Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

English 890: Advanced Research Methods, A First Benchmark Portfolio, Janel Simons

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this benchmark portfolio, I reflect on course design and student learning in a course I teach for incoming Master's students in the English department, ENGL 890: Advanced Research Methods. ENGL 890 is a mini-session course intended to introduce students to various aspects of managing graduate-level research within the discipline of English studies. In this portfolio, I discuss the learning outcomes and goals for the course, highlight some of the assessments I use, reflect on student learning throughout the course, and articulate changes that might improve student learning in future iterations of the course. Given the overarching goals of this …

Writing Instructors’ Intentional Integration Of The Information Literacy Framework, Catherine Fraser Riehle, Erica Defrain, Deborah Minter, Janel Simons

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

This article presents an exploratory study that examines how 11 first-year writing instructors’ conceptualizations of information literacy evolved over the course of their participation in an inquiry group co-developed and co-facilitated by the Libraries’ teaching faculty and the Director of Composition & Rhetoric at a public university in the United States. The authors developed a coding schema to identify the presence of information literacy-related themes and practices in pre- and post-program course syllabi and in reflective pieces submitted by instructors. The findings revealed that instructors’ use and applications of the ACRL Framework increased after the program, showing greater personal engagement …

Fashion Around The Francophone World: A 20-Unit Lesson Plan For Teaching Students 7-12 How To Discuss Clothing In French, Justin Solheim

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper is the directions for a high school French world language curriculum at the novice-low level. The curriculum covers 20 class periods, or four weeks, and it uses a variety of pedagogical techniques and technologies to help students quickly learn and retain French vocabulary and grammar. Each class period is 40 minutes. The lessons use a variety of assessments and feedback to help students improve and allow the teachers to monitor student achievement. The following lessons focus on forming basic sentences and practicing the basics of subject-verb agreement, while teaching the vocabulary for different types of clothing in the …

Ecuadorian English Teachers’ Perspectives On Their Professional Development, Consuelo Marisol Gallardo

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Professional development (PD) plays an important role in one’s ability to perform at a high level in a job (Mizell, 2010). As such, an increased emphasis on ongoing and varied PD opportunities to support educator’s professional growth has been described as an effective approach since it pays direct dividends for teachers’ self-efficacy and prepares them to help students surpass basic academic standards (Anderson, 2018; Borg, 2018; Tanveer et al., 2021).

However, PD opportunities for English teachers, who work at Ecuadorian public high schools (grades 8-13), have not been fully explored, so it has been difficult to seek and achieve this …

An Illuminative Evaluation Of Two Models Of Reading Intervention Used In Middle Schools, Tachier M. Rezac

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Intervention research often investigates the curriculum or methods used to support learners, while less attention is given to the model of those interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two models of reading intervention, and to better understand how they are serving middle school students. Working from a critical pragmatic lens, I employed illuminative evaluation methods to investigate three research questions: (a) What are the demographic profiles of students enrolled in reading intervention in grades seven and eight; (b) What are the differences in gains for students enrolled in the traditional intervention and reading lab …

The Bilingual Literacy Development Model: A Holistic Way To Support Spanish-Speaking Children, Stephanie Wessels

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In the Bilingual Literacy Development Model: A holistic way to support Spanish-speaking children research study, I studied bilingual families over a 5-month period in their home environments through home visits. Drawing from data obtained through home visits, including interviews with mothers and observations of family literacy practices in the home environment, this study examines children’s bilingual literacy development. The findings are presented in an adapted Bilingual Literacy Development Model I created. The model was adapted from the work of researchers Leseman and de Jong (1998) and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system (1977, 1995), from which four facets were developed: literacy and …

Services Provided To Aging Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: Survey Of Speech Language Pathologists, Claire H. Gatewood

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Purpose: The present study explored current speech-language pathology service provision for aging individuals with intellectual disabilities in the United States, including areas and domains of services, factors restricting service provision, and reported knowledge and confidence of individuals within the field of speech-language pathology in providing services, to identify possible gaps of service and needed improvement.

Methods: Participants (n = 272) from across the United States completed an online survey to gather descriptive information about current speech-language pathology service provision for aging individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants were recruited through state speech-language hearing associations and universities with speech-language pathology clinics …

French 203: Grammar & Conversation: A Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective & Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Erica Schauer

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The following Benchmark Portfolio is the product of a full reassessment of FRENCH 203: CONVERSATION & GRAMMAR, an intermediate-level grammar course that serves as a prerequisite for students pursuing a major or a minor in French at UNL. Previously, French 203 had been a review course that covered the essential grammar structures discussed in 101, 102, 201 and 202 and invited students to practice these structures orally with peers in class. This new iteration of the course, however, seeks to broaden the reach of student comprehension of French as a functional tool of communication by requiring students to understand and …

Translanguaging In World Language Higher Education, Alessia Barbici Wagner

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

Increased global migration and a myriad of other social and political factors has made today’s universities more diverse than ever. As a result, teachers in higher education regularly find multilingual learners from a variety of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in their classrooms and must consider this diversity in their teaching. One of the ways that teaching can better serve today’s multilingual and multicultural student population is through translanguaging. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the intentional and unintentional use of translanguaging by multilingual language learners and world language instructors in higher education. Additionally, this qualitative case study …

Language Ideologies Of Multilingual Learners In An Intensive English Program, Madhur Shende

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

Despite some rises and falls in the numbers due to various reasons, including the political climate in the Trump era and the COVID-19 pandemic (Laws & Ammigan, 2020), each year universities in the United States host a large number of multilingual international students from different parts of the world. Based on their TOEFL scores, many are required to enroll in an accelerated course of study in academic English, commonly known as the Intensive English Program (IEP) before they can begin their mainstream academic programs. Where there is language, there are language ideologies. Yet, often in monolingual, English-only classrooms, little is …

Defining And Transferring Digital Literacies: What Does This Mean For High School And College Educators?, Jocelyn Spoor

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis aims to create a digital literacies transfer framework through a discussion regarding current conversations on transfer and digital literacies in the English field, including synthesizing the two ideas to think about the transfer of digital literacies as a concept. This digital literacies framework is made up of five components: the functional skills, critical skills, and rhetorical skills found in digital literacies scholarship and the genre awareness and meta-cognitive ideas found in transfer literature. This digital literacies transfer framework is then used to analyze information gleaned from four college and five high school English educators. The key findings from …

Multilingual Zambia - Language Issues In Primary/Secondary Schools Of The Eastern/Southern Provinces, Kenzie Steiner

NUTR/GLST 498b: Global Research Experiences in Nutrition and Health

Introduction: Zambia is a multilingual country that uses 8 different languages for instruction including English and 7 other indigenous languages.

Methods: Survey research conducted between May-June 2022 on 6-7th graders within 9 Zambian schools. Classroom observations made and teachers interviewed.

Results: In Eastern and Southern Provinces, Zambian teachers speak an average of 5 languages while students speak an average of 2. Both teachers and students say English remains the most important language followed by first languages.

Conclusion: Continued research on language-in-education policies and impacts on student performance must be conducted if “One Zambia, One Nation” is meant to promote all …

"The Blackbird Girls": Designing A Four Week Novel Unit For Upper Elementary And Middle Grades, While Navigating Teaching In An Ever-Changing Digital World, Ashley Kallhoff

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

As a future teacher in an increasing digital world, I wanted to create an online curriculum I could use in my future classroom, students all over the world could use, and other teachers could implement in their own classroom. Taking all of this into consideration, I have designed a digital four-week, 20-day, novel unit for upper elementary and middle grades with social studies and language arts dual focus. The novel I chose was a historical fiction young adult text titled The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. This novel follows the story of two young girls, one that is Jewish and …

The Impact Of Poverty Informed Faculty On Community College Student Success, Barbara J. Embacher

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Community college completion has been proven to be a ticket to a middle-class life. Moreover, we know that poverty causes educational barriers, including community college completion. Community colleges across the nation are identifying significant equity gaps between students from poor versus middle-class or affluent households. One solution to close equity gaps and increase student success rates for students experiencing poverty is to educate college faculty through professional development. This includes 1) information on the causes, myths, stereotypes, and other facts about poverty, 2) the impact poverty has on student achievement, and 3) instructional strategies that can help students experiencing poverty …

Home Language Policy And Identity In Multilingual Families In Ouagadougou, Inoussa Malgoubri

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

Language functions as both a social practice and an identity marker through which communities express themselves in arts and literature. It is intrinsically linked to culture and, by extension, identity. Consequently, "losing one's language is equivalent to losing one's identity" (G. Kedrebégo, 1998, p. 181). In an era where English serves as a lingua franca and colonial legacy languages remain the official languages throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Indigenous African languages are at risk. This collective qualitative case study aims to explore how parents navigate language choices as they strive to preserve their identity while ensuring their children are well-prepared for a …

Evaluating A Suite Of Strategies For Reading Graphic Novels: A Confirmatory Case Study, Maribeth Nottingham, Barbara J. Mcclanahan, Howard Atkinson

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

This article describes a qualitative study conducted by two researchers who are teacher educators and a literacy coach in a private school. The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of a set of strategies for reading and teaching about graphic novels by examining the responses of three elementary-grade teachers in a reading workshop environment to a semester-long professional development. Challenges both expected and unexpected were encountered but results overall were positive for teachers. In addition, they provided guidance to researchers for using the strategies introduced in the professional development in further studies.

Motivating Students To Participate In The German As A Foreign Language Classroom, Joanna Walton

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This details how to motivate students in the German as a foreign language class to participate and engage in the learning process. Increasing motivation in students is a struggle with which all teachers are familiar, but teachers of foreign languages have a particular challenge because of the intimidation students feel when faced with producing assignments and content in a new language. This topic is also of interest to foreign language educators because student retention is becoming a serious problem, leading many school districts to cut smaller language programs like French and German. Maintaining an engaging classroom environment, where students participate …

Afterschool Club: German For K-5, Justin Solheim

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The lessons found in this paper were designed for a group of 20-25 elementary schools students in downtown Lincoln, NE. The students were split into two groups: K-2 and 3-5. Through a variety of activities, the students learned the basics of the German language and culture. Many of the lessons are simple and do not require difficult thinking, as this was a summer club. Instead, they allow students to collaborate, move around, color, and solve puzzles.

Considering Student Voices In Reading Intervention: Re-Conceptualizing And Rethinking Possibilities For High School Reading Through Arts-Based Educational Research, Angela Kramer

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

This study examines best practices for secondary literacy intervention and instruction. It also exemplifies the ability of Arts Based Educational Research to give voice to struggling and striving high school readers. This dissertation encompasses three time horizons. The first was the crafting of a ‘non-fiction fiction ‘ play (Goldenstein, 2013; Sizer, 1984). The play’s characters, setting, and plot, were built on my review of literature, and years working with reading students as both a general and special education teacher. The second phase, inspired by the Chicana feminist epistemology process of testimonio, involved a student centered read through and revision of …

Esperanza Rising And Identity: Exploring Literature And Self In Upper Elementary School, Emma Fuller

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Upper elementary students benefit from exposure to windows and mirrors in literature. The term “mirrors” refers to when students can relate to characters and situations, and see their own lives valued in an academic context. Mirrors are important for representation in schools because it allows students to reflect on their own learning. “Windows” allow students to see a perspective into other people’s lives. They are important because they encourage reflection on different ideas and empathy among students. One of many literary works with strong “windows” and “mirrors” is Pam Munoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising. In this Senior Project, I focused on …

Empower: An Adaptable Writing Intervention, Carly Dinnes

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

EmPOWER is a six-stage writing intervention designed by speech-language pathologists to improve the expository writings of school-aged children with language learning and executive function disabilities. The intervention uses scaffolded instruction to transform struggling students into independent and self-regulating writers by training the students to use a variety of supports (e.g., graphic organizers, checklists) and strategies (e.g., referring back to the writing prompt) throughout the writing process. Many key features of the EmPOWER approach to writing instruction directly support components described in cognitive models of writing, which indicates that EmPOWER is a theory-guided writing intervention that may benefit a wide range …

Post-Program English Language Learners: Successful Learners Or Struggling Learners?, Tianna Bankhead

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

As an educator in the field of English Language Development, I have chosen to explore the experience of four participants that have exited their ELL program within the last 1 - 2 years in Lincoln Public Schools. I wanted to capture the first-hand experience of secondary students by exploring where they are finding successes since being formally considered proficient in English and where they are struggling. I interviewed these students and explored their academic world as well as the social world within the school setting. At the conclusion of the study, I found that students are academically achieving success in …

Early Language And Literacy Skills Of Spanish-Speaking Dual Language Learners, Alejandro Rodriguez, Marc Goodrich, Maggie Harms, Lisa Fitton

UCARE: Research Products

The purpose of this study is to examine the early language measures that are the best predictors of English reading achievement and to determine whether assessing DLLs’ Spanish language skills contributes to the prediction of English reading achievement. Preschool and kindergarten often represent DLLs’ first significant exposure to English, and development of English language proficiency is strongly linked to English reading achievement (Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). Because DLLs may not be exposed to English consistently prior to preschool or kindergarten, they often enter kindergarten with lower levels of English proficiency than their monolingual peers. This makes it difficult to identify …

The Equity And Engagement Challenges Of Teaching Reading In Middle School, Edmund T. Hamann, Stephanie Malone

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The point is to look at midlevel and high school students—those often encapsulated by the term ‘adolescent literacy’—and to ask what it is that makes those students less likely to engage in productive reading practice. That may at first look like a psychological question about motivation, which makes the challenge seem like it is something inside the student that needs attention or ‘fixing’. But the orientation here is instead more sociological. If we talk about instruction, in this case reading instruction, it is intrinsically interactive, between teacher and student most obviously, but also interactive between students and their peers (e.g. …

Teaching Language For Proficiency: Learning Descriptions In Spanish 1, Anna Helzer

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For this creative project, I have designed a 15-day unit plan for a Spanish 1 (novice level) language class, teaching the vocabulary and skills needed to understand and produce descriptions of people in students’ second language (L2) of Spanish. Throughout the creation of this unit plan, I have combined my own experience in practicums and student teaching with the most cited research in the fields of language acquisition and pedagogy in order to create lessons which will best facilitate novice language learners’ acquisition of the Spanish language and culture.

The unit plan includes overall content and language objectives as well …

7th–8th Grade: English Level 3, Learning Packet #4 • Theme: Disasters #4, Caryn G. Jones, Lauren Gatti, Alexa Yunes

ICMEE Learning Packets: Level 3 of English Proficiency (K-12)

Exploring Survivor Stories, Grades 7-8

We've already explored a few survivor stories, but we're going to look at a few other experiences. This week we are going to take a look at the stories of people, kids in particular, who have experienced disasters and lived to tell about them. We're going to take a look at their encounters with natural disasters to understand how they withstood these dangers.

Lesson 1 • It's going to BLOW!, Mountain of fire, Meetings challenges

Lesson 2 • Too hot to handle, Lost in Death Valley, Meeting challenges

Lesson 3 • Cold enough for you?, …

11th–12th Grade: English Level 2, Learning Packet #1 • Theme: U. S. Bill Of Rights, Trevin Wurm, Aaron P. Johnson, Alexa Yunes

ICMEE Learning Packets: Level 2 of English Proficiency (K-12)

Day 1 • What is the Constitution?, Your rights in the United States, Science: water cycle

Day 2 • Your rights in the United States: journal, What is the Bill of Rights?, Bill of Rights chart, Condensation and precipitation

Day 3 • Your rights in the United States: protest, Using your vocabulary, Opinion writing, Clouds

Day 4 • Your rights in the United States: journal, Vocabulary review, States of water

Day 5 • Your rights in the United States: draw a picture, How does your picture show equality?, Solids, liquids, and gas examples

My Packet Journal

Reference Sheet

Answer Keys

11th–12th Grade: English Level 2, Learning Packet #3 • Theme: Susan B. Anthony, Trevin Wurm, Aaron P. Johnson, Alexa Yunes

ICMEE Learning Packets: Level 2 of English Proficiency (K-12)

Day 1 • Journal: in your opinion, why is it important to vote?, Who was Susan B. Anthony?, Science: climate and biome where you're from

Day 2 • Journal: what are some things you are good at?, Past and present tense, Past and present tense: play, Science: weather near the equator, Biomes

Day 3 • Journal: what was your favorite day of school?, Picture analysis, Science: climate far from the equator, Forests, Draw a picture

Day 4 • Journal: what is a time you convinced someone to do something?, The 19th Amendment, Science: clothes near the equator, Grasslands, Deserts

Day …

2nd–3rd Grade: English Level 2, Learning Packet #1 • Theme: Where Do I Live? Part 1, Rachael Ballweg, Tricia Gray, Kara Mitchell Viesca, Alexa Yunes

ICMEE Learning Packets: Level 2 of English Proficiency (K-12)

Day 1 • Choose a Buddy, Vocabulary practice Day 1, Vocabulary trace, Draw your room, Add to 100

Day 2 • Vocabulary practice Day 2, Be a tour guide, Workout time, Meet Theo, Draw Theo's room, Subtract to 100

Day 3 • Practice your vocabulary words, Workout with your buddy, Read a letter from Theo, Subtract to 100

Day 4 • Play Go Fish, Workout with your buddy, Meet Theo, Compare and contrast, Add and subtract with word problems

Day 5 • Match the vocabulary, Draw your Buddy a room, "Here's your new room!," Make a word problem, My dictionary …

Mayan Languages Education And Technology: A Case Study Of Kaqchikel And K’Iche’ Educators In Guatemala, Hector Palala

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

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and analyze how Mayan language instructors in the Faculty of Humanities at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala use technology in their classrooms. In this research, indigenous professors shared their experiences as Kaqchikel and K’iche’ language instructors at the higher education level. A narrative qualitative case study was applied to discover the practices and insights of two Kaqchikel Mayan language instructor and one K’iche’ Mayan language instructor by addressing the following questions: (1) How do the professors use technology while teaching IDI3 Mayan Language in the Faculty of Humanities at …