explore the role of subjectivity among four anonymous graduates of creative writing MFA programs who provided writing samples describing their creative writing processes. Following the thinking-with-theory approach, the data were analyzed using Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of productive desire. Study findings are presented …

Efl Teaching And Teacher Training In Nicaragua: A Master's International Experience, Deva Richards

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

English as a foreign language (EFL) is a mandatory part of public education in Nicaragua, Central America. Many Nicaraguan EFL teachers, however, lack the English and teaching skills to be able to do their job effectively. Furthermore, teacher training and professional development opportunities for EFL teachers in Nicaragua are often inaccessible and/or of low quality. As a Master’s International Program student, I studied Teaching English as a Second Language/Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL) and served in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, where I sought to improve EFL education. This M.A. Project tells the story of my Master’s International …

What Is English Now? The Construction Of Subject English In Contemporary Textbooks For Australian Secondary Schools, Shannon L. Wells

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australian educators are currently engaged in widening debates about the performance of the nation’s schools, teachers and students. Perceived literacy deficits among secondary students have fuelled the debate, and this has precipitated reforms to English curricula at both National and State levels. The newly revised curricula attempt to improve student achievement through more systematic teaching about the English language and language skills. In response to the changes, major education publishers in Australia have released revised textbooks for English that purport to engage with the new curriculum.

This research study considered whether such new resources offer genuinely fresh and effective approaches …

Using Blended Learning To Improve Undergraduate Introduction To Literature Courses: A Mixed Methods Approach, Julie Leigh Klein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Blended learning is being used more and more in higher education. However, for humanities and other loosely content structured areas, blended learning can be challenging. It has generally been reserved for subject areas such as computer programing, mathematics, business, science, and statistics--courses where competence is commonly assessed by administering work on which performance is either right or wrong. Furthermore, agreement has not yet been reached on how to best incorporate the face-to-face and online teaching resources. This study examines one approach of implementing web-based instruction to improve undergraduate Introduction to Literature courses at a midsized Midwestern university.

This study was …

Multicultural Literature: Changes In Perceptions And Attitudes In Fourth Graders, Luis A. Pelayo Zepeda

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 1954, the Supreme Court voted to end segregation in American public schools. However, this landmark decision did not end racism, discrimination, and inequality. Students of color continue to be invisible across the curriculum. This study is a qualitative teacher action research. The purpose of the study was to assess school personnel perceptions and attitudes toward multicultural education in a rural northern California district, and how the implementation of multicultural literature changes perceptions and attitudes in fourth grade students. The setting for the study took place in Steelhead Elementary, located in a rural section of Northern California. Participants included K-8 …

Exploring Self-Regulated Learning (Srl) And Listening Strategy Instruction In A Chinese L2 Classroom, Yue Li

Doctoral Dissertations

This interpretive case study explored the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction that promoted self-regulated learning and gained insights into students’ and instructors’ perceptions of strategy-integrated listening instruction among second semester learners of Chinese as a second language at a military college in Northern California. Most of previous studies investigated listening strategy use and the relationship between listening strategy use and listening achievement. Few studies investigated the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction. Thus, this study addressed the gaps in research by examining the effectiveness of integrating listening strategies into regular curriculum and explored students’ and instructors’ perceptions of listening strategy instruction …

Parental Input To Children With Asd And Its Influence On Later Language, Aparna Nadig, Janet Bang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this chapter, we review evidence on parental input to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), moving from quantitative measures of linguistic features to qualitative measures of interaction. First, we examine lexical and syntactic features (e.g., number of utterances, mean length of utterance [MLU]) in the input provided to children with ASD compared with TD [typically developing] children matched on language level. Second, we turn to work on parental responsiveness, or the tendency to provide verbal or gestural input in sync with the child’s focus of attention, and how this compares across dyads including a child with ASD or a …

The Impact Of Spanish Heritage Language Programs On Spanish Language Learners’ Self-Efficacy., Dietger De Maessener

Research and Development Supported by El Centro

This research study explores the experiences of Spanish heritage learners (SHL) in Spanish language classes. SHL are sometimes referred to as native speakers, quasi-native speakers, or home-background speakers and have a family-based connection to the Spanish language (Hancock, 2002). Given this broad definition of SHL, their experiences with the heritage language are wide-ranging. While levels of fluency and skill vary substantially, language ideologies, attitudes, stigma, and sociolinguistic factors can equally determine the linguistic market value of one’s Spanish skills (Bourdieu, 1977). Given the high level of complexity and the wide range of influential and continuously dynamic factors, especially situated within …

Music And Words: Connecting The Love Of Music With Language, Eileen P. Kennedy, Raymond Torres- Santos

Publications and Research

Children from different cultures have a natural affinity for rhymes, rhythm and music. Imagine if students were able, from the beginning of their education and experiences with academic writing and literacy, to access their unconscious and original selves from which to create their writing. The study of music can help to access this aware, inventive side that can enhance anyone’s writing. As an early childhood writing teacher and a composition teacher, we draw on our experiences with young children with words and music. We examine the relationship between music and words in an effort to bring the primitive drive of …

The Effects Of Explicit And Systematic Phonemic Awareness Instruction On Reading For English Language Learners, Annette Freeman

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to find effective phonological instruction for improving reading comprehension and oral language proficiency of ELLs. In addition, this study was conducted to inform school administrators without ESL certification about best practices in ELL education so they could make informed, school-wide decisions for better serving ELLs before entry into secondary schools.

The sample included first and second-grade students identified as ELLs in two Northwest Arkansas elementary schools. The two schools were selected based on their similar student demographics of grade configuration, ethnicity, and poverty rate. All students selected for the study were identified as ELLs …