Digital Commons Network^™

Habla Ingles An Examination Of Programs Of Ell Education In The United States, Mary Lace Guilfoil

Theses & ETDs

Due to school accountability legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), students with limited proficiency in English have become an important part of the education system. Schools must provide these students with special accommodations and show improvement in test scores as a result. However, the federal government provides few guidelines for the types of accommodations that should be made, or the methods of education that should be followed. For this reason, a wide array of programs for English Language Learner (ELL) education are in place in the United States. This thesis aims to investigate some of these different methods …

The Right To Education: A Multi-Faceted Strategy For Litigating Before The Inter-American Commission On Human Rights, Marselha Gonçalves Margerin

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

Who Do I Say I Am? Evangelical Identity And Academic Writing, Jeffrey M. Ringer

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores how evangelical Christian students negotiate their identities in their academic writing. Specifically, this study addresses two overarching questions: 1. What happens to evangelical students when they write academically? 2. How are evangelical students' identities integrated into and implicated by their academic writing?

In answering these questions, this project seeks to bridge two key scholarly discussions in rhetoric and composition, namely the discussions about writing and identity and about evangelical discourse. This project also seeks to challenge reductive stereotypes about evangelicals perpetuated in rhetoric and composition and in the academy at large. The research for this project comes …

Learning Systems: An Ecological Perspective On Advanced Academic Literacy Practices Of Multilingual Writers, Steve Simpson

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent work in composition's leading journals has challenged the field's exclusive focus on native English speakers and has called for a more international perspective on writing research and pedagogy. This dissertation, which grew from requests from multilingual graduate students in my own institution for more advanced academic writing support, extends this call to explore ways writing programs can better account for the needs of international graduate students, a growing population in US institutions. The role English has assumed as the lingua franca of international academic communication has made writing in English a critical skill for these students' professional development. In …

The Self-Help Of Composition: Peter Elbow's "Writing Without Teachers", Composition Studies, And The Extracurriculum, Alexandria Peary

Doctoral Dissertations

The influence of Peter Elbow's Writing without Teachers on Composition Studies and classroom-based writing instruction is indisputable, yet the central message of the book has been continually sidestepped. At the heart of Elbow's book is an inherent contradiction to classroom instruction: the original impetus for the book was based on self-instruction, or learning about writing outside of any course. For Composition Studies, Writing without Teachers, starting with its title, is a riddle or a Zen koan the discipline has delayed answering for over thirty-five years. This project examines Writing without Teachers as a self-help book on writing and thus as …

Navigating The Cultural Gaps: Whiteness And Diversity In Two Elementary School Classrooms, Rachel Parse Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

This study asked how two white, in-service elementary school teachers within the context of their classrooms navigated the cultural gaps between themselves and students from whom they differed (e.g. racially, ethnically, socio-economically, and/or linguistically). Three sub-questions examined: 1) what life experiences shaped how the teachers understood difference and diversity within their classrooms; 2) what system(s) of beliefs the teachers learned and constructed through those experiences; and 3) what identities the teachers assumed and/or assigned to themselves and their students. The study employed a sociocultural theoretical framework. Ethnographic data collection strategies included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and material collection. Discourse analysis …

Co-Teaching Beliefs To Support Inclusive Education: Survey Of Relationships Between General And Special Educators In Inclusive Classes, Ida Malian Ph.D., Erin Mcrae

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Co-teaching is a prevalent approach to providing effective instruction in inclusive classes. The purpose of this study was to determine teachers’ perceptions of compatibility and discrepancy between their approaches to teaching, personal characteristics and efficacy of co-teaching. Noonan’s Co-teacher Relationship Scale was adapted to survey the co-teachers statewide. Results of the statewide survey of Arizona general and special educators teaching in inclusive classes are presented as they relate to their responses. Various aspects of co-teaching relationships and teacher implementation of co-teaching models are discussed. The authors derive attributes of co-teachers in Arizona that indicate compatibility and sustainability of co-teaching arrangements. …

The Impact Of Education In Guatemala, Devin Redmond

Honors Capstones

The focus of this project will be to scrutinize the world of Guatemalan culture, and explore the impact education is currently having, as well as the impact it will have in the future. A secondary focus will be to shed light on what life is like in areas where formal education currently does not exist, and the societal and economic impact it has on those affected. With an emphasis on and explanation of specific current efforts to reform education in the poorest areas in Guatemala, this project will describe education as an agent for breaking the cycle of poverty. This …

Taking The “L” Out Of Lctls: The Startalk Experience, Catherine Ingold, Mary Elizabeth Hart

Russian Language Journal

The less commonly taught languages in the United States are often those most critical to national security. How, then, can the number of students learning these languages be increased, and how can high-­‐‑quality instructors be produced to teach these languages? Having determined that foreign language skills are essential to diplomacy, economic competitiveness, and the security interests of the U.S., the Secretaries of State, Education, and Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence coordinated their efforts to expand language education beginning in kindergarten and continuing through elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education and into the workforce (United States Department of Education, 2008). …

A Case Study Of The Acquisition Of Narration In Russian: At The Intersection Of Foreign Language Education, Applied Linguistics, And Second Language Acquisition, Benjamin Rifkin

Russian Language Journal

Studies of students’ foreign language proficiency—including Carroll (1967), Magnan (1986), and Thompson (1996)—have shown that students in their fourth year of language study typically demonstrate oral proficiency in the intermediate range. Thompson’s study found the median score of students’ oral proficiency in the fourth year to be at the intermediate high/advanced threshold, but her subjects at this level of instruction were students at Middlebury’s summer language program and were tested in the last week of the program. In my own teaching practice, I have found that most of the students majoring in Russian at the University of Wisconsin-­‐‑Madison graduate with …

Democratic Or Gendered Domain: Communication And Learning Styles In The Online Classroom, Jennifer Ann Bruns

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) within cyberspace has become a recent pedagogical phenomenon. Cyberspace creates a domain for new learning environments. Using the online classroom has the potential to break down gender barriers and erect a more democratic space for students. Even with this limitless potential, there are competing conceptions regarding these new and promising classrooms--will online education conform to the same standards that shape a gendered society, or will these classrooms create a more equitable environment for both male and female students? Because of the rising numbers of online female students, gender bias becomes an increasingly important research topic. Yet the …

Partnership Between Myth And Reality : Structural Asymmetries In Parent-Teacher Relationships, Marisa Bel Holtz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Despite a historically unprecedented increase in advocacy for parental involvement in education in recent decades, parents continue to express dissatisfaction with their communication with teachers, while teachers continue to identify their interactions with parents as a source of tension and stress. While the practitioner literature recommends parent-teacher collaboration as an attainable goal, the theoretical literature suggests that, given the structural asymmetries of parent-teacher relationships, open communication may be impossible. Via unstructured interviews with parents and teachers of suburban secondary students, this study explored the structural limitations on authentic parent-teacher communication. A two-layered analytic approach combined thematic analysis and narrative discourse …

Border Pedagogy And The Acculturation Of Korean Students In U.S. Institutions Of Highereducation, Randy Green

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed at identifying learning and teaching strategies that can promote the process of acculturation for Korean students in institutions of higherEducation in the United States. In particular, the study attempted to pinpoint ways in which these students and their instructors can become aware of and resistEducational tendencies and approaches that promote hegemony and devalue cultural perspectives and experiences as well as construct meaning within the context of a worldview that is influenced by both Korean and U.S. cultures. It was hoped that the identification of these skills and strategies would aid both students and instructors in developing the …

Human Rights And Intellectual Property: Mapping The Global Interface, Laurence R. Helfer, Graeme W. Austin

Faculty Scholarship

Human Rights and Intellectual Property: Mapping the Global Interface explores the intersections between intellectual property and human rights law and policy. The relationship between these two fields has captured the attention of governments, policymakers, and activist communities in a diverse array of international and domestic political and judicial venues. These actors often raise human rights arguments as counterweights to the expansion of intellectual property in areas including freedom of expression, public health, education, privacy, agriculture, and the rights of indigenous peoples. At the same time, the creators and owners of intellectual property are asserting a human rights justification for the …

Media And Youth Identity In Pakistan: Global-Local Dynamics And Disjuncture, Al-Karim Datoo

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The paper critically analyzes the engagement of a group of Pakistani urban youth with global cultural flows through media, and their responses to those flows. The discussion mainly centres around an analysis of a re-make of a drama-skit performed by a group of Pakistani urban high school youth during their school’s annual function which could be regarded as a kind of satire providing a cultural critique on the way cultural globalization, through media (especially cultural production through Indian Bollywood film/soap media-industry), is influencing urban Pakistani youth's perception of 'local' values, norms and identities. For the analysis, the paper draws upon …

Inclusive Education Training: Steps To Prosperity, Saima Khalid

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Short-Term Study Abroad And Religious Commitment: A Look At What Impacts Global And Multicultural Awareness , Melissa J. Stromberger

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Christian Seminary Students' Attitudes Toward Psychology: Effects Of An Introductory Course On The Integration Of Psychology And Theology , Scott Woods

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Oral Language Milestone Acquisition In Children Adopted From China, Hannah Harwood

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study contains language milestone acquisition information for 14 children adopted from China between 8 and 12 months of age. A retrospective questionnaire was utilized to gain information regarding the specific ages at which these adoptees demonstrated an understanding of English along with the ages where they demonstrated proficient usage of English. Parent responses indicated that these adoptees developed English language milestones comparable to their monolingual peers, for both age of acquisition and order of acquisition. This research adds to the literature on what may be expected regarding language development in children adopted from China prior to one year of …

Understanding Teen Pregnancy Amongst Latinas: An Investigation Of The Cultural Values And Societal Factors That Contribute To Adolescent Motherhood, Mary Bateman Krom

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents an investigation into the various cultural and societal factors that contribute to the Latina teen pregnancy rate. According to the PEW Hispanic Center, Latinas account for more instances of adolescent motherhood than any other ethnic or ethnic demographic in the country. Although much research has been done in the area of teen pregnancy, so far little has been completed with the specified focus on the Latina population. This study therefore offers a unique perspective of the phenomenon in its consideration of various literary and sociological works, by both Latina and non-Latina authors, that underscore the prevalence of …

Playing In A New Key, In A New World: Virtual Worlds, Millennial Writers, And 3d Composition, Joe Essid

English Faculty Publications

In the author’s courses, students have been augmentationist, not immersionist, in their approaches to using technology. In a virtual world, however, they are born with new skins into strange settings, doing things that might be impossible in the world of matter. Their frequent discomfort at this rebirth corroborates findings in two studies (Mosier, 2009; Howe & Strauss, 2000) that American "Millennials" distrust activities that seem to have no direct bearing on their educational outcomes, established social circles, or professional desires. The chapter describes assignments for such students, in the context of Rouzie s (2005) "serio-ludic "pedagogy. Several touchstones for educators …

(2010) Philosophical Dialogue With Children: Essays On Theory And Practice, David Kennedy

Collected Papers of David Kennedy

David Kennedy is the foremost expert of children’s philosophical experience and practice writing today. One of the factors that makes him so will be apparent to readers of this collection of essays: the insistent probing and the astonishing range of his scholarship, which encompasses philosophy of childhood, philosophy of education, developmental psychology, cultural studies, critical theory, philosophy of subjectivity, chaos and systems theory, epistemology, and metaphilosophy. The other factor, only hinted at in this book, is the thousands of hours that Kennedy has clocked on the rugs and in the small chairs of schools, pre-schools, churches and other children’s spaces …

The Influence Of An Interactive Reading Program On Adolescent Students In Middle School, Bernadette L. Casey

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Teachers’ Attitudes Towards English Language Learners In Rural Schools Implementing Sheltered English And English As A Second Language Compared To Teachers’ Attitudes In Schools With No Clearly Defined Model Of Language Services, Mary R. Smith

Student Work

The need for accurate information about teachers' attitudes towards ELL student services in low incidence districts is essential. The purpose of this posttest-only comparative efficacy study was to determine elementary ( n = 28) and secondary teachers' (n = 28) reported attitudes on the Survey of Teachers in Rural, Low Incidence ELL School Districts (Reeves, 2006) about (a) general beliefs, (b) practices, (c) impact of inclusion, and (d) teacher supports towards English Language Learners in rural low incidence schools with a dual program model of Sheltered English and English as a Second Language compared to elementary ( n = 28) …

The Environmental And Linguistic Linkages Between Poverty And Education, Susan Mccarroll

All ETDs from UAB

Statistically, children who live in poverty are unfairly plagued primarily with a life of educational deficits. Researchers are constantly studying this phenomenon and have attributed several factors to the decrease in quality of life seen by impoverished children. For example, quality of the physical environment, of parental care, and of school systems all can play a large role in the intellectual ability of a child living in poverty. Moreover, children who have lower exposure to toxins, such as lead, have higher IQs and better reading ability than children who have had over-abundant exposure to negative environmental factors. Nationally, early education …

What's Race Got To Do With It?: A Historical Inquiry Into The Impact Of Color-Blind Reform On Racial Inequality In America's Public Schools, Lillian Dowdell Drakeford

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the history and impact of color-blind educational reform in the post-Brown era on racial inequality of educational opportunities and outcomes in America's public schools. Through the lens of critical race theory and race critical theory, the dissertation employs a dual analysis. A macro analysis of the evolution and impact of colorblind educational reform on the national level is juxtaposed with a micro, case-study analysis of the history of color-blind educational reform at a historically Black high school. The historical analysis of the relationship between race and education encompasses intellectual and social aspects of education in the U.S. …

How Much Of Vls Research Has “Filtered Down” Into The Elt Materials A Comparison Of Local And International Materials, Ali Bastanfar, Toktam Hashemi

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Copyright And Education: Lessons On African Copyright And Access To Knowledge, Tobias Schonwetter, Jeremy De Beer, Dick Kawooya, Achal Prabhala

Faculty Publications

The African Copyright and Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) project is a pan-African research network of academics and researchers from law, economics and the information sciences, spanning Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Research conducted by the project was designed to investigate the extent to which copyright is fulfilling its objective of facilitating access to knowledge, and learning materials in particular, in the study countries. The hypotheses tested during the course of research were that: (a) the copyright environments in study countries are not maximising access to learning materials, and (b) the copyright environments in study countries …

Social Class Experiences Of Working-Class Students: Transitioning Out Of College, Huber Carey Treager

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Issues surrounding social class are often overlooked and rarely discussed in higherEducation; however, they affect students and institutions in critical ways. Although research has demonstrated that social class is a predictor of access to college, retention, academic performance, overall undergraduate and graduate experience, and college completion, little is known about the effect of social class on students' transition out of college and into the workplace. This transition is critical to explore because research suggests that the way in which students approach their first years of work have an impact on future job success and satisfaction. A phenomenological method of inquiry …

Education In The New Latino Diaspora, Edmund T. Hamann, Linda Harklau

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

In 2002 Hamann, Wortham, and Murillo noted that many U.S. states were hosting significant and often rapidly growing Latino populations for the first time and that these changes had multiple implications for formal schooling as well as out-of-school learning processes. They speculated about whether Latinos were encountering the same, often disappointing, educational fates in communities where their presence was unprecedented as in areas with a longstanding Latino presence. Only tentative conclusions could be provided at that time since the dynamics referenced were frequently novel and in flux.

In this chapter we revisit their inquiry in light of six subsequent years …