Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

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The Reading Professor

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The Reading Professor

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The Reading Professor

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Losting + Founding Poetry: Sub/Versive Academic Love Letters, Mindi J. Rhoades, Vittoria S. Daiello

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

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Storypath: A Powerful Tool For Engaging Children In Civic Education, Margit E. Mcguire, Laurie Stevahn, Shari Wennik Bronsther

Democracy & Education

This article explains why elementary school children need civic education, identifies common obstacles that frustrate efforts, then describes how the Storypath approach can provide all students with opportunities for powerful civic learning. An actual application in a culturally diverse fourth-grade classroom illustrates how children grappled with Seattle’s affordable housing issue as they created and enacted Storypath’s five components, namely setting, characters, context, critical incidents, and concluding event. It also demonstrates how Storypath effectively integrates social studies content, literacy skills, and social-emotional learning (SEL) through cooperative small-group episodes that produce meaningful and memorable lived experiences for …

Ofelia García: A Visionary Thinker, Christine Hélot

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

As a tribute to Professor Ofelia García’s visionary thinking on bilingual education, this article relates the reflexive journey of a French academic whose research was profoundly influenced by her scholarly work. The notion of power is the running thread through which four main themes in Ofelia García’s approach to research are discussed in relation to their relevance in the French educational context: The power of imagination, the power of naming, the power of multilingual critical language awareness for teacher education, and the power of translanguaging. In this article, I argue in favor of thinking beyond one’s epistemological borders and illustrate …

Effect Of Student Teams-Achievement Divisions And Think–Pair–Share On Students’ Interest In Reading Comprehension, Eucharia Okwudilichukwu Ugwu

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The study investigated the effect of two cooperative learning strategies (the student teams-achievement divisions and think–pair–share methods) on students’ interest in reading comprehension. Seventy-eight senior secondary II students were randomly selected from three schools in Vandeikya Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria. A pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted. The Interest in Reading Inventory (R = 0.09) was the instrument used. Two hypotheses were tested at .05 levels of significance. Three intact classes were randomly assigned as Experimental Group 1, Experimental Group 2, and the control group. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, and analysis of …

Curriculum-Making And Development In A Pakistani University, Said Imran, Mark Wyatt

The Qualitative Report

Despite frequent calls for increased teacher engagement in curriculum-making and development, there are still many English language teachers worldwide who are required to work with materials that are either culturally inappropriate or inadequate. A related concern is that such materials may deprive teachers of their creative and professional capabilities to address students’ needs and interests, so that, weighed down by contextual challenges, the teachers then simply deliver the materials, adhering to the textbook closely. Contextual challenges faced by teachers may be more acute in the developing world. However, it is unclear to what extent teachers in under-resourced contexts cope. In …

All About The American Flap, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

In this column, I am going to talk about the American flap, a phonological feature of the American English dialect. Those of us with backgrounds in ESL/EFL learn about this in our master’s programs, but I have found that even teachers who have taken a course in linguistics may not be aware of the flap and its important implications for listening, reading, and spelling in English (Lems, Miller, & Soro, 2017)

Teacher Perceptions And Education Practice For English Language Learners, Shu Jen Chen-Worley

NERA Conference Proceedings 2019

This pilot research study examined teachers' perceptions on language acquisition and their education practice for English Language Learners (ELLs). The preliminary results show that most of the teacher participants have insufficient training in language acquisition and more than 50% consider special education or ELL self-contained classrooms would most benefit ELLs.

Gaining Access To The Language Of Science: A Research Partnership For Disciplined, Discursive Ways To Select And Assess Vocabulary Knowledge, H. Emily Hayden, Anupma Singh, Michelle Eades Baird

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

To equalize access to science learning across genders and demographic groups, access to the disciplinary language of science is one place to start. The language of science is highly challenging and specialized, and difficulties acquiring this language contribute to disparities in science achievement across diverse student groups. This study used a pre-post design to analyze effectiveness of a brief classroom science vocabulary assessment designed to assess receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge across multiple sections of one 7^th grade science teacher’s class. Vocabulary was selected and analysis conducted by an interdisciplinary research partnership including the science teacher, a literacy specialist, …

Examining Elementary Students' Purposeful And Ancillary Prior Knowledge Activation When Reading Grade Level Texts, Courtney Hattan, Daniel L. Dinsmore

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Prior knowledge activation is a crucial component of reading comprehension. Previous studies have examined students’ prompted (or solicited) purposeful knowledge activation, which occurs when the explicit goal is to activate knowledge, as well as ancillary knowledge activation, which is when students indirectly use their prior knowledge to fill in gaps in the text, form an opinion, or question the author. However, little is known regarding elementary students’ unprompted (or unsolicited) purposeful and ancillary activation of prior knowledge while reading grade level texts. The purpose of the current study was to (a) examine differences between third and fifth grade students on …

A Mini-Meta-Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Dialogic Reading On Silent Reading Efficiency And Comprehension In First Graders, Deborah A. Carroll, Garett Masocco, Joshua Fraser, Mary Spodnick

NERA Conference Proceedings 2019

We trained undergraduate student interns to conduct standardized assessments and one-on-one dialogic reading interventions with first graders. The challenges in working in local elementary schools include: small sample sizes, diverse and potentially non-normal samples, and variable testing and intervention conditions. Despite the challenges, we found significant improvements in silent reading efficiency and comprehension and a narrowing of the gap between skilled and non-skilled readers. We report on a mini-meta-analysis of the efficacy of dialogic reading on silent reading comprehension and efficiency, in multiple samples of first graders between 2013 and 2018.

Examining Diagnostic Utility Of Celf-5 Sentence Comprehension Test, Dayana Lituma-Solis

NERA Conference Proceedings 2019

In our partnership with urban schools serving large populations of students from lower socioeconomic and culturally diverse backgrounds, we have provided research-based interventions for improving the reading skills of at-risk readers in first and second grade. Our research augments the school’s response-to-intervention (RTI) while simultaneously investigating the efficacy of our assessments and interventions. Because the school we work with tends to have insufficient personnel and resources to serve all who need RTI, it is essential that our screening measures can accurately identify children who may need extra intervention. Last year we were asked to assess kindergarteners and provide an intervention …

Breaking Through The Noise: Literacy Teachers In The Face Of Accountability, Evaluation, And Reform, Catherine M. Kelly, Sara E. Miller, Karen Kleppe Graham, Chelsey M. Bahlmann Bollinger, Sherry Sanden, Michael Mcmanus

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In an era of increased accountability, it is important to understand how exemplary teachers navigate the demands placed on them by their schools, districts, and states in order to support student learning aligned with their beliefs of effective instruction. To understand these negotiations, tensions facing exemplary literacy teachers were examined through a qualitative interview study. Participants included nineteen experienced PK-6th grade teachers from across the U.S. Results of the study indicate that teachers experience discrepancies between their beliefs and state and local mandates, and they discuss a variety of strategies for negotiating these discrepancies. Findings suggest that schools can support …

The Impact Of External Audience On Second Graders' Writing Quality, Meghan K. Block, Stephanie L. Strachan

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The overarching purpose of writing is to communicate; as such, the intended audience is a critical consideration for writers. However, elementary school writing instruction commonly neglects the role of the audience. Typically, children are asked to compose a piece of text without a specific audience that is usually evaluated by the classroom teacher. Previous studies have found a relationship between audience specification and higher quality writing among older children; this study examines the impact of audience specification on young children’s writing. Using a within-subjects design, the study compared writing quality when second-grade students wrote for internal versus external audiences and …

Empower Adolescent Writers With Ongoing Choice In Purpose, Audience, Topic, And Genre, Lauren Heimlich Foley

English Student Work

No abstract provided.

Editorial Review Board Rh V.58 N.2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Language Nests On The Move: The Case Of Võro Pre-Primary Education In Estonia, Kara D. Brown, Mariko Faster

Faculty Publications

This article considers the circuitous route of knowledge exchange from South (New Zealand)-to North (Finland)-to regional South (Estonia) by examining the development of Võro language nests (keelepesä) in Estonia. Language nests reflect the global nature of educational knowledge exchange as well as the importance of networks of languageresearchers and activists in this policy inspiration. Estonia is a fascinating case for understanding the international spread and local development of the language-nest approach in a post-Socialist context. The authors draw on concepts of policy borrowing and diffusion and the “grammar of schooling” to explore the spread of the language nest approach and …

Writing Talk: Examining Dialogue Shared Among Sixth Grade Writers, Babette A. Griffith

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated how teacher-led and student-led conversations held within writing groups in one sixth grade class helped to support the acquisition of writing discourse and impact the writing decisions made by middle level writers. Additionally, a pre/post survey was implemented to investigate the writing dispositions held by writing participants by exploring the feelings, beliefs, and attitudes associated with writing. The survey provided additional insight into individual writer perspectives.

Analysis of the data showed that dialogue facilitated understanding and helped to encourage students to verbalize confusing concepts, clarify ideas, and utilize content terminology as thinking was made visible while conversations …

Determining Support Needed For Implementation Of The Balanced Literacy Framework In High School English Classrooms, Emily Kimpton

Theses and Dissertations

This study used Action Research methods to explore how an English language arts coordinator housed at the district office could employ an administrative model of coaching. The purpose of this study was to discover what a coaching model of administrative support reveals about high school English teachers' beliefs and practices and what support teachers needed in order to implement a balanced literacy framework of instruction. Teachers engaged in this study over the course of one semester. Semesters in this context encompass an entire course of English literature. Cycles of coaching were initiated that began with a pre-conference followed by observation, …

Affective Variables And Motivation As Predictors Of Proficiency In English As A Foreign Language, Michaela Cocca, Armando Cocca

Kinesiology Faculty Publications (Archived)

English has become a key subject of educational systems worldwide. Thus, researchers have centered their attention on psychosocial processes that influence English proficiency in EFL settings. The aim of our study was to investigate the relation between affective variables, motivation and proficiency and assess which attitudinal/motivational domains can better predict English proficiency. Mini AMTB and English Proficiency test were employed to a sample of 354 university students. Our findings showed that students’ achievement was significantly associated with their motivational intensity, their attitude towards learning English and their desire to learn it, as well as with their opinion of English native …

Developing Open Practices In Teacher Education: An Example Of Integrating Oer And Developing Renewable Assignments, Jennifer Van Allen, Stacy Katz

Publications and Research

This manuscript offers a reasoning for and example of integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy within a teacher education course. We highlight a collaborative partnership between library faculty and education faculty and the decision points and processes we used when redesigning this course to provide an example of adopting OER and our considerations for developing a renewable assignment. The benefits of using OER for K-12 teachers include increasing awareness of and providing opportunities to develop open practices. The transition to a renewable assignment creates a space for teaching candidates to meaningfully contribute to the profession and engage in …

The Talkabroad Case: Addressing Intercultural Communicative Competency In Fren311, Ana Conboy

Forum Lectures

In fall 2017, the online interactive exchange platform, TalkAbroad, was integrated into the curriculum of Introduction to Contemporary French Culture (FREN311). Twelve students independently conducted three 30-minute conversations with native speakers from six different Francophone countries to discuss cultural dimensions, in conjunction with in-class activities. As a final assignment, students collaborated in pairs to analyze information gathered during the exchanges, and to create oral presentations about the country of their interlocutors. The project employs three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretational and Presentational), as described by the American Council for Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). It creates meaning in the classroom, …

Top-Down English Policy And Bottom-Up Teacher Take: An Interview-Based Insight From The Balochistan Province Of Pakistan, Liaquat A. Channa, Sania G. Panezai

The Qualitative Report

Provinces in Pakistan have initiated teaching English as a compulsory subject in Grade 1 onwards in their government schools by following the latest National Education Policy (NEP) of 2009. The policy states that the measure shall develop the students’ English proficiency that would later help them compete. In this study we intended to understand whether the policy was implemented successfully in the province of Balochistan. By drawing upon the language planning framework proposed by Kaplan, Baldauf, and Kamwangamalu (2011) and applying convenient sampling technique, the researchers conducted thirty-one semi-structured interviews with urban and rural male and female teachers who teach …

Serving The Less-Commonly-Trained Teacher: Perspectives From Arabic Instructors, Dustin De Felice, Amanda Lanier, Paula Winke

The Qualitative Report

As proficient speakers of less-commonly-taught languages seek to meet the demand for qualified instructors, they face a range of personal and professional challenges. In an effort to understand the perspectives of these instructors and their particular educational experiences and needs, we conducted a phenomenological case study of two aspiring Arabic teachers. Specifically, we sought insights into their lived experiences, their motivations for pursuing a graduate degree, their attempts to connect coursework with pedagogical practices, and their needs in terms of professional development. Our findings illuminate the intersecting objectives these instructors must achieve. They need to position themselves as qualified candidates …

Barriers To Learning, Part 2, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In this post we write about the dispositional barriers adult learners face, as well as how important perseverance and a positive mindset are when learning and changing one's career trajectory.

Development Of Mechanical Ventilator Educational Brochure For Patients/Families, Cathy Palleschi, Wendy Osgood, Mark Parker

Operations Transformation

Patients on mechanical ventilation often have no memory of events while being ventilated. In addition, families during this time, are often overwhelmed and unable to retain information provided to them by caregivers.

In attempt to address these issues, a team of care providers in an tertiary academic hospital established a goal to create a mechanical educational brochure with the goal to reduce associated anxiety and improve overall understanding of information provided.

As part of a clinical transformation project, a root cause analysis was conducted and a number of countermeasures were initiated. Some of these included a survey to capture feedback …

White Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions And Their Development Of Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices, Lakia M. Scott, Elena Venegas

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Existent literature purports that providing White teacher candidates with increased exposure to urban schools in order to create culturally competent educators has failed. These findings reflect the notion that teacher ideologies and overall perspectives about working with diverse student groups must be harnessed in a genuine ethic of care and intentionality for students of color. However, few studies have taken the approach of examining the development of culturally relevant pedagogy through context-specific field experiences using content-specific courses. This study examines the perspectives of twenty-five White pre-service teachers from a predominately White, private university regarding their initial perceptions and gained conceptual …

Not All 'Fake News' Is Equal: How Should Higher Education Respond To Fake News And In The Post-Truth Era, Thomas E. Keefe

The Liminal: Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology in Education

In examining how higher education ought to respond to ‘fake news’ and the landscape of the ‘post-truth’ world, it is imperative to distinguish between accidental, ignorant, or intentional factual inaccuracies. The motives of accidental, ignorant, or disinformation are not uniform and, as such, the responses by institutions of higher education must not be uniform either. With increased literacy, as well as increased ease of publication and dissemination, the dangers of misinformation have been magnified. Stakeholders in higher education ought to develop multiple strategies responding to ‘fake news’ that are unique to the divergent forms of misinformation in the ‘post-truth’ world.