Education Commons^™

Accuplacer Placement Cutoff Scores As Predictors Of Freshman Performance: A Correlational Analysis, Lulani Tomaszewski

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

There is uncertainty on how to maximize freshman performance in an English course when students have competing placement scores. Students who have scored above the cutoff score on one of the English placement tests (either reading or writing) and scored below the cutoff score on the other are not systematically placed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ACCUPLACER placement cutoff scores in reading and writing predicted performance in first-semester English courses and first-semester cumulative GPA among incoming students at a community college in the Pacific Northwest during the 2015−2016 and 2016−2017 school years. Two research questions guided …

Book Review: Mcgraw-Hill's Chinese Dictionary & Guide To 20,000 Essential Words, Hong Zhan

Hong Zhan

Chinese Dictionary & Guide to 20,000 Essential Words is a concise dictionary specially designed for learners of Chinese as a foreign or a second language. This dictionary distinguishes itself from other Chinese language dictionaries by its unconventional character look-up system, a system that searches for a character by counting the total number of “broken marks” (not linked or unlinked strokes) of each character.

“I Don't Read No Books” : How Teachers Can Use Students' Literacy Stories To Change Literacy Lives., Stephanie J. Malone

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Practitioner knowledge, as the center for change in teacher education, is the heart of The Carnegie Project of the Educational Doctorate (CPED) program. Margaret Lata and Susan Wunder explain a key principle of CPED is to grow practitioners as change agents, through the development of a Problem of Practice. In their article, Investing in the Formative Nature of Professional Learning: Redirecting, Mediating, and Generating Education Practice-as-Policy (2012), they discuss how the capstone product that evolves from this Problem of Practice should impact the professional field by producing knowledge that informs and changes professional practice.

This Dissertation in Practice, “I …

Sight Words And Phonics: The Connection That Helps Early Elementary Students Read Fluently, Stephanie Mulder

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if combining phonics and memorized vocabulary words into the reading instruction for Tier 2 students would increase fluency speed. For six weeks the researcher introduced Dolch sight words according to grade level to Tier 2 students. This was done in addition to the typical phonics instruction done in the general education classroom and Tier 2 resource room. At the beginning of each week students were given a list of 20 new vocabulary words. Throughout the week, students were asked to use these words in sentences, find them in books, and …

Video Self-Modeling, Reading Aloud, Or Silent Reading: Effects Of Strategies On Fluency, Rebekah J. Vande Kamp

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research is to explore the most effective strategy for children to engage in during Read to Self to increase their fluency. Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression; and is an important aspect of being a successful reader. In this study, three 2nd grade classes will engage in different Read to Self strategies. One class will be doing silent reading. Another class will be reading their books aloud to themselves. A third class will be using video self-modeling, which is recording themselves reading their books out loud on Chromebooks and watching …

Learner Persistence In English For Speakers Of Other Languages (Esol) Programs, Elyse Waksman

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Persistence – or continued, intense study – is a common challenge for adults in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs because of various institutional, situational, and dispositional factors. The current state and federal funding standards for adult ESOL programs are driven by human capital theory, and therefore most funders require demonstrated employment outcomes for students. These top-down objectives do not always align with English learners’ own motivations and goals. ESOL organizations must consider the complexities of these interacting forces to develop effective persistence strategies for their constituents. This case study of an ESOL organization in central Massachusetts is …

A Content Analysis Of Visuals In Elementary School Textbooks, Daibao Guo, Katherine Landau Wright, Erin M. Mctigue

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although visual complexity is increasing and graphics are essential to support readers’ comprehension of disciplinary texts, visual literacy receives scant attention. Research suggests that effectively instructing students to interpret discipline-specific graphics would yield better comprehension. However, before this line of inquiry can be enacted, we must determine the characteristics of graphics in contemporary content textbooks. Therefore, this content analysis evaluated graphics within third- and fifth-grade science and social studies textbooks. We coded 3,844 graphics by type and function and compared findings between disciplines using chi-square and post hoc comparison tests. Overall, graphics were coded into 9 major types (photographs being …

The Genealogy Of The Textbook As An Educational Form: Orality And Literacy In Education, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, I provide a short but broad history of the textbook as a multimedia pedagogical and cultural form. In doing so, I pay particular attention to the interrelationship of oral and textual media and cultures, highlighting the ways that these two communicative modes are reconfigured over the history of this pedagogical form. I also situate the textbook in the context of changing instructional methods and practices, and demonstrate that instructional forms and practices have neither progressed along with new technologies nor gradually evolved from a primitive orality to sophisticated literacy. Instead, I show that these practices as well …

The Role Of Mental Translation In Learning And Using A Second/Foreign Language By Female Adult Learners, Julia Falla-Wood

Journal of Global Education and Research

The purpose of this study is to ponder some theoretical considerations concerning a predominant phenomenon of mental translation (MT) observed by second language teachers and learners in learning and using a second/foreign language. The sample available to the researcher consists of seven female adult learners speaking different languages. The choice of the sample is not related to the age level of the learners, but their English level (5-6) according to the Canadian Language Benchmarks. The research instruments used in this study are two compositions written on two occasions, during 2013-2015 and in 2016, a personal questionnaire, a strategy questionnaire, and …

Supporting English Language Learners Through Collaboration, Compassion, And Engagement, Lora Ann Stead

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

This portfolio illustrates the student’s academic work completed while in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The project is centered around the student’s philosophy on teaching English language learners (ELLs) as drawn from personal experience and second language acquisition research. The author seeks to provide awareness into best practices for teaching ELLs.

The portfolio is divided into three sections: 1) teaching perspectives, 2) research perspectives, and 3) annotated bibliographies. Within these sections, the author explores themes related to ELL teaching that highlight the importance of collaboration, compassion, and engagement. These topics include politely closing a …

La Comunicación Lingüística En Español Y Sus Barreras En El Sistema De Salud De Los Estados Unidos, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

La enseñanza del español con fines médicos en los Estados Unidos ha experimentado un crecimiento exponencial en las dos últimas décadas. Sin embargo, los pacientes de origen hispano se encuentran desprotegidos ante las barreras lingüísticas que impone el sistema de salud estadounidense en muchos contextos monolingües y bilingües. Esta investigación descriptiva muestra como, por un lado, los malentendidos producidos por la comunicación ineficiente desarrollada por intérpretes e intermediarios (familiares, enfermeras con conocimientos de español, facultativos con una preparación lingüística deficiente, etc.) tienen serias repercusiones para la salud en el tratamiento de los casos. Por otro lado, el estudio da cuenta …

Reseña De El Trabajo De Fin De Grado Y De Máster. Redacción, Defensa Y Publicación, De Iria Da Cunha, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Scottish National Assessments: National Report For Academic Year 2017 To 2018, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Assessment and Reporting

This report has been developed to provide a summary of outcomes at a national level on the newly established system of national standardised assessments, which has since been termed ‘Scottish National Standardised Assessments’ (SNSA) in the 2017 to 2018 academic year, the first year of the programme. A central aim of SNSA is also to provide information on the outcomes of Scottish children and young people in literacy and numeracy over time. The assessments have been available for use in publicly funded schools in Scotland since August 2017. They are administered to children and young people in Primary 1, Primary …

Estudio Contrastivo Intercultural De Las Funciones Retóricas De Las Citas: La Producción De Textos Académicos En El Nivel De Posgrado Escritos En Español E Inglés, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

The main objective of this research is to discover which rhetorical functions were used in the Master´s thesis writing written by eight (8) American and eight (8) Spanish postgraduates in their na-tive language. A computerized tex-tual analysis of the rhetorical func-tion of citation was used to study this phenomenon (Petrić, 2007). The results obtained from the re-search showed that the different cultural conventions in the thesis writing indicate that when com-pared with native Spanish writers, the American writers of English use the highest number of cita-tions, and write a relatively longer Introduction and Conclusion parts. On the other hand, the …

Aproximación Didáctica Al Apendizaje De Las Funciones Retóricas De Las Citas En El Discurso Académico Universitario, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

El presente estudio investiga cómo conciben la práctica de la citación en el contexto académico dos comunidades sociales de distinta nacionalidad (estadounidense, española). Para estudiar este fenómeno se realizó un análisis contrastivo utilizando la metodología del análisis textual computarizado de las funciones retóricas de las citas en la escritura de un trabajo de investigación universitario de máster realizado por 8 estudiantes estadounidenses y 8 españoles en su lengua nativa, ordenadas estas en una tipología clasificadora de 9 categorías.

Los resultados obtenidos en la investigación mostraron que las diferentes convenciones culturales implicadas en la composición de las memorias estudiadas responden a …

The Right To Be Human: Universal Design For Learning And Literacy Sponsorship As Liberatory Pedagogy, Jeremy Lunasco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project explores the possibilities of implementing a critical and liberatory pedagogy within the confines of the prison. Building upon the fields of critical prison theory, literacy studies, and (dis)ability studies, I assert that implementing small, organic, and tactical changes though the principles of Universal Design for Learning allows the prison educator to make impactful moves with liberatory goals. I conclude by reimagining what a prison education mission statement that takes this perspective looks like then imagine the liberatory applications of the principles of universal design for learning within the prison.

Critical Pedagogy And The Ethics Of Care: How Values Affect The Classroom Dynamic, Colby D. Reed

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis centers on the benefits of Paulo Freire’s critical and liberatory pedagogy for introductory composition classes when used as an ethical and moral template as opposed to a sociological ideology. Using care ethics as a lens, chapter one begins by addressing current difficulties and criticisms present in the discussion of care ethics and the pedagogy as the models for composition classes and then applying the ethics of critical and liberatory pedagogy to these issues. Chapter two builds on that by exploring what ethical and moral elements are present in Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and how they relate to …

Hermeneutic Phenomenological Interviewing: Going Beyond Semi-Structured Formats To Help Participants Revisit Experience, Alexandra A. Lauterbach

The Qualitative Report

Phenomenological research traditionally involves multiple focused interviews that rely on the participants’ memories and reflections to revisit experiences. There are many other interview formats that have the potential to support participants in this process by instead engaging with the phenomenon as it presents itself to their consciousness. In this paper, I present an example of how multiple interview formats, including think-aloud, stimulated recall, and semi-structured were used in a hermeneutic phenomenology study exploring expert teachers’ perceptions of teaching literacy within their content area to secondary students with learning disabilities. I provide example protocols in which I used multiple interview formats …

Do My Students Understand The Vocabulary In My Lectures?, Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Symposium

No abstract provided.

Pakistani English Language Teachers’ Preparedness: An Investigation Of Ideological Meaning-Making In Higher Education Institutions In Pakistan, Yasir Hussain

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This research study is an attempt to understand the ideological preparedness of English language teachers at the higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. The construct of preparedness is unique in this study because the phenomenon of preparedness is simplified for pedagogical methodologies and teaching practices. This study is a journey of understanding ideology, its representations through discourse, and its enactment through discursive practices of the participant-teachers. In this hermeneutical phenomenological study, I used interview texts as the data source and critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the analytical framework. The participants included 15 English language teachers at nine different HEIs in …

Sound And Waves: An Integrated K–8 Hands‐On Approach Supporting The Ngss And Ccss Ela, Chih-Che Tai, Karin Keith, Laura Robertson, Renee Rice Moran

Renee Rice Moran

Receive practical ideas to build understanding about how to combine reading and hands-on activities as tools to understand the nature of wave movement.

Heat, Energy, And Matter (Ccc5, Ps3): An Integrated Grades 3–12 Hands-On Approach Supporting The Ngss And Ccss Ela, Chih-Che Tai, Gerri St. Clair, Karin J. Keith, Renee Moran, Chih-Che Tai

Renee Rice Moran

We will offer ideas to build knowledge about using reading and hands-on activities as tools to increase student understanding of heat, energy, and matter.

Word Recognition Competency Activity For Students, Lashay Jennings, Renee Rice Moran, Karla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer, Huili Hong

Renee Rice Moran

No abstract provided.

The Implications Of Teacher Performance Assessment And The Impact On Teacher Decision Making, Renee Rice Moran

Renee Rice Moran

The issue of teacher accountability has been a part of the educational conversation for three decades, but only recently has this conversation been translated into policy as states begin directly tying teacher evaluation scores in part to student achievement on standardized tests. This qualitative study focuses on a group of teachers who are participating in this new form of evaluation (containing both qualitative and quantitative elements including test scores and lesson observations) and examines how they perceived the process. In particular, the study looks at how their personal reactions to a high-stakes evaluation impacted their instructional decision making in their …

Supporting Teachers' Use Of Nonfiction Text In The Primary Grades Classroom: One Practical Strategy, Renee Rice Moran

Renee Rice Moran

The purpose of this article is to argue for the benefits of using nonfiction text in the primary grades classroom. Readers are provided with a brief theoretical framework which outlines how nonfiction may increase achieve,emt, motivation, and interest for young students. Additionally, practical strategies are included for classroom teachers which work to frontload and support students in the act of processing nonfiction text as well as increase teachers' comfort level with the implementation of a nonfiction unit of study.

Improving Visual Memory: A Terrific Teaching Tip, Renee Rice Moran, Huili Hong, Lashay Jennings, Kayla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer

Renee Rice Moran

No abstract provided.

Word Recognition Competency Activity For Students, Lashay Jennings, Renee Rice Moran, Karla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer, Huili Hong

LaShay Jennings

No abstract provided.

Improving Visual Memory: A Terrific Teaching Tip, Renee Rice Moran, Huili Hong, Lashay Jennings, Kayla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer

LaShay Jennings

No abstract provided.

Unmasking Whiteness: Progressing Toward Cultural Responsiveness Within A Rti Framework, Melinda F. Scheetz

Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RTI) developed out of educational policies and practices that comprise NCLB and IDEA. RTI is a system to ensure all students receive high-quality instruction that meets their needs, increases opportunities to learn, and prevents reading failure. A culturally relevant RTI framework offers the most promising pedagogical approach to quality instruction and educational equity. The purpose of this study was to understand, describe, and explore the intersection of culturally relevant practices and RTI. The research questions that guided this study were: What can be learned about a culturally responsive approach to RTI by listening to teachers’ perspectives and …

A Corpus-Driven Approach Toward Teaching Vocabulary And Reading To English Language Learners In U.S.-Based K-12 Context Through A Mobile App, Seyedjafar Ehsanzadehsorati

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to decrease teachers’ decisions of which vocabulary the focus of the instruction should be upon, a recent line of research argues that pedagogically-prepared word lists may offer the most efficient order of learning vocabulary with an optimized context for instruction in each of four K-12 content areas (math, science, social studies, and language arts) through providing English Language Learners (ELLs) with the most frequent words in each area. Educators and school experts have acknowledged the need for developing new materials, including computerized enhanced texts and effective strategies aimed at improving ELLs’ mastery of academic and STEM-related lexicon. Not …