Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Attitudes Of Black Secondary School Teachers Toward School Guidance In The Potchefstroom Area, South Africa, Elias H. Masibi

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Bilingual Developmentally Appropriate Preschool Program, Margarita Clara Lopez

All Graduate Projects

Developmental and learning theories of the twentieth century have influenced the role of the preschool programs in public education. The debate over what is appropriate curriculum for young children is nation wide. The need to have a bilingual summer program that is appropriate to young children in the Granger School District was studied. The result was to design and develop a bilingual summer program that would fit the needs of the preschool aged children. The bilingual summer program was piloted in the Granger, Washington School District.

How Much Does Poor Reading Lower Math Scores?, William (Bill) H. Williams, Sandra P. Clarkson Ph.D

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Notes On Higher Education In The 1990s, Zelda F. Gamson

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article consists of a series of essays written for The Academic Workplace, the newsletter of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education, since 1990. The backdrop for the essays is the increasing inequality in higher education caused by changes in the political economy of higher education, especially in New England. The first essay analyzes the roots of contemporary faculty dissatisfaction with their work lives by tracing the impacts of the expansion of higher education, changes in the student body, and greater government involvement in higher education. Subsequent essays discuss multicultural education, faculty shortages, political correctness, responses to …

Profiles Of Promise: Students With Learning Difference Prepare For Optimal Foreign Language Learning, Ludmilla Coven

Dissertations

Many secondary school counselors discourage students with diagnosed native language deficits from foreign language studies. They hold the unsubstantiated belief that these studies would jeopardize their hard-earned gains in native language learning. Research disproves that position, and some writers advocate foreign language study to improve language learning and enhance cognitive strategies. Improvement occurs more readily when the instructor has the expertise to choose from a repertoire of teaching styles the one most compatible with the learning style of the student. With the full inclusion promised by the regular education initiative becoming a reality, this study explores research, design, and team-teaching …

An Interdisciplinary Multicultural Resource Guide For Middle Schools, Carol Ann Mccombs Drinkwater

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to promote multicultural education within middle school classrooms. My intent was to provide an accessible means by which other educators could incorporate or supplement their current nine month curriculums with diverse multicultural activities for students in grades 6-8. This multicultural guide was developed around an integrated curriculum. The themes or objective areas focused on the curriculum areas of Social Studies, English, Multicultural Awareness and Art. Most of all, this resource guide was developed for the purpose of providing students additional opportunities to recognize and experience differences through a positive interactive approach. This project was …

The Use Of Visuals In Second Language Instruction, Cynthia Denise Flannagan

All Graduate Projects

A project that deveIops an in-service training packet that demonstrates and explains the use of visuals in second language learning, beginning through advanced levels. Packet includes applications for visual usage in the development of writing, reading, speaking and listening skiIls in second language learners. Second language teachers, language art teachers and English as a Second Language instructors could benefit from such a packet.

Effects Of Western Education On Employees' Participation And Job Satisfaction In Saudi Arabian Industries, Abdulrahman Y. Al-Selaim

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what degree Western education and Saudi Arabian employees' degree of participation in quality circle programs influences their job satisfaction. These variables were investigated using a survey administered to 150 Saudi Arabian employees working in the production department of a Saudi Arabian company. The Questionnaire of Participation and Satisfaction (QPS) instrument that was used in this investigation is a 20-item questionnaire; items 1-13 were developed by the researcher, and items 14-20 were developed by Abbas (1985). The questionnaire consisted of three components designed to determine: where employees were educated, as well as …

English Proficiency & Academic Performance Of International Students At A Small Baptist University, Danny Hinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The predictive reliability of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as a predictor of academic success of international students at Belmont University, a small Baptist university, was examined. Data were collected and examined on 168 international students. They were profiled by gender, language background, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score, grade point average achieved, and major area of study.

No significant correlation was found between TOEFL scores and academic achievement as measured by CPA. However, significant correlation was found between major field of study, TOEFL ranges, and gender in relationship to academic success.

TOEFL …

A Comparative Study Of High And Low Achieving Inner-City African-American Sophomore Males’ Expectations Of Self, In-School And Out-Of-School Support, John L. Jackson Sr.

Dissertations

Academic and personal successes and failures of young inner-city African- American males are invariably linked to the dynamics of family life, societal acceptance, economic and political opportunities and participation, and cultural expressions and peculiarities. Additionally, there may be other important factors, such as personal meanings, present and projected insecurities, differing values, hopes, and so forth, which may be highly contributive to determining the extent to which these youngsters perceive their chances of succeeding in the larger society. The implication here is that academic and other life successes are not only depended on individual responsibility and commitment, but also the supportive …

Experience-Based Dialogues In Secondary English-As-A-Second-Language Classrooms, Carlina V. Lobos

All Graduate Projects

An informal study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of experience-based dialogues in the promotion of oral language use in secondary-level English-As-A-Second-Language classrooms. The twenty-one dialogues field-tested in the project were developed interactively, by teacher and students, in the sociocognitive context of each of the learner's background knowledge, experience and immediate communication needs. Experience-based dialogues are a method of language teaching and learning that focuses on the communicative act rather than on isolated or discrete grammatical items. An overview of the results of the informal study was presented here. Strategies for teachers to develop and implement, using this approach, were …

A Research And An Adaptation Of Methodologies To Develop Supplementary Materials And Activities For The Study Of Foreign Language, Melané Mildré

All Graduate Projects

The use of a typical textbook tor the instruction of the first year study of the Spanish language appears to be tedious as well as inadequate in its presentation of grammar drills, vocabulary selection, and its potential of allowing the student to develop fluency in the language. As a result, the writer researched a variety of methodologies currently being employed in the instruction of foreign language. Intending to improve upon the usage of a textbook as well as to add variety to the classroom procedure, the writer then developed or adapted supplementary materials to correlate to the textbook presently being …

The Effects Of Computer Assisted Esl Instruction On Limited English Proficient Students, Raul M. Sanchez

All Graduate Projects

A study was conducted to determine whether computer assisted instruction or the traditional ESL teaching method was more effective in teaching Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, English language proficiency. Twenty-two second grade subjects were separated into two groups at one elementary school in Yakima, Washington. The experimental group received computer assisted ESL instruction, while the control group was instructed with the traditional ESL teaching method. Analysis of the results supported the research hypotheses for one of the three dependent variables. The null hypothesis could not be rejected for a second variable, while for a third variable, a significant difference was …

The Needs And Resources Of Foreign Students At Morehead State University, Bee Lan Ong

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

Applied project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Bee Lan Ong on August 28, 1989.

English As A Second Language: Evaluation Of A Language Program Designed For & Implemented In The Colombian Oil Company's Research Institute, Patience Nave

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An incredible proliferation of knowledge has generated a critical need for professionals in all fields to have access to current information and research results. Costs for study and research are extremely high, particularly in science fields, and most professionals seek to minimize loss in time and funds by avoiding duplication of efforts. Language is often a handicap, preventing the voluntary sharing of valuable information between individuals and countries, and many recognize the establishment of a universal language as a means of eliminating this unnecessary barrier. English is rapidly becoming accepted as a universal means of communication, but those who seek …

The Advantages Of The Shared Reading Experience For Bilingual Elementary Students, Barbara A.T. Franceschini

MA TESOL Collection

The Shared Reading Experience is a method being applied in the Cambridge public school system for bilingual elementary students. The objective of this paper is to discover why this method is effective. Consideration is given to language acquisition factors, reading methodologies, and the psychological and cognitive context of the bilingual child himself. A description of the procedure for presenting within the Shared Book Experience, and an explanation of the rationale for this procedure are contained in this investigation. The subsequent writing that the bilingual children produce finalizes this project. This paper is based on a two-month internship during the Fall …

Handbook For Prospective Esl Teachers To Japan, Linda Veno-Kan

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a handbook for ESL teachers which high­lights problem areas in the Japanese ESL classroom that can affect teaching/learning effectiveness.

The introduction presents my specific teaching situation in Japan. The next section summaries the process which I use in analyzing the problem areas. Following are ten chapters each of which focuses on a problem area.

Each chapter points out both Japanese and American values in conflict and suggests teaching strategies for working with each area.

A Planning Paper Monolingual To Bilingual: The Conceptualization And Transformation Of A Colombian School, Eileen Nancy Whelan

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is the result of the researcher's recent engagement as the Program Coordinator for a monolingual elementary school in Floridablanca, Bucaramanga, Colombia, South America. As the coordinator must design and implement a bilingual program for successful transition, this paper addresses and discusses the conceptualization and preparation needed to make the task possible.

The Migrant Reading Program At San Elizario, Texas; An Examination Of The Activities Of 1986-87, Robert Scott Morris

MA TESOL Collection

To support and give supplementary educational services to migrant workers and their children, Chapter 1 of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 established a fund for the Higher Education System. The purpose of this case study was to describe the activities of the Migrant Reading Program of the San Elizario Texas elementary school from October 1986 to May 1987. Additionally, the author discusses his rationale for each of the lessons, gives an evaluation of the lessons and makes suggestions for improvement of future classes.

Independence In Language Learning: How Can Teachers Encourage It?, Diane Ethel Witters

MA TESOL Collection

This paper documents a teacher's exploration of independence in language learning before, during, and after an eight-week English teaching internship at the Institute Cultural Americana in Orizaba, Mexico. It examines what independence means for language students, and it defines student and teacher responsibilities in a classroom where learners are encouraged to become more self-reliant. Three strategies are outlined for promoting independence in the classroom. These strategies are: increasing communication between student and teacher to ensure that the course is relevant to the student's and teacher's goals, making the student's full range of resources more recognized and used, and having students …

The Subjunctive As An Esl Teaching Tool With Emphasis On The Modal Verbs, Burr Thomas

MA TESOL Collection

Contrary to most analyses, the subjunctive mode plays a major, if sometimes subtle, role in English grammar. Related western European languages have similar subjunctives, and examining the function of the Spanish and the morphology of the German subjunctives helps to illuminate the functions and forms of English.

There are two subjunctive forms in English, Sl and S2. Both have coalsesced with indicative forms, losing much of their saliency, the Sl to a much greater degree. For this reason, the Sl is much less common, surviving primarily in frozen formulations, Imperative Expressions, and as an adjunct to the imperative mode.

The …

The Psychological Issues Involved With Teaching Esl To Incarcerated Hispanic Males In An American Prison System, Sharon Morrison

MA TESOL Collection

On September 4, 1983, I began an ESL teaching position at Southeastern Correctional Center and at Bridgewater State Hospital, both in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The former is a medium security correctional facility which houses approximately 700 men, whose crimes range from murder to auto theft. The latter is a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane which houses approximately 500 men, whose crimes as well range from murder to auto theft. Those men housed at Bridgewater State Hospital are there for one of the following reasons:

1. They are undergoing pre-trial psychiatric evaluation.

2. They have been convicted of a crime …

A Teacher Training Plan For Refugees As Esl Teachers, Estela Libas-Novell

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is addressed to the need of revising a teacher-training plan used in the refugee camp of Vietnamese and Cambodian victims of war. My personal experience in teaching the refugees served as an impetus in making the revised training plan that will seek to answer the following questions:

1. What type of a teacher-training plan can best suit a group of Vietnamese English teachers whose spoken and written English is limited due to lack of contact to the western cultures?

2. What language elements can be infused in the training plan that will help uplift the low sagging morale …

Teaching The Modal Auxiliary Verbs Focusing On Those Used For Suggestion And Advice, Deborah Dewing Dewing

MA TESOL Collection

Modal auxiliary verbs are a neglected group in the lexicon, especially in the EFL classroom. Due to the nature of the nuances they are used to convey, their misuse can cause not just misinformation but also subtle tones that create unpleasant discord in the flow of communication. Modals are easy sources of errors for students of EFL because they follow no readily discernible patterns. Structurally there are six points explained here which can confuse students and cause modals to change their function. There are two main categories of functions: social interaction, which includes advice, suggestion, obligation, social expectation; and logical …

A Series Of Writing Activities For An Intermediate To Advanced Esl Class, John W. Yarrington

MA TESOL Collection

A series of writing activities is proposed for inter­mediate to advanced students of English as a Second Language. The activities constitute a writing course of an intensive ESL program such as the one at Cushing Academy's Summer School, where the author used them.

The activities are organized around four themes: 1) self/personal relationships; 2) education; 3) international/global issues; 4) the future and goal setting. An estimated time allotment for each activity is given. The activities cover 30-35 hours of writing class in a program that includes 130 hours of instruction. The writing course is coordinated with the reading course and …

The Quality Of Public Education In Boston: An Assessment And Some Recommendations, Karen Seashore Louis

Center for Survey Research Publications

Motivation, self-esteem, achievement and the development of tolerance and acceptance of others -- these are the goals that most, like Crain, et al., have come to accept as legitimate objectives of public schooling. Yet, there is substantial opinion that the public schools of Boston have been unable to achieve standards in these areas that are acceptable to the public, the students who occupy the schools, and the professionals who run them. For example, a recent survey of Boston residents' attitudes toward the schools indicates that approximately 3/4 of all respondents -- irrespective of race, or whether there were any school …

A Retrospective-Introspective Look At Second Language Acquisition, Janet R. Zinner

MA TESOL Collection

This is a personal paper in which I discuss my family’s acquisition of French during a two year sabbatical stay in Brussels, Belgium from 1979 to 1981. I discuss the factors influencing our decision to learn French, our respective modes of acquisition, our rates and degrees of proficiency, and then how that second language fared upon our subsequent return to the United States. I also offer a comparison between child and adult second language acquisition based upon our experience as well as discuss certain relevant psycho/social intra-familial dynamics which came into play while there as a result of our individual …

Teaching Communicative Competence To Adult Learners: An Intensive Foreign Language Program In China, Wang Lingjun

MA TESOL Collection

The main purpose of this paper is to explore some feasible ways in which communicative competence can be taught at the Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute in Beijing, China. In the first part of the paper, a portrait of the institute's intensive language program, including its philosophy, a brief history and a description of the students, is provided so that the readers will have some idea why the paper is focused on communicative competence. Language is then described as a communication process involving linguistic, interactional and variational competence. The main part of this paper focuses on some innovative techniques by …

First Language (L1) Interference In Second Language (L2) Learning (Suggested Techniques And Procedures To Aid Spanish Esl Students Overcome First Language Interference), Burnis Lewis

MA TESOL Collection

"First Language (L1) Interference in Second Language (L2) Learning: Suggested Techniques and Procedures to Aid Spanish Speaking ESL Students Overcome First Language Interference;" explores the evolution of the issues in the area of language interference and particularly the first language interference problems of Spanish speaking ESL students. A contrastive analysis is performed examining similarities and differences of Spanish and English. Theoretical predictions are checked out with actual Spanish speakers learning English. Finally, techniques and procedures are suggested to overcome first language interference.

A Personal Guideline For The Use Of Correction In The Classroom, Carol Ann Wilson

MA TESOL Collection

Correction is an important aspect of teaching, one that ESL teachers face daily. At issue is the ability to match the teacher's goals or priorities with what is supposed to be taught or learned, and the specific teaching-learning environment.

The study presents my original definition of correction, the beginning reference point for this work, which is eventually compared to a new definition of correction. The evolution of the new definition is based upon documentation and analysis of five case studies and the systematic generation and development of a model for correction use.

The model is adaptable for use by any …