Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Supporting Multilingual Learners’ Reading Competence: A Multiple Case Study Of Teachers’ Instruction And Student Learning And Motivation, Melissa A. Gallagher, Jori S. Beck, Erin M. Ramirez, Ana Taboada Barber, Michelle M. Buehl

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Supporting students’ reading competence (i.e., their comprehension and vocabulary) is complex, particularly when working with multilingual learners, and involves implementing instructional practices to support their behavioral engagement in reading as well as their reading motivation. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine changes in multilingual learners’ reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, reading engagement, and reading motivation after participating in a 7-week intervention called United States History for Engaged Reading (USHER) and then examine qualitative data to explain why these changes may have occurred. We found changes in the reading comprehension of MLs across all four teachers’ classes, …

Vocabulary Masks, Kim Hardiman

Journal of English Learner Education

As language instructors, we should teach vocabulary in every lesson. How can we combine L2 vocabulary with active teaching and learning techniques? In the past, language instructors taught EL to write long word lists int their notebooks. Do ELs remember these new words? Is there a better way to teach vocabulary for ELs to practice using them in authentic context? Wearing masks has become a daily activity around the world. ELs can express and share their raw emotions by writing and wearing inspirational words on their masks. Vocabulary masks will ignite salient discussions and reconnect ELs with their emotional journeys …

Using A Smart Phone To Learn Spanish: Does It Work And Will Students Use It?, Andrew J. Demil, Alysha Assaf, Ryan Cragun

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Over time, mobile devices have penetrated the classroom, requiring new and beneficial ways to implement classroom instruction. Research suggests that Short Message Service (SMS) based instruction is an effective tool for acquiring second language (L2) vocabulary and idiom knowledge (Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu,). Additionally, studies have found that students believe that mobile learning (m-learning) is beneficial to acquiring a second language (Cavus & Ibrahim; Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu, 2008). This study examined whether m-learning can lead to Spanish vocabulary familiarity and if sentence comprehension outperforms reading definitions. Participants were 29 native English speakers studying Spanish as a second …

Using Geogebra, Photography, And Vocabulary To Teach Mathematics While Aiding Our Esol Populations, Joseph M. Furner, Noorchaya Yahya

Transformations

This paper shares many important examples of using real world photography and GeoGebra software in teaching math to all students including the ESOL population. ESOL learners can benefit immensely from the use of real-world photography imported into GeoGebra software because new vocabulary and math concepts are concretized. Students are often excited and motivated by photography and technology. Thus, this paper will demonstrate how mathematics teachers can insert photos into GeoGebra Software and then explore math concepts relevant in the photographs, i.e. shapes, symmetry, measurement, fractions, parabolas, etc. By using software and a visual approach to teaching math with photographs, many …

Self-Efficacy And Attitudes For Vocabulary Strategies Among English Learners And Native Speakers, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined university students’ self-efficacy and attitudes for employing vocabulary strategies in four learning contexts. The contexts are characterized by input modality (reading vs. listening) and purpose (academic vs. leisure). Another goal was to compare the self-efficacy and attitudes between English learners (ELs) and native speakers. A total of 112 participants responded to four short scenarios by rating their self-efficacy and attitudes toward employing vocabulary strategies under each scenario. Among the results, students reported higher self-efficacy using morphological analysis and dictionary use when reading, and higher self-efficacy to seek help when learning for academic purpose. There were no differences …

Improving Literacy Outcomes For Adolescent English Language Learners, Grace Diaz-Peterson

Graduate Teacher Education

As the population of English Language Learners in United States public schools has risen significantly in recent years, the unique academic challenges these students faced, particularly in middle and high school, became more apparent. A widening reading and vocabulary gap between English Language Learners and their native English-speaking peers posed particular barriers in secondary content area classes, where many teachers reported feeling ill-prepared to meet the specialized linguistic needs of their English Language Learner students. This paper analyzed a mix of recent, available qualitative and quantitative research on best practices to improve literacy outcomes for adolescent English Language Learners. As …

An Investigation Of On Our Way To English®, A Reading Program For English Learners In A Rural Western Region North Carolina Public School District, Regina King

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined how a literacy program, On Our Way to English® (OWE), for English Learners (ELs) was implemented in one North Carolina public school district. The program contained the elements of phonics, vocabulary, reading, and writing instruction. The researcher collected documents from participants as well as conducted observations of teachers implementing the program with ELs while taking field notes. The data collected were analyzed to determine how competent the participants felt in implementing the program with EL students and how it impacted their academic success. The participants’ strengths were with using the vocabulary and writing instruction provided by the …

Promoting Student Success: Bilingual Education Best Practices And Research Flaws, Lillian Fassero

Senior Honors Theses

This paper first determines the benefits which bilingual education offers and then compares transitional, dual-language, and heritage language maintenance programs. After exploring the outcomes, contexts, and practical implications of the various bilingual programs, this paper explores the oversight in most bilingual studies, which assess students’ syntax and semantics while neglecting their understanding of pragmatics and discourse structures (Maxwell-Reid, 2011). Incorporating information from recent studies which question traditional understandings of bilingualism and argue that biliteracy requires more than grammatical and vocabulary instruction, this paper proposes modifications in current research strategies and suggests best practices for transitional, dual-language, and heritage maintenance programs.

The Effects Of Sign Language On Second Language Acquisition, Itzel Mejia-Menendez

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined the effects of sign language on the ability of primary students to learn new Spanish vocabulary in a bilingual Montessori classroom. The research took place at a public charter Montessori school in Washington, District of Columbia. Twenty-seven primary school aged children were included in this seven-week study. Sources of data collection included a parent-teacher questionnaire, a baseline assessment, daily observation logs, a daily checklist, a weekly journal, and a summative assessment. Students were grouped by Spanish fluency and taught eight different vocabulary words in Spanish. Half of the words were taught alongside a sign in …

The Effect Of A Self-Regulated Vocabulary Intervention On Word Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, And Self-Regulated Learning For Elementary English Language Learners, Qizhen Deng

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

English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing population in U.S. public schools. Research reports from the past two decades suggest a persistent reading underachievement for ELLs. Academic vocabulary knowledge, due to its frequent use in academic texts, contributes significantly to ELL children’s English language development, reading comprehension, and general academic achievement. However, a gap of vocabulary knowledge exists between ELLs and their mainstream peers. One potential approach to address this issue is to help ELLs become mastery independent and proactive word learners. This study examined the effect of a researcher-led self-regulated vocabulary intervention on word knowledge, reading comprehension, and self-regulated …

English-Spanish Cognates In The Charlotte Zolotow Award Picture Books: Vocabulary, Morphology, And Orthography Lessons For Latino Ells, José A. Montelongo, Anita C. Hernández, Roberta J. Herter

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

English-Spanish cognates are words that are orthographically and semantically identical or nearly identical in English and Spanish as a result of a common etymology. Because of the similarities in the two languages, Spanish-dominant Latino English Language Learners (ELLs) can be taught to recognize English cognates thereby increasing their bilingualism and bi-literacy for these two languages.

There are over 20,000 English-Spanish cognates, many of the academic vocabulary words. Despite their vast educational potential, however, cognates are typically excluded as a word category in the language arts curriculum, thus denying Latino ELLs of a resource for acquiring English-Spanish bilingualism and bi-literacy.

English-Spanish …

Effective Practices For Developing Academic Language And Writing Skills In English Language Learners In The Elementary School Setting, Jenna N. Emadzadeh

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

With an increased population of English Language Learners (ELLs), educators are in need of programs and strategies that help their students learn academic content while learning to understand, speak, read, and write English (Duessen, Autio, Roccegrandi & Hanita, 2014). ELLs face several obstacles while learning in an elementary school classroom.

Studies have shown the positive effects of word analysis and vocabulary learning strategies on student achievement (Carlo, August, McLaughlin, Snow, Dressler, Lippman, Lively & White, 2004). Project GLAD is a model of professional development in the area of language acquisition and literacy that focuses on such instruction. According to Echevarria …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Instructional Practices Of General Education Teachers For English Language Learners, Cynthia Delozier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study was designed to describe general education elementary teachers' perceptions of effective instructional strategies, methods, and models of instruction to enhance the learning of core content curriculum of the English Language Learners (ELLs) in the classroom. Through questionnaires and interviews, data was collected that described general education elementary teachers' perceptions regarding the need for instructional strategies, methods, and models to assist ELL students in learning. Challenges, frustrations, and successes were reported as teachers reflected on the process in which they make the decisions to use particular instructional strategies, methods, and models. The results of this study …

Opening The Classroom Door To Vocabulary Learning, Karl Finseth

MA TESOL Collection

This paper details my effort to focus my attention on the learning of my students and to help each student see his or her own learning. Limiting the focus of my study to vocabulary learning, I describe my attempt to develop activities which would help students learn new words in the classroom and, subsequently, to appreciate this learning for themselves. I explain how, after a rather troubling start, I turned to a combination of literature research, classroom experimentation, reflective writing, and student feedback in order to learn how to facilitate my students’ vocabulary learning. Following a description of my findings, …

Practice In English And Orientation To Brattleboro And Vermont: Classroom And Resource Materials Prepared For The English Language Department At The School For International Training, Elizabeth Van Horn

MA TESOL Collection

This project consists of a collection of classroom and resource materials designed for use by ESL teachers at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont; it is expected that some of these materials will also be used by the Student Advisor at S.I.T. Most lessons consist of information about a particular topic or a poem or story (all having to do with Brattleboro or Vermont), usually followed by a "Study Guide" consisting of a list of vocabulary and suggested questions for discussion and activities. Most information is written for intermediate and advanced students; for beginning students the teacher can use …

Teaching English As A Foreign Language To Younger Japanese Children, Viviane D. Fleischer

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

The Foreign Professional Institute Of Language Instruction As A Prospective Place Of Employment: Berlitz As A Focal Case Study: Boon Or Brothel, Paul E. Soroken

MA TESOL Collection

Do foreign professional institutes of language instruction offer a viable prospect of employment for the trained ESL teacher? Taking Berlitz as a focal example, many of the more salient features of this organization have been pointed out and additional comments added where attributes of other institutes with which the author is acquainted vary.

Certainly these institutes show some variance but many attributes remain stable. The prospective employee is urged to know well exactly which aspects pointed out in this paper exist in the particular institute he is considering.

Realia, Mouldi Hadiji

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

The Hierarchy Of Vocabularies In The Study Of Foreign Languages, Manju Bhushan

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.