Education Commons^™

Using Contextualized Materials To Teach English Grammar, Jingyi Yang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Grammar learning is the foundation of language learning. Despite its importance, many ESL adult learners consider grammar learning a challenging part, and the effectiveness of grammar instruction has been evaluated low. This is because of inappropriate teaching approaches and the lack of contextualized learning materials. Inappropriate teaching approaches include traditional PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), which hinder the effectiveness of research-based teaching approaches. Decontextualized and meaningless grammar forms are additional underlying challenges of grammar learning. This field project uses task-based language teaching (TBLT) as a theoretical framework. The three literature review themes explore the importance and challenges of grammar, grammar instruction …

Understanding The Effect Of Individual Differences On Second Language Acquisition: Focusing On Personality, Sihan Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

In this world, the most obvious difference between people is the difference in appearance. In its simplest aspect, we know that everyone in this world is unique. Definitely, in the aspect of learning, the learning outcome of each student is different. Even based on the same age, same subject, same teacher, same gender, the results of learning are different. This makes it necessary to study individual differences in learning. As a second language teacher, it is necessary to study the impact of individual differences on second language acquisition.

This field project mainly discusses the effect of individual differences on second …

Competent And Confident: Empowering English Language Learners Through Pronunciation Instruction, Faith Pellas

Master's Projects and Capstones

Compared to other language skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking, pronunciation is often neglected in ESL and TESOL curriculum planning and material design. Moreover, many English language teachers lack training in pronunciation instruction, therefore these techniques are not often addressed in class. Learning pronunciation is a top priority for many English language students because it enables them to communicate clearly, have better opportunities, and integrate well into Anglophone communities. The literature review discusses second language acquisition and the determining factors of accented and non-accented speech. It also addresses accent discrimination and the obstacles English language learners (ELLs) face …

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of Mandarin-Speaking Undergraduate Students In The United States, Enhao Wang

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

Studying in the United States is many Chinese students' dream, but those who manage to achieve it encounter two main problems. The first one is the language barrier and the second one cultural shock. Chine is the highest provider of international students with 30% from statistics of 2017/2018 class. The primary language spoken by Chinese is the Mandarin language. All the other languages come in as a second language to most Chinese, including English. When they travel out of their country to further education as students, they are hampered by language barriers as they navigate through their struggle.

China …

Using Extensive Reading And Digital Flashcards For Vocabulary Acquisition, Zijin Feng

Master's Projects and Capstones

Non-native English learners often find it difficult to acquire adequate vocabulary knowledge. This can prevent them from making progress in other aspects of English learning, because learners have to understand most of the words that they hear or read to obtain comprehensible input. Fortunately, second language acquisition literature has long identified pleasure reading and spaced retrieval practice as effective in learning vocabulary. This field project examines the effectiveness of these two methods on vocabulary acquisition in adult English learners, and presents a handbook on how teachers can implement pleasure reading and spaced retrieval practice in the classroom. The handbook lays …

Using Bloom's Taxonomy To Teach College English In China: A Handbook For Educators, Yue Cai

Master's Projects and Capstones

With the modernization and globalization of China, the Chinese need to study and utilize English to be a part of the world. College students are essential to learning English. However, the purpose of college English in China still focuses on the national College English Tests. College students are not able to meet their original goal of learning English.

The purpose of this project is to create some teaching materials that improve students’ motivation and ability to learn English instead of raising exam grades. The project is a handbook which composes two model units based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Each unit contains …

Integrating Chinese Culture Into English Textbooks For Efl Teachers In Lesson Plans, Kexin Lu

Master's Projects and Capstones

In recent years, second language teaching in China, especially English teaching, has developed rapidly, making significant progress, and training a large number of outstanding non- native English speakers. However, Chinese cultural knowledge and its English expressions are neglected, resulting in learners' weak ability to express Chinese culture by using their second language. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the integration of Chinese culture in English teaching materials and improve China ’s second language education.

This project first analyzes the current situation of weak cross-cultural communication competence of English learners in China, then explains the reasons cause for this …

An Effective Method Of Teaching English: A Handbook For English Teachers In China, Zichen Cai

Master's Projects and Capstones

Along with the significance of learning English has been emphasized by Chinese government for more than thirty years, more and more Westerns who mostly came from the U.S and England were welcomed to teach English in China. However, most of them are not qualified to teach, and they are not well-prepared before teaching according to author’s observation, which make students lose their interest in learning English eventually. Moreover, these foreign ESL teachers follow the activities and exercises in the textbook step by step while teaching, which is very dull and monotonous. In the literature review, the factors that might influence …

From Anxiety To Motivation: Creating Anxiety-Free Classrooms Using Culturally Responsive Teaching, Jing Rong

Master's Projects and Capstones

Simultaneous with cultural and economic globalization, English is spread as the key to receiving education in the U.S. This trend is starting to bring about new knowledge ecologies involving English as a second language (ESL) students and instructors. However, learning efficiency issues have been frequently confronted by ESL students, among which learning anxiety is a major setback. There are multiple factors causing learning anxieties, including the cultural transitions that ESL students are experiencing. This study focuses on analyzing the causes as well as the solutions to ESL students’ learning anxiety issues. Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a practical and effective …

Enhancing Accessibility, Diversity, And Literacy Of Heritage Language Maintenance In Our Community: A Proposal For Public Libraries With A Focus On The Korean Community, Sooyoung Yang

Master's Projects and Capstones

In contrast to the U.S. emphasis on producing English monolinguals, the needs of world language fluency and education have become more evident than ever as society becomes more globalized and potential bilinguals and even multilinguals are transformed to important human resources. However, even now, linguistically diverse communities often experience significant heritage language loss after immigrating to the U.S. due to the still long-held undervaluation of heritage languages and the push for rapid assimilation to the new society. Research has revealed the many benefits and advantages of heritage language development and maintenance, but unfortunately, the formal education system in the U.S. …

Effective Ways To Lower Muslim Immigrant Students' Anxiety In Esl Classes: A Handbook For Educators, Mehrnaz Ayazi

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

This field project is a handbook for educators that recommends effective ways of lowering Muslim refugee students' anxiety in ESL classrooms. Schools are challenging for refugee and immigrant students as they have to navigate school systems that do not accommodate their unique needs. As a result, Muslim refugee students are often discriminated against, marginalized, and bullied in schools. They suffer from low self-confidence, high anxiety, and lack of motivation. Research concludes that educational institutions in host countries are ill-equipped in creating an equitable education and school environment for Muslim refugee students due to the lack of educators’ training and …

Self-Directed Learning Practices In Esl: How Beginning Adult Latinx English Language Learners Can Increase Learning Outcomes, Jessica Parisi

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project investigates the self-directed learning (SDL) practices that could increase learner outcomes in English language acquisition for beginning adult English language learners (ELLs), and presents on a website designed for the learner, the practices and local resources to engage them. Non-credit English as a second language (ESL) courses in community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area have high enrollment and low levels of advancement, especially beginning levels. Latinx adult ELLs face unique challenges that contribute to their low rates of advancement, including linguistic isolation, and work and home duties that often prevent learners from attending classes the …

Supporting English Language Learners With Disabilities In Special Education, Margaret Kramer

Master's Projects and Capstones

The number of English Language Learners, both appropriately and inappropriately, placed in Special Education has risen in the public education system. This requires Special Education classrooms to incorporate language acquisition opportunities into the child’s education, but the school systems are not currently prepared to provide this to the staff and students. There is a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate curricula, limited collaboration between parents and teachers, and incomplete IEPs affecting students placed in Special Education and learning English as a second language. The purpose of the project is to address the needs of staff and families working with students …

Taming Test Anxiety About Multiple-Choice Questions In Academic-Track Esl Students: A Test-Taking Skills Workshop Series, Lori Selke

Master's Projects and Capstones

Test anxiety among students at all levels is a well-documented phenomenon. Academic English learners, however, such as those who enroll in for-credit academic classes in California community colleges, face issues specific to their situation. Most notably, these students are often unfamiliar with the multiple-choice question (MCQ) test format, which is common in the United States but not as frequently utilized in in other countries. Students thus lack knowledge of the specific strategies and approaches that can help them successfully complete an assessment offered in this format. Both test anxiety and cultural unfamiliarity with assessment formats can prevent students from exhibiting …

Student-Created Videos As Esl Homework Assignments, Griffin Childers

Master's Projects and Capstones

There is a constantly growing number of people around the world who are learning English as an additional language. A lot of innovation has been focused on classroom teaching techniques, but homework pedagogies are vastly underrepresented. In contrast to interesting and interactive classroom activities, homework assignments are often uninspiring, focusing on worksheet completion and memorization. This project is a workshop presentation to be given at ESL focused conferences such as the TESOL conference. The presentation will provide discussion and hands-on training to teachers to learn how to create effective homework assignments in which students will create and narrate short videos …

Using Sitcoms In Esl/Efl: A Handbook For Using Friends In The Classroom, Elif Konus

Master's Projects and Capstones

English learning has become the most significant objective throughout the world for learners of English as a second language (ESL) and foreign language (EFL). Unfortunately, most learners do not have a chance to learn the language in English-speaking countries. In most ESL and EFL classrooms, teachers have solely adapted their teaching method through textbooks even though there are numerous teaching techniques to support learners’ language process. Considering the fact that we live in an age of constant change of technology in which students’ attention spans have been shortened, students might lack engagement and motivation in learning English through solely textbook-adapted …

Black Unrealia: Handbook For Teaching The Structure Of Past Counterfactual Statements, A. Carter

Master's Projects and Capstones

For various reasons, students are attending California community colleges to learn English. Classes taught are usually influenced by models that integrate aspects of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and courses that center on grammar are rarely if ever taught. There has been a resurgence in interest in Form Focused Instruction and strong evidence that grammar instruction combined with Corrective Feedback can produce marked gains in a student’s implicit and explicit knowledge of grammatical forms. This Field Project proposes that by combining Form Focused Instruction with aspects of Communicative Language Teaching such as authentic materials, or realia, instructors can assist learners …

Tools Of Engagement For Language Acquisition, Cheng Li

Master's Projects and Capstones

It has increasingly become a common phenomenon that a lot of focus is placed on listening skills and disregarding the significance of oral skills in English classes in China. This mode of teaching that allows students to practice only listening, but not practice speaking, has a lot of drawbacks. Classroom context where students are denied the opportunity to participate by speaking the language does not motivate them to develop pragmatic skills that are useful for learners. This project illustrates how classroom teacher-student interactions occur and how the use of appropriate social media technology could be useful to motivate learners. It …

Intergroup Dialogue With High School Participants, Meaghan E. Kachadoorian

Master's Projects and Capstones

Liberatory education facilitates identity expression, promotes empathy and understanding across difference, and builds capacity for recognizing and resisting oppressive social structures. However, many students’ educational experiences lack intentional practices that subvert societal intolerance. Without these practices, education can perpetuate social group divide without empowering students to create social change. The practice of dialogue, specifically critical intergroup dialogue, brings together participants from various social group identities in facilitated conversations in pursuit of social transformation. This project is an exploration of intergroup dialogue with high school students. For the research, I carried out a phenomenological study by co-facilitating a dialogue group with …

Teaching With Empathy In The Adult Esl Classroom: A Training Guide, Maureen Carapia

Master's Projects and Capstones

Many view empathy as a necessary skill for relating to different groups of people and successfully communicating across cultures. Research supports empathy’s importance in the education field for promoting positive outcomes in the classroom and fomenting a culturally sensitive class environment. Teaching with empathy is particularly important in the context of adult ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction, given the culturally diverse classroom environment and instructors who likely possess different cultural norms than their students. Regarding effective strategies to teach these students with empathy, however, the research falls short. The mere notion of defining empathy breeds disagreement, as many …