Education Commons^™

How Visual Phonics Impacts English Language Learners In Kindergarten, Ashlyn Wendland

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine how visual phonics impacts English language learners in kindergarten. The participants included 14 kindergarten students, that attend Prairie Elementary in Worthington, Minnesota. Students participated in approximately ten to fifteen minute daily visual phonics over a nine-week period. The pretest and posttest assessment data for this study was collected using an assessment tool of ESGI (Education Software for Guiding Instruction). The study found that the implementation of visual phonics to be successful with impacting letter and letter sound recognition. The researcher recommends further studies to be conducted including length of study, …

Exploration Of Lived Experiences Of Science Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Uma Ganesan

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

English language learners (ELLs) are a talented pool of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are persistently increasing both in absolute size and percentage in the U.S. school population; however, they are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in college as well as in the workforce (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). Education and scientific communities have found it challenging to improve students’ participation in STEM fields (Martinez et al., 2011). Exploring science teachers’ experiences could aid in improving academic achievement of ELLs and promoting educational equity. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is …

Educator And Administrator Perceptions Of Sheltered Instruction In Stem Courses, Tommy D. Duncan Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions held by educators and administrators regarding sheltered instruction of English Language Learners (ELLs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms; relevant professional development; and the use of the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) within lesson plans. ELLs represent a subpopulation of students with significant achievement gaps in STEM, ultimately affecting student engagement and career interest in STEM. Ten STEM teachers and two administrators from a midsized middle school in west Texas participated in the study. Online semistructured one-on-one interviews and document analysis of submitted lesson plans from …

Differential Item Functioning Among English Language Learners On A Large-Scale Mathematics Assessment, Ruixue Liu, Kelly D. Bradley

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

The current study research showed the nature and potential sources of the gaps in mathematics achievement between English language learners (ELLs) and non-English language learners (non-ELLs). The nature of achievement gap was examined using three DIF methodologies: including Mantel-Haenszel procedure, Rasch model, and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Model (HGLM). These were conducted at the item level in contrast to total test level. Results revealed that the three DIF approaches identified 10 common items. These 10 items demonstrated in favor of non-ELLs. Findings from this study will help educational researchers, administrators, and policymakers understand the nature of the achievement gap in mathematics …

Linguistic Hurdles Faced By English L2 Speakers Pursuing U.S. Higher Education: What The Research Tells Us And Pathways Forward, Z W. Taylor

Essays in Education

Decades of extant research has suggested English learners (ELs or English L2 students) and their support networks do not access United States (U.S.) higher education at the same level as their English-fluent (or English L1 peers). Similarly, decades of research have suggested U.S. higher education ought to adopt a polylingual approach to postsecondary access, yet little has changed since the work began in the early 1980s. This critical review synthesizes this work, includes recent work, and criticizes a stubborn U.S. higher education system for failing to embrace linguistic minorities and improve access to the U.S. higher education system for minoritized …

Professional Development And Change In Teachers' Beliefs And Practice For Teaching English Language Learners, Kerong Wu

Theses and Dissertations

To provide quality education to all students, including ELLs, teachers need professional development designed and enacted according to best practice. However, a common problem for professional development is that teachers' practices often do not change. Implemented through the partnership collaboration with university, education, and public school faculty, the professional development designed in this study focused on educating teachers about needed content and engaging them in ways that would increase the likelihood they would enact such practices in their classrooms (Desimone, 2009; Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Penuel et al., 2007). The professional development program comprised six courses that adhered to the …

From College To Kindergarten: Exploring Teaching On A Shifting Career Path, Christine Zopf

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

"From College to Kindergarten: Exploring Teaching on a Shifting Career Path" explores the field of education through the lens of my own experiences working with multilingual students abroad. This portfolio is a showcase of my strongest work while at Bowling Green State University and reflects my interest in working with multilingual students in primary and secondary school. It also expands to demonstrate my flexibility and knowledge of first year composition and literary analysis.

Factors That Influence Teachers' Utilization Of Siop Learning Strategies When Teaching English Language Learners, Courtney R. Stuart

Theses and Dissertations

Despite standardized certification tests and popular English Language Learner trainings, the strategies and methods used in two educators’ classes would not be identical. In this case-study we look to see what variables cause teachers to utilize certain strategies and how these variables affect the number of strategies used consistently when teaching ELLs. We study the effect of teachers’ language experiences, certifications, participation in SIOP trainings, education levels, perceived preparedness, and years spent in the classroom.

Using quantitative and qualitative data we conclude that dual-language fluency and professional advancements can lead to teachers using more ELL learning strategies in their classrooms, …

Complex And Connected Lives: Voices Of “English Language Learners” In Middle School, Anny F. Case

Middle Grades Review

In addition to the typical ups and downs of middle school (MS), English language learners (ELLs) in the middle grades also grapple with learning English, straddling multiple cultures, and adapting to the realities of immigration. While school systems tend to focus on linguistic and academic development, MS ELLs exercise agency, creativity, judgment, and resilience as they navigate hybrid identities, complex and context-specific social and cultural expectations, and home/school connections and disconnections. This article reports on an interview study of middle school ELLs from a variety of backgrounds. Using self-selected artifacts representing their in-school and out-of-school lives, participants discussed their in- …

Reconsidering The Reading Motivation Of Adolescent Latinx Multilingual Learners, Robert A. Griffin, Lama K. Farran

The Reading Professor

In this article, the authors reconsider traditional concepts of reading motivation to arrive at practical teaching approaches to enhance the reading motivation, engagement, and achievement of adolescent Latinx multilingual leanrers in both traditonal and online learning environments. Focusing on the bioecological Process-Person-Context-Time Model and Expectancy-Value Theory, specific factors that influence the reading motivation of Latinx multilingual learners are discussed along with practical instructional strategies for both traditional and online/virtual classrooms. They also highlight the utility of a strengths-based pedagogy vis-a-vis the growing inequities that surround Latinx multilingual leaners. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for reading motivation practice.

The Impact Of Collective Efficacy And Collective Inquiry On Closing The Achievement Gap, Anne Marie Yarborough

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this two-phased, mixed-method action research study was to investigate the impact of a professional learning community’s collective teacher efficacy and their practice of collective inquiry in closing the achievement gap of eighth-grade social studies English language learners. The research questions guiding this research: 1. How and to what extent will collective inquiry impact collective efficacy among teachers? 2. How and to what extent will a professional learning community's collective efficacy impact student achievement on the 8th-grade social studies state assessment for English language learners?

Social cognitive theory and adult learning theory provided the theoretical foundation for this …

Arab Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Their Transition To Learn Mathematics In English In The United States, Annetta Hastings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of students who choose to pursue higher education outside their home country has continued to grow, and one of the most popular international destinations is the United States. International students, whose home language is not English, can find this educational opportunity to be academically challenging. Institutions of higher learning can admit international students and expect them to adjust to the linguistic, cultural, and social differences in a new educational system without appropriate support. To better support international students in undergraduate mathematics, researchers have focused on how language and culture affect mathematical understanding (Barton & Neville-Barton, 2003; Durand-Guerrier et …

What Stem Teachers Need To Know And Do To Engage Families Of Emergent Multilingual Students (English Language Learners), Lisa Hoffman, Emily Suh, Alan Zollman

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

STEM teacher educators are aware that we teach far more than content-specific methodology. Educators need to guide STEM teachers in the knowledge and skills to support emergent multilingual students (English language learners, or ELLs) by simultaneously developing their STEM content learning and scaffolding their language acquisition (Hoffman & Zollman, 2016; Suh, Hoffman, & Zollman, 2020). Research identifies the family unit having a profound effect upon student learning and educational choices. Educators, educational researchers, and policymakers alike recognize the importance of family involvement in education (Grant & Ray, 2019). Although previous family engagement initiatives have focused on teaching families from a …

Academic Outcomes For English Language Learners In Arkansas Better Chance Public Pre-K, Emily M. Jordan, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

Analyses of large-scale public pre-Kindergarten programs in several U.S. states suggest that students with limited English proficiency differentially benefit from such pre-K programs, compared to their English-proficient peers. This analysis describes long-term outcomes of Arkansas public school students who participate in the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-K program. Specifically, we are interested in subgroup outcomes for students with limited English proficiency. We analyze three cohorts of students, those enrolling in Kindergarten in Arkansas public schools in the fall of 2011, 2012, and 2013. We identify whether students in each Kindergarten class attended ABC or not, and we follow their academic …

Challenges Teachers Encounter When Integrating Technology In A Culturally, Linguistically, And Diverse High School, Eliana Rodriguez Molina

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers often encounter challenges when integrating technology into a classroom that has a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student population. These challenges have existed as teachers are not adequately trained to integrate technology when working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Additionally, challenges arise when students do not have technological skills.

This qualitative study examined how high school teachers with a high CLD student population integrated technology into daily instructions and the challenges they encounter when implementing it. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the researcher collected data through eight individual teacher interviews via Zoom.

During the data analysis, five general …

A Quantitative Study Of The Effects Of A Summer Literacy Camp To Help Mitigate Summer Learning Loss For Students Entering Grades 1-5, Patricia O'Regan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to see if a summer literacy camp was able to help mitigate summer learning loss for students entering grades 1-5. Students attended a five-week summer program that focused on literacy with a STEM component. Some of the students who attended were economically disadvantaged, some were English Language Learners (ELLs), some were both and others were neither. The one thing they all had in common was that they were all reading below grade level. This study collected reading data from the spring to the fall to see if the summer literacy camp was able to …

The Perceptions Of English Language Learners On Their Level Of Preparedness To Complete College Courses Taught In English: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Drawing Upon Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, John Blicharz

Theses and Dissertations

As the English language learner (ELL) population in the United States continues to grow and the number of non-native speakers entering institutes of higher education increases, there is a growing need to shift the paradigm on how universities serve ELLs. While there is a body of literature to support K-12 literacy, there is little to support college ELLs. As if the lack of research was not enough, ELLs are suffering on standardized tests, college placement tests are waning, and ELLs are not receiving proper advisement, thus suffering in standard English composition courses and failing out. Drawing upon the framework of …

Investigating Outcomes For English Language Learners In Arkansas Better Chance (Abc) Pre-K, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Emily Jordan, Charlene A. Reid

Policy Briefs

Students with limited English proficiency face a number of educational challenges, and there are dramatic achievement gaps between these students and their English proficient peers. This brief describes the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade outcomes of English Language Learner (ELL) students who attend Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-Kindergarten, a state-funded program that is free to income-eligible families. Results indicate that ABC has the potential to improve academic outcomes for ELL students in Arkansas.

Literacy Development Practices For English Learners With Interrupted Formal Education, Javier Francisco Oaxaca

Theses and Dissertations

English language learners (ELLs) are a diverse student group that continues to grow within schools all throughout the United States and those students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) continue to lag behind their peers in academic achievement, particularly in literacy. Although there have been several studies to explore this complex phenomenon, a gap in the research continues to exist on specific conditions needed for academic success for SLIFE such as beginning/basic literacy instruction in secondary educational contexts. The purpose of this research study was to determine the extent to which teachers’ perception and knowledge of basic literacy skills …

Perceptions Of Parents Of K-5 English Language Learners Regarding Teacher-Parents Nights, Jean David Annulysse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFewer than 10% of the parents of K-5 English language learners (ELLs) participated in teacher-parents interview nights in a Northeastern United States urban public elementary school district. The purpose of this basic qualitative research was to identify the factors influencing the capacity of the parents of K-5 ELLs to participate in teacher-parents interview nights. The research question focused on identifying the factors influencing the capacity of the parents of K-5 ELLs to participate in teacher-parents interview nights. The conceptual framework was the school community theory developed by Epstein, which posits separate responsibilities of families and schools, shared responsibilities of families …

Exploring Elementary Education Teachers’ Instruction Of Academic Language For English Language Learners, Irina Malykhina

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

General education teachers who teach language arts, math, science, and social studies are challenged with incorporating academic language instruction into content instruction for English language learners (ELLs). Little is known about how general education teachers use instructional strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs. A deeper understanding of teacher experiences with implementing academic language instruction to ELLs can help guide future efforts to collaborate on implementation for effective literacy programs that address ELLs’ academic language needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how elementary general education teachers plan, implement, and assess academic vocabulary instruction to ELLs. …

K-3 Teachers' Perspectives On Culturally Responsive Teaching For Linguistically Diverse Learners, Carol E. Herbert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractU.S. schools are diverse due to an increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners. Researchers recommend using culturally responsive teaching (CRT) that connects race and literacy, culture, and language with CLD learners. If K-3 teachers do not use CRT practices, CLD students’ English proficiency will be delayed, which may negatively influence self-esteem, academic achievement, social skills, and mobility through society. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore Title1 K-3 primary and resource teachers’ perspectives of CRT practices used with CLD learners. Gay’s theory of CRT, featuring teacher attitudes, culturally diverse curriculum content, culturally congruent instruction, …

The Effects Of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Strategies On The Reading Proficiency Of English Language Learners, Robin Padget

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English language learners (ELLs) need additional support to achieve academic success. The problem addressed in this study was the need to know if the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) support for ELL students was effective in improving their reading achievement. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in reading achievement scores between ELLs who received the SIOP support and those who did not. SIOP provides a framework for teaching both language and content instruction. Krashen’s language acquisition theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions compared grade …