Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Translanguaging About, With, And Through Code And Computing: Emergent Bi/Multilingual Middle Schoolers Forging Computational Literacies, Sara Vogel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As computing pervades more aspects of life, and as Computer Science for All (CS for All) initiatives roll out across the U.S., the field must understand the experiences and language practices of emergent bi/multilingual K-12 students and use that knowledge to drive equitable pedagogical and programmatic approaches. But little is known about how emergent bi/multilingual students — a growing population that school systems have often viewed with deficit-based lenses and have thus struggled to educate equitably — use language in the context of CS education. This dissertation addresses this gap by (1) qualitatively documenting and using asset-based frames to analyze …

Developing Social Justice Skills Through Community Service-Learning In High School Social Studies, Sharehann T. Lucman

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies teachers are presented with the challenging yet rewarding task of cultivating in their students' principles and competencies essential for democratic and social-justice-oriented citizenship. Inspired and guided by literature on social justice education and community service-learning, this study suggests that social studies teachers ought to consider integrating teaching methods that are experiential, participatory, and critical in nature. An example of such a method is community service-learning. As illustrated in this study, community service-learning activities afford students the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills on social justice in authentic social situations.

Using a descriptive and textual analysis approach, …

L'Enracinement Et L'Ouverture: A Relevant Global Citizenship Education In Senegal, Alanna Margaret Ross

Capstone Collection

As the international community strives to work together to respond to globalization implications in education, global citizenship education (GCE) has become more prominent in the educational agenda of the international community. While much literature has critiqued GCE’s potential neo-imperialist effects in postcolonial context, there have been very few studies that have sought out the voices of key stakeholders, such as students, parents, teachers, and school leaders. A total of nineteen school leaders, teachers, parents, and students were interviewed to examine whether they found global citizenship education relevant to students in Senegal. The study found that global citizenship education was perceived …

Language And Identity: Multilingual Immigrant Learners In South Africa, Saloshna Vandeyar, Theresa Catalano

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Increased multilingualism and mobility have witnessed an increased focus on multilingual immigrant learners. This study aims to help educators understand experiences of immigrant students in South Africa that relate to language and identity by comparing such experiences across three different school settings: an urban school with a high (Black) immigrant and indigenous population, a former Indian school, and a former White school. Drawing on semi-structured interviews from a larger case study, this study makes visible the immigrant learner experience in multilingual settings in which xenophobic conditions arise. The findings reveal similarities as well as differences in individual identity construction and …

"Meet Me At The 50": A Critical Discourse Analysis Of How Higher Education Curriculum Is Meeting The Needs Of Black, Male Student-Athletes, Julia Diane Morris

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The overarching goal of this research is to make proverbial payments towards Ladson-Billings’ (2006) “education debt” owed to historically resilient populations by promoting equitable and democratic practices in all facets of education. Black men, specifically those who participate in athletics, are advocated for in this research because these men identify as part of a community of voices who are not only historically oppressed but are being failed by current educational practices. Further, student-athletes provide a predetermined and specific sociocultural context, and thus social location, by which to compare how various types of critical literacy assignments are addressing said contexts. Using …

Toward A Culturally Inclusive Canon Of Multimodal Picture Books: Developing Multiliteracies Practices And Assessments For Ontario’S Classrooms, Arwa Jammali

Major Papers

Multimodal picture books are a critical component of children’s literacy development, and in a multicultural province such as Ontario, it is vital that literacy development include cultural literacy. The demographics of the province’s classrooms are increasingly diverse; however, minoritized cultures are underrepresented among teachers, and there are sparse training mandates related to cultural inclusion. Thus, Ontario’s culturally diverse student body is encountering a number of barriers related to gender, ethnicity, perceived race, sexual identity, ability, class, and other social markers. To provide teachers with the tools needed to support their students, the current study utilizes a theoretical framework derived from …

Engaging Middle School Emergent Bilinguals In Language Awareness: A Practitioner Researcher Study, Carol Lickenbrock

Dissertations

This practitioner research study (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009) traced the journey toward critical literacy of a group of seven emergent bilinguals and me, their teacher, over the course of a four-month unit on argument as part of our English for Speakers of Other Languages 3 (ESOL3) class. Many of these students, like many emergent bilinguals in the United States, had been disempowered because they had not had access to the academic texts of school. As part of this research, students worked with tools of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to analyze the interpersonal, ideational and textual metafunctions of argumentation in lessons …

Analysis Of Linguistic Inclusion In Tesol Courses For Teacher Candidates, Dylan Thibaut, Irina Mclaughlin

Journal of English Learner Education

According to TESOL standard 1, teacher candidates are required to have knowledge about language including: having knowledge in foreign language grammar and how English develops in ELLs (standard 1a), comprehension of language acquisition and how L1 influences learning (standard 1b), and understanding of the language process where an interlanguage develops as ELLs become comfortable using English (standard 1c) (TESOL International Association, 2018). To identify whether teacher candidates in TESOL courses are prepared to meet TESOL standards 1a, 1b, and 1c, a study was conducted to test one hundred teacher candidates’ knowledge of basic linguistic features of English and the five …

Supporting Social And Emotional Learning In The Efl/Esl Classroom: How The New Science Of Child Development Can Inform Second Language Acquisition Theory And Practice, Matthew Nall

Journal of English Learner Education

Research in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) generally falls within two categories: the cognitive/psycholinguistic camp, and the sociocultural camp (Fazel, 2014). These distinct approaches to empirical research in SLA have diverse epistemologies, methods, and implications for the second language classroom. Scholars within the sociocultural camp have made significant contributions to the field concerning social and emotional learning in the second language classroom. Concerning this, the current paper reviews recent developments in the field of developmental psychology and examines ways in which the new science of child development can inform SLA theory and practice in regard to social and …

Sel For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students, Sophie Cuocci, Rebeca Arndt

Journal of English Learner Education

There is abundant research about the benefits of SEL programs on social and emotional core competencies (e.g., increase in self-esteem, improvement of academic performance); however, general SEL programs are not necessarily designed with the English learners’ (ELs) needs in mind. Aiming at exploring valid and reliable SEL programs that meet the needs of the ELs, the article first examines the theoretical groundwork on which SEL is built upon. Next, this paper will first discuss Piaget’s, Vygotsky’s, and Dörnyei’s theories surrounding the cognitive, emotional, and sociocultural aspects involved in the learning process and language learning. It will then consider the needs …

Social Emotional Learning And Hope Theory Connections: Perceptions Of Teachers And School Counselors In Training, Donita Grissom Ph.D., Viki Kelchner

Journal of English Learner Education

This qualitative survey study explored the interrelationship between hope as defined by Hope Theory (HT) and social emotional learning (SEL). Participants (N=161) were teachers and counselors in training (TCT) learning to work with English learners (ELs) in K-12 settings. Participants' perspectives of hope, strategies and future plans to integrate hope into the classroom were explored. Findings indicated that TCT in training have some knowledge of hope. Participants’ knowledge was limited in applications of hope in the classroom. There is a need for increased training of SEL and HT to prepare TCT to work with ELs and all students …

Social-Emotional Learning In Tesol: What, Why, And How, Luis Javier Pentón Herrera

Journal of English Learner Education

In this article, I advocate for the adoption of SEL in Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) as a promising pedagogy for ESOL educators and ELs. For this, I divide the remainder of the manuscript into four sections in addition to the introduction. In the first section—What is SEL? —I provide a brief theoretical description of SEL as it remains a fairly new concept in the ESOL field. In the second section—Why SEL in TESOL? —I elucidate my position of why we (ESOL educators) should embrace SEL pedagogies in our learning spaces using personal vignettes as support. The …

Blended Learning Showing Gains, Jessica Lynn Becker

Graduate Teacher Education

In light of what is known about how children learn and the use of technology in society, blended learning is proving to be an effective teaching strategy to improve student academic achievement. Blended learning is a combination of digital technology with face-to-face direct instruction. The purpose of blended learning instruction is to combine the benefits of face-to-face direct instruction with the personalization and collaboration of digital technology. Blended learning comes in many different models that meet the many needs of teachers and school districts. It has succeeded in improving student academic achievement in different subject areas by allowing students to …

Community Asset Inquiry: A Model For Esol Teacher Praxis In Family And Community Engagement, Felice Atesoglu Russell, Amanda Richey

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

In this article, we present findings from our qualitative, self-study research on the development and implementation of two course assignments (community asset maps and oral histories) designed to support practicing teachers’ praxis in working with English learner (EL) students within the context of family and community engagement. Providing an example of how English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher praxis might be developed, findings are framed by our Community Asset Inquiry model. This model, grounded in equity literacy and transformative family and community engagement supports teachers’ development of praxis in support of an asset-based approach, deep knowledge of …

Implementing The Siop Model To Support English Language Learners, Pamela T. Chandler

All Theses And Dissertations

Children who are English as a Foreign Language Learners (EFL) and/or English language learners (ELLs) are missing critical content-specific learning. These students are transitioning into mainstream classrooms, lacking basic literacy foundation skills, including vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, phonology, and meaning, which is preventing them from accessing grade-level content. Teachers who are charged with educating English language learners are not always provided with sufficient professional development that will allow them to meet the students’ needs. ELL students need specific instructional strategies that will address their learning needs as well as language development. The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation …

Breaking Silence: The Voices Of Syrian Refugee Children In The Canadian Classroom, Sara Shahbazi, Alyssa Palazzolo, Geri Salinitri

Journal of Global Education and Research

The researchers in the study explored the lived experiences of Syrian refugee students in the Canadian classroom. The participant sample included four students who entered their first year in a South-western Ontario public school as of the 2015-2016 calendar year. Data were collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Analysis of results indicated the District’s growing need for understanding refugee students using a holistic approach, utilizing and building peer relationships for language acquisition, and recognizing the effects of the structure of the learning environment on student experiences.

Black Girls Matter: The Impact Of Historical Representation On Contemporary Education, Carolyn Strong

Dissertations

A long history of misogynoir and negative stereotypes about Black
girls and women can be found throughout the literature and popular
culture of the United States. These stereotypes inform the lived
experience of Black girls and women, and in particular interfere with
African American girls’ ability to thrive in a school environment. An
autoethnographic research approach shows that various strategies, in
particular, Black girl-centric spaces, have proven to be helpful in
supporting Black girls who have to negotiate varying degrees of
hostility in general environments. These could be applied more broadly
to improve Black girls’ mental, psychological, physical, and
educational …

Advocating For Culturally Responsive Practices In The Ib Diploma Programme: Tapping In The Potential Of Acid Tests To Foster Coherence Between The Ib Principles And Teaching Practices, Timizay Ruiz Pineda

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

International education programs, like the one proposed by the IB Organization, offer students across the world education for global, internationally-minded citizens. Nonetheless, the definition and often, the use of these terms are vague and, for the most part, refers to education and practices of Western countries that are Eurocentric in nature. It is necessary to develop coherence between the principles expressed in many international education frameworks and the reality of their practices. For this, it is fundamental that explicit guidance on culturally responsive teaching practices is acknowledged and provided by organizations like the IB. This paper provides theoretical support explaining …

Using Bloom's Taxonomy To Teach College English In China: A Handbook For Educators, Yue Cai

Master's Projects and Capstones

With the modernization and globalization of China, the Chinese need to study and utilize English to be a part of the world. College students are essential to learning English. However, the purpose of college English in China still focuses on the national College English Tests. College students are not able to meet their original goal of learning English.

The purpose of this project is to create some teaching materials that improve students’ motivation and ability to learn English instead of raising exam grades. The project is a handbook which composes two model units based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Each unit contains …

Full-Service Community School Intervention: Case Study Of Somali Parent-School Engagement Within A Rural Midwestern School District, Anne Leland

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

Current research has recognized considerable benefits of parent and family engagement with their children’s schools. However, research shows many systemic and individual barriers to effective parent and family engagement. Located in a rural Minnesota setting, Faribault Public Schools (FPS) has a large population of Somali refugee parents with limited English proficiency. Based on data from FPS, children from these families are falling behind in school. The FPS system has acknowledged the need to enhance engagement with these families to more effectively support their children’s success in school.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, qualitative case study was to characterize Somali …

Black Unrealia: Handbook For Teaching The Structure Of Past Counterfactual Statements, A. Carter

Master's Projects and Capstones

For various reasons, students are attending California community colleges to learn English. Classes taught are usually influenced by models that integrate aspects of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and courses that center on grammar are rarely if ever taught. There has been a resurgence in interest in Form Focused Instruction and strong evidence that grammar instruction combined with Corrective Feedback can produce marked gains in a student’s implicit and explicit knowledge of grammatical forms. This Field Project proposes that by combining Form Focused Instruction with aspects of Communicative Language Teaching such as authentic materials, or realia, instructors can assist learners …

Intergroup Dialogue With High School Participants, Meaghan E. Kachadoorian

Master's Projects and Capstones

Liberatory education facilitates identity expression, promotes empathy and understanding across difference, and builds capacity for recognizing and resisting oppressive social structures. However, many students’ educational experiences lack intentional practices that subvert societal intolerance. Without these practices, education can perpetuate social group divide without empowering students to create social change. The practice of dialogue, specifically critical intergroup dialogue, brings together participants from various social group identities in facilitated conversations in pursuit of social transformation. This project is an exploration of intergroup dialogue with high school students. For the research, I carried out a phenomenological study by co-facilitating a dialogue group with …

Using Sitcoms In Esl/Efl: A Handbook For Using Friends In The Classroom, Elif Konus

Master's Projects and Capstones

English learning has become the most significant objective throughout the world for learners of English as a second language (ESL) and foreign language (EFL). Unfortunately, most learners do not have a chance to learn the language in English-speaking countries. In most ESL and EFL classrooms, teachers have solely adapted their teaching method through textbooks even though there are numerous teaching techniques to support learners’ language process. Considering the fact that we live in an age of constant change of technology in which students’ attention spans have been shortened, students might lack engagement and motivation in learning English through solely textbook-adapted …

Centering Community Voices Through Children's Literature: Co-Authoring An #Ownvoices Picture Book For The Maine Migrant Education Program, Melanie Shelton

Master's Theses

Since its inception, the field of migrant education has been characterized by a tension between honoring the subjectivity of migrant families and positioning them as victims. This same tension exists in the analysis of children’s picture books that depict the daily lives of migrant farmworkers. In response to Eve Tuck’s (2009) call for a moratorium on damage-centered research in the field of education, this report describes the collaboration process between a representative of the Maine Migrant Education Program and a migrant

farmworker and her family to write, illustrate, and present an autobiographical picture book. Las aventuras, travesuras, y peligros del …

Community College Student Organizations And Hispanic Students' Gpa, Retention, And Graduation Rates, Joanne Alvarez

Ed.D. Dissertations

Although the Hispanic population continues to grow throughout the United States, Hispanic students still have some of the lowest college retention and graduation rates. Administrators at post-secondary institutions need evidence for effective strategies to recruit, retain, and graduate Hispanic students. The current study was created to determine if there was a difference in grade point averages (GPA), retention, and graduation rates between two specific groups. The first group consisted of 506 self-identified Hispanic students engaged in at least one community college student organization versus 506 self-identified Hispanic students not engaged in any campus organization. A quantitative study was conducted to …

Impacts Of An International Professional Development Program: A Qualitative Study, Marijn W. T. De Waal

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative study with phenomenological components examined the impacts of a U.S. State Department-funded teacher professional development program, hosted at a liberal-arts university on the east coast of the United States in the spring semester of 2018. An initial review of the public literature revealed that it was challenging to find evaluation data pertaining to this particular program or ones of a similar nature. Through semi-structured synchronous online interviews with five program alumni, the researcher probed if—and if so, how—the professional development (PD) program had made the intended impacts on participants’ (1) teaching methods/curriculum, (2) content knowledge in their personal …

Global Citizenship Education In Homeschooling Practices And Experiences In Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, And Pennsylvania, Bethany Shackelford

Capstone Collection

Global citizenship education (GCED) has moved to the forefront of U.S. education policy. The core tenets of GCED are knowledge, skills, behaviors, actions, attitudes, and values. Through these tenets, GCED strives to prepare students to be contributing members of society through making positive change. In this study, I examined the extent to which GCED was integrated in homeschooling education in eight families located in four Northeastern states, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The findings derived from individual interviews and surveys with homeschooling parents and their adult children as well as document analysis demonstrate that seven of the eight …

Letter From The Editor

Georgia Journal of Literacy

A Letter from the Editor

About The Authors

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Read this to learn more about this issue's authors.

The Downfall: Listening To Non-Urban Communities And Their Language Ideologies, Jessica Sierk, Theresa Catalano

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Increased mobility due to globalization and other geopolitical shifts has changed school demographics worldwide. In the Midwest, much of this new immigrant population is Spanishspeaking and in need of language support. Consequently, schools play an important role in responding to the New Latino Diaspora. In this paper, we describe how unconscious language ideologies inhibited social change that could improve conditions for new student populations in two non-urban high schools in Nebraska (Stockbridge and Springvale, pseudonyms). This critical discourse analysis draws on ethnographic data from a larger study, including participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal language ideologies that use language …