Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Study Abroad In The Neoliberal Academy: Shifting Geographies, Terri Carney

Terri M. Carney

No abstract provided.

Roundtable – Teaching Human Rights: Challenges And Best Practices, Shayna Plaut, Kristi Kenyon, Joel Pruce, William Simmons

Joel Pruce

Over the past 20 years, courses addressing human rights have grown dramatically at both the undergraduate and graduate levels worldwide. Many of these courses are housed in specific disciplines, focus on specific issues, and require practical experience in the form of internships/practicums. Amid this growth there is a need to reflect on teaching human rights including the challenges, fears, and best practices. Recognizing that education takes place inside and outside a classroom, this roundtable brings together scholars teaching human rights in a variety of settings to examine the current state of university human rights education. This includes a discussion of …

Welcome To Ilead: An Introduction To Intercultural Communication For Intensive English Program Students, Sharon Tjaden-Glass

Sharon Tjaden-Glass

Presentation introduces participants to the rationale, curriculum, and outcomes of the iLEAD intercultural communication program.

Eastern Dreams: Alternative Pathways For Chinese Students Pursuing Baccalaureate Degrees In The United States, Linda Serra Hagedorn, Jiayi Hu

Linda Serra Hagedorn

The number of international students pursuing postsecondary degrees in the United States has increased consistently over the past several years (Institute of International Education 2012, 2013). In fact, the most recent report— for academic year 2012–13—indicates that compared to the previous academic year, the number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities increased by 7.2 percent, to more than 800,000. Students from China lead this global trend, accounting for 28.7 percent of all international postsecondary students in the United States. Moreover, the number of Chinese students studying in the United States continues to increase, as demonstrated by the sharp …

Chinese Parents' Hopes For Their Only Children: A Transition Program Case Study, Jiayi Hu, Linda Serra Hagedorn

Linda Serra Hagedorn

The Challenge of Growth, A significant and increasing number of international students are seeking postsecondary education in the United States. According to the Open Doors report (Institute of International Education (IIE) 2011), over academic year 2010–11, the number of international students at colleges and universities has increased by five percent. There are now 32 percent more international students studying at US colleges and universities than there were just a decade ago, for a total of 764,495 in academic year 2011–12. Although the number of international students is growing in general, China represents a country with extreme growth. According to the …

English Language Education In Honduras_ Opportunity Adventure O.Pdf, Kate E. Kedley

Kate Kedley

Teaching In Northwestern China Under A Market Economy: Opportunities And Challenges, Gulbahar H. Beckett

Gulbahar Beckett

This article discusses a case study that explored the impacts of a market economy on some Northwestern Chinese teachers’ working and living conditions as well as opportunities and challenges the new economy presented from teachers’ perspectives. Analysis of surveys, interviews, and documents revealed that the participants believed they had benefited from the market economy, citing pay raises as well as improved working and living conditions. Participants thought opportunities under the market economy included additional earnings as well as improved national and international professional development. However, the participants found the shift from the traditional teacher-centered pedagogy to a more student-centered approach …

Higher Education Preparation And Decision Making Trends Among International Students, Krishna Bista, Amy Dagley

Krishna Bista

As Different As Night And Day: The Ways Japanese Adult Working Learners In An Eop Program Learn Differently From University Students, Yuko Hijikata-Someya, Robert A. Eckhart

Robert A. Eckhart

The Ohio State University launched a language training program customized for a Japanese company in May, 2014. This program targets approximately 340 Japanese workers transferred from Japan to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Teaching materials are delivered online and we provide digital classrooms so that they could study English wherever they are. In addition to the typical challenge in ESP – matching content with their needs – and the language distance between their L1 Japanese and L2 English, we have many challenges that relate to working adult learners’ perceptions of English learning and their learning styles. This article discusses Japanese …

The Dynamic Ecology Of The Writing Process And Agency: A Corpus-Based Comparative Case Study Of Stancetaking Among Native Speakers And Non-Native Speakers Of English In First-Year Composition Conferences, Kirk Marshall Wilkins

Kirk Marshall Wilkins

While previous research into writing conferences and tutorials has found that sessions with non-native speakers of English (NNSs) differ from those with native speakers of English (NSs), these studies using conversation analysis have tended to approach conferences through more qualitative methodologies. This thesis builds upon and enriches these previous studies by incorporating more of a quantitative analysis through the use of corpus linguistics to systematically analyze the frequency with which particular grammatical devices that express the attitude of the speaker, otherwise known as stance, and power are used and how these frequencies may vary within a specific set of NS …

Confronting The Insider-Outsider Polemic In Conducting Research With Diasporic Communities: Towards A Community-Based Approach, Bruce Collet

Bruce A Collet

Researchers focusing on diasporic contexts face the difficult task of wearing their “academic hats” while at the same time building meaningful relationships with immigrant communities. This is no more apparent (and important) than with “non-community” (i.e. outsider) researchers. Here diasporic communities, having already experienced the trauma of forced migration, must see the academic researcher as one they can trust and who is invested in their long-term well being. In this paper I address methodological and philosophical concerns related to the insider-outsider researcher distinction and to conducting research as an “outsider.” The principle aims of the paper are to critically examine …

Religion, Forced Migration And Schooling: Varying Influences Of Religious Capital Among Iraqi Christian Refugee Students In Jordan And The Usa, Bruce A. Collet

Bruce A Collet

This study is based on focus groups conducted with Christian Iraqi refugee secondary school students in the metropolitan Detroit area, and interviews with staff from volunteer aide agencies, non-governmental organizations, churches, and independent researchers in both Amman, Jordan as well as the Detroit metropolitan area. The article examines varying influences of religious capital among Iraqi Christian students. Examination of the operation of this capital within the context of the two countries’ economic and foreign policy interests including their refugee policies exposes macro-level forces that render religious capital to function in countervailing manners. Iraqi Christian students in both Amman and Detroit …

Sites Of Refuge: Refugees, Religiosity, And Public Schools In The United States, Bruce A. Collet

Bruce A Collet

In this article the author examines public schools in the United States as sites where immigrants and refugees express their religious identities as part of their integration processes. In particular, the author examines the schools as “sites of refuge” for refugee students. Although public schools provide refugees with opportunity for study without regard to race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion (areas of potential persecution under the 1951 UN Convention Regarding the Status of Refugees), owing to their liberal and secular nature they necessarily put constraints on the degree to which students may exercise their …

The Globalizing Labor Market In Education: Teachers As Cultural Ambassadors Or Agents Of Institutional Isomorphism?, Kara D. Brown, E. Doyle Stevick

Kara D. Brown

Institutional isomorphists and other proponents of world culture theory argue that schools around the world are converging in many ways, while anthropologists and others question this conclusion, often arguing that local cultural differences belie superficial similarities. These viewpoints are not merely academic explanations of the spread and apparent convergence of education policies and practices around the world, but are often present in policy and practice. The authors seek both to shed new light on these often-entrenched positions and to refocus the debate by considering the presence and influence of such views in the policies and practices of international teacher exchanges. …

Educational Leadership And Social Justice In The United States, Margaret Grogan

Margaret Grogan

Summary: Principals and superintendents of public schools are under intense pressure to raise the level of student academic achievement. The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandated the reporting of student test scores disaggregated by race, socio-economic status, English language proficiency, and participation in special education. The aim of the legislation was to eliminate the test score gap between middle class white students and under-represented minorities. However, too many recent graduates still demonstrate very weak literacy and numeracy skills. They are not likely to lead fulfilling lives. School leaders have a moral imperative to address this injustice. Research shows that …

Engaging Students In Disaster Relief Training Exercises

Dr. John R. Fisher

It's Not Just About The Money: Motivations For Youth Migration In Rural China, Yilin Chiang, Emily C. Hannum, Grace Kao

Emily C. Hannum

This study investigates the incentives for labor migration of youth in rural China using panel data from the Gansu Survey of Children and Families, a longitudinal study of youth in rural Gansu Province of China. We investigate the individual and altruistic economic motivations featured prominently in demographic and economic research on migration. However, we propose that the non-economic goal of personal development, a motivation suggested in numerous qualitative studies of women migrants in China and elsewhere, is also important, especially for young migrants. Analyzes indicate that, while young men and young women hold different motivations for migration, the desire for …

The Age Factor In Language Acquisition, Ahlam Alfouaim

Ahlam Alfouaim

“She talks very well for her age, doesn’t she?” Acquiring a language is a fascinating process that has always been intriguing for scholars and linguists over the history. Many scholars have successfully attempted to explain the complex process of second language acquisition (SLA). The popular schools of thought including the structuralist /behaviorist position, the nativist position, and the constructivist position introduced some remarkable attempts to analyze this mesmerizing phenomenon. In fact, these different positions aim to explain the nature of second language acquisition but do not necessary stress on the connection between age and language development. In many instances, we …

Teaching Computer-Assisted Translation In The 21st Century, Uwe Muegge

Uwe Muegge

Offering translation technology courses is easier than it ever was: Cloud-based learning management systems and translation management systems offer educational institution the powerful tools they need to prepare future translation and localization professionals for the demands of the 21st century. In the past, instructors teaching translation technology would use a different application for each educational task: One for the distribution of learning materials, another for collaborative learning, and yet another for testing; not to mention separate terminology management, translation memory, machine translation, and project management tools. In a cloud-based translation technology environment, it is possible to reduce the number of …

The High Impact Of Education Abroad: College Students' Engagement In International Experiences And The Development Of Intercultural Competencies, Michael J. Stebleton, Krista M. Soria, Blythe Cherney

Michael J. Stebleton

This multi-institutional study attempts to discover whether different international activities in which students participate yield different outcomes for the development of students’ global and intercultural competencies. The five international travel and study abroad measures analyzed include students’ participation in a university study abroad program; study abroad program affiliated with another college or university; travel abroad for cross-cultural experiences or informal education; travel abroad for a service learning, volunteer, or work experience; and travel abroad for recreation. The research question that guides this inquiry is as follows: controlling for other factors, is participation in these five types of international travel activities …

Getting Real About Globalization And Legal Education: Potential And Perspectives For The U.S., Carole Silver

Carole Silver

This article addresses whether US law schools are preparing their JD students to work in the global environment that many - if not most – law graduates will encounter. It begins by considering the significance of globalization for legal education, drawing on research analyzing its influence on legal practice as well as on higher education. It then explores possible settings and opportunities for learning to work in a global environment. For the vast majority of students whose learning must occur in the US, the presence of international students in their law school offers the potential for creating a global learning …

Language Policy And Education: Space And Place In Multilingual Post-Soviet States, Kara D. Brown

Kara D. Brown

Institutional isomorphists and other proponents of world culture theory argue that schools around the world are converging in many ways, while anthropologists and others question this conclusion, often arguing that local cultural differences belie superficial similarities. These viewpoints are not merely academic explanations of the spread and apparent convergence of education policies and practices around the world, but are often present in policy and practice. The authors seek both to shed new light on these often-entrenched positions and to refocus the debate by considering the presence and influence of such views in the policies and practices of international teacher exchanges. …

Women Of African Descent: Persistence In Completing A Doctorate, Vannetta L. Bailey-Iddrisu

Vannetta L. Bailey-Iddrisu

This study examines the educational persistence of women of African descent (WOAD) in pursuit of a doctorate degree at universities in the southeastern United States. WOAD are women of African ancestry born outside the African continent. These women are heirs to an inner dogged determination and spirit to survive despite all odds (Pulliam, 2003, p. 337).This study used Ellis’s (1997) Three Stages for Graduate Student Development as the conceptual framework to examine the persistent strategies used by these women to persist to the completion of their studies.

Are Teacher Education Programs Failing The Nation’S Urban Schools? A Closer Look At Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Working With Inner-City Students, Servet Celik

Servet Celik

To address the issue of pre-service teachers being under-prepared for work in multicultural and impoverished environments in America’s urban schools, teacher education programs have taken steps to improve diversity-oriented curricula and provide relevant fieldwork experience. However, research indicates that a large proportion of teacher candidates still do not have the necessary skills to deal with students from divergent upbringings. This interpretive study investigated the beliefs of pre-service teachers about urban students and how well their teacher education programs are addressing the issues of working in inner-city schools. The results revealed that, although some progress has been made, a significant gap …

Sociological Perspectives On Ethnicity And Education In China: Views From Chinese And English Literatures, Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, Emily C. Hannum, Chunping Lu

Emily C. Hannum

This paper reviews Chinese- and English-language literature on ethnic minorities and education in China. Six major research topics emerge from the Chinese-language research: (1) Marxism and ethnic minority education; (2) patriotism and national unity in education for ethnic minority students; (3) multicultural education; (4) determinants of ethnic differences in education; (5) school facilities and teacher quality; and (6) preferential / affirmative action policies. Four research themes are identified from the English-language literature: (1) policy overviews; (2) education and ethnic identity; (3) incentives and disincentives for buy-in to the education system; and (4) educational stratification. The majority of quantitative research from …

Assessing And Instilling Hopefulness: A Case Study Of Swazi Youth, Connie Titone Dr., Laura Stefanik, Robert Mcnamara

connie titone

Hopefulness is a critical quality of human beings that provides us with the capacity to set goals and overcome adversity in the pursuit of those goals. Likewise, successful achievement of goals sustains hopefulness. High levels of hope can therefore positively affect a student’s education. The psychologist C.R. Snyder, a leading researcher of hope theory, developed the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS) to assess and analyze the state of hopefulness in children ages 8-17. This study expands on Snyder’s data by analyzing the results of the CHS administered to 38 students at an orphanage in Swaziland. The results presented here show that …

Reclaiming And Re-Visioning Indigenous Voices: The Case Of The Language, Edward Shizha

Edward Shizha

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of teaching science to rural primary school students using a second language (English) in Zimbabwe. The study also investigated the opinions and attitudes of primary school teachers toward teaching science using an indigenous language (chiShona). Qualitative data was collected using twenty classroom observations and interviews with ten purposely selected primary school teachers. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed institutional and attitudinal barriers to using chiShona as a language of instruction in science teaching and learning. The results also showed that some teachers frustrate and silence students’ …

The Arabic Language: A Sociolinguistic Study, Ahlam Alfouaim

Ahlam Alfouaim

It is very true that bilingualism boosts ones’ cognitive skills and increases ones’ executive system. A bilingual brain has the privileges to process languages and, sometimes, code switch unconsciously. Many bilingual speakers including ESL learners focus only on understanding and analyzing the target language, leaving behind understanding and embracing their own native language. The need to make a conscious sense of how we speak our native language, how others speak it, and how it is different or similar to other language varieties, is somehow misinterpreted. In other word, understanding ones’ mother tongue is vital for the progress of acquiring a …

The Critical Language Awareness Impact On Language Variation, Ahlam Alfouaim

Ahlam Alfouaim

The ideology of Critical Language Awareness is an integral part of any successful language education system. This area of specialization has played an important role in the development of sociolinguistics study. CLA expands substantially over a wide range of factors including language acquisition and variety, as well as human identity factors. Before diving into critical language awareness studies and its wide practices, the definition of CLA, according to Fiarcough, includes “how language conventions and language practices are invested with power relations and ideological process which people are often unaware of” (205). That is, language is not only a mean of …

Second Language Acquisition: Selected Topics, Ahlam Alfouaim

Ahlam Alfouaim

The article includes a brief discussion of the following topics: Who is better in learning a second language: Kids or Adults. The nature of mistakes in second language acquisition. The issue of Bilingualism.