Education Commons^™

Language As The Foundation Of Identity Among Sherpa Youth In Nepal, Joshua H. Ginder

Student Publications

This paper explores how young Sherpas in Nepal use their language as a tool for identifying themselves as uniquely Sherpa in a mutlicultural Nepal. By analyzing the way Sherpas use their language in social settings and at a radio station, the author suggests the Sherpa language is perhaps the only truly unique quality that delineates Sherpas from other Nepalis.

La Lengua Del Oyente: Some Effects Of Listener Language On Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers’ Verbal Behavior, Gerardo Castillo Ii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bilingual children represent a large population of preschool and school-aged children in the United States. Challenges may arise when the verbal community in which a child spends most of his or her time does not reinforce his or her primary language. Previous research has shown that children adjust their language to match the language of their listener (Genesee, Boivin, & Nicoladis, 1996). It is possible that having a native-language communication partner at school would improve child engagement, as measured by child mean length of utterance and quantity of child initiations. The purpose of this study is to examine whether listener …

Traditional Methods Versus Tprs: Effects On Introductory French Students At A Medium-Sized Public University In The Midwestern United States, Rishani Samari Merinnage De Costa

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of introducing a Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) approach in a French immersion classroom in comparison with a method which does not incorporate a story context within the lesson. This research was conducted in an introductory college level classroom setting. It is hypothesized that the language skills of the students in the experimental group using the TPRS method would show greater improvements on measures of listening, vocabulary, culture, grammar and writing abilities than those taught using methods which do not incorporate the story context. The research utilized a …

An Investigation Of Native And Non-Native Chinese Language Teachers And Their Pedagogical Advantages, Thomas Burns

Masters Theses

The motivation for this thesis stems from my own personal decade long struggle learning Mandarin Chinese. The inherent difficulty of mastering this intricate language too often will leave students feeling bewildered, confused, frustrated, and even hopeless. Having walked down this path myself, I was inspired me to investigate how the Chinese language educational landscape could be improved. What are its shortcomings? What are its strengths? How can the journeys of future Chinese language learners be made easier?

The research investigates the ongoing discussion of native and non-native speaking teachers. Teacher surveys, student surveys, student classwork, and classroom observations are utilized …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

Se Puede Y Se Debe: Educating Heritage Students, Edward Pinto, Itzia Luna, Isaac Meza

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Teaching heritage students requires a wide variety of best practices that focus on the development of the students’ vocabulary, cultural competence, and grammar, in addition to the four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). I will focus on the best practices of encouraging students to read many genres, providing a range of writing topics, assigning oral interviews with the community, and granting students the freedom to speak both English and Spanish in the classroom. Another effective teaching strategy for heritage language learners is using a macro-approach.

In Their Own Words: Chinese Students In American Universities, Nolan Weil, Jianzhong Luo

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Purposes

• To explore Chinese students’ perceptions of their ESL experiences in the Intensive English Language Institute at Utah State University as compared with their prior learning EFL experiences in China
• To get a glimpse of Chinese students’ perceived quality of life at a major state university in the Intermountain West

Another Look At What Young Children Should Be Learning, Lentera Kecil

Lentera Kecil

Proses pembelajaran pada siswa sekolah dasar, menengah maupun atas, tentunya berbeda. Perlu diperhatikan faktor usia siswa. Untuk tujuan masa depan, orang tua, guru pasti setuju bahwa anak-anak harus belajar mulai dari usia dini. Akan tetapi apa yang harus dipelajari, saat ini, besok, ataupun seterusnya tentunya harapan untuk belajar agar tercapai keinginan anak, orang tua guru banyak faktor yang mempengaruhinya, tidak segampang perkiraan.

Experiencia Pedagógica Que Contribuye Al Desarrollo De Competencias Comunicativas A Partir Del Uso De Pruebas Estandarizadas Internacionales, Flor Emilce Castellanos Perilla

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

La presente reflexión pedagógica surge como resultado de la experiencia personal de la autora en el campo de la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera. A partir de la práctica realizada en el establecimiento educativo de carácter privado no bilingüe: Instituto Educación y Vida, ubicado en la localidad de Suba, se muestra como las pruebas estandarizadas internacionales son un gran recurso educativo para el fomento del conocimiento de la estructura y uso comunicativo de una lengua extranjera y el desarrollo de las cuatro habilidades del lenguaje: lectura, escritura, escucha y habla. El enfoque de la labor pedagógica en esta institución …

Rwandan University Efl Teachers' Awareness And Attitudes Toward Clt And Their Classroom Practices, Gaudence Uwamahoro

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research investigates Rwandan English teachers' awareness of and attitudes toward CLT including their practices in their respective classrooms. Data were collected by means of an online questionnaire that was responded to by 16 practicing teachers. The results revealed that most participants believed that both form- and meaning-based pedagogy were important in the language classroom. The participants also reported that they practiced what they believed in their respective classrooms. With regard to CLT awareness, most of Rwandan university teachers who responded to the questionnaire confirmed that they had learned or heard about CLT, eleven teachers among thirteen who had known …

Traveler's Lodestone, Olivia Blessing, Angela Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

A Universal Translator! The "Traveler's Lodestone" series is a point-to-speak book. It uses picture-based communications to cover the basic things a person would need when conversing in any foreign language. The idea is that when the words aren't at the tip of your tongue, the pictures are at the tip of your finger. Everything from groceries to clothes to hotel amenities to weather, directions, and more is available instantly with this easy to use book. It's quick and universal!

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Negotiation Of Language And Culture With Their Children's Schools, Ronda L. Bickmore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Latinos are now the largest public school minority population in the U.S. Because of a shift in the states, cities, and counties where Latinos are choosing to live, many schools that did not previously serve substantial numbers of Latinos are doing so now. Additionally, many of the Latinos in these new settlement areas are recent immigrants who speak little or no English. This qualitative study examined how immigrant Latino parents who speak little or no English supported their children in the English-speaking school system of the U.S. It specifically examined how 12 Spanish-speaking parents negotiated language and culture with their …

The Role Of Language In Processes Of Internationalization: Considering Linguistic Heterogeneity And Voices From Within And Out In Two Diverse Contexts In Ontario, Julie Byrd Clark, Eve Haque, Sylvie A. Lamoureux

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This multi-voiced paper considers the role of language and linguistic heterogeneity in relation to larger discourses and processes of internationalization and globalization in Canadian higher education by examining two particular educational contexts in Ontario: newly arrived adult students participating in Immigrant language training programs; and Franco-Ontarian students transitioning to post-secondary schools and gaining access to higher education. The authors argue for a multidimensional conceptual approach to theorizing internationalization; one that takes into account the significance of language from the global, transnational and local levels of the social world whereby linguistic heterogeneity is viewed as the “norm” and one that allows …

Communicative Language Teaching: The Cornerstone Of Second Language Acquisition, Sierra Fischback

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

This portfolio is comprised of a compilation of papers written by the author while completing the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. The focus of the portfolio is a teaching philosophy outlining the author’s beliefs on how to foster effective language teaching in the university foreign language classroom. Included as well are artifacts addressing coping with culture shock, effective forms of language learning, and reading in foreign language literature courses. These artifacts were chosen to reflect important areas of language teaching that have affected the author’s teaching philosophy. Finally, the author has incorporated an annotated …

A Multi-Platform Application Suite For Enhancing South Asian Language Pedagogy, Tao Bai, Christopher K. Chung, Konstantin Läufer, Daisy Rockwell, George K. Thiruvathukal

Konstantin Läufer

This interdisciplinary project explores the potential for handheld/wireless (H/W) technology in the context of language education within and beyond the classroom. Specifically, we have designed and implemented a suite of multi-platform (desktop/laptop, handheld, and browser) applications to enhance the teaching of South Asian languages such as Hindi-Urdu. Such languages are very difficult to learn, let alone write, and H/W devices (with their handwriting/drawing capabilities) can play a significant role in overcoming the learning curve. The initial application suite includes a character/word tracer, a word splitter/joiner, a smart flashcard with audio, contextual augmented stories for reading comprehension, and a poetic metronome. …

Knowledge Of An Aboriginal Language And School Outcomes For Children And Adults, Anne GuèVremont, Dafna E. Kohen

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This study uses data from the child and adult components of the 2001 Canadian Aboriginal Peoples Survey to examine what factors are related to speaking an Aboriginal language and how speaking an Aboriginal language is related to school outcomes. Even after controlling for child and family factors (age, sex, health status, household income, number of people living in the household, and living in an urban or rural area), speaking an Aboriginal language was associated with positive school outcomes for young children aged 6 to 14 years old if they learned the language in school, but a lower likelihood of having …

A Multi-Platform Application Suite For Enhancing South Asian Language Pedagogy, Tao Bai, Christopher K. Chung, Konstantin Läufer, Daisy Rockwell, George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

This interdisciplinary project explores the potential for handheld/wireless (H/W) technology in the context of language education within and beyond the classroom. Specifically, we have designed and implemented a suite of multi-platform (desktop/laptop, handheld, and browser) applications to enhance the teaching of South Asian languages such as Hindi-Urdu. Such languages are very difficult to learn, let alone write, and H/W devices (with their handwriting/drawing capabilities) can play a significant role in overcoming the learning curve. The initial application suite includes a character/word tracer, a word splitter/joiner, a smart flashcard with audio, contextual augmented stories for reading comprehension, and a poetic metronome. …

International Teaching Assistants And The Essence Of The Development Of Intercultural Competence, Mary Jo Fletcher Larocco

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Intercultural competence is an essential, but understudied, aspect of communication for successful interactions between international teaching assistants (ITAs) and undergraduate students. This qualitative study employs transcendental phenomenology (Moustakas, 1994) to describe the essence of the development of intercultural competence from the lived experiences of Chinese ITAs studying at a mid-size university in the northeast. The result is a composite textural-structural description of intercultural competence.

The Evaluation Of A Mixed Methodological Model To Improve The Productive And Receptive Skills In Spanish As A Fl/Sl: An Experimental Study, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

This present article seeks to provide a mixed methodological model for the development and implementation of a Teaching Module for Spanish as a Foreign Language in the face to face environment. The primary objective is to portray how methodological principles from different language teaching approaches - in this case, task based language teaching and cooperative learning - can be combined effectively in designing activities for face to face contexts. In this regard, empirical evidence is analysed in order to determine the effectiveness of the mixed methodology in the teaching-learning of Spanish as a Foreign Language in the said settings, in …

Calo Of A Chicano From "Carlos-Malo, Califas", Refugio I. Rochin

Refugio I. Rochin

Caló is the language used in Chicano neighborhoods; a source of identity and intimacy among English Language Learners with Spanish roots. Caló shapes character and lives of many who cross-communicate within the US and abroad. This is a story of my life with Caló - as a global consultant and academic with experiences in several different communities and countries, from the 1960s to 2012.

Learning To Speak Through Writing: The Case For Microblogging In The Language Classroom, Pilar Munday

Languages Faculty Publications

The case for microblogging with Twitter in the Foreign Language Classroom. Examples from a Spanish course.

Governance And The Revitalisation Of The Guaraní Language In Paraguay, Robert Andrew Nickson

Robert Andrew Nickson

This article takes a governance perspective to examine the contemporary revitalization of Guaraní, a “repressed” language that is spoken by a majority of the population in Paraguay. A historical overview highlights the striking endurance of the language in spite of two centuries of official subjugation. The article traces the positive impact of political democratization since 1989 on the revitalization of Guaraní by examining four interrelated areas that are closely linked to the governance agenda: the education system, the media, the political system, and popular culture. However, the absence of a comprehensive language policy continues to limit progress in improving governance, …

Examining The Effects Of Linguistic Accommodations On The Colorado Student Assessment Program—Mathematics, Marisol Enriquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act changed assessment for English Language Learners (ELLs). Under the law, states must validly assess ELLs' English Language Proficiency (ELP) and content knowledge. The law shed light on the achievement of ELLs while also creating challenges for states in validating state assessment and accountability systems. Test accommodations are used for ELLs to reduce threats to test score validity and measure academic achievement as accurately and fairly as possible. Since ELLs are working towards proficiency in English, they face linguistic and socio-cultural barriers under the confines of large scale assessment. A limited body of research …

Teaching English In The Dominican Republic, Cassandra Craig

Senior Honors Projects

As thousands of immigrants and refugees are entering the U.S., and our school systems, each year, English as a second language (ESL) classes are becoming more and more necessary. As a future ESL teacher, it is crucial that I am aware of the wide variety of school environments from which they are coming. My curiosity brought me to Altamira, Dominican Republic, where I was able to experience first hand the school environment of my potential future students. Altamira is a small town located a half hour outside of Santiago, Dominican Republic. There, I was fortunate to stay with an extremely …

Ditcall-Slow: Slowing Native Speech For Language Learners, Dermot Campbell, Ciaran Mcdonnell, Yi Wang, Marty Meinardi, Bunny Richardson, Charles Pritchard

Conference papers

It is a common experience of many learners of a foreign language that native speakers (NSs) of that language speak too quickly for them to understand or imitate. Slowing down a segment of speech with older technology results in the familiar deepening of the voice as the pitch drops as well. The result is unpleasant and not particularly instructive. The DITCall-Slow tool slows recorded speech without tonal distortion, so that the learner has – literally – more time to hear what was said by the NS and, especially at slower playback speeds, can attend to the manner in which the …

The Incorporation Of Communicative Language Teaching Into The Elaboration Of Interactive Software For Esl/Efl Learning, Vladia Borges

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Investigates the extent to which currently available ESL/EFL software programs develop language skills according to the principles of Communicative Teaching and an interactive approach to computer use for language learning. An ESL/EFL software evaluation instrument was developed, tested for its reliability and validity, and then used to evaluate fifteen software programs. Results indicated that only two programs incorporated more than seventy percent of the technological, pedagogical, and individualization features associated with the principles of Communicative Language Teaching and an interactive approach to computer use for language learning.

The Effect Of Test-Taker Gender, Audience And Topic On Task Performance In Tape-Mediated Assessment Of Speaking., Tom Lumley, Barry O'Sullivan

Dr Tom Lumley

Performance in tests of spoken language can be influenced by a wide range of features of both task and participants. This article hypothesises that there may be effects on performance attributable to an interaction of variables such as the task topic, the gender of the person presenting the topic and the gender of the candidate. In contrast to previous studies, which have examined speaking tests involving face-to-face interaction, this study considered the issue in a tape-mediated test delivered in a language laboratory, with no interlocutor present, but where stimulus material is presented by one or more speakers, one of whom …

Increasing English-Language-Learners’ Speaking Opportunities, Chamkaur Gill

Chamkaur Gill

No abstract provided.

Tekstuele Elemente In Omvattend-Verklarende Woordeboeke : 'N Vergelyking Tussen Die Wat En Die Wnt, Michele Van Der Merwe

Michele Van Der Merwe

Textual elements in comprehensive explanatory dictionaries : a comparison between the WAT and the WNT In this article a comparison is made between Afrikaans and Dutch Lexicography with the focus on comprehensive dictionaries. The research forms part of the increasing cooperation that exists at present between Afrikaans and Dutch Lexicography. Therefore the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT) is compared to the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal (WNT). A typological classification of a comprehensive explanatory dictionary will be made. In the comparison between the WAT and the WNT the structure of the dictionary as well as the articles in the dictionary …

Supporting The Language Agenda In Teacher Development: Preparing Teachers/Or Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students At The New Teacher Professional Development Institute, Andrew Habana Hafner

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.