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Writing & Linguistics News, Georgia Southern University

Writing & Linguistics News (2012-2022)

• Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The Historic Inability Of The Haitian Education System To Create Human Development And Its Consequences, Patrick Michael Rea

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study aims to evaluate the role that a lack of literacy and education has played in Haiti's historic and presently low level of human development. The pedagogical philosophies of two educationists, Paolo Friere and Maurice Dartigue, are used throughout the study as lenses from which to read and interpret the history of Haitian education -its many failed attempts, and recurrent challenges- in creating a literate and educated population. The author concludes that mass literacy is prerequisite if the Haitian people are to achieve self-realization and actualization, which essentially equates to what the United Nations Development Program calls "Human Development". …

Thinking Geospatially: How Variable Relationships With Reaching Achievement Test Scores In The State Of Missouri Vary*By Geospatial Location, Elizabeth Jane Wallington

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The purpose of this was to examine whether district-level factors had an effect on literacy achievement, and whether the relationships between district composition factors and literacy achievement vary by geographic location, in this case the state of Missouri. The dissertation determined if the variable relationships were significant and if the statistically significant relationships were geographically nonstationary. Stationarity refers to the idea that relationships are stable across a geographic area. In contrast, nonstationarity indicates that relationships vary by geography. This means that relationships may be significant in one geographic area of the state but not significant in another. By including geographic …

Integrating Art Education And Literacy Education: A Curriculum For The Secondary Level, Erin Moody-Zoet

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through the design of a new curriculum, how the integration of reading and writing literacy into a visual arts curriculum can strengthen literacy skills as well as foster creative thinking at the middle school level. There is a growing demand for the integration of literacy in all core, and non-core curricula. By developing a curriculum that integrates literacy strategies in a visual arts program, as well as touches on the disconnect that I see between individuals and their own creative outlets, a curriculum is established that fosters and engages students in creative …

The Role Of Ses And Asl For Literacy Success In Asl-English Bilinguals, Paul Twitchell

Linguistics ETDs

Research on spoken language bilinguals has shown that there is a significant relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and literacy outcomes. The mechanism of SES as a predictor of literacy success has two competing explanations. One assumes a direct impact of SES on literacy through expanded opportunities to read and better maternal mediation of literacy activities; the other assumes an indirect relationship because SES has been shown to influence first language (L1) and second language (L2) spoken language proficiency which impacts literacy development. American Sign Language-English deaf bilingual children exhibit a unique profile because L2 literacy is achieved without prior development …

A First Grade Teacher’S Implementation Of The Multicultural Read Aloud Lesson In Voices Reading: How Active Participatory Structure And Personal Relevance Are Used To Mediate Text Engagement, Kristen B. Doorn

Open Access Dissertations

This study focuses on the implementation of a multicultural, instructional read aloud lesson by a first grade teacher using the Voices Reading literacy curriculum during a six-week summer academic program for students at risk for academic failure who lived in a primarily black, low income, urban community in the southeastern region of the United States. The study examined how the teacher promoted an active participatory structure during the read aloud lesson and how this aspect of her teaching was guided by the curriculum and program context. The study used a case study approach to qualitative research (Creswell, 2006) and thematic …

Gjr Volume 37 Number 1 Spring 2014, Lina Soares, Christine Draper

The Georgia Journal of Reading Archive

The Georgia Journal of Reading's Spring 2014 issue includes:

Message from the Editors by Lina B. Soares and Christine A. Draper (pg. 4)

President’s Page by Loleta Sartin (pg. 5)

Quantum Shifts by Gerald Boyd (pg. 6)

Literacy Coaching: Providing Leadership and Support for the Next Generation of Teachers by Katie Stover and Crystal Glover (pg. 8)

Significance of Prior Knowledge Activation: A Close Look at a Bilingual Kindergarten Student’s Response to a Poem by Alma Stevenson (pg. 14)

The Effect of Explicit Instruction with Writing Conventions Among Preservice Teachers by Laurie A. Sharp (pg. 18)

Tacky and a Tambourine: …

Using Shared Reading And Close Reading To Bridge Intervention And The Common Core, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

While classroom teachers are grappling with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its implications for instruction in the core curriculum, designing effective intervention to meet the needs of diverse struggling readers poses another challenge, especially because Response to Intervention (RTI) as an instructional framework frequently emphasizes the teaching of discrete skills. Experts have concluded that intervention focusing primarily on foundational skills without instruction in comprehension is not only contrary to literacy research, but also antithetical to the shift to contextualized literacy instruction, resulting in fragmented instruction for those most in need. At the same time, inherent within both CCSS …

The 'Literacy' Idea, Ross Turner

Assessment GEMS

A central reason why researchers and practitioners refer to domain literacy is to draw attention to the kinds of things students learn in the domain. In a traditional learning domain the focus might be on the acquisition of discrete facts, skills and procedures that have little obvious connection or utility. In a learning domain with a literacy orientation, the focus is on applying the domain’s facts, skills and procedures to support creativity and inventiveness, to solve novel problems and to deal with the kinds of challenges that life presents outside the classroom. In the case of mathematics, for example, a …

How High Achieving Elementary Schools Improve Struggling Readers, Kimberly C. Hartlage

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to exploreEducational elements that explain how high-achieving elementary schools improve struggling readers. The perceptions of the principals and teachers in three high achieving elementary schools were investigated in three areas of interest: (a) student achievement as it relates to literacy instruction, (b) early intervention leading to success, and (c) the role of school leaders who build a culture for success through change. All three schools that participated in the study were located in the state of Indiana. The topics of the related literature reviewed included a connection of reading instruction to student achievement …

Virtualizing The Word: Expanding Walter Ong's Theory Of Orality And Literacy Through A Culture Of Virtuality, Jennifer Camille Dempsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to create a vision for virtuality culture through a theoretical expansion of Walter Ong's literacy and orality culture model. It investigates the ubiquitous and multimodal nature of the virtuality cultural phenomenon that is mediated by contemporary technology and not explained by pre-existing cultural conventions. Through examining the theoretical underpinnings of orality and literacy culture, the dissertation explores the cultural shift that is just beginning to restructure human consciousness through the ways that society is connecting, exploring and communicating. Further, this dissertation examines the contrasts between virtuality culture features and those related to traditional literacy and orality types, …

Manjako Literacy And Issues In Language Of Instruction, Miles Avery Pearson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Students in Caio, Guinea-Bissau cannot read. This is due largely to the mismatch between the language at home and the language of instruction in schools. Students in Caio speak Manjako, but classes are taught in Portuguese, the official language, which students do not understand. This makes it more difficult for students to develop literacy skills and succeed in school. Literature shows that literacy is achieved best when it is taught to students in their mother tongue. This project involved creating and testing Manjako literacy materials and concludes with recommendations for implementing a Manjako literacy program. The materials included flashcards, sample …

Linking Literacy And Libraries In Global Communities, Shelley Jones

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Merging global forces of knowledge, information, communication, economics and technology is resulting in the necessity for people everywhere to acquire a range of literacies and capabilities to engage with the world from an empowered disposition. Understanding the ways in which libraries such as the ones considered in this book can best facilitate literacy and learning is crucial. This book by Marlene Asselin and Roy Doiron, intended for those interested in learning more about small libraries on the forefront of bringing about social change, showcases 11 community libraries in marginalised communities from developing, transitional and developed countries. Asselin and Doiron consider …

Texting And The Friction Of Writing, Lindsey P. Gustafson

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Structured Narrative Retell Instruction For Young Children From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: A Preliminary Study Of Feasibility, Suzanne M. Adlof, Angela N. Mcleod, Brianne Leftwich

Faculty Publications

Successful acquisition of literacy depends on adequate development of decoding skills as well as broader, meaning-related knowledge and skills for text comprehension. Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are often challenged in both domains, relative to peers who are not economically disadvantaged. The efficacy of code-focused instructional programs for at-risk preliterate children is well supported, but less evidence is available regarding interventions to improve broader language and comprehension skills. This preliminary study tested the feasibility of a new intervention, "structured narrative retell instruction" (SNRI), and explored its potential to enhance meaning-related knowledge and skills, including vocabulary, listening comprehension, and …

Vocabulary And Reading Comprehension Intervention: A Focus On Students In The Late Elementary Grades, Melissa L. Dol

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Literacy skills are key to success in school, career, and everyday life. Despite school curricula being strongly focused on literacy development (Ministry of Education, 2006), many children continue to fall behind the expected literacy skill levels for their grade (Education Quality and Accountability Office, 2012a, 2012b; National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The present study evaluated a literacy intervention, Better Reading for School Success (BRSS), accompanied by a parent/guardian literacy workshop and weekly tips regarding how parents and/or guardians can promote literacy skill development at home. The BRSS was also evaluated as a subsection of family literacy afterschool programs, ‘Get …

Broadening Our Lenses Of Perception To Advance Learning: An Introduction To Multilectics, Gene Fellner

Publications and Research

In Broadening our lenses of perception, I address the need to assess students through multiple lenses rather than through the dominant lens of standardized tests. I propose what I call multilectical lenses to provide multidimensional pictures of poor students of color; these highlight student skills and knowledge that tests disregard. Multilectics employs multi level analysis, sound and images to analyze the gestures and voices of students during classroom activities. In combination with student writing, the data produced by multilectical practice provide a rich foundation for advancing the academic achievement of our most underserved students.

Recognition And Response: Early Literacy In An Inclusion-Based Preschool Program, Irene Gonzalez-Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to investigate and describe Recognition & Response (R & R) practices, a model of early literacy Response to Intervention, utilized by multidisciplinary staff teams in a purposively selected, inclusion-based preschool program in Southern California. Investigated R & R practices included: (a) recognition of student needs through assessment, (b) collaborative problem-solving as a process to plan and evaluate next steps for students, and (c) response through a multi-tiered instructional approach. The researcher utilized a qualitative case study design. The single district preschool program selected is comprised of ten inclusion-based classrooms located on two elementary …

Literacy And Orality In The Book Of Mormon, Brant A. Gardner

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Book of Mormon is a literate product of a literate culture. It references written texts. Nevertheless, behind the obvious literacy, there are clues to a primary orality in Nephite culture. The instances of text creation and most instances of reading texts suggest that documents were written by and for an elite class who were able to read and write. Even among the elite, reading and writing are best seen as a secondary method of communication to be called upon to archive information, to communicate with future readers (who would have been assumed to be elite and therefore able to …

Digital Biliteracy: Digital Technologies As Homes For Arab Immigrant Children's Biliteracy Development, Laila Al-Salmi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The revolution of digital technologies and children's increasing access to them is

impacting the literacy development of children around the world. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between digital technologies and immigrant children's biliteracy development. The purpose of this study was to understand the digital literacy practices of Arab pre-kindergarten children and how these shape biliteracy development in Arabic and English. Tomake sense of the emergent biliteracy of these young participants, the study proposed Digital Biliteracy, a theoretical framework that draws on elements of New Literacy Studies, MultimodalLiteracies, Digital Literacies and Situated Learning Theory.

The study employed a qualitative …

Responding To The Evidence: Synthetic Phonics In Action: Final Report: Keys To Unlocking The Future 2012-2013, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project aimed to develop the capacity of primary teachers and School Support Officers (SSOs) to deliver a synthetic phonics program to beginning and struggling readers in 12 primary schools in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. It was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the region over the previous three years, and to build a critical mass of skilled teachers in a region that usually scored below average in reading on NAPLAN assessments.

A synthetic phonics program refers to one that teaches the alphabetic code or …

The Impact Of Kindergarten Teachers' Theoretical Orientation To Reading On Curricular Planning And Classroom Practice In Literacy., Jacquelyn J. Singleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using case-study analysis, this dissertation is a qualitative examination of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs, theoretical orientation toward reading, and outside pressures and their impact upon the educators’ classroom practice for literacy instruction. Selected for the study based upon their scores on DeFord’s Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (1985), eight teachers participated in two in-depth interviews and two separate 30-minute classroom observations for which they provided lesson plans. They also completed the Reading Interest-A-Lyzer (Reis, 2005). The results were coded with a coding scheme developed around the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and Vygotsky’s Activity Theory—the theoretical framework for the current study. …

Many Voices, Many Selves: An Analysis Of Education Blog Discourses, Kelli Lynn Finney

Theses and Dissertations

At this point, the majority of computer mediated communication (CMC) studies have employed a variation analysis approach, quantitatively describing language on the Internet and comparing CMC to speech and writing. While these studies have provided valuable information about CMC, they have also left many gaps, especially related to social and ideological issues such as language use.

This study responds to the need for more qualitative studies of language on the Internet by examining one form of CMC: education blogs. The study analyzes a selection of posts from five blogs published between March 21, 2012 and March 28, 2013. These five …

A Survey Of Those In The U.S. Deaf Community About Reading And Writing Asl, Jennifer Keogh

Theses and Dissertations

On average, students who are deaf do not develop English literacy skills as well as their hearing peers. The linguistic interdependence principle suggests that literacy in American Sign Language (ASL) may improve literacy in English for students who are deaf. However, the Deaf community in the United States has not widely adopted a written form of ASL. This research surveys individuals in the U.S. Deaf community to better understand the opinions surrounding literacy in ASL.

The survey was presented online, containing both ASL in embedded videos and written English. The survey asked for the participants' demographic information, language and educational …

"Each Word Shows How You Love Me": The Social Literacy Practice Of Children's Letter Writing (1780-1860), Emily Bruce

History Publications

This article draws on hundreds of letters that formed German children’s correspondence with their parents, other relatives, teachers and friends, written mostly between the 1780s and 1850s. Through this study, we see the part literacy played in transformations of bourgeois childhood in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe. The article further investigates how children used letters as a means of learning sociability and building relationships within kinship networks. Historians of education have sometimes treated children’s writing as secondary to more authoritative records. Yet we miss something important about the history of literacy education if we disregard children’s writing or use it only …

Literacy Initiatives In Guatemala And Educational Fairness, Miriam Pepper-Sanello, Adrienne Andi Sosin

NERA Conference Proceedings 2013

The Consejo de Lectura de Guatemala, an affiliate council of the International Reading Association composed of literacy teachers and teacher-educators in Guatemala and the USA, is improving the lives of Guatemalan students and families through educational professional development. Observations conducted of Guatemalan literacy instruction demonstrate apparent gains in effectiveness and sustainability attributable to the Guatemalan Literacy Project and its companion initiatives in over twenty-plus years of continuous activity. Implications address the potential of the Consejo de Lectura to support literacy teaching and learning in Guatemala, and for this multi-faceted educational model to inform educators and policy makers in the …

The Effect Of Choral Music Education On Literacy Achievement, Keith Alan Hearnsberger

Theses and Dissertations

American education was going through dramatic change in the beginning of the 21st century. The way children were educated was constantly evolving. Public schools, private schools, parochial schools, charter schools, and many other types of educational institutions were affected by various federal and state regulations since the 1960's. The students, teachers, and educational leaders in these institutions were consistently affected by regulations, increased academic demands, and an ever-changing educational landscape. The educational administrator and music educators were required to be innovative when seeking change in policy in regards to educational achievement while maintaining a commitment to choral music education. The …

Reader's Theater For Deaf Students: A Tool For Developing Literacy Skills, Caroline Suggs

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Reader's theater is a method used in classrooms to encourage the development of literacy skills. Research has shown that the use of reader's theater in a classroom is linked to increased fluency, increased comprehension of text, and positive attitudes towards reading. Because research also shows that Deaf people are often delayed regarding literacy in English, a unit employing this method serves to bridge the gap between expected and actual levels of English literacy among deaf students. Intended for use with Deaf middle school students who sign, this unit of reader's theater is a plausible option in a bilingual approach since …

Spanish Vocabulary Online Profiler (Svop): A Linguistic Tool For Literacy And Second Language Acquisition, Maria Snachez Wals, Katherine Washburn, Nathan Glenn, Ray Graham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

According to research, a reader needs to understand at least 95% of running words in a text in order to comprehend the text and to learn new words from context (Hu & Nation, 2000; Nation 2006). In an effective language and literacy program, selecting the appropriate text and pre-teaching key vocabulary is essential; but for teachers it is a time consuming task to find leveled texts and identify the key vocabulary words in the reading.

Image And Multimedia Resources In An Academic Environment: A Qualitative Study Of Students’ Experiences And Literacy Practices, Krystyna K. Matusiak

Library and Information Science: Faculty Scholarship

The digital environment provides an abundance of images and multimedia and offers a new potential for using resources in multiple modes of representation for teaching and learning. This paper reports the findings of a case study that investigated the use of image and multimedia resources in an undergraduate classroom. The study assumed a contextual approach and focused on different class contexts and students’ literacy practices. The class, which took place in a resource-rich, multimodal environment, was perceived by students as a positive learning experience. The distribution of resources and their role in teaching and learning varied and depended on the …