Education Commons^™

A Case Study Of Academic Achievement Of African American Males, Loistean Mason

Dissertations

Several areas are often identified as barriers to the academic achievement of African American males. They include racial inequality, segregation between schools, segregation within schools, cultural insensitivity to learning styles, the theory of cultural deprivation, teacher/student interaction, and the discipline of African American students. The study was conducted in a Midwestern school with a predominantly African American student body and faculty at the end of the final grading period before graduation. This study of 12th-grade males sought to determine if the climate of an African American high school with African American administrators and faculty would enhance the achievement of African …

Some Possible Sources Of Oral Foreign Language Anxiety (Fla) Among Japanese Students In The United States, Sawako Yoshikawa

Dissertations and Theses

This study attempted to locate some possible sources of oral Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) among Japanese students in the United States. This study proposed that the following three factors were possible sources of FLA: 1) the subjects' traitlike anxiety, which is carried by individuals across all communication-bound contexts; 2) the subjects' self-perceived oral proficiency levels in English and 3) the subjects' gapsize (i.e., the distance between their self-perceived and their self-expected oral proficiency levels in English) . This research examined whether the above three independent variables and the dependent FLA variable were significantly correlated, and if so, which one had …

A Preliminary Comparison Of Two Esl School Models For Newcomer Students, Elizabeth Carol Essex

Dissertations and Theses

Due to the ever growing numbers of immigrants entering this country, school districts are faced with ever greater challenges for educating newly arrived immigrant students. Often these students arrive with little to no English ability and little to no school experience. Several educational program models, including ESL and bilingual education, have been popularized in school districts experiencing immigrant population growth. Recently, a supplemental model, the newcomer center/program, has gained popularity. The newcomer model seeks to educate and nurture newly arrived immigrant students with little to no English ability in the social and school expectations of the United States. Due to …

The Constraints Of A Typological Implicational Universal For Interrogatives On Second Language Acquisition, Dee Anne Bess

Dissertations and Theses

A typological implicational universal based on a diverse sample of the world's languages describes a hierarchy for interrogatives. The universal hierarchy states that in any given language, inversion in Yes-No questions (YNQs) implies inversion in information questions (WHQs in English), which, in turns implies the fronting of the information word pronoun to sentence-initial position.

Several researchers have proposed that typological implicational universals such as this one for interrogatives may constrain not only the primary languages on which they are based, but also the interlanguages of second language learners.

This study, a partial replication of one by Eckman, Moravcsik, and Wirth …

Humor Recognition: A Comparative Analysis, William T. Argent

Dissertations and Theses

There are various approaches to the explanation of humor in the field of humor research. Some of these theories, while providing interesting insight into the phenomenon known as humor, remain limited in their ability to account for how humor is recognized. Others do not even address the issue. This thesis compares five different theories in humor research by analyzing the humorous short story "My Watch" by Mark Twain. These theories are: 1. a typological approach to humor, 2. a social- functional model, 3. incongruity theory, 4. Grice's Cooperative Principle taken from linguistic pragmatics, and 5. the General Theory of Verbal …

The Influence Of Student Gender On Teacher/Student Interactions In Esl Classrooms, Lisa Sybil Mann

Dissertations and Theses

Because teacher I student interactions provide opportunities for correction and comprehensible input, a major component of successful language learning, equitable distribution of teacher I student interactions in the language classroom is an important element for the success of all second language students. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether differences in teacher I student interactions based on student gender occurred in four college English as a Second Language instructors' classrooms. The role of instructor gender and student ethnicity in teacher I student interaction content and frequency were also examined. Informal interviews were designed to determine the instructors' …

An Exploratory Evaluation Of Language And Culture Contact By Japanese Sojourners In A Short-Term Us Academic Program, Elizabeth Anna Hartley

Dissertations and Theses

Short-term intercultural exchange programs provide a wealth of information and experiences for participants. Participants are given the opportunity to travel out of their native country and are exposed to new languages and cultures. This case study looks at the Japanese sojourners in the Northwest/Pacific Rim (NWPR) summer program. The purpose was to examine the language use of the Japanese sojourners throughout the course of the NWPR program. This case study sought to determine when the Japanese sojourners used English and/or Japanese, in which situations, what strategies the Japanese sojourners employed and who initiated contact with whom. All of the data …

The Socio-Cultural Content Analysis Of English As A Foreign Language Textbooks Used In Junior High School In Taiwan, Republic Of China, Vivian Yann-Ling Lu

Dissertations and Theses

The English textbooks evaluated are used to prepare students for the competitive high school entrance examinations in Taiwan, thus students spend a great deal of time studying them. Though the textbooks were stated to be designed for language and cultural learning purposes, it seems no study exists that examines to what degree there is clear articulation between the government's stated culture learning goal and actual textbook content. Therefore, this study examines to what degree the textbooks allow students to reach said goal, that is, "to increase culture awareness of the societies and cultures of foreign countries and our own" (Junior …

Investigating Vowel Duration As A Perceptual Cue To Voicing In The English Of Native Spanish Speakers, Becky Jean George

Dissertations and Theses

Researchers in the cognitive sciences, and in particular those in acoustic phonetics, investigate the acoustic properties in the speech signal that enable listeners to perceive particular speech sounds. Temporal cues have been found to convey information about the linguistic content of an utterance. One acoustic characteristic that is particularly well documented in American English is the difference in vowel duration preceding voiced and voiceless consonants, which has been found to play a role in the perception of the voicing of postvocalic word-final consonants. Research on vowel duration and its role in the perception of the voicing distinction of the following …

Correction Of Classroom Oral Errors: Preferences Among University Students Of English In Japan, Akemi Katayama

Dissertations and Theses

Correction of oral errors in foreign or second language classrooms has been an issue of great concern. Although the literature on error correction is abundant, the studies on student reaction to this pedagogical practice are few.

This study investigated the preferences for correction of classroom oral errors among university students of English in Japan. Data were collected from anonymous questionnaires. The study examined the students' attitudes toward the views about correction of oral errors which have been controversial among foreign and second language educators. The study also investigated the students' preferences for correction of different types of oral errors (e.g., …

An Evaluation Of English Spoken Fluency Of Thai Graduate Students In The United States, Sugunya Ruangjaroon

Dissertations and Theses

Fluency is generally recognized as speaking with a high rate of speech. This study provides a greater understanding of the notion of fluency that speech rate is not the only measure to determine the fluency level of a speaker. Particularly in a second language (L2), fluency involves other features and it can reflect non-native speakers' capacity in using L2. Fluency is comprised of the continuity and the smoothness of speech without a high occurrence of hesitation phenomena and repair mechanisms.

The purpose of the present study was to analyze English spoken fluency of Thai graduate students. This study sought to …

A Qualitative Study Of Friendships And Student-Faculty Relationships: Experiences And Perspectives Of Korean International Students Studying In The United States, Jinsook Kim

Dissertations

Experiences and perceptions among a group of Korean international students studying in the United States were examined in terms of friendships and student faculty relationships. The study used a qualitative approach and was guided by cross-cultural and cultural learning perspectives. Semi-structured interviews conducted in the Korean language were used for data collection. From a research population of 72 Korean international students enrolled at a large Midwestern university, 24 were selected using purposeful sampling, 6 from each of the four identified subgroups. These subgroups were male and female undergraduates and male and female graduates.

Participant experiences and perceptions concerning closest friendships …

The Use Of Authentic Reading Material In The Arabic Language Classroom, Magda Malouf-Campo

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

First Language Maintenance, Shift And Attrition Among Egyptian Immigrants In Houston, Texas, Tawhida Ahmed Askary

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Japanese Students' Perception Of Their Language Learning Strategies, Michiyo Ozawa

Dissertations and Theses

Students' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) is affected by their educational backgrounds and academic requirements, and so are their attitudes toward language learning. This study investigates Japanese students' perception of their English LLSs in different language environments: Japan and the United States. A group of 43 Japanese students from Otemae College participated in a cultural study program at Portland State University. The group consisted of 28 students who studied for two terms (ST Group) and 15 students who studied for three terms (LT Group). In this study, a combination of a self-assessment questionnaire, dialogue journals, and a card-ranking activity …

An Analysis Of Japanese Learners' Comprehension Of Intonation In English, Misako Okubo

Dissertations and Theses

Typically, most native speakers of Japanese, who have been taught English in Japan, have had limited exposure to prosodic features of English. Consequently, their ability to understand the meaning of different intonation patterns is limited as well. Though it is generally accepted that intonation plays a crucial role in English communication, comprehensive pedagogical materials for teaching English intonation to native speakers of Japanese are not widely available or used in Japan. This is, in part, due to the complexity of English prosodic features and their abstractness. A better understanding of these barriers requires that the extent and the nature of …

An Assessment Of The Needs Of International Students For Student Services At Southern Oregon State College, Molly K. Emmons

Dissertations and Theses

International students at our institutions of higher education have educational and personal needs which extend beyond the classroom. These needs are supposedly provided for by student personnel services, but little data has been collected which examines how international students use student services, and if their use differs significantly from use by American students. If their perceptions of students services and use of these resources does differ, what does that signify? This study measures the use and perceptions of student services by international and American students at Southern Oregon State College. Twenty-one philosophical objectives were examined for levels of importance, effectiveness, …

Adolescent Students At Risk: The Roles Of Stress, Distress, And Coping, Jennifer Massicotte

Dissertations

Male and female adolescents who reported recent suspension/ threats of suspension or academic failure were compared to male and female adolescents who did not report these two variables of dropping out on three measures--the discrete negative uncontrollable events experienced (LEQ-A, Garmezy, Masten, & Tellegen [1985]), the level of distress (GHQ-30, Goldberg [1972]), and the types of coping skills used (A-COPE, Patterson & McCubbin [1983]). Native and non-Native at risk for suspension and academic failure rates were also compared using archival data from a community mental health survey of 714 adolescents (36 Native) attending high school in Northern Ontario.

Native adolescents …

The Cultural Adaptability Of Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing And Physical Therapy Faculty, Irene Mary Connolly

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the cultural adaptability of full time faculty in the College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. The sample consisted of 40 health science faculty representing dental hygiene, medical laboratory sciences, nursing and physical therapy. The principal investigator personally administered the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), a 50 item instrument, which contains questions to measure the construct cultural adaptability and its four dimensions: emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy. The CCAI is not targeted to one particular culture, but rather is designed to be culture general.

Analysis of …

Evaluation Of A Home-School-Community Liaison Scheme In Irish Elementary Schools, Sandra Ryan

Dissertations

This dissertation describes an evaluation of a Home-School-Community Liaison scheme in Irish elementary schools. The scheme represented an effort to combat educational failure in areas suffering from social and economic disadvantage associated with poor quality housing, high levels of unemployment, dependence on state aid, and crime. The central aim of the scheme was to increase parents' involvement in their children's education. The evaluation study examined how programs in the scheme were constructed and implemented over a three-year period and monitored specified outcomes of program activity. Methodology included questionnaires, interviews, site visits and observations, and standardized achievement testing.

The scheme generated …

The Relationship Between Principals' Length Of Administrative Experience And Organizational Leadership Behavior In Elementary Schools In Saudi Arabia, Hamad Adbulaziz Alkherb

Dissertations

The study examined educational leadership behaviors among elementary school principals in Qasim region of Saudi Arabia. Seven independent variables using a survey questionnaire among a randomly selected sample from the identified population. Self-reporting elicited, first, critical background information and, second, data concerning 60 specific leadership behavior items important to work issues, critical areas of educational administration, professional relationship situations, and leadership problems ordinarily confronted. Items were grouped according to five categories of twelve items each.

Ninety-six principals or 80% of the survey sample of 120 responded. Focus of the study derived importantly from an extensive and complex review of literature …

Study Abroad And Self-Perceptions Of Cross-Cultural Adaptability, Heidi C. King

Dissertations and Theses

With growing recognition of the duality of language and culture, the TESOL profession is placing increasing emphasis on the importance of understanding intercultural dynamics in the second language classroom. Currently, however, there is a lack of empirical information and measurement instruments to aid understanding within the field of cross-cultural communication. In response to this lack of instrumentation, Kelley and Meyers (1993) recently created the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), a 5 0-item, self-perception inventory designed to measure cross-cultural adaptability through a total score and four contributing dimensions: Emotional Resilience, Flexibility/Openness, Perceptual Acuity and Personal Autonomy. The two primary purposes of this …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Speech Act Of Refusing In English And German, Charla Margaret Teufel

Dissertations and Theses

Language students must learn to communicate effectively in cross-cultural settings, avoiding unwitting violations of culturally determined norms of behavior. This study compares German learners of English (GEs) with native speakers of English (AEs) and German (GGs), studying pragmatic transfer associated with the face-threatening speech act of refusal.

Data elicitation involved a written role-play questionnaire composed of twelve refusal situations, including four refusal stimulus types (requests, invitations, offers, and suggestions) and interlocutors of higher, lower, and equal status. Response strategies were identified and classified, and the three groups were compared in terms of frequency and content of strategies chosen.

Overall, the …

A Prolog Lexical Phrase Computer Assisted Language Learning Module, Yuji Gene Hirayama

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents the design of a computer assisted language learning (CALL) program written in the computer language, PROLOG. It will provide a practice exercise to teach "lexical phrases" to second language learning students of English. Lexical phrases are lexico-grammatical "chunks" of words, which possess specific pragmatic functions within spoken discourse (Nattinger and DeCarrico, 1992). These form/function composites of varying length aid conversational fluency. The program presents a scenario where the participants are college students who pass one another in the hallway. After they exchange initial greetings, the first participant (i.e., the computer) informs the other student that a test, …

English And Spanish Take-Home Reading Packets To Enhance Early Literacy And Parent Involvement, Catherine Mary Warren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to influence student reading comprehension by involving parents in the literacy learning of their children. Researchers of language learning suggest that if children learn skills and content in their first language, they will later transfer that knowledge to their second language. To accomplish that end, literature packets that contain a book in Spanish or English with corresponding activities were created. The packets will be taken home by students to use with their parents to enhance reading skills and parent involvement.

Integration And Athletics: Integrating The Marshall University Basketball Program, 1954-1969, George M. Reger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 1954, Marshall College followed the national law that banned segregation in the school systems of the United States. The law included the integration of athletic programs. While only a small part of the process, athletic programs often presented integration on a more visible stage than the integration of classrooms.

Learning To Identify Tolerance Issues Through Literature With Art As A Response, Patricia Ann Rifkin

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Tortilla Soup: A Teacher Resource Guide For The Elementary Social Studies Classroom, Janet Baker Stellingwerf

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Literacy Journey Of Empowerment For Adult Hispanic Students In A Community College's Learning Center, Cecilia Torres Best

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Transitional Bilingual Programs In Cook, Dupage, Kane And Will Counties In The State Of Illinois, Robert Schwindt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate transitional bilingual programs in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties in the State of Illinois. A review of literature reveals that the State of Illinois guideline of three years was not sufficient to allow non-English speaking students to be exited into regular education classes at a level commensurate with their English speaking peers. This study also reviewed transitional bilingual program models in Cook, Dupage, Kane and Will counties in Illinois and revealed a shortage of bilingual teachers and aides. Use of the results of the study will improve the existing transitional program …