Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Factors Which Affect The Attitudes Of Teachers Of English Language Learners Enrolled In Mainstream Classrooms, Gail Ingrid Hirschfield

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Increased immigration to the United States over the past fifty years has led to a dramatic increase in enrollment of language minority students in schools throughout the United States. Federal and state laws mandate that public schools accommodate the unique needs of these linguistically and culturally diverse students. English language learners (ELLS) require academic and affective support from their teachers when they are included in mainstream classrooms.

Teachers' attitudes toward their students have been shown to be a predictor of student success. Teachers with positive attitudes are more likely to have received training and are also able to modify their …

Teaching Mathematics In Multilingual Classrooms, Anjum Halai

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

We Talk Too Much: Quantitative And Qualitative Aspects Of Teacher Talk, Lynn Corwin

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is one teacher’s exploration of teacher talking time. As a language teacher the author understands that teacher talk is an essential tool of the trade and critical to the language learning process. However, she recognized that talking too much could be a problem. This paper describes the journey the author took to understand how and when to talk in the classroom. The author provides reasons and examples of why teacher silence can sometimes be more effective than talking. Throughout the paper, she focuses on the power of silence in the classroom when the teacher values it and when …

Standardized Or Sterilized? Divergent Perspectives On The Effects Of High-Stakes Testing In West Texas, Elaine Hampton

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Aiding Non-Reading Spanish Speaking Adults With Worksource Orientation And Usage Through Low-Level Spanish Reading Workshops, Amy Claussen

All Graduate Projects

The goal of this project is to teach adult Hispanic low-level readers to utilize the Worksource of Kittitas County and to improve their reading in their language of origin. Research shows that the transfer of knowledge from the primary language to a new second language is not possible without mastery in the primary language first.

Comparison Of Grade Point Average Of Honor Senior Students And College Of Liberal Arts Senior Students At A Florida University, Iwasan D. Kejawa

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

Attrition rates in theHonor College program division of Florida Atlantic University have risen in recent years. It has been determined that even though a higher high school grade point average is required for admission into the honor program of the university, many applicants to the program were under-prepared to asumme the workload demanded of the students by the Honor College. The requirements for admission into the honor program of the Florida Atlantic University is an overall high school grade point average of 3.5 and a score of 1000 points on the SAT examination while the requirement into the College of …

Latino Students In Chelsea: An Educational Profile, Lorna Rivera

Gastón Institute Publications

With financial support from the National Council of La Raza, the Gastón Institute is developing "Educational Profiles" for the sixteen Massachusetts public school districts with the highest Latino student enrollments: Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Worcester, Holyoke, Lowell, Lynn, Chelsea, New Bedford, Brockton, Fitchburg, Salem, Chicopee, Framingham, Haverhill, and Somerville. The profiles present basic data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Education including information on student enrollment, MCAS results, dropout rates, and student aspirations. We hope this information will be used by Latino students, parents, educators, and policy-makers to make informed decisions and improve public education for Latino students in Massachusetts.

The Principal's Role In Promoting Success For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: A Participatory Research Study, Maria Norma Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations

We need to understand more fully what facilitates success in schools with diverse populations. Through participatory research, the voices of school principals who are responsive to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students were recorded and analyzed to provide insights on the practices that promote the school success of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Using a dialogic retrospective, the participants had the opportunity to engage, individually and collectively, in reflection and dialogue to identify common themes that emerged in their important work as school leaders and as advocates for diverse students.

Latino Students In Springfield: An Educational Profile, Lorna Rivera

Gastón Institute Publications

With financial support from the National Council of La Raza, the Gastón Institute is developing "Educational Profiles" for the sixteen Massachusetts public school districts with the highest Latino student enrollments: Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Worcester, Holyoke, Lowell, Lynn, Chelsea, New Bedford, Brockton, Fitchburg, Salem, Chicopee, Framingham, Haverhill, and Somerville. The profiles present basic data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Education including information on student enrollment, MCAS results, dropout rates, and student aspirations. We hope this information will be used by Latino students, parents, educators, and policy-makers to make informed decisions and improve public education for Latino students in Massachusetts.

Learning The Chinese Language In An Australian School, Ruilan Yuan

Shannon Research Press

This study deals with the learning of Chinese as a foreign language across school grades in South Australia. The purposes of the study are briefly to measure student achievement in learning the Chinese language across grade levels from Year 4 to Year 12 over a period of 12 months; investigate the factors that influence learners' continuing with the study of the Chinese language; and identify the factors that influence student achievement in learning the Chinese language within and between school grades. The term 'Chinese language' in this study refers to the Mandarin Chinese language, rather than the many other dialects …

High-Stakes Tests Require High-Stakes Pedagogy, Randy Lattimore

Trotter Review

High-stakes mathematics tests continue to gain popularity in the United States, with an increasing number of states setting the passing of such tests as a high school graduation requirement. Consequently, instruction and instructional content have changed, with teachers emphasizing materials on the test while neglecting other important aspects of learning. The tests have become all-consuming, taking over many students' lives. Yet students are often ill prepared for these tests. This is even more true for African-American students whose cultural and social circumstances make their preparation for high-stakes tests inadequate and ineffective. The author examines six such students - their hopes …

Why Makik Can "Do" Math: Race And Status In Integrated Classrooms, Jacqueline Leonard, Scott Jackson Dantley

Trotter Review

This case study reports on the small group interactions and achievements of Malik, an African American sixth grader, who attended a Maryland elementary school in 1997. Student achievement was measured by the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test (MFMT-I), which was given on a pre/post basis. Students' scores on the MFMT-I were analyzed using the ANOVA. The analysis revealed a significant difference (F = 3-330, p < .05) between the scores of Caucasian (M = 342.12) and African American students (M = 323-56). However, Malik's MFMT-I score rose from 293 to 353. A passing score is 340. This study examines Malik's interactions to ascertain what factors influenced his achievement. The findings are that Malik had a positive attitude about mathematics and a strong command of mathematical and scientific language. Recommendations are that teachers become cultural brokers to help all children learn the "language" of mathematics and encourage all students to become self-advocates to overcome negative social dynamics in small groups.

Promoting Literacy Through Literature And Content-Based Radings In The Secondary English-As-A-Second-Language Classroom In Conjunction With The In Contact 1 Curriculum: A Handbook For Educators, Tanya Lynn Adamson

All Graduate Projects

The use of literature and content-based readings in the secondary ESL classroom was researched. The research suggests that providing second language learners with meaningful readings that provide for comprehensible input will build schema and background knowledge that will help them to be successful in their content area classes. A handbook for educators was created to supplement the existing curriculum, as well as to show readers that this type of supplemental reading handbook can be created by anyone to be used with any type of ESL curriculum. This handbook contains both literature and content-based resources that coincide with the themes and …

Latino Students In Lawrence: An Educational Profile, Lorna Rivera

Gastón Institute Publications

With financial support from the National Council of La Raza, the Gastón Institute is developing "Educational Profiles" for the sixteen Massachusetts public school districts with the highest Latino student enrollments: Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Worcester, Holyoke, Lowell, Lynn, Chelsea, New Bedford, Brockton, Fitchburg, Salem, Chicopee, Framingham, Haverhill, and Somerville. The profiles present basic data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Education including information on student enrollment, MCAS results, dropout rates, and student aspirations. We hope this information will be used by Latino students, parents, educators, and policy-makers to make informed decisions and improve public education for Latino students in Massachusetts.

Latino Students In Boston: An Educational Profile, Miren Uriarte

Gastón Institute Publications

Having an impact on public policy requires that groups and communities be able to understand and manage information. But it is often the case that data and information that can be useful to community action is not accessible or understandable. Since 1992, when the 1990 census data became available, the Gastón Institute has developed data profiles of each city and town with significant Latino population in an effort to bridge this important aspect of the information gap facing Latino communities in the state. The feedback from community leaders and organizations about these data profiles led us to use a similar …

Access To Educational Opportunities For Latino Students In Four Massachusetts School Districts, Carole C. Upshur, Rodolfo R. Vega, Natalie Carithers, Charles Jones, Dale Lucy-Allen, Tatjana Meschede, Charles Ndungu

Gastón Institute Publications

This report was prompted by the pressing concerns over the high failure rates of Latino students on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam. While 27% of White students failed the English portion of the MCAS test and 38% failed the Mathematics portion in 2000, the corresponding rates for Latino students were 66% and 79% respectively (Massachusetts Department of Education, 2000a). There is a great urgency to understand why Latino students score substantially behind students from other racial/ethnic groups. This urgency stems from the reality that students currently enrolled in the 10th grade will be required to pass this exam …

A Resource Guide For Bridging The Cultural Gap Between Hispanic Parents And Their Children's Teachers In An Elementary School Setting, Shawna D. Greene

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to increase the involvement of Hispanic parents to result in higher student achievement in the elementary school. Research on cultural barriers of Hispanic parent involvement and the programs that schools have implemented to overcome cultural barriers was examined. A resource guide for elementary school teachers was developed in order to help teachers find ways to overcome the cultural barriers of parent involvement in schools.

Cultural Awareness Activities For Teachers, Martin F. Wittman

All Graduate Projects

We live and grow in an increasingly diverse society, and it is as important for school age students to understand people who are different, as it is for them to understand math or science. The purpose ofthis project was to develop a variety of cultural awareness activities for use by K-12 teachers in the Bethel School District in the State of Washington. All activities were aligned with the tools and concepts of Bethel's employee cultural awareness model and presented in the form of a handbook. The intent of the handbook was to provide a format for teachers which could be …

Counting Quality, John Strassburger

Publications

This is the fifth in a series of occasional papers about the challenges confronting students and what Ursinus is doing to help them enter adult life.

An Intercultural Play, Donna Lee Mcclung

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to write a play that could be used as a teaching tool for addressing multicultural issues in educational curricula. The literature review suggests that dramatic activities can be effective teaching strategies to address multicultural and diversity issues. The one-act play, Irene, is set in a middle-class American neighborhood and focuses on the conflict within a broken home.

The Relationship Between Selected Environmental Variables And Attrition, Persistence, And Academic Success Of Majority And Minority College Students, Carole J. Woolford-Hunt

Dissertations

Research indicates that college student persistence, attrition, and success is related to the student’s ability to gain academic and social integration into the university community. This theory has guided researchers to explore either the academic or social factors that promote integration. Under the umbrella of social integration exists the underresearched category of environmental factors.

The overall purpose of this study was to identify selected environmental factors that affect minority and majority students’ persistence and success rates in a Midwestern state-run university. The environmental variables of size of college within a larger university, residential versus nonresidential nature of colleges within a …

A Comparative Study Of The Language Assessment Battery, The Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey And The Portfolio Assessment Results Of Language Learners, Louise Langlois Chaker

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Elements Of A Successful Transitional Bilingual Program, Phillip J. Vasquez

All Graduate Projects

The issues related to bilingualism, and more specifically, to bilingual education have become part of the national rhetoric in the news media recently. Of primary concern is the question of whether bilingual education helps or hinders second language acquisition. This project focuses on the issue of bilingual education as an additive in second language acquisition in order to identify the most effective components of the bilingual education programs. The results of this project are compiled into a teachers handbook for meeting the challenge of effectively teaching the language minority student.

An Intergenerational Literacy Project For Migrant Families, Sandra E. Harmening, Amy C. Kiesz

All Graduate Projects

The relationship between student achievement and parental involvement was reviewed and found to be significant. A model project was developed to include seven migrant families intergenerationally within the context of the classroom. The purpose was to enhance the relationship between students and parents/guardians and between these low literacy families and the school institution. The result was projected to be a better understanding of each family's heritage, an increase in volunteerism at the school site, more interest in school work and accomplishment, and the possible residual effect of parental desire to improve their literacy skills.

A Case Study Of Twelve Japanese Esl Students' Use Of Interaction Modifications, Darin Dooley

Dissertations and Theses

This case study examines Japanese ESL students' use of interaction modifications in a content based course. Twelve female subjects were observed and recorded during a nine week period. Their use of interaction modifications (clarification requests, confirmation checks, and comprehension checks) and responses to interaction modifications (single word, full or partial repetition, or reformulation), during teacher-fronted and small group situations, were recorded and coded using the COLT observation instrument.

The study found that the subjects used clarification requests over four times more often in small group or pair-work situations than in teacher-fronted classes. Also, the subjects used confirmation checks over five …

Bilingual Language Arts Posters For The Classroom: A Reflection Of The Students' Culture And Needs, Mary Beth Doerr, Andrea Muñoz

All Graduate Projects

This project was designed to meet the needs of classrooms that are currently bilingual in some capacity and finding that current monolingual visual aids are not reaching all students. Bilingual visual aids in the form of posters will be created in order to meet those needs for the Spanish speaking population prevalent in the local schools. This paper describes the process of research and design for those visual aids.

A Case Study Of Academic Achievement Of African American Males, Loistean Mason

Dissertations

Several areas are often identified as barriers to the academic achievement of African American males. They include racial inequality, segregation between schools, segregation within schools, cultural insensitivity to learning styles, the theory of cultural deprivation, teacher/student interaction, and the discipline of African American students. The study was conducted in a Midwestern school with a predominantly African American student body and faculty at the end of the final grading period before graduation. This study of 12th-grade males sought to determine if the climate of an African American high school with African American administrators and faculty would enhance the achievement of African …

A Study Of Why Some Learners Are More Successful Than Others At Acquiring A Second Language: The Roles Of Personality, Attitude & Motivation, Azah Yusof

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to convey and to support my belief that learners' affective domain, which consist of their personalities, attitudes, and motivation are responsible for causing the variation in the levels of second language proficiency of second language learners. My concern is to point out or support others who believe that second language learners are not machines that are able and willing to be programmed; they have feelings and attitudes which in turn govern their personalities and motivation. I also believe that the main focus of second language teaching should be on the "persons" learning the language, …

Evaluation Of A Home-School-Community Liaison Scheme In Irish Elementary Schools, Sandra Ryan

Dissertations

This dissertation describes an evaluation of a Home-School-Community Liaison scheme in Irish elementary schools. The scheme represented an effort to combat educational failure in areas suffering from social and economic disadvantage associated with poor quality housing, high levels of unemployment, dependence on state aid, and crime. The central aim of the scheme was to increase parents' involvement in their children's education. The evaluation study examined how programs in the scheme were constructed and implemented over a three-year period and monitored specified outcomes of program activity. Methodology included questionnaires, interviews, site visits and observations, and standardized achievement testing.

The scheme generated …

Adolescent Students At Risk: The Roles Of Stress, Distress, And Coping, Jennifer Massicotte

Dissertations

Male and female adolescents who reported recent suspension/ threats of suspension or academic failure were compared to male and female adolescents who did not report these two variables of dropping out on three measures--the discrete negative uncontrollable events experienced (LEQ-A, Garmezy, Masten, & Tellegen [1985]), the level of distress (GHQ-30, Goldberg [1972]), and the types of coping skills used (A-COPE, Patterson & McCubbin [1983]). Native and non-Native at risk for suspension and academic failure rates were also compared using archival data from a community mental health survey of 714 adolescents (36 Native) attending high school in Northern Ontario.

Native adolescents …