Education Commons^™

Cultivating Well-Being In English As A Second Language: Teaching Stress Reduction Techniques In The Adult Esl Classroom, Sara C. Coronado

Master's Projects and Capstones

Adult immigrant and refugee speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL) including California community college students may suffer trauma and stressors that can lead to negative mental health outcomes during the stages of migration, yet underutilize mental health services owing to cultural stigma, structural barriers, and a lack of English language proficiency. In addition, ESL speakers may also suffer from language anxiety evoked by speaking the less-developed language in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom during interactions with the majority language community. Both forms of anxiety share symptoms including tense muscles, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, …

Problems And Suggestions To Improve Pronunciation Skills Of English Language Learners In China, Yi Fang

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project is based on the input hypothesis theoretical framework. The literature review explores the importance of pronunciation in English communication, problems with pronunciation and what causes them will be talked about for people learning English. Lastly, since the goal of this field project is to help English language learners in China improve their pronunciation, the third theme is about how to solve pronunciation problems and what learners need. One of the conclusions is that Chinese language learners' performance in the English language is significantly influenced by motivation, attitudes, parental support, openness to communication, and other linguistic and nonlinguistic factors. …

Navigating Acculturative Stress: A Guide For Supporting Newcomer Students In California Esl Classrooms, Daniela Lopera Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Acculturation has been widely studied as a post-migration phenomenon that individuals face when coming in contact with their new recipient culture and environment. The different experiences, tasks, and requirements that newcomers must endure upon arrival may lead to their suffering prolonged periods of discomfort. This moderate, intermediate, or acute feeling of uneasiness is defined as acculturative stress. In it, the continued exposure to stressors such as adjusting to a new culture, rules, behavioral patterns, a second language, finding housing, and obtaining an education and employment can lead to trauma. This field project has been designed to provide educators and allies …

Navigating School: An English As A Second Language Curriculum For Multilingual Caregivers, Kerry Stimpson

Master's Projects and Capstones

If multilingual families feel that they are not able to communicate with school staff, then these families may not become involved in their child’s school, and the child’s learning could be negatively impacted. The purpose of this project is to create a roadmap and lessons for English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors to implement in their classes with multilingual caregivers. This curriculum will address the lack of understanding that ESL teachers have in regard to the needs of multilingual caregivers to communicate with their child’s school staff and understand the school system in the United States. Given the content …

Using Peer Review To Improve English As A Second Language College Students' Writing Scores, Mengjie Wei

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of peer-review in college English as Second Language writing classes to improve ESL students’ writing scores. It also investigated a statistically significant difference in college ESL students’ writing scores between those who use the self-check list and peer review worksheet and those who only use the self-check list in writing paragraphs and essays. More specifically, this study was conducted to determine the influence of different areas on students’ English writing scores, i.e., format/content/structure, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. In addition, this study explored students’ attitudes and opinions on peer-review in writing class.

This …

The Impact Of Ancestral Language Maintenance On Cultural Identity Among White Immigrant Descendants: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Micaella Elizabeth Colla

Doctoral Dissertations

There is insufficient research on the cultural identity formation of White immigrant descendants who have experienced ancestral language loss. This phenomenological qualitative study conducted in San Francisco, California explored the experiences and perceptions of seven White immigrant descendants in response to these questions: (1) What is the role of L1 (mother tongue) maintenance on identity maintenance among White immigrant descendants? (2) How do immigrant descendants view their cultural identities in the absence of their ancestral languages? And (3) How might educators encourage second language and culture acquisition, while protecting students’ first languages and cultures? Research data included narratives from in-depth, …

Beyond Access To Education: Using Collaborative Learning To Promote Agency In Unauthorized Latinos Entering Community College, Amanda C. Price

Master's Projects and Capstones

The US is widely recognized as a nation of immigrants; however, when an estimated 70,000 unaccompanied child migrants arrived from Central America in 2014, unauthorized immigration became a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Unauthorized immigrants, 71% of whom come from Mexico and Central America, make up an increasingly significant portion of the population. This is particularly true in California, where 28% of unauthorized immigrants reside. However, despite the overwhelming consensus that command of English is paramount to a successful life in the US, an alarming 51% of unauthorized immigrants speak English “not well” or “not at all”.

Unauthorized immigrants face unique challenges …

Critical Media Literacy: A Curriculum For Middle School English Teachers, Jennifer J. Hale

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project provides an introductory, critical media literacy curriculum for middle school English teachers, which is designed to build upon students’ academic language proficiency and critical-thinking skills through media-based content. The targeted proficiency level ranges from high-intermediate English language learners to native English speakers.

The curriculum focuses on developing the critical-thinking skills needed to analyze complex media messages. This process helps students to discover how media is socially constructed and how it aims to convey particular messages for particular purposes. The teacher’s goal is to facilitate students’ understanding of media in order for them to become more conscientious of their …

Teaching Health Literacy In Conjunction With Esl, Dora Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the United States, many English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers who have limited English proficiency also have low levels of health literacy. The purpose of this project is to create a curriculum that ESL teachers can implement to improve the English language proficiency and the health literacy skills of adult ESL speakers with limited English proficiency residing in the United States. The curriculum is designed for teachers who work with ESL speakers who may be having trouble obtaining, processing, communicating, or managing health information due to language barriers.