Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Simplified But Not The Same: Tracing Numeracy Events Through Manually Simplified Newsela Articles, Ellen C. Agnello

Numeracy

New York-based education startup Newsela has quickly gained popularity with K-12 educators in the six years since its launch. Its website boasts that it serves 90% of schools in the United States including the 1.5 million teachers they employ and their 20 million students. But what makes it so popular? Teachers are drawn to its Common Core-aligned informational texts which facilitate content-area connections while exposing students to important current events. Likely the most appealing aspect of the platform is its compatibility with differentiation, as it makes available five iterations of each article at varying levels of complexity or Lexile which …

From “Robot” To “Rejuvenating Warrior”: An Efl Learner’S Conceptual Metaphors During School Transition, Özgehan Uştuk

The Qualitative Report

Drawing on conceptual metaphor theory, I investigated the school transition experience of an English as a foreign language (EFL) learner. In this narrative case study, the participant’s emotion labor was followed throughout his first semester at a high school in Turkey. Exploring narrative journals, conceptual metaphors, and interviews, I examined his dynamic emotional states. The findings revealed that school transition may entail inhibiting emotion labor for high school freshman EFL learners. Moreover, it was also shown that these emotions may force adolescent learners to reconceptualize foreign language learning with a negative perspective and develop surviving learner’s strategies that may support …

Exploring Lenses Used In Case Study Research In Literacy Over Time, Diane Barone

The Qualitative Report

This study is a case study analysis where book length case studies were aggregated for review. The review focused on the lenses that researchers used to analyze their data. The results indicated most case studies used a neutral lens where careful description of a literacy event was the goal. A few researchers moved to a critical lens of positioning theory to describe their results. Historical shifts and issues were shared that included a focus on participants and lenses and views of teachers.

Does Reading Ability Affect Students' Attitudes Toward Reading?, Beth Buterbaugh

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Abstract

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine if the students’ reading abilities affect the students’ attitudes toward reading. The effect of gender on reading attitudes was also determined. Participants were a convenience sample of 91 second-grade students from an elementary school in Arkansas. The participants completed the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey as well as questions about demographic information. Classroom teachers participated by completing two questions that pertained to ethnicity and reading ability. An analysis of the results revealed that the students’ reading abilities impacted their attitudes toward reading. The results also revealed that girls had a more …

Using Hip-Hop Culture To Engage In Culturally Relevant Literacy Instruction, Mokysha D. Benford, Jacqueline D. Smith

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The COVID-19 pandemic along with Black Lives Matter have both cast a spotlight on inequities that exist racially, and the glaring disparities in the digital divide that exist in our culture today. With student demographics changing across the nation, these issues have created a need for educators to effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population that is and continues to change. Schools and classrooms need to be culturally responsive using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and learning styles of diverse students to make learning more engaging and effective more than ever. Culturally responsive literacy instruction bridges the gap …

Unsur Personifikasi Dalam Antologi Cerpen Peravai Kathaikal, Krishanan Jayanthy

Student Works (2020-2029)

Kajian ini mengkaji unsur personifikasi dalam antologi cerpen Peravai Kathaikal. Objektif utama kajian ini ialah untuk mengenalpasti unsur personifikasi yang wujud dalam antologi cerpen Peravai Kathaikal dari tahun 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 dan 2016. Selain daripada itu, pengkaji juga menghuraikan makna unsur personifikasi dalam antologi cerpen Peravai Kathaikal. Bagi mencapai objektif ini, unsur personifikasi yang terdapat dalam antologi cerpen Peravai Kathaikal dianalisis. Pengkaji telah menggunakan kaedah kualitatif untuk menjalankan kajian ini. Data utama kajian ini ialah 58 cerpen yang diperoleh daripada buku antologi cerpen Peravai Kathaikal dari tahun 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 dan 2016. Sebanyak 98 …

Neberu: Working To Feel Comfortable Interacting With English Speakers, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In the next several biogs we will continue to present the personas we have created based on our interviews with working learners.

Music, Our Human Superpower, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

Research about music pervades every discipline because music touches every area of life. Studies revealing the salutary effects of music can be found not only in music educator research, but in research in psychology, speech and hearing, child development, neuroscience, and increasingly, health and wellness, aging, rehabilitation and recovery. Since my focus is especially in the areas of language and literacy, I research the positive effects of music on reading, writing, and learning languages - and of this, there is no shortage. In this brief Academia article, I share what I’d like to call an “homage-with-references” to our great Superpower, …

Using Student Talk And Reader Response Journals With Emergent Readers, Samantha Gudowski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact on comprehension when emergent readers use talk and reader response journals to comprehend text. Data collected from reading attitude surveys, interviews, student journal entries, audio-recorded student conversations and notes in a teacher researcher journal were analyzed for emerging themes. The findings show that talk about text and the use of reader response journals have a positive impact on both reading comprehension and motivation. Implications for future research are discussed in chapter five.

Making Sense Of Researcher Positionality In Foundational Literacy Studies Research, Amy J. Wan

Publications and Research

This article is an examination of researcher positionality in literacy studies research through a historiographical study of Brian Street.

Exploring Actions Toward Supporting English Language Learners In A Rural Remote Secondary Setting, Annamarie Valdez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ESL students make a small population in rural, remote secondary schools. One ESL student can have a profound impact on the academic measures taken on state accountability tests. The gap between an ESL student’s achievement and that of native English-speaking peers is disproportionate. The actions of principals and campus leaders directly impact the teacher’s ability to support English language learners’ (ELL) ESL needs. A problem exists on what principals and campus leaders can do to help ESL students’ needs in a rural, remote secondary setting. The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to identify the actions campus leaders …

Adaptive Learning Environments And Student Learning Outcomes, Marie-Conceptia Girault

Theses and Dissertations

In response to the urgent need to alleviate South Carolina from poverty and elevate them into the 21st century industry, South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE), has vowed to educate all South Carolina students and ensure that they graduate prepared for success in college, careers, and citizenship (SCDOE, 2017). To accomplish this mission, SCDOE has developed rigorous educational standards, which include technology-integrated curricular (SCDOE, 2015). Through a non-experimental quantitative study, the relationship between adaptive learning environments (ALE) while employing technology and student outcomes were explored. These learning outcomes were in support of K-12 novice-mid language learners and were defined as …

Eece 767: English Language Learning In The Bilingual Classroom: Pedagogical Applications, Demet Arpacik

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Cultural And Linguistic Responsiveness In Argument Writing Pedagogy Through Effective Adaptations For English Learners: Insights From C3wp Resource Analysis And Three Experienced Teachers’ Practices, Katelyn Walsh, Katey Robinson, Rachel Deacon, Zuzana Tomaš

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines recommended adaptations for English Learners (ELs) in the nationally-recognized C3WP argument writing program through the lens of effective EL literacy practices and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. We present an analysis of C3WP EL tips and EL notices and argue that when evaluated from the second language literacy and linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy perspectives, the C3WP program could be enhanced by adding guidance for 1) specific instructional supports designed to increase ELs’ access to the resources and 2) helping teachers leverage these learners’ multicultural and multilinguistic capital. To help imagine how such effective additional guidance could …

Examining The Value Of Online Intercultural Exchange (Oie) In Cultivating Agency-Focused, (Inter)Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy: A Story Of One Collaborative International Project For English Learners, Zuzana Tomas, Margita Vojtkulakova, Nikola Lehotska, Marie Schottin

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article makes two contributions to culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy for English learners (ELs). First, we argue for the value of expanding cultural responsiveness to include an intercultural framing that not only cultivates ELs’ pride in their multicultural heritage, but also fosters their identities and capacities as global citizens. Second, we make a case for foregrounding student agency as a necessary prerequisite for what has been conceptualized as the ultimate goal of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: to be able to maintain one’s cultural practices, while simultaneously learning how to critique dominant power structures (Paris & Alim, 2017). We illustrate how …

Indonesian Polyglots: Lived Experiences Of Adults Learning Languages Online And Beyond The Classroom, Noprival Noprival, Zainal Rafli, Nuruddin Nuruddin, Dustin De Felice

The Qualitative Report

Learning languages independently can be more accessible in today’s online environment. Polyglots, who are speakers of more than three languages, take advantage of this online learning environment to learn even more languages in Indonesia. Using transcendental phenomenology, the researchers interviewed these adult learners on their lived experience with online platforms for learning languages not traditionally spoken or used in daily life in Indonesia. Researchers found that the polyglots reported learning many foreign languages through interactive resources, receptive resources, social media, and authentic resources. Importantly, they held positive attitudes towards online learning platforms and their experiences left them with feelings of …

Developing Critical Communities For Critical Conversations In K-12 Classrooms, Natalie Sue Svrcek, Henry Cody C. Miller

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

As marginalized identities are still largely denied representation in society and students from dominant groups lack sociocultural knowledge to live in a multicultural democracy, books are a powerful tool to address injustices. This article provides teacher candidates as well as practicing teachers with tools to address social justice topics in their classes by building critical communities to support critical conversations and subsequently using texts as tools for teaching in socially just ways. We offer a three part framework including 1) How teachers can begin to prepare to engage in critical conversations with students; 2) Laying out necessary steps for structuring …

Depictions Of Lgbtq Athletes In Young Adult Literature That Interrogate Sport Culture, Katherine Mason Cramer

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Although there is an increasing sense of inclusivity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) athletes in K-12, collegiate, and professional sports, there is still unstated pressure not to come out, which is evident in GLSEN’s 2017 National School Climate Survey. Consequently, the depiction of LGBTQ athletes and the positive message of sports-themed young adult literature (YAL) is even more important. This article explores the ways that YAL aligns with and contradicts narratives of sexual and gender diversity within sport culture and connects this exploration to English language arts instruction using Bill Konigsberg’s YA novel Honestly Ben.

Alimayu: College-Educated Retail Worker Learning English, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In past blogs we talked about how we are using persona as a research tool and our process for creating personas. In the next several biogs we will present the personas we have created based on our interviews with working learners.

Theme-Based Second Language Learning Through Multimodal Experimental Animation, Bailu Li, Yuan Xu

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

In a digital, multimedia, and globalized world, new theories such as multimodality, multiliteracies, and theme-based instruction have signaled a shift in the Chinese as language art and Chinese as second language teaching and learning. However, these theoretical frameworks have not been frequently integrated and implemented in the field of CFL. Focusing on the theme of "Personal and Public Identity'', the article proposed a new attempt to synthetically combine multimodal texts, multiliteracies pedagogy, and thematic learning in CFL classrooms. Through the three selected experimental animations, the article discussed teaching methods and procedures in the topics of individuals and families, individuals and …

The Effectiveness Of Cooperative Learning In Enhancing Students’ Vocabulary For Speaking, Ong Si Juan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Traditionally, English classes in Malaysian schools are rather teacher-centred and this method tends to impede students’ speaking skills. Coupled with the lack of vocabulary, it exacerbates their difficulty in using appropriate expressions in their speaking skills. Attempting to address these problems, the researcher used the Cooperative Learning (CL) method in her study because research has shown that it benefits greatly from the social interaction between students and improves the students' speaking skills, as its structured interaction design facilitates the accomplishment of group goals. This study examined the effectiveness of the CL framework in elevating L2 students’ vocabulary knowledge which consequently …

Autoethnographies Of Reading As An Occupation, Catherine Candler, Randa Mikeska, Kendall Lacy, Nancy Elliott, Audrey Huddleston

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The conceptualization of reading as an occupation is an emerging area, and guides for occupational focus in reading intervention are incompletely formed. We explored our own experiences with reading and awareness of reading as a personal occupation for perspectives to inform our practice.

Methods: We used autoethnography to capture our five separate experiences. These experiences were analyzed collectively for themes using the lens of occupation as framed by the model of occupational adaptation.

Results: Across our experiences, occupational patterns, products, and meaning were identified. Themes in patterns of reading highlighted the challenges of the academic setting …

Decoding The 1920s: A Reader For Advanced Learners Of Russian, Nila Friedberg

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

Adopt/Adapt
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To contact Nila Friedberg, please see her Portland State University profile page.

Abstract
The materials presented in this book were developed for an advanced-level content-based Russian language course at Portland State University entitled “Russian Literature of the Twentieth Century: The 1920s.” Literature of this period is a major part of the Russian canon, but is notoriously difficult for learners of Russian to read in the original, due both to its stylistic complexity and the relative obscurity of its historical, political, …

Integrating L1 In L2 Classrooms: The Case Of Arabic As A Foreign Language In Us Universities, Martin Isleem

Faculty Journal Articles

For many years, instructors and scholars of the Arabic language in American high- er education schools have debated two pedagogical questions: (1) whether or not non-standardized Arabic varieties, Spoken Arabic, should be integrated with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in the foreign Arabic classroom, and if so, (2) what that integration should look like (see Al-Batal, 2017). One of the prominent claims of those favoring MSA in the classroom is that MSA is the more prestigious language variety and therefore better represents Arabic literature, religious tradition and culture (Ryding, 1995:226) However, in the last two decades there has been an evolving …

Optimization Of A Customized Leadership Development Program Upskilling English Language Fluency In Brazil Aviation Leaders, Robin A. Roberts

Publications

Objective: The present study explored how a customized leadership development program (LDP) with coursework taught in English to non-native English speakers could optimize English language fluency in Brazil airline leaders.

Background: Currently, problems exist with a myriad of native language accents and phraseology interfering with cognitive reflexes especially for aircrews and air traffic controllers to safely do their work. Executives from four Brazilian airlines proactively implemented a 14-month LDP focused on English language fluency and leadership enhancements collectively for leaders within their firms.

Method: Blended learning as proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization provided the experiential …

Changing The Narrative: The Effect Of Culturally Relevant Teaching To Improve Reading Comprehension And Engagement Among African American Males In Middle School, Portia J. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine the effects of using culturally relevant texts to motivate and engage African American adolescent boys who read below grade level to read while also improving their current reading levels. The participants for this study were two twelve-year-old African-American adolescent males in the seventh grade. The study was conducted during a 30-minute independent reading segment and after school. The participants read a book for 15-20 minutes a day followed by a ten minute response to reading assignment about their book. The participants in this study were assigned culturally relevant texts to …

Using Multicultural Picture Books To Motivate Students And Foster Critical Discussions On Identity And Social Justice, Susan Davenport

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the significance of integrating multicultural literature, primarily multicultural picture books, in culturally responsive book clubs to improve student motivation, foster awareness of one's identity and promote discussions about social justice. Prior to this research, student discourse about their own identity and the nature of social injustices related to prejudice, stereotyping, and racism was limited. Qualitative research was employed utilizing student artifacts such anticipation guides, literature role responses, and reflection journals. Data was also collected from audio recording transcripts of book club and class wide discussions as well as a teacher's reflection journal. …

Teaching Social Justice In Kindergarten To Reduce Bias In Children, Deanna Marie Villari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand what happens when students in a Kindergarten classroom participate in learning about social justice to create a culture of empathy. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995) serves as a theoretical framework for implementing mini-lessons using the 2020 Teaching Tolerance's Anti-Bias Framework and social justice standards to create an inclusive kindergarten environment. The objective was to increase engagement in the classroom and create a more positive and comfortable environment for students during play group and class discussions around picture books. Qualitative research was used in this study, which focused on read-alouds, class discussions, and …

Adaptation Of The Brockton High School Literacy Initiative To Elementary Schools In Jackson County, West Virginia, Sonya Jane White

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Implementing organizational change related to student achievement is a daunting task that requires buy-in, planning and support structures to ensure fidelity of implementation in the classroom over many years. Brockton High School’s Literacy Model demonstrated such a change is possible and sustainable. Elementary schools in Jackson County, West Virginia were given a mandate from their superintendent to implement the Brockton High School Literacy Model in the kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms in their schools. The immediate concern was how to successfully modify or adapt a high school model to be appropriate for students who were still learning to read and …

In Community With Students As Changemakers, Robyn Orozco

Claremont Graduate University School of Education Teacher Education

The purpose of reflection is to analyze experiences in order to raise questions, decide what works best, and be in a constant state of learning and growing as a person. This ethnography is a written account of my journey as a first year teacher and social justice educator in which I share stories, artifacts, and ongoing reflection of myself and my teaching practice. Through this reflection, I explore my background and positionality, connections made with students, and sensemaking of various practices in my classroom. In addition, I describe our shared class experience of examining social issues and the power of …