Education Commons^™

Influence Of Technology On English Language Learners' Vocabulary, Reading, And Comprehension, Catherine Elizabeth Crum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that vocabulary development is a challenge for English Language Learners (ELLs) as they are less prepared to use contextual and linguistic clues to decode unfamiliar vocabulary. Beginning in the upper elementary grades, reading in content areas becomes lengthier and more complex. Technology-supported vocabulary instruction to teach social studies to ELLs is a relatively new concept in the 5th grade classroom. The purpose of this comparative study was to assess the vocabulary and reading comprehension outcomes of ELLs in the content area of 5th grade social studies when taught using technology-supported versus traditional textbook instruction. Mayer's cognitive theory …

Exploring Effective Reading Strategies That Promote Higher Level Thinking And Comprehension For A Chinese-Speaking College Student, Panyang Wu

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of the case study was to explore some effective literacy strategies that prompt higher-level thinking abilities to help one Chinese English as Foreign Language (EFL) student who struggles with academic reading in college classes at a small, liberal arts college. Only one participant named Cathy was involved in the study. Cathy is a Chinese student who studied at college as a regular undergraduate student and had poor performance in her college level literacy class, as indicated by her professors and Cathy herself. Cathy was expected to improve reading comprehension by receiving an intensive one-month reading development intervention, which …

The Relationship Among Esol Services, Vocabulary, And Reading Comprehension In Primary Grades, Cassandra Marie Arcila-Knortz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the growing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) population in the United States, English instruction is becoming vitally important in schools. Despite this growing need, many schools are eliminating ESOL support services that promote English learning, and some schools are eliminating ESOL support services in primary grades. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether providing ESOL support in kindergarten improved students' reading level, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Vygotsky's social learning theory and theory of proximal development provided the theoretical framework of the study. The research questions concerned differences in comprehension scores, vocabulary scores, and reading …

El Sentido Que Los Estudiantes De Séptimo Grado Le Otorgan Al Acoso Escolar En El Ied Tibabuyes Universal En Suba, Bogotá, Colombia, Michelle Johanna Brijaldo Hurtado, Diego Armando Ramírez Infante

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

Este informe da cuenta de la investigación realizada en torno a la comprensión sobre el sentido que le otorgan al fenómeno del Acoso Escolar los estudiantes de grado séptimo del IED Tibabuyes Universal, en Suba, Bogotá, Colombia. Dicha investigación se inscribe dentro del paradigma comprensivo-interpretativo, el método cualitativo y el tipo de investigación etnográfica. El sentido que es objeto central de estudio es analizado a partir de la teoría ecológica del desarrollo humano de Urie Bronfenbrenner, de los postulados de Edmund Husserl (1990) sobre la fenomenología psicológica y las categorías asociadas al sentido, a saber: comprensión, percepción e intuición. Esta …

Improving K-12 Ell Students' Comprehension Of Academic Text, Peggy Lynn Linsmeier

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Successful acquisition of academic English is dependent upon a multitude of cognitive, linguistic, and educational variables, all based on the socio-cultural perspectives and powers that regulate what occurs in the classroom. The function and meaning of academic texts may be lost on the student with limited knowledge and experience with academic social contexts. The teacher must work within the confines of societal and educational boundaries. The provision of experience, motivation, and opportunities for interaction is highly beneficial, in addition to explicitly teaching vocabulary and learning strategies. A functional linguistics approach, delivered through Readers' Workshop, based on the work of Aguirre-Munoz …

A Case Study Of Twelve Japanese Esl Students' Use Of Interaction Modifications, Darin Dooley

Dissertations and Theses

This case study examines Japanese ESL students' use of interaction modifications in a content based course. Twelve female subjects were observed and recorded during a nine week period. Their use of interaction modifications (clarification requests, confirmation checks, and comprehension checks) and responses to interaction modifications (single word, full or partial repetition, or reformulation), during teacher-fronted and small group situations, were recorded and coded using the COLT observation instrument.

The study found that the subjects used clarification requests over four times more often in small group or pair-work situations than in teacher-fronted classes. Also, the subjects used confirmation checks over five …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Different Video Imagery Upon Adult Esl Students' Comprehension Of A Video Narrative, Scott Alan Thompson

Dissertations and Theses

This study was meant to provide empirical evidence to support or challenge the assumption that a nonfiction video narrative will be better comprehended by students of ESL if it includes a variety of relevant visual information compared to only seeing a single speaker or "talking head" reciting a narration. The overarching goal of this study was to give teachers of ESL greater knowledge and confidence in using video materials to develop the listening skills of their students. It compared two video tapes which contained the identical soundtrack but different visual information.

The first tape (also called the "lecture tape") showed …

The Effects Of Captioned Videotapes On The Listening Comprehension Test Scores Of Esl Students, Yuan-Chyuan Andy Lin

Dissertations and Theses

This study was meant to provide some empirical evidence to confirm or disconfirm the assumption that the use of captioned videotapes will enhance the listening comprehension of second language students. This study compared the listening comprehension test results of intermediate English as a Second Language (ESL) students using videotapes with and without captions. Two episodes of an educational program were selected for the study. Students viewed one episode with captions and a second episode without captions. A total of sixty-four students participated in this study. Thirty-two students in Class 1 watched Video I with captions first and then watched Video …

The Effects Of Internalising A Narrative Text Structure On The Comprehension And Recall Of Narrative Texts, Julie M. Bayly

Theses : Honours

This study was an analysis of an aspect of oral language comprehension. The major purpose was to evaluate the impact of the facilitating effect of a knowledge of a narrative text framework, upon listeners' comprehension of narratives.

One research question was addressed: In the immediate recall of a simple, unfamiliar narrative text, presented orally, once only, will year six listeners who have been taught the schematic structure of narratives perform significantly better than similar year six students who have not?

A teacher-devised listening text was modified from an S.R.A. (1975) listening kit. The results of that test were used as …

Readings With Exercises For Advanced Esl Students, Vincent D. Antonelli

MA TESOL Collection

Readings in English for non-native speakers are usually simplified and controlled so that the students will not be overwhelmed by the linguistic complexity of the reading passage. For advanced English language students however, simplification is no longer useful or necessary. The student's interest in reading real material should be met by choosing material that is of high interest value. This project contains three readings which, although edited, have not been simplified. The readings have been chosen for their potential interest value to the ESL student. Exercises accompany each reading. It is the author's contention that for advanced level students, grammar …

And What Did The Dr. Say? Readings, Exercises, And Activities For The Foreign Physician, Karen Kale

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Report On Supplementary Esl Reading Course, David B. Hopkins

MA TESOL Collection

The ESL Reading course described in this report was conducted for Latin American scholarship students during the summer of 1973 at the School for International Training. Since it was intended to be a supplement to the regular classes of these students, every effort was made to allow the course direction to develop according to the needs of the participants. Although the original thrust of the program was to focus upon reading attitudes, utilizing the reading interests of the students, a parallel focus on reading skills evolved. I believe that the program achieved some success by offering both the satisfaction of …