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Text Adjuncts And Comprehension With University Level Second Language Readers, Huan Liu

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Successful reading comprehension in a second language (L2) involves the interaction of multiple factors during the complex process of reading. For some time, researchers have been exploring factors associated with the process of reading as well as the specific interventions and strategies that may facilitate comprehension (Bernhardt, 2010; Brantmeier, 2005; Koda, 2005; Grabe, 2009). Based on three empirical studies, this dissertation explores the potential use of text adjuncts, which are text-related comprehension questions designed for L2 readers to consider and answer during the reading process, to facilitate L2 reading comprehension. The impact of different assessment tasks used to measure comprehension …

Teaching Chinese As A Second Language In A Supportive Student-Centered Environment, Linqi Peng

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation that includes the author’s research, thoughts, and opinions while studying in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It represents the author’s reflections and perspectives as a MSLT graduate student and as a graduate instructor who taught Chinese as a Second Language courses to undergraduates at beginners’ levels.

Three sections are included in the portfolio. It begins with the author’s teaching perspectives, including professional environment, teaching philosophy statement, and professional development through teaching observations. In the second section, two research papers demonstrate her research interests in the practices of …

Methods And Effects Of Shadowing Using Online Authentic Videos On L2 Acquisition Of Mandarin Chinese Tones, Ai-Ling Lu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mandarin Chinese tones are notoriously difficult for second language (L2) learners. Previous research focuses on tone training methods that can help learners produce monosyllabic lexical tones, and studies about the production of multisyllabic lexical tones at the sentence level in spontaneous speech are limited. This study applies shadowing—a method where the learners repeat what they heard with as little delay as possible—to tone training and compares the effects of using authentic videos and textbook audios as shadowing materials for beginner L2 Mandarin learners’ tone improvement at the sentence level. Fourteen students in elementary Chinese classes at an American university participated …

Situation-Bound Utterances As Main Supporters Of Chinese As A Second Language Learners' Conceptual Socialization, Zhiqi Gong

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Second language learners’ performance in terms of situation-bound utterances (SBUs) to a great extent reflects how well they conceptually socialize in the target speech community and also represents their willingness to abide by the collectively accepted rules of social interaction. That is because second language learners not only have to memorize certain linguistic structures in order to communicate in social encounters, but also have the freedom to select whether and to what extent to use expressions with literal meanings or expressions with metaphorical meanings. The process of conceptual socialization is usually culture-specific and determined by a mixture of factors, such …

Measuring Adult Learners' Foreign Language Anxiety, Motivational Factors, And Achievement Expectations;A Comparative Study Between Chinese As A Second-Language Students And English As A Second-Language Students, Li-Ching Lin

ETD Archive

This dissertation focuses on interpreting the impacts of foreign language anxiety and individual characteristics on the achievement expectations of Chinese second-language learners and English second-language students at the university level. Four research questions are examined through quantitative design. In relation to methodology, this study utilizes a factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA), logistic regression, and χ 2 as the statistical methods in addition, the latest version of Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) is used to analyze the data. This study provides current and future second-language educators and administrators who plan to set up second-language programs with a broad idea of …