Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Using Chronotypes In Literature To Enhance Student Perspectives, Heather Fitzgerald Jorgensen

The Utah English Journal

"How do I draw a picture of democracy?" a seventh grader asked. "I know it's a noun."

"That's a good question," I said, stalling for time. It was my first year teaching at a school in the intermountain west, where seventh graders had grammar instruction every Tuesday.

"Why don't you try drawing a symbol of democracy?" I asked. "Like the American flag or Lady Liberty."

"That works," the student said.

Bending Back To Move Forward: Scaffolding Reflection To Develop Student Authors, Liz Thackeray Nelson

The Utah English Journal

When I was teaching high school language arts courses, I used a four-corners activity at the beginning of every year in order to get a quick glimpse of my students' attitudes toward writing. Each corner of the classroom represented a point on a Likert scale: strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, and strongly disagree. I read statements about writing ( such as "I avoid writing whenever possible" or "I like writing my ideas down") and then students moved to the corner that best matched their view. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the majority of students stayed in the …

Book Review: Being The Change, Whitney Hansen

The Utah English Journal

In Being the Change, Sara Ahmed pleads with teachers to seek out and encourage difficult conversations in their classrooms. She acknowledges the fears many teachers associate with bringing up political debates and current events to their students but contends that these conversations are vital for our students. Through classroom conversations and personal stories, she lays out the current political situation that our students are facing. With this tumultuous setting, she pleads that we must teach our students how to talk to one another and, more importantly, how to disagree with one another. Through these disagreements, Ahmed asserts that students …

Book Review: Shout, Kara Trammell

The Utah English Journal

Laurie Halse Anderson's latest book Shout

is "the true story of a survivor who

refused

to be silent."

Book Review: Illegal, Lisa Jones

The Utah English Journal

Ebo's sister has already fled Ghana for a better life in Europe, and now his brother Kwame has disappeared on the same quest to help his family. As much as Ebo appreciates these efforts, he refuses to be left behind once again-especially as Ebo and his siblings are orphaned. Thus, Illegal shows the dangerous journey of a refugee to find his brother and eventually make it to Europe. Told in the form of a beautiful graphic novel, Ebo must cross the brutal Sahara Desert to the dangerous city of Tripoli and eventually travel across the ocean. In each situation, Ebo …

Book Review: The 57 Bus: A True Story Of Two Teenagers And The Crime That Changes Their Lives, Albert Ricci

The Utah English Journal

Dashka Slater pulls her information from various sources-"interviews, documents, letters, videos, diaries, social media posts, and public records" -to craft her nonfiction account of two teenagers whose lives collide one innocent day on November 4, 2013, on the 57 bus. "If it weren't for the 57 bus, Richard and Sasha would never have met. Although they live in the same city, Oakland, they are from radically different worlds. But one single reckless act changes both of their lives forever." Sasha is a senior at Maybeck High School, they love Russian literature, live-action role-playing, the color purple, and skirts: they are …

Book Review: Circe, Tara Pina

The Utah English Journal

The story of Odysseus and his adventures home to Ithaca is familiar one: one that is taught and read in many classrooms, and one that is adapted and borrowed from often. However, Circe by Madeline Miller does not simply retell this familiar story, instead she shifts the well-known tale to focus on the minor goddess Circe. Miller gives a glimpse into Circe's life that is so moving it will change how you look at the story of Odysseus and surely how you approach it with students.

Book Review: Internment, Leah Smith

The Utah English Journal

Internment by Samira Ahmed is an excellent example of realistic fiction that helps students really engage with their political, social, and personal beliefs. Those who find themselves in a minority group will relate well to the themes and characters, and those who are more privileged will find their eyes opened.

Book Review: Pitch Dark, Madison Sheldrake

The Utah English Journal

Pitch Dark is a futuristic story of adventure and survival, set in motion after humanity deems Earth to be uninhabitable and takes to the stars to save both themselves and their future. The book takes place in space, showing events on two spacecrafts that come together in an effort to learn from the past as the characters look to secure their future. However, unbeknownst to most of the crew members, a secret terrorist plot is underway to undermine humanity's last chance to colonize Mars.

Supporting The Development Of Upper Elementary School Students’ Online Research And Comprehension Skills Through A Reframed Guided Reading Framework, Jennifer Van Allen, Vassiliki Zygouris-Coe

Publications and Research

Today’s students are increasingly required to use skills when conducting online research for academic purposes. However, students may be unable to transfer their reading skills with printed texts to reading online texts in upper grades and beyond. Strategic actions required for online research are extended to account for the unique, complex reading environment of the Internet as readers locate, navigate, evaluate, and synthesize information across multimodal sources. The guided reading framework, a popular instructional framework that is widely adopted in U.S. elementary schools, lends itself to supporting students’ use of strategic actions as they conduct online research. Informed by theory …

Collaborating Online: Tools For Improving Teacher Preparation In Literacy, Jennifer Van Allen, Lenora Forsythe

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Amae And Japanese Learners Of English : Their Strategies To Deal With Problems In Understanding In Conversations With Native And Non-Native Speakers, Emiko Kamiya

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of the study is to investigate how amae may affect Japanese learners of English when they are exposed to intercultural communication, so that educators can take advantage of the study’s findings to improve English education in Japan. Amae is a concept that a Japanese psychiatrist Takeo Doi introduced as a key to understanding the psychology of Japanese people. It is roughly translated as “dependence” but actually refers to a psychological disposition that is observed in specific patterns of behavior. Although the concept is frequently mentioned in studies of Japanese culture and society, not much is known about how …

A Comparison Of Three Tablet-Based Sight Word Flashcard Interventions, Brandon Paul Sinisi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of the present study was to compare the efficiency of three tablet-based flashcard sight word interventions with varying ratios of known to unknown material that have historically been administered in paper-based form. To control for level of intervention duration, which tends to vary due to the presence of different amounts of known items across the conditions, the OTR for each flashcard procedure across intervention sessions were fixed. Additionally, this study investigated four specific outcome variables for each intervention: (a) the rate of learning new sight words (i.e., acquisition per minute of instruction), (b) skill maintenance of learned sight …

Modality As A Reflection Of Pragmatic Competence : Exploring Modification Of Ells' Pragmatic Knowledge Based On The Use Of Modality In The Context Of Peer Feedback, Liya Zalaltdinova

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The aim of the study is to identify characteristic features of modality use as demonstrated by intermediate and advanced English Language Learners (ELLs), to examine the change, if any, in the characteristic set of features of modality use by advanced as compared to intermediate ELLs, and finally to explore the factors triggering identified modality use as demonstrated by advanced ELLs while they provide evaluation and suggestions in the context of peer feedback. This cross-sectional, developmental, mixed-method study of sequential-explanatory design relied on a new theoretical framework to guide research on pragmatic competence – one for all language codes –, a …

Experiential Teacher Education – Preparing Preservice Teachers To Teach English Grammar Through An Experiential Learning Project, Jackie F. K. Lee

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The paper explores and describes the kinds of learning attained by a group of Hong Kong preservice teachers who worked collaboratively to develop online grammar teaching resources for school teachers worldwide. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data collected during the ongoing collaboration, lesson tryouts, and post-project evaluation, the project results reflect the value of experiential learning in preservice teacher education. The themes that detail the student teachers’ experiences include textbook evaluation, professional knowledge, core competencies of teachers, and understanding of English language teaching outside the Hong Kong context.

Short-Term International Experiences In Language Teacher Education: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis, Emrullah Yasin Çiftçi, A. Cendel Karaman

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Short-term international experiential learning opportunities can foster language teachers' multidimensional development. Even though such experiences are considered beneficial for language teachers’ development, educational reviews have scarcely concentrated on a comprehensive synthesis of the impact of such experiences on language teachers. This meta-synthesis of qualitative research analyzed the role of international experiential learning in the multidimensional development of pre- and in-service language teachers. Besides presenting a number of research patterns in the literature, this synthesis of 25 qualitative studies reported main outcomes of short-term international experiences for language teachers. These outcomes were synthesized under three main headings: (1) professional, (2) linguistic, …

Memories Of The Teacher: A Reflection Of Enduring Ideals, Katherine Cooke

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In order to educate my students in my first year of teaching, I embarked upon a research project that would allow me to get to know their strengths and needs in addition to identifying my own possible biases and pre-conceived educational ideas. My research spreads from my own life to the lives of three focus students from various populations: one English learner, one student who receives special education services, and one student who has had significant life experiences that might contribute to his academic work. I interviewed all three students and their families to develop an action plan to help …

Nidus Idearum. Scilogs, V: Joining The Dots, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

My lab[oratory] is a virtual facility with noncontrolled conditions in which I mostly perform scientific meditation and chats: a nest of ideas (nidus idearum, in Latin). I called the jottings herein scilogs (truncations of the words scientific, and gr. Λόγος – appealing rather to its original meanings "ground", "opinion", "expectation"), combining the welly of both science and informal (via internet) talks (in English, French, and Romanian). * In this fifth book of scilogs collected from my nest of ideas, one may find new and old questions and solutions, mostly referring to topics on NEUTROSOPHY – email messages to research colleagues, …

Using Argument As A Bridge Between Literacy And Science: An Intervention Study In A Science Methods Course For Elementary Preservice Teachers, Rebeca Grysko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on teaching science as argument within a science methods course on elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') (a) understandings of the nature of science (NOS), (b) knowledge about argumentation, (c) complexity of their written explanations, and (d) ability to incorporate components of the framework for teaching science as argument to support students' literacy and science learning. This mixed-methods study utilized an embedded quasi-experimental design with a treatment (n = 20) and control group (n = 25). The treatment group instructor, who completed an eight-week professional development course, implemented the …

An Ethnographic Study Examining The Effect Of Teachers' Socio-Political Bias On Latinx Students And School Culture, Jessica Mcmaster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academics such as Geneva Gay, Christine Sleeter, Samy Alim, and Django Paris have conducted research that illustrates the importance of educators being not only aware of the culture of their students but implementing curriculum that supports the diverse cultures of their students. A common finding among this research is that a culturally sustaining pedagogy is essential to the inclusion of all students in the classroom and the level of academic success they have in schools. This study aims to investigate the effect of teacher beliefs on the academic performance of Latinx students and on the culture and atmosphere of the …

Digital Education: The Impact Of Change, Acceleration, And Student Achievement Improvement, Sarah Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim is to understand if the implementation plan in place by the public school system is exceeding the expectations of the stakeholders or if it is falling below what is expected. This quantitative research examines the English Language Arts (ELA), Florida Standard Assessment (FSA) scores for the state of Florida with a closer inspection of Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) with relation to their digital implementation plan. With an increase in digital technology and amplified emphasis on technology-based learning, the objective of this research was to determine what impact students and schools are experiencing in regards to test scores …

A Grounded Theory Survey Study Of Teachers Perception Perpetuating The Deficit Narrative About Marginalized Students Of Color, Cavel Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deficit narrative about marginalized students of color attributes their failure in school to some nature of innate cognitive deficiency, cultural, social, and familial dysfunctions among other schools of thoughts. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to provide a rich description about this phenomenon and to propose theoretical pedagogical adjustments in the classroom as it relates to educating students of color. The study applies Charmaz (2014) Constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to examine the following research questions: (RQ1) How do teachers' narratives about students of color depict their teaching experiences and (RQ2) How do teachers' narratives about …

Frameworks For Collaboration: Articulating Information Literacy, And Rhetoric And Writing Goals In The Archives, Amy J. Lueck, Nadia Nasr

Staff publications, research, and presentations

Rhetoric and composition scholars have recently called our attention to the value of archival research in the undergraduate classroom, leading to rich collaborations with archivists and librarians at many institutions. As we engaged our own pedagogical collaboration as a university archivist and English faculty member, we realized that, though we might use slightly different language to articulate them or cite different sources in support of them, many of our learning goals overlapped. As we explored these goals together, we realized that they evidenced a correspondence in our disciplines that we had not explored—one that is reflected in our fields’ recent …

Best Practices In Assessment And Evaluation Of Literacy At The Secondary Level, Meaghan Kathleen Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

Research over the century has shown that grading practices in schools, especially at the secondary level, are commonly inconsistent, unreliable, and invalid amongst teachers. Grades have a large impact on students’ futures, determining scholarships, colleges, and career paths. Therefore, it is important that assessment and evaluation practices are consistent, reliable, and fair. This paper contains a review of research on the reasons for discrepancies in grading practices, followed by what research suggests is best practice for fair and reliable assessment and evaluation practices. Finally, these findings have been combined to develop a presentation on best practices in assessment and evaluation …

Supporting Clinical Practice Through Rehearsals, Lubna Javeed

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Rehearsing is a form of pedagogy in teacher education to prepare pre-service teachers with instructional practices before live enactments in a classroom. This qualitative study used grounded theory to explore how rehearsals impacted five elementary literacy courses in a university teacher education program. Data comprised of prolonged observations, video recordings of rehearsals, and surveys. The process of coding and re-coding resulted in findings that reflect rehearsing provided Teacher Candidates with confidence with lesson presentation, improved understanding of literacy content, and understand how to make in-the-moment instructional decisions.

Field Experiences In Literacy Teacher Preparation: A Snapshot Of Current Practices, Laurie A. Sharp, Rebekah Piper, Roberta D. Raymond

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study used social constructivism as a theoretical lens to examine ways in which literacy teacher educators incorporate field experiences during literacy coursework. A cross-sectional survey was distributed among literacy teacher educators affiliated with teacher preparation programs located in a single Southern state. Responses related to field experiences were retrieved from 42 surveys and analyzed with two cycles of coding. Findings indicated that preservice teachers completed a range of field experiences prior to student teaching that involved observing literacy instruction and leading literacy instruction with individual students and small groups of students. Incongruences between reported field experiences and recommendations …

Pre-Service Educators' Understanding And Perceptions Of Asd Before And After Reading Asd Narrative Fiction, Brenda L. Barrio, Jane E. Kelley, Teresa Cardon

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service teachers and other educators are expected to understand and teach students from diverse backgrounds and varying abilities. One group that is growing in all classrooms across the U.S. are students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As such, it is essential that teacher preparation programs prepare pre-service teachers and educators to teach students with ASD. The purpose of the research was to examine the effects of pre-service teachers understanding and perceptions about ASD before and after reading young adult literature about characters with ASD. Results of parallel mixed-method research showed an increase of positive attitudes of pre-service teachers and educators' …

Laying The Foundation To Improve Literacy In A K-12 Islamic School Through The Introduction Of A Professional Learning Community: A Formative Evaluation, Hanan Matari, Ruqia Ali

Dissertations

To improve professional development, a professional learning community (PLC) was initiated at a small, K–12 Islamic school in northwest suburban Chicago, IL. This evaluation describes and assesses the initiation and year-one implementation of the PLC, and focuses on teachers’ literacy instruction skills. A formative evaluation approach was used to monitor and assess progress and encourage teachers’ ownership of their learning. Teachers collaborated in large and smaller grade or subject area PLC groups to identify, chart, and implement new teaching strategies under peer observation for feedback. Teachers succeeded in establishing school-wide literacy strategies; however, issues challenged the PLC’s future—time, resources, and …

A Narrative Research Study Of Self-Selected Tracking On Motivation In 10th Grade English Language Arts Classes, Audra Greuel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The practice of tracking has had longstanding negative impacts on students, especially students in lower academic tracks. This research suggests that tracking develops the themes of a narrative of deficit through inequality and exclusion and impedes student motivation due to the negative implications. A common finding of outside research studies was that of disapproval for the current school organizational structure of tracking due to the negative consequences on students. Furthermore, several research studies developed an outline of positive ways to advocate for a unifying system of educational change. Educational leaders should heed the suggestions of researchers to promote changes within …

A Mixed-Method Examination Of The Impact Of Academic, Social, And Personal-Emotional Adjustment On The English Performance Of Arabian Gulf Students Studying In American Intensive English Programs, Mais Flaieh Hasan Al Jabbawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study identifies and discusses the adjustment challenges facing Arabian Gulf Students (AGSs) that may affect their English performance (EP) in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the United States. The current study uses student departure theory to lead the theoretical framework and incorporates Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and Social Integration Questionnaire (SIQ) to lead the methodology of this study. The mixed-method investigation with multi-location sampling examined 160 AGSs, enrolled full-time in different IEPs in the U.S. during the spring semester of 2019. The AGSs participants were from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, …