Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

The Missing Mirror: A Critical Content Analysis Of Multicultural Children's Literature With Black Male Characters, Wendy Harris

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Education in America is facing many challenges, such as the adoption of common core standards and the demand for highly qualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Further, the achievement gap lingers on, with Black males often performing poorly on national assessments of reading proficiency (Tatum, 2005). Although Black males are highly literate, they may feel alienated from traditional school systems and classroom reading selections (Kirkland, 2013). One of the most effective strategies for teachers to bridge the gap in reading is to inspire Black males to get engaged with their books and read for longer periods of time. However, children are more …

The Vernacular Literacy Practices Of A Newly Literate Moroccan Woman: An Ethnographic Perspective, Reddad Erguig

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper offers a discussion of the literacy practices of a newly literate Moroccan woman. I draw on the social practice theory of literacy and I use ethnographic methods to explore the participant’s life history and offer an account of her family-related literacy practices within the framework of gender studies. In-depth interviews, informal discussion, participant observation, visual ethnography, and documentary photography were employed to collect data over one year. Literacy events were used as the basic unit of analysis and patterns were identified through coding and theme analysis. The findings indicate that the family is a strong impetus for the …

Gjr Volume 42 Number 1 Summer 2019, Lina B. Soares

The Georgia Journal of Reading Archive

The Georgia Journal of Reading's Summer 2019 issue includes:

Message From the Chair by Davetta Grigsby (pg. 4)

Message from the Editor by Lina B. Soares (pg. 5)

Diversity in Literacy Education: How Are Literacy Teacher Educators Preparing Teacher Candidates? by Rebekah E. Piper, Laurie A. Sharp and Roberta D. Raymond (pg.6)

Exploring the Reading Motivation of Less-Motivated Adolescent Latinx English Learners by Robert A. Griffn (pg. 18)

Ready, Set, Grow: Exploring the Readiness and Preparation of Kindergarten Students within a Title 1 School by Morgan Mitchell, Sybil Keesbury and Vicki Luther (pg. 31)

The Reading Comprehension Strategies Of Second Language Learners: A Spanish-English Study, Karen Acosta

Dimensions

This study identified the reading comprehension strategies that English-speaking college students enrolled in beginner, intermediate, and advanced Spanish language classes at a major Midwestern university in the United States used to comprehend a text in their second language. The findings suggest that readers tended to use the same comprehension strategies when approaching a text in their second language, regardless of their proficiency level. However, there was a qualitative difference in how these strategies were used by readers of low, middle, and high proficiency in Spanish. Readers of all levels used their first language when reading in their second language.

An Investigation Of Teacher Practices For The Instruction Of French As A Third Language Among Spanish-Speaking Students, Anna Surin, Victoria Russell, Kelly F. Davidson

Dimensions

World Language (WL) instruction in the U.S. can no longer be aimed toward a monolingual English speaker acquiring a second language (L2). Secondary students who take WL courses may speak a variety of languages, bringing their home language and culture into the classroom. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S. and many Hispanic students are enrolled in Georgia public schools, where this research study took place. However, it is presently unknown to what degree WL teachers are equipped to teach a third language (L3) to students who are bilingual or Heritage speakers of Spanish. The authors …

Leaving Lasting Footprints, Paula Garrett-Rucks

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 54

Instafrench: An Investigation Of Learner Perceptions Of Social Media And Images To Develop L2 Writing, Julie Carver

Dimensions

Social media has quickly become an integral part of day-to-day interaction for many university students. This exploratory study investigated the use of the social media site Instagram for written discussions in three introductory French classes (n= 83). Specifically, student perception on the role of image as a mediational tool (Vygotsky, 1978) to support writing and reading processes was explored. Findings from survey data showed that participants perceived image to play a role in four areas: their preferences for certain writing topics, their choices to engage (or not engage) in discussion with their peers, their reading comprehension, and their writing. Pedagogical …

Teaching Grammatical Terminology: A Content Analysis Of Popular French Textbooks, Alison Clifton

Dimensions

Even in this digital age, as educational technologies are increasingly integrated into teaching and learning, textbooks continue to play a significant role within language classrooms. Many textbooks maintain a traditional approach to presenting grammar, including using grammatical terminology. However, students seem to have little knowledge of these terms, which may make grammar explanations difficult to comprehend. This investigation examines data from eight widely-used beginning-level French textbooks to investigate how grammatical terminology is employed. The findings confirm that grammar explanations in beginning-level French textbooks feature a large number of grammatical terms and many of these terms are not defined. An instructional …

China Through The Lens: Teaching Chinese Language And Culture Through Film, Haning Z. Hughes

Dimensions

Foreign language (FL) acquisition requires not only the development of target language skills, but also a cultural understanding of the region and its people. While this article addresses the development of an advanced Chinese language and culture course using film, the principles illustrated can be adapted for use in other advanced-level FL courses. Teaching language and culture using authentic film materials provides students with a variety of pedagogical learning opportunities. It not only encourages students to immerse themselves in the authentic language and culture of the area, but also motivates them to research the historical, political, and societal aspects of …

Language And Identity: How Music Affects Language And Communication, Hannah Helwig

Emerging Writers

First-place winner in the 2018 Emerging Writers Contest Academic Category. The essay examines the connections between music, language acquisition, and personal identity.

Gjr Volume 41 Number 1 Spring 2018, Lina B. Soares

The Georgia Journal of Reading Archive

The Georgia Journal of Reading's Spring 2018 issue includes:

Letter from the Editor by Lina B. Soares (pg. 4)

President’s Page by Ron Reigner (pg. 5)

Give the Neurological Impress Method Another Chance for One-to-One Fluency Interventions by Melissa M. Mitchell and Dr. Vassiliki Zygouris-Coe (pg. 6)

Building Comprehension through Explicit and Organic Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners by Marisa Gonzalez and Dr. Robert A. Griffn (pg. 13)

Children’s Literature to Develop Awareness and Advocacy for Social Justice by Dr. Katie Kelly and Dr. Lindsay Yearta (pg. 22)

Maximizing Learning: Embedding Phonological Awareness throughout the Day by Dr. Shawnna Helf, …

Who Gets To Play? Issues Of Access And Social Justice In World Language Study In The U.S., Cassandra Glynn, Beth Wassell

Dimensions

In this paper, we draw on the current literature to argue that access to world language study for students from minoritized groups, students from under-resourced schools, and students with disabilities is a significant social justice issue. This inequitable access is exacerbated by three key issues: the devaluation of students’ languages and cultures in schools; the elitist nature of language study; and the one-sided nature of the curriculum. However, in response, we offer four concrete suggestions, at the classroom, school/ district, and policy levels, that can disrupt these historic trends and ensure that all students have access to advanced study of …

Disrupting Standard Practice: Queering The World Language Classroom, James Coda

Dimensions

World language education (WLE) offers students the opportunity to explore the linguistic and cultural identities of the target language. However, critical issues, such as the diverse sexual identities found within the target cultures and of the language learners themselves are often not addressed within the language learning experience. Also implicated are discourse and knowledge/power, which serve to erase certain students’ identities from the curriculum. Queer theory/pedagogy, which resists normal (Jagose, 1996), has much to offer WLE related to addressing heteronormativity. Thus, this article explores the myriad ways in which queer theory/pedagogy could potentially be useful in WLE to challenge normative …

An Interview With Terry A. Osborn, Stacey Margarita Johnson

Dimensions

In this interview with Terry A. Osborn, whose work set the stage for the momentum that is currently building around social justice in language education, Dr. Osborn shares his perspective on the past, present, and future of language education.

Promoting Social Justice Through 21st Century Skills: Thematic Units In The Language Classroom, Begoña Caballero-García

Dimensions

This article demonstrates the ways in which the Spanish curriculum at one private university integrated social justice learning targets guided by the ACTFL 21st Century Skills Map and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in a Living Learning Community (LLC) course called “Social Consciousness and Developing 21st Century Skills.” The LLC interdisciplinary approach combined an intermediate Spanish course with a compulsory one credit course for all first year students. Examples from four thematic units in the Spanish intermediate class illustrate activities intended to foster learners’ social consciousness, empathy, collaboration, diversity appreciation, civic engagement, personal responsibility, and leadership. This article draws …

High-Impact Practices In A Hispanic Linguistics Course: Facilitating Lessons About Linguistic Diversity And Advocacy, Stephanie M. Knouse

Dimensions

This investigation examines how students responded to the content and critical approach in an undergraduate course in Hispanic linguistics titled “Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World.” To enhance learning, students participated in one of two high-impact practices (HIPs)—service-learning or a research investigation—as their final project. On an end-of-course questionnaire both final project groups strongly indicated that they would advocate for and educate others about linguistic diversity. Findings also suggest that both HIPs fostered meaningful connections to the critical topics covered in class. To conclude, recommendations are offered for how K-16 programs might include “linguistics” lessons that emphasize social justice.

Social Justice In Beginning Language Instruction: Interpreting Fairy Tales, Britta Meredith, Mareike Geyer, Manuela Wagner

Dimensions

This chapter bridges theories of social justice (e.g., Osborn, 2006) and intercultural citizenship (e.g. Byram, 2008) to classroom practices in an introductory German course at a research university. By interpreting a fairy tale [Cinderella], 16 university students reflected on issues of gender roles and (in)equality both in historical and current contexts. Several activities in a 75-minute online session are described. In this brief intervention, students demonstrated the ability to contemplate complex, real-life issues such as gender roles and stereotypes using the target language.

Making Visible The Invisible: Social Justice And Inclusion Through The Collaboration Of Museums And Spanish Community-Based Learning Projects, Karina Elizabeth Vázquez, Martha Wright

Dimensions

Concerns about inclusion and social responsibility as conduit for social justice on university campuses offer a platform for interdisciplinary initiatives. Here we focus on one such initiative, which seeks to build community between University of Richmond students and local Latino and Hispanic populations using the University of Richmond Museum collection. Collaborations between museums and Spanish classes, including a community-based learning component (Spanish Community-Based Learning and Museums - SCBLM), provide outreach to the local community and might prompt dialogues about extant social injustices (however overt or subliminal). In these experiential learning projects, the museum serves as a communal resource to embody …

Proficiency: Atl – All The Levels

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 53

Gjr Volume 41 Number 2 Winter 2018, Lina B. Soares

The Georgia Journal of Reading Archive

The Georgia Journal of Reading's Winter 2018 issue includes:

Letter from the Editor by Lina B. Soares (pg. 4)

President’s Page by Davetta Grigsby (pg. 5)

Teaching to the Test from a Parent’s Perspective by Amy Kettle and Melinda Miller (pg. 6)

Reimagining the Traditional Pedagogy of Literacy by Virginie Jackson and Kinsey Shrewsbury (pg. 11)

Engaging Strategies for Developing Reading Competencies by Renee Rice Moran, LaShay Jennings., Stacey J. Fisher and Edward J. Dwyer (pg. 24)

Taming the Beast: How I Took Back Guided Reading by Laura Sandling (pg. 30)

"We Run A Different School Within A School": Educator Perceptions Of Guatemala-Maya Students In A North Georgia Public School System, Anna Tussey

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

In recent years, the social and political persecution of the Maya population throughout Central America has led to an influx of Maya women and children migrating to the United States. The increased population of immigrant children presents new challenges for the United States, especially in public education. Maya people are rarely distinguished from the Latinx population, subsequently causing their linguistic and cultural needs to go unmet and unacknowledged. This project focuses on the education of Guatemalan-Maya students in a North Georgia public school system, framed through interviews with educators. The educators selected for this study worked almost exclusively with elementary, …

Designing L2 Reading Lab Courseware At The Intermediate Level, Concepción B. Godev

Dimensions

Despite increasing attention on literacy-based approaches to foreign language instruction (e.g. Allen & Dupuy, 2013; Barrette, Paesani, & Vinall, 2010; Byrnes, 2005; Kern, 2004; Magnan, Murphy, & Sahakyan, 2014) the communicative approach’s emphasis on oral proficiency continues to shadow reading practices. Although research findings commonly report that extensive reading (pleasure reading) promotes L2 development (Al-Homoud & Schmitt 2009; Day, 2015; Mason & Krashen, 1997), instructors have reported that they do not include these reading practices in the curriculum due to budgetary constraints on reading resources, lack of instructional time, and concern over the complex coordination of reading resources (Macalister, 2010). …

Social Justice In The Language Classroom: A Call To Action, Linwood J. Randolph Jr., Stacey Margarita Johnson

Dimensions

The goals of language education in the United States have always been informed by the social, historical, and political contexts in which the instruction takes place. In this paper, we make the case for social justice education in all language classrooms, and we explore the different threads of scholarship that inform social justice in language education. We begin with the Communities and Cultures standards, and then discuss critical pedagogy and transformative learning. Avenues and opportunities are explored for effective social justice instruction at the lesson planning and course design level, and for professional development. This paper concludes with a call …

The Georgia Seal Of Biliteracy: Exploring The Nexus Of Politics And Language Education, Tim Jansa, Kristina Brezicha

Dimensions

On May 3, 2016, House Bill (HB) 879—the Georgia Seal of Biliteracy—was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal and went into effect on July 1, 2016. Outside of the language education sphere, many educators and policymakers may not fully understand the benefits of studying other languages. Yet, this policy hinges on the utility of simultaneously demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language and an advanced command of English, thus forming the foundation of biliteracy. This article provides an overview of the political landscape in Georgia as it pertains to language education and analyzes how lawmakers translated the issues at hand …

Integrating Leadership And Foreign Language Literary Studies, Sheri Spaine Long, James Rasmussen

Dimensions

This article reports on the integration of leadership studies into upper-level foreign language literature classes in German and Spanish in two undergraduate programs—a military university (USAFA) and a civilian university (UNC Charlotte). Taking into account ACTFL’s 21st Century Skills Map (2011) that includes the goal of leadership and responsibility, the study describes strategies and texts for leadership integration and recommendations for implementation to broaden the curriculum. Instructors from both institutions noted the usefulness of this approach to support language programs that include leadership as course/program/institutional goals as well as stimulating cross-cultural analysis from their exploratory analysis of student responses in …

Learning Styles And Metacognitive Awareness: How They Affect The L2 Listening Process Of At-Risk Students In A Modified Foreign Language Program (Mflp), William Keith Corbitt

Dimensions

Research on the acquisition of foreign languages by at-risk students has primarily focused on the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (Horwitz, 2000). Recently, there has been a growing discussion regarding the effects of learning style rigidity (Castro, 2006; Castro and Peck, 2005; Corbitt, 2011; Sparks, 2006) and metacognitive awareness (Corbitt, 2013) on the acquisition of Spanish by at-risk students in Modified Foreign Language Programs (MFLPs). This pilot study seeks to expand the conversation to include a discussion on foreign language listening. MFLP and non-MFLP participants completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (Vandergrift, Goh, Mareschal, & Tafaghodtari; 2006) and the Learning …

Languages: Your Global Fast Pass

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 52

The Effect Of Pronunciation Instruction On The Perception Of /S/ Aspiration, Christina Agostinelli-Fucile

Dimensions

This study examines whether pronunciation instruction can improve listening comprehension in a second language. At the most basic level, listening comprehension involves the perception of individual sounds and sound contrasts, a process that is known to be related to production, or pronunciation, within the L2 phonological system. As improving listening comprehension has been cited as a reason to teach pronunciation in the L2 classroom (Arteaga, 2000; Brown, 1992; Gilbert, 1995), this study tests whether the positive relationship between pronunciation instruction and perception can be born out empirically using the case of /s/ aspiration in Spanish with native English speaking students.

Spanish↔English Translation Studies: An Adaptable Curricular Model, Michael Scott Doyle, Anton Pujol, Concepción B. Godev

Dimensions

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has long offered undergraduate and graduate programs in Spanish↔English Translating and Translation Studies (TTS). The curriculum is based on a systematic articulation of history, theory, and method for all course work in different translation modes and content domains, and on continuously relating this foundational knowledge to praxis and vice versa. History, theory, method, and praxis are intertwined with the learner outcome goals of developing research skills, resources, and technology-based tools upon which to continue building in order to become effective translators for the long term. The program and curriculum provide an adaptable model …

Teaching Pragmatics With The Mi Vida Loca Video Program, Immaculada Gómez Soler, Errol M. O'Neill

Dimensions

This exploratory study examines the potentially beneficial role of utilizing an interactive video program (BBC’s Mi Vida Loca) in aiding second language learners of Spanish to enhance intercultural competence via pragmatic training. The results of a discourse completion task shows that students who watched MVL significantly improved their performance in a series of tasks that are appropriate for a Spanish context such as ordering food, giving directions, etc., while the control group did not. Based on our findings, we believe that MVL is a tool that would lend itself readily towards fostering their intercultural and pragmatic competence to help students …