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Articles 151 - 180 of 187

Full-Text Articles in Language and Literacy Education

Transitioning From A Monolingual To A Dual Language Program: A Case Study Of An Elementary School, Alex Davies Jan 2018

Transitioning From A Monolingual To A Dual Language Program: A Case Study Of An Elementary School, Alex Davies

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of administrators, teachers, and parents from an elementary school that was in its first year of dual language transition. The majority of past studies conducted on dual language education focused on students' linguistic and academic outcomes (Lindholm-Leary, 2012). Studies investigating dual language schools' planning, policies, and classroom implementation are significantly less, and those that have, were at schools that were already functioning as dual language with the intent to examine what made the school successful (Alanis & Rodriguez, 2008; Freeman, 1996; Hunt, 2011). Through a phenomenological and case study approach, the current study …


Exploration Of Teaching El Students Using The Arts With The Focus On Theatre Arts, Carinita Quintero Jan 2018

Exploration Of Teaching El Students Using The Arts With The Focus On Theatre Arts, Carinita Quintero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education has become a revolutionary field in which constant change and diversification of students in the classroom has sought for much differentiation in lessons and instructions. One of the popular forms for differentiation is that of drama or theatre techniques. Theatre has been used in many forms for fostering education. One of the elements from ESL teacher's experience is using theatre in the English as a Second Language classroom or EL class to aid students in learning English. The study focused on the influence theatre arts components have on students learning English as a second language. I proposed to present …


Lexico-Grammatical Complexity In Eap Student Writing: A Learner Corpus Analysis, Ekaterina Goussakova Jan 2018

Lexico-Grammatical Complexity In Eap Student Writing: A Learner Corpus Analysis, Ekaterina Goussakova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this descriptive linguistic study, the lexico-grammatical complexity of placement and exit English for Academic Purposes (EAP) student writing samples was analyzed using corpus linguistic methods to explore language development as a result of student enrollment in the EAP program. Writing samples were typed, matched, and tagged. A concordance software was used to produce lexical realizations of grammatical features. A comparison was made of normed frequency counts for nine phrasal and clausal features as well as raw frequencies for type to token ratio (TTR), average word length, and word count. In addition, the contribution of variables such as advanced grammar …


Analyses And Comparisons Of Three Lexical Features In Native And Nonnative Academic English Writing, Xiaoli Yu Jan 2018

Analyses And Comparisons Of Three Lexical Features In Native And Nonnative Academic English Writing, Xiaoli Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Built upon the Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis (CIA) framework, this corpus-based research analyzes three lexical features (lexical diversity, lexical sophistication, and cohesion) in native and nonnative English writers' academic writing and examines the potential differences in lexical performance 1) between native and nonnative English writers and 2) across all writers from various language backgrounds. The differences in lexical performance in academic writing between native and nonnative English writers and the unique characteristics of writers from different language backgrounds suggest the necessity of targeted academic writing instruction based upon learner needs. Using text length as the covariate, two Multivariate Analysis of Covariate …


Third Grade Science Teachers' Perspectives On Implementing Sentence Frames And Word Banks During Science Lectures To Increase The Writing Levels Of English Language Learners, Mary-Margaret M. Shimada Jan 2017

Third Grade Science Teachers' Perspectives On Implementing Sentence Frames And Word Banks During Science Lectures To Increase The Writing Levels Of English Language Learners, Mary-Margaret M. Shimada

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Each year, there is an increase of English Language Learners (ELLS) entering today's classrooms. A third grade teacher can be faced with having multiple ELLs in the classroom and still be required to teach them alongside native English speakers. Furthermore, third grade science teachers are also responsible for preparing all students in the classroom to comprehend and utilize scientific academic language based upon the Florida State Standards. Additionally, students are required on the FSA Florida Assessment to write about science content. Therefore, scaffolded instruction for ELLs, which will prepare them to write about science content is critical. This research study …


English Language Arts Preservice And Inservice Teacher's Knowledge About How To Use Etextbooks And Open Educational Resources To Support Students' Comprehension: A Case Study, Lourdes Smith Jan 2017

English Language Arts Preservice And Inservice Teacher's Knowledge About How To Use Etextbooks And Open Educational Resources To Support Students' Comprehension: A Case Study, Lourdes Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this qualitative, descriptive case study was to (a) investigate the knowledge English Language Arts preservice and inservice teachers had about eTextbooks and Open Educational Resources (OERs) and (b) how they planned to use that knowledge to develop their current/future 6-12 grade students' comprehension and content knowledge. Included within the study were specifics regarding how eTextbooks and OERs can be used to support adolescent learners and how online comprehension skills can be developed. Data were analyzed in order to determine themes related to the use and planning for eTextbooks and OERs in the secondary ELA classroom. Data sources …


Developing And Validating The Elementary Literacy Self-Efficacy Survey, Adam Ulenski Jan 2017

Developing And Validating The Elementary Literacy Self-Efficacy Survey, Adam Ulenski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to measure the task-specific self-efficacy beliefs of elementary literacy coaches. In order for this to happen, a synthesis of literature regarding literacy coaching tasks including the International Literacy Association's standards for literacy coaches were used to write several items on the survey. In addition, the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and the researcher's experiences as an elementary literacy coach were used to write other items on the survey. Experts in the field of literacy coaching and self-efficacy provided content validity. Construct validity was established through correlation statistics with …


The Effects Of The Vocabulary Scenario Technique- English Learner Peer Protocol On Ninth Grade English Learners Who Struggle With Literacy, Kimmerly Harrell Jan 2017

The Effects Of The Vocabulary Scenario Technique- English Learner Peer Protocol On Ninth Grade English Learners Who Struggle With Literacy, Kimmerly Harrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent data have shown that only 34% of eighth graders and 37% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency (NAEP, 2015). A total of 21% of Hispanic eighth graders were reading at or above proficiency, and only 25% of Hispanic 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. Of African-American students, 16% of eighth graders and 17% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. In order for adolescents to become successful and productive adults, they need to acquire advanced literacy skills. Many of these demands require an education beyond high school (Rothman, 2012). Concern for English …


Exploring The Trends Between The Reading Attitudes And Habits Of Children And Their Parents At A Community Reading Camp, Darlshawn Patterson Jan 2017

Exploring The Trends Between The Reading Attitudes And Habits Of Children And Their Parents At A Community Reading Camp, Darlshawn Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading attitude plays a vital role in the academic achievement of students. This thesis reports findings from a study of how parents' reading attitudes and habits may influence their children's reading attitudes and habits. Students and parents attending a metropolitan university's Saturday Reading Camp (SRC) in the United States participated in this study. Participants completed a survey that examined participants' reading attitudes and habits. Results from this study showed minor similarities between the reading attitudes of parents and their children. However, there were more significant similarities between the reading habits of parents and their children.


The Frequency Of The Twelve Verb Tenses In History Papers Written By University Native Writers, Bushra Qahtani Jan 2017

The Frequency Of The Twelve Verb Tenses In History Papers Written By University Native Writers, Bushra Qahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the variety and complexity of verb tenses in English, English as a Second Language (ESL) / English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners often experience difficulty in mastering English verb tense system. This corpus-based study was conducted to ascertain the most frequently used verb tenses by English native speakers (NSs), specifically in their academic writing in a history course. As this study aimed to examine the naturally-occurring language produced by NSs, specifically in their academic writing, an original corpus of 101,713 words was assembled. The corpus consisted of 130 research papers written by 65 students. The corpus was …


The Effect Of Speech Elicitation Method On Second Language Phonemic Accuracy, Nicole Carrasquel Jan 2017

The Effect Of Speech Elicitation Method On Second Language Phonemic Accuracy, Nicole Carrasquel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study, a One-Group Posttest-Only Repeated-Measures Design, examined the effect of speech elicitation method on second language (L2) phonemic accuracy of high functional load initial phonemes found in frequently occurring nouns in American English. This effect was further analyzed by including the variable of first language (L1) to determine if L1 moderated any effects found. The data consisted of audio recordings of 61 adult English learners (ELs) enrolled in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at a large, public, post-secondary institution in the United States. Phonemic accuracy was judged by two independent raters as either approximating a standard American …


Exploring Interactions Between Adult English Learners And Their Teachlive Digital Character Peers, Ting Yan Jan 2017

Exploring Interactions Between Adult English Learners And Their Teachlive Digital Character Peers, Ting Yan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peer interaction is an important part of language learning. The results of previous studies showed advantages and disadvantages of peer interaction between native speakers and English learners. Using the educational simulation platform TeachLivE as the interaction platform, this qualitative descriptive case study explored the possibilities of bridging the gap between classroom language practice and real-life second language communication. The study recruited eight participants for a task-based interaction project. Using conversation analysis, the study revealed details in communication between adult English learners and their digital character peers. During the interactions, the participants were actively involved and the most frequent communication patterns …


The Relationship Between Comprehension Of Descriptive And Sequential Expository Texts And Reader Characteristics In Typically Developing Kindergarten Children, Cheran Zadroga Jan 2016

The Relationship Between Comprehension Of Descriptive And Sequential Expository Texts And Reader Characteristics In Typically Developing Kindergarten Children, Cheran Zadroga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have found that children need to be proficient in reading and writing expository text to succeed academically as well as in their future careers. More than ever before, children in primary grade classrooms are being exposed to and expected to comprehend a variety expository text types. However, empirical evidence to support the use of expository texts in kindergarten classrooms, in particular, is sorely lacking. To begin to fill this gap, this study was conducted to investigate kindergarten children's comprehension of two types of expository text structures (i.e., descriptive and sequential) commonly found in kindergarten classrooms. Specifically, the aims of …


A Hermeneutic Study Of Secondary English Language Arts Teacher Candidates' Writing Instruction Experiences In Esol Methods Courses, Paula Bello Jan 2016

A Hermeneutic Study Of Secondary English Language Arts Teacher Candidates' Writing Instruction Experiences In Esol Methods Courses, Paula Bello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this hermeneutic study was to understand, describe and interpret secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teacher candidates'(TC) experiences with writing instruction while attending English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) methods courses. The study included a purposeful convenience sample of 15 (fifteen) secondary ELA teacher candidates' (TC) attending 4 (four) different sections in 2 (two) ESOL methods courses. TCs were invited to participate in inquiry driven activities including written reflections in response to a literacy questionnaire, oral interviews responding to open-ended questions and focus/work groups' discussions, which allowed them to reflect about their past and present literacy and …


The Frequency Of The Passive Voice In Freshman Academic Books, Basma Moreb Jan 2016

The Frequency Of The Passive Voice In Freshman Academic Books, Basma Moreb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of passive voice has long been an area of difficulty for English learners. Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (2015) noted that it is learning when to use the English passive that presents the greatest long-term challenge to ESL/EFL students (p. 352). Because textbooks are a source of language input for English learners, this study investigated the frequency of passive voice verbs in samples from four academic textbooks in courses commonly taken by freshmen. The study also examined whether there are significant differences between the frequencies by textbook. The data was collected from four General Education Plan (GEP) subject textbooks used …


Identifying The Most Common Errors In Saudi University Students' Writing: Does The Prompt Matter?, Amal Barzanji Jan 2016

Identifying The Most Common Errors In Saudi University Students' Writing: Does The Prompt Matter?, Amal Barzanji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the most common writing errors made by undergraduate Saudi students with special focus on the five most common errors. The study also examined whether the type of prompt has an effect on the frequency of these errors. 58 English major students participated in this study, and each student wrote two timed essays. The first one was persuasive and the second one was compare and contrast. In order to analyze the data, the researcher used an error inventory developed by Bushong and Mihai (2012) based on Ferris (2002), which categorized ten types of …


The Lived Experiences Of Elementary Students With Disabilities Self-Advocating Through Speaking And Writing, Lindsey Massengale Jan 2016

The Lived Experiences Of Elementary Students With Disabilities Self-Advocating Through Speaking And Writing, Lindsey Massengale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Writing and self-advocacy skills are important for all students, including individuals with disabilities. Within the K-12 setting, those skills are taught, but emphasis changes as students progress through the grade levels. At the elementary level, writing is more prominent; whereas, in high school, self-advocacy becomes a focus. In this study, the researcher used a phenomenological research design to explore the lived experiences and preferences of elementary students with disabilities and their use of self-advocacy strategies in the inclusive setting, both in writing and speaking. The phenomenon was explored over an eleven-week period in a second grade, inclusive classroom. The conceptual …


Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, And Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System, Hilal Peker Jan 2016

Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, And Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System, Hilal Peker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Factors affecting English learners' (ELs) motivation and identity have been explored in second language (L2) learning contexts; however, research examining L2 motivation and identity under the effect of bullying victimization is rare although ELs are one of the populations that are physically and psychologically affected from bullying. Using a unique perspective by merging L2 motivation, L2 identity, and bullying concepts under social ecological framework, this dissertation study is the first study investigating the relationship between bullying victimization, L2 Motivational Self System, and L2 identity. The data were derived from 1022 ELs through a self-report survey that was adapted and tested …


Using A Mixed-Reality Classroom Environment Including English Learners: The Perceptions Of Teacher Candidates, Nooshan Ashtari Jan 2016

Using A Mixed-Reality Classroom Environment Including English Learners: The Perceptions Of Teacher Candidates, Nooshan Ashtari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological modernization has impacted various fields such as the field of education, teaching, and learning. The traditional classroom and teaching methodologies no longer meet the needs of the new tech-savvy generation. Thus, recently there have been changes in teacher preparation programs in order to prepare teacher candidates to have the skills to respond to such high technological demands. Additionally, the demographics of students attending schools in countries with exceptionally high numbers of immigrants such as the United States is another reason to seek novel ways to prepare teachers who have had adequate practice and developed teaching skills needed to reach …


Comparing The Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge Of Intermediate-Level Students Of Different Native Languages In An Intensive English Program, Anas Alkhofi Jan 2015

Comparing The Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge Of Intermediate-Level Students Of Different Native Languages In An Intensive English Program, Anas Alkhofi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because most–if not all–intensive English programs (IEP) assign students to specific levels based on a placement test that does not involve any form of explicit vocabulary testing, some degree of variation in lexical knowledge of students within an individual class should not be surprising. However, very little research has ever quantified this variation. The current study fills the gap in this important area of TESOL research by investigating vocabulary variation among intermediate-level students at one IEP. Participants (N=79) were split into two main proficiency groups, high intermediate (N=28) and low intermediate (N=51). The 2K, 3K, and 5K levels from the …


Bringing John Green To Schools: Incorporating Young Adult Literature In A Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Emily Adams Jan 2014

Bringing John Green To Schools: Incorporating Young Adult Literature In A Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Emily Adams

HIM 1990-2015

As educators and administrators continue to struggle with the low literacy proficiency rates in this country, a new genre of literature is making its way into the classroom. Young Adult Literature, such as the works of John Green, are becoming a more familiar sight inside the classroom. However, some parents, educators, and members of the school districts are not happy with this new trend. In the last year, alone, young adult books have been challenged hundreds of times in hopes of getting them removed from the classroom and library. I believe that these books need to stay in the schools, …


Problem-Based Learning: Meeting The Common Core State Standards For Grade 9/10 English Language Arts, Michelle Millard May 2013

Problem-Based Learning: Meeting The Common Core State Standards For Grade 9/10 English Language Arts, Michelle Millard

HIM 1990-2015

Each of these four units use the exemplar texts outlined by CCSS and highlight four different genres in Literature: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Drama.; The purpose of this project design Problem- Based Learning (PBL) Units that would meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for a 9/10 grade English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. The CCSS, newly adopted into Florida public schools, were created to provide students with the skills necessary to be successful in both higher education and ultimately, the global economy. PBL has been practiced in some of the country's leading medical schools for decades, and recently, has begun …


Improving Elementary Student Writing Through Mentor Texts And Minilessons Related To The 6+1 Traits Of Writing As Aligned With The Common Core State Standards, Leigh Weiler May 2013

Improving Elementary Student Writing Through Mentor Texts And Minilessons Related To The 6+1 Traits Of Writing As Aligned With The Common Core State Standards, Leigh Weiler

HIM 1990-2015

During the times we live in, writing has become a very important skill for all young students and adults to have. Whether they are taking a standardized test or putting together a resume, basic writing skills are necessary. In this thesis, I will attempt to prove that teaching the six traits of writing with the use of mentor texts is a great, creative way to help students learn the writing process. I will also explore how to align the concept of the six traits of writing with the new Common Core State Standards. This topic is very important when it …


A Comparative Analysis Of Present And Past Participial Adjectives And Their Collocations In The Corpus Of Contemporary American English (Coca), Natalia Reilly Jan 2013

A Comparative Analysis Of Present And Past Participial Adjectives And Their Collocations In The Corpus Of Contemporary American English (Coca), Natalia Reilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ESL grammar books have lists of present and past participial adjectives based on author intuition rather than actual word frequency. In these textbooks, the –ing and –ed participial adjectives derived from transitive verbs of state and emotion are presented in pairs such as interesting/interested, boring/bored, or surprising/surprised. This present study used the Corpus of Contemporary American English http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/ (COCA) to investigate the overall frequency of participial adjectives in use as well as their frequency within certain varieties of contexts. The results have shown that among most frequently used participial adjectives there are not only the participial adjectives derived from transitive …


Teaching English In Iraq:An Analysis Of An Efl Textbook, Sarab Al-Akraa Jan 2013

Teaching English In Iraq:An Analysis Of An Efl Textbook, Sarab Al-Akraa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the fifth- grade beginning English textbook, Iraq Opportunities 3, which was introduced in elementary schools by the Iraqi Ministry of Education in 2012. This mixed methods research aims to analyze the content of a new textbook that is considered to be the foundation of the English language program in Iraq. This is a valuable research project since its findings reveal the strengths and weaknesses of Iraq Opportunities 3 based on three critical components: grammar, vocabulary, and culture. A survey questionnaire was used in this study to elicit the perspectives of English language teachers who are using this …


Expressing Future Time In Spoken Conversational English: A Corpus-Based Analysis Of The Sitcom Friends, Brandon Harris Jan 2013

Expressing Future Time In Spoken Conversational English: A Corpus-Based Analysis Of The Sitcom Friends, Brandon Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Far from being simply will, a survey of English grammar textbooks revealed that a multitude of expressions exists in the English language to express the future time. These expressions include, but are not limited to, will, be going to, the simple present tense, modals, the future perfect tense, and the present progressive tense. With so many choices and with a lack of direct relationship between tense and time, a language learner may certainly have difficulties in choosing which expression to use when attempting to produce a future utterance. A corpus-based approach to analyzing real language has been demonstrated to be …


Parental Beliefs And Attitudes On Enrollment In A Dual Language Program At An Elementary School, Leah Delorenzo Jan 2013

Parental Beliefs And Attitudes On Enrollment In A Dual Language Program At An Elementary School, Leah Delorenzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the 2010-2011 school year, there were almost a quarter of a million English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Florida public schools (Florida Department of Education, 2011), most of whom were placed in mainstream schools with segregated language remediation. Dual language education (DLE) programs offer developmental opportunities in two languages that mainstream schools cannot. The purpose of this research was to identify parental attitudes toward immersion programs and define the reasons that parents enroll their children in DLEs. Sixty participants completed a questionnaire sent home from their student's DLE. The study data included biographical information, statements depicting the reasons for …


Signals The Interplay Between Literacy, Gender, And Semiotics, Patricia Parker Aug 2012

Signals The Interplay Between Literacy, Gender, And Semiotics, Patricia Parker

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study is to examine adult literacy beyond its constraints as a social problem and instead consider the implications of illiteracy as a particular form of lived experience, analogous to women's oppression at large. Through a complex system of meaning making, the knowledge accrued by illiterate adults is qualitatively different, and examining these differences in terms of their correlation to coping mechanisms developed in the face of social alienation and diminished professional prospects yields a greater understanding of class privilege and how nontraditional learners fit into a larger social structure. From the perspective of academic feminism, adult …


L2 Anxiety In Spanish-Speaking Adult Esl Populations: Possible Causes And Cultural Influences, Scott Freiberger Jan 2010

L2 Anxiety In Spanish-Speaking Adult Esl Populations: Possible Causes And Cultural Influences, Scott Freiberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety has been identified as a plausible factor affecting second language (L2) acquisition. However, more research is needed on how anxiety may influence Spanish-speaking adult English as a Second Language (ESL) populations. Determining precisely what causes anxiety in Spanish-speaking adult ESL populations should be of interest not only to L2 researchers but also to ESL instructors who may have adult Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in their classes. This study researched L2 anxiety in Spanish-speaking adult ESL learners. Specifically, it considered possible causes and cultural influences of L2 anxiety in 10 Spanish-speaking adult ESL students at a university English language …


Correct Me If I Am Wrong: Investigating The Preferences In Error Correction Among Adult English Language Learners, Hillary Smith Jan 2010

Correct Me If I Am Wrong: Investigating The Preferences In Error Correction Among Adult English Language Learners, Hillary Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence the educational backgrounds of adult English Language Learners and their preferences in error correction. Fifty participants completed surveys of their educational and demographic backgrounds and beliefs about error correction, and then ranked video clips of different types of error correction in terms of perceived usefulness. The survey examined the affective impact of oral error correction and students' preferences regarding which errors merited correction and when and how these errors should be corrected. Participants with differing educational backgrounds expressed similar beliefs concerning the error correction and similar perceptions of the affective …