Education Commons^™

Why Parents Choose Dual Language Immersion Programs, Darice Irby

Education Dissertations and Projects

School choice details a range of programs which offer families alternatives that are available to educate their children. Language immersion is a school choice option that is available for parents seeking to provide their children an innovative environment conducive for learning. This modality of learning uses dual languages to immerse students completely within the subject being taught. This qualitative design study sought to investigate why parents choose to send their child to a dual language immersion school. This study examined parent motivations and decision-making processes for choosing dual language immersion programs. This study also investigated parents’ own school experiences and …

African American English, School Demographics, And Literacy Achievement In Reading Recovery, Brandynne Thompson

Education Dissertations and Projects

African-American students continue to lag behind White peers in nationwide test scores, in part due to deficits in literacy skills which may be connected to use of African American English (AAE) in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to varying levels of mainstream American English (MAE) for AAE-speaking students and specific literacy skills during Reading Recovery intervention. Elementary schools were designated as high exposure or low exposure to MAE based on school racial demographics, and pre and postintervention scores of first-grade students in Reading Recovery intervention were analyzed to determine differences. …

Culture And Language: An Action Research Study On The Impact Of Integrating Culture Into A Chinese Language Immersion Program, Haibin Li

Education Dissertations and Projects

Though a framework for foreign language education exists, the lack of guidelines, proper implementation, and benchmarks, along with scarce research on the effects of implementing cultural aspects in immersion classrooms leaves foreign language educators in the dark. An action research study design was utilized in a second grade Chinese immersion program at a language academy, investigating the impacts of the inclusion of culture activities in the classroom. Areas included were cultural exposure, teaching methods, teaching materials, cross cultural education, and challenges. Research data collected included students’ unit test scores, journals, parent surveys, and parent interviews. Time practicing is important, yet …

Impact Of Language Program Model On Third-Grade English Language Learners’ Proficiency In Literacy, Alecia Roberts

Education Dissertations and Projects

Demographics within U.S. public schools have seen a drastic change over the years from the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) which integrated schools to the current increase in English Language Learners (ELLs) within the classroom. The U.S. is known to be a melting pot, and the present-day classrooms are a clear example of this phenomenon; however, with the increase in demographics of the U.S. classrooms, ELLs are falling significantly behind their peers in reading achievement. Thus, this study examined the impact of traditional, dual-language, and full immersion settings on North Carolina third-grade ELLs’ proficiency in …

An Investigation Of On Our Way To English®, A Reading Program For English Learners In A Rural Western Region North Carolina Public School District, Regina King

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined how a literacy program, On Our Way to English® (OWE), for English Learners (ELs) was implemented in one North Carolina public school district. The program contained the elements of phonics, vocabulary, reading, and writing instruction. The researcher collected documents from participants as well as conducted observations of teachers implementing the program with ELs while taking field notes. The data collected were analyzed to determine how competent the participants felt in implementing the program with EL students and how it impacted their academic success. The participants’ strengths were with using the vocabulary and writing instruction provided by the …

Ignite-Ism: Building An International Student Management Program To Improve Recruitment And Support Services, Hazim Naser Almomani

Education Dissertations and Projects

The project aimed to discover an effective way to serve the international students who were already enrolled at a university in the southeastern United States and to provide a unique strategy for recruiting international students. In addition, this project aimed to improve online services as well as provide new services that could help international students in their engagement in the university community. This project is a map for a university to build a strong foundation in both marketing and serving incoming students. Ignite-ISM is a program that supports a new vision in the process of recruiting international students. The project …

French And Spanish Teacher Experiences In Teaching Middle And High School Students In One North Carolina School District: A Mixed-Methods Study, Maguy Techer Yancey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined French and Spanish teacher experiences teaching middle and high school students in one North Carolina school district. The themes derived from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Educator Questionnaire show several areas of concerns world language teachers face in the nation: large class sizes, lack of opportunities to enhance best practices and technology integration, teacher isolation, inadequate instructional material, limited resources, and limited funding.

This dissertation was designed to analyze the experiences of middle and high school teachers of French, Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers.

The researcher conducted a digital survey using …

Examining The Culturally Responsive Practices Of Elementary Educators, Rebekah Lawing Duncan

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to study teacher perceptions about working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Twelve elementary schools were studied. Teachers completed the Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy (CRCMSE) Scale. Data collected during this dissertation will be of use to school and district leaders as they plan professional opportunities for elementary teachers. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if an association exists between teacher ratings on the CRCMSE Scale and the years of experience of the teacher. A focus group discussion of 15 teachers was utilized to answer the following questions: How prepared do you feel to …

Uncovering The Truth: A Phenomenological Study Of Parent Perceptions About Parent Involvement In A Rural North Carolina Community, Kate Pascoe Smith

Education Dissertations and Projects

Numerous studies have been conducted over the years to define the concept of parent involvement. This phenomenological study sought to understand parent perceptions from bicultural families of varied race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status through the personal experiences and lived stories of each participant using Irving Seidman’s qualitative method of an “in-depth interview process.” This phenomenological study looked to discover the following question: What are the meanings, structures, and essences of the lived experience of parent involvement by bicultural families in a rural North Carolina school? Grounded in Bourdieu’s (1986) Cultural Capital Theory and Olivos’s (2010) Theory: Paradigm of Tension, Contradiction …

Case Study Of The Classroom Culture That Impacts Teacher Efficacy Of Secondary Level Teachers Of English Language Learners, Connie Marie Davis Banks

Education Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the United States a dramatic shift in demographics is taking place, similar to the changes of the early 20th century, as thousands of immigrants cross the threshold of Ellis Island (Karathanos, 2009). Undergoing a greater makeover is the culture of classrooms and American teachers who have seen, firsthand, an increase of more than 60% of English language learner (ELL) students over the past decade (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). The purpose of this study was to develop a more in-depth understanding as to whether mainstream teachers from a school district located in upstate South Carolina perceived themselves to be …

Structured Prekindergarten: Is It A Bridge For The Reading Achievement Gap For Hispanic Kindergarten Students?, Carol Hayes Artis

Education Dissertations and Projects

Educational journals, researchers, and practitioners assert that prekindergarten yields positive academic and socialization results for those who attend (Neuman, 2007; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2010). This mixed-methods study was conducted to examine the impact of the prekindergarten program in County X Public School District on the kindergarten reading performance of Hispanic students. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) was the instrument used for measurement. This subgroup’s accountability results and school performance reflect a significant gap as compared to White students. Hispanic students, whose presence in North Carolina schools is …

Parent Motivation Regarding Dual Language Immersion Programs, Bryan W. Taylor

Education Dissertations and Projects

Some consider the current arrangement of public education to be counterproductive to change and improvement. There are those who call for more parental choice when it comes to education. One way to provide more choice is bilingual education, more specifically, dual language immersion.

This study sought to determine if dual language immersion programs are viable choice options. This study also investigated and analyzed motivating factors that led parents to enroll their children in dual language immersion programs. This study involved 91 families from three elementary schools in three North Carolina school districts. Participants were surveyed to determine what factors motivated …