Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Improving Concentration -- Three Techniques, Lauren Martins

A. Listening in Class and in Professional Settings

A one-page infographic based on the work of Clifford G. Schuette and others. The three techniques for improving concentration are especially important for classrooms and professional settings. These techniques are:

Be Here Now

The Spider

Worry Time

Reading Motivation And Achievement: Exploring Theories, Strategies, And School Climate Contexts, Andrea L. Esterly

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review examined the intersection of self-efficacy and motivation, and their impact on reading achievement. The analysis demonstrated how motivation and context support and shape students’ reading outcomes. This synthesis of peer-reviewed research (2014–2024) from ERIC, PsycINFO, and JSTOR highlights Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a lens for understanding reading motivation through competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Evidence shows that fluency strategies (prosody, repeated reading, and arts integration) enhance pacing, comprehension, and engagement, while supportive school climates (characterized by safety, teaching, and relationships) further sustain motivation. The evidence underscores the importance of integrating motivational supports, fluency instruction, and student-centered practices to …

Sonic Photovoice And Critical Literacy: Listening To And Sounding What Is Me, What Is Not Me, And What Is Between, Alexander Chadwell

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This study examined sonic photovoice, a sound-based arts research method, as a tool for developing critical literacy in middle and high school students. Participants found and recorded sounds related to three categories, “what is me,” “what is not me,” and “what is between,” composed a sound collage using the sounds, and reflected on the experience. Framed by 4EA cognition, participatory sensemaking, and relational and everyday aesthetics, the study explored how listening and sounding shaped students’ conceptions of self and reality. Data from recordings, journals, and interviews suggest that the sonic engagement can foster relational, emergent understandings of self and …

Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Personal Metaphors About Foreign Language Teaching, Juan Luis De La Montaña Conchiña, Guadalupe De La Maya Retamar, Magdalena López-Pérez

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study analyses the characterisation and evolution of the personal metaphors of a sample of 34 trainee foreign language teachers, through a questionnaire of open-ended questions that included asking the participants to make drawings representing the roles of the teacher. Four categories of metaphors were considered for the analysis: behaviourist/transmissive, cognitivist/constructivist, situated, and self-referential. The results indicate that most participants were able to conceptualise their image of the teacher in the form of metaphors. The pre-service teachers’ metaphors represented are mainly cognitivist/constructivist and behaviourist/transmissive. When comparing them before and after the internship in the primary schools, most of them did …

Using Children's Picture Books To Teach Mathematical And Numeracy Concepts: An Exploration Of The Aesthetic Value Of Mathematics For Preservice Teachers’ Dispositions, Mellie Green, Lorraine Gaunt, Georgina M. Barton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Evidence suggests that preservice teachers tend to have negative dispositions towards the teaching of mathematics and/or numeracy. In response, this paper describes the work of three experienced teacher educators using high-quality children’s picture books to teach mathematical and/or numeracy concepts as well as foregrounding the aesthetic value of mathematics. The purpose of this type of reading is to support and improve preservice teacher dispositions towards mathematics and/or numeracy with children’s picture books. Using metalogue as methodology, the researchers discussed mathematical and/or numeracy concepts and explored the aesthetic value of mathematics within selected picture books. They used the Australian Curriculum’s General …

Nourishing Flourishing: Elevating Elementary Educator Jouissance, Julie T. Siemianowski

Dissertations of Practice

This study was conducted, predicated on the following theories: Nel Noddings’s ethics of care, Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (social cognitive theory), and positive psychology’s Martin Seligman’s PERMA (well-being). For the purposes of this study, Seligman’s PERMA (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment) theory encompasses both Kerry Howells’ gratitude and David Chan’s gratitude and subjective well-being. Qualitative methodology, specifically, the combination of narrative inquiry and case study guided and informed my data collection. Through semi-structured interviews and story-telling, teachers and literacy leaders shared their stories of external distressers and internal factors contributing to their professional jouissance or lack thereof.

Key words: …

Bridging Language Barriers: How Secondary Teachers Support English Language Learners In The Classroom, Mason Daniel Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

English Language Learners (ELLs) represent a growing student population in U.S. secondary schools, yet many educators feel underprepared to support their unique needs effectively. This mixed-methods study examines how Pennsylvania high school teachers approach the teaching of ELLs, focusing on their self-efficacy, instructional decision-making, and strategies for fostering an inclusive classroom community. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, data was collected through surveys from a limited group of 40 high school educators followed by in-depth interviews with three participants. Findings revealed that while teachers express a strong desire to support ELLs, they often experience uncertainty and frustration due to …

Modern Classical Christian Education?, Donna Lybarger

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

This thesis asks if the ancient tradition of classical education is an education method for the modern world. More specifically, this thesis questions, how might classical education methods be implemented for the acquisition of wisdom in the modern world? The literature review gives a brief history of classical education from the Greeks, and a history of why classical education is again a topic of conversation in the modern world. The three stages of classical education, the trivium, is explained. Classical Christian education is defined noting the method remains the same, but the difference is the nuances of the virtues of …

How Effective Structured Linguistic Phonics Instruction In K-2 Classrooms Support Early Literacy Development, Madison G. Dorn

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review explores what current research shows about how young children learn to read and what kinds of instruction best support students in kindergarten through second grade. The studies make it clear that early readers benefit from structured, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, and letter–sound relationships. Researchers such as Ehri and the National Reading Panel demonstrate that helping children connect the sounds they hear to the print they see is essential for building strong decoding and word recognition skills. Several intervention studies highlight how small-group instruction, intentional modeling, and consistent routines can significantly help struggling learners. The review …

Holding Space For Two Truths: Thematic Analysis Of Speech Language Pathologists’ And Teachers’ Philosophies And Practices In Reading Comprehension, Ryan Foote

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Introduction: Reading is a doorway to life participation. Only about one-third of fourth graders have read at grade level for the last three decades. Multiple views on what constitutes skilled reading emphasize decoding and greater variability among comprehension-related skills. Scarborough’s Reading Rope is the most specific in defining discrete skills necessary for adequate reading comprehension. This study aims to understand how elementary-level general education teachers and speech-language pathologists define “reading comprehension” and describe their practices in assessing and developing these skills. Methodology: Elementary school speech-language pathologists and teachers were interviewed about their conceptualizations and applications of the discrete skills in …

The Relationship Of Preschool Variables To Kindergarten Early Literacy Skills, Michele Davis Thomason

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of Pre-K experiences on kindergarten early literacy skills in Alabama. A convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was utilized to analyze assessment data from My Teaching Strategies AlaKiDS and Renaissance STAR Early Literacy for kindergarten students in a rural Alabama district. The students were divided into three groups for comparison: students who attended Alabama First Class Pre-K, those in private programs using the Abeka curriculum, and students with no formal Pre-K experience. The dissertation utilized Vygotsky’s constructivist theory to assess the influence of early educational environments on the cognitive development through scaffolding and the Zone of …

Researching English Teacher Development And Classroom Instruction In Indonesian Madrasahs And Pesantren, Anne-Coleman Webre, Editor, Donald Freeman, Editor, Gloria Romero, Abdul Syahid, Didin Nuruddin Hidayat, Lois Scott-Conley, Martha Epperson, Dedi Irwansyah, Siti Nurul Azkiyah, Atik Yuliyani, Agus Sufyan, Diana Erlina, Rahmah Firthriani, Hanung Triyoko, Faishal Zakaria, Anne Burns, Waliyadin Waliyadin, Nur'aeni Nur'aeni

World Learning Publications

This collection is an account of the research network, and resulting research studies, that were part of the English Language Teacher Training Project, organized by World Learning, a U.S-based non-governmental organization, with funding through the U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office in Jakarta, and with the support of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. The network had a shared research focus—to examine the experiences of English language teachers in Indonesian madrasahs and pesantren in the Project. These teachers were completing National Geographic Learning’s ELTeach Program, a suite of two on-line courses, while also receiving support and coaching from local university-based …

Examining Rural Second-Graders' Literate Identities In Relationship To Reading Proficiency: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Ashley R. S. Olsen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although the act of reading is inherently multi-faceted, encompassing an array of interrelated cognitive, social, and cultural processes, the bodies of reading research typically align to either qualitative or quantitative methodologies. This routinely bifurcated approach to reading research reflects the ongoing disagreement surrounding best practices for literacy instruction. Numerous quantitative findings have supported the use of systematic and explicit foundational skill instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency. On the other hand, previous qualitative studies have emphasized the existing identities that children bring to any learning community and the benefit of nurturing literate identity formation in the classroom. Intersecting a modified …

The Impact Of Self-Study Apps On University Efl Learners: A Radical Constructivism’S Perspective, Tuyet Thi Tran, Bhudtree Wetpichetkosol, Xoan Thi Tran

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This article examines the impact of self-study apps on out-of-class English learning among first-year non-major university students in EFL contexts in Thailand and Vietnam. Grounded in Radical Constructivism, the study highlights how these tools foster learner autonomy through goal setting, progress monitoring, and independent study behaviors. Over 16 weeks, 200 participants used the apps, with 78% Vietnamese and 71% Thai learners reporting consistent engagement. Quantitative findings revealed their effectiveness in promoting self-regulated learning, while qualitative data emphasized flexibility, personalization, and motivation through gamification and real-time feedback. However, challenges such as limited cultural localization, inadequate interaction opportunities, and technological barriers, particularly …

The Rescue Of Wahutedew’Á And The Epistemological Reforestation: An Analysis Of Time In A Terra Dos Mil Povos, By Kaká Werá Jecupé, Ivo Cruz

The Coastal Review

It is estimated that in 1500, the year the Portuguese arrived in America, there was a population of 2,431,000 inhabitants, according to historian John Hemming (1978), who occupied the lands that we now know as Brazil. These peoples had their own culture whose cosmology was destroyed and erased over time by a violent process of colonization. Even though entire groups were decimated, much of their influence is still alive in Brazilian culture. This influence can be found in vocabulary, cuisine, and even religious practices. With the aim of rescuing ancestral narratives and knowledge of various native peoples, Kaká Werá Jecupé …

Light And Darkness For Aesthetic Pleasure: An Exploration Of J.M.G. Le Clézio’S Early Writings And Jun’Ichiro Tanizaki’S In Praise Of Shadows, Kenichiro Otani

The Coastal Review

Building upon comparative principles, this semantic reading of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows and J.M.G. Le Clézio’s early writings illustrates how both the Franco-Mauritian author and the Japanese writer problematize modern Western perception laden with concepts stifling flexible imagination through the mysterious worldview of light/darkness. They also simultaneously express the hope that another way of life leading to liberation is possible. Delving into the spiritual confinement of the subject, they demonstrate how keeping rich creativity within one’s heart can be an escape from a stagnant society. Albeit in very different mediums, Tanizaki and Le Clézio assert that the …

Language And Literacy In Childhood Education, Ele203, Spring 2022 Syllabus, Natalie Willens

Open Educational Resources

Language and Literacy in Childhood Education is a designated capstone course. This writing intensive course provides a comprehensive overview of the development, learning, and teaching of literacy from grades one through six.

This course is designed to promote students’ understanding of the importance of issues concerning language and literacy in childhood education and their relevance to classroom practices. Topics covered throughout the semester include the relationship between written and spoken language and oral language development in children in culturally, academically, and linguistically diverse groups; literacy assessment; emergent literacy; phonemic awareness; fluency; reading comprehension; and literacy across the curriculum. We …

Competent Readers’ Online Multimodal Reading Strategies Use, Hyoju Ahn

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

As reading spaces evolve, it is imperative to identify and describe the strategies and skills used in constructing meaning. I examined online multimodal reading strategies, those used in constructing meaning from multimodal information sources (e.g., images, audio, written words) on the Internet. Participants read online multimodal texts from a laptop screen and provided verbal reports as they read to learn a scientific topic. Through verbal protocol analysis, I cataloged and described their multimodal reading comprehension strategies. Complementing retrospective interviews, reader-computer interaction videos, and written pre- and post-knowledge reports accounted for how they read strategically. Strategies were coded to provide insights …

Rising From The Ashes: Reading Impacts And The Effects Of Recovery Educational Services Following A Major Natural Disaster, Tiffanie Lousia Lambert

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This Improvement Science Dissertation examined solutions to improving literacy outcomes for students in an elementary school that experienced a wildfire during the pandemic. School data revealed lagging reading growth among students displaced by the wildfire despite educational recovery efforts. A root cause analysis to understand students' limited reading recovery led to more global concerns about school-wide literacy programming and the limited use of evidence- based approaches. School-wide data revealed that fewer than 30% of students in the school met literacy benchmarks since the wildfire. Though the fires disproportionally impacted low-income neighborhoods with higher representation of English Learners and students receiving …

Peace Education: Exploring Educational Possibilities, Erica Ferrer Ariza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peace Education is a growing field of study that includes different approaches to understanding and promoting peace, conflict resolution, and social justice. Peace education can be a strategic area for societies that have experienced various forms of direct or indirect violence as is the case of Colombia, South America, which has undergone prolonged periods of violence and internal conflict. Considering that peace is contextual and should be defined and decided on by the people involved in the target context, this work aims to illuminate how a peace education process can be experienced by teachers and students and the forms it …

Teaching Cuba In Georgia Today, Eric Kartchner

The Coastal Review

This essay details a college professor's approach to teaching a course on Cuban history and culture. The professor's pedagogical choices were influenced by Ada Ferrer's book, Cuba: An American History, and José Antonio Bowen's work on fostering independent thinking. The syllabus covered pre-Columbian Cuba, Spanish rule, the wars of independence, the Castro era, and significant cultural aspects like music and religion. The course emphasized multiple perspectives and encouraged student-led research, challenging preconceived notions about Cuba's complex relationship with the United States. The professor aimed to promote critical thinking and understanding through student-driven inquiry.

Leer La Pintura Las Meninas: Niveles B Y C De Español L2, Nydia Jeffers

The Coastal Review

La pintura española Las meninas (1656) de Diego Velázquez ha sido examinada por especialistas de las artes y las ciencias. Esta propuesta didáctica invita a los estudiantes de español de los niveles B y C a practicar la lectura mediante las conexiones curriculares de la obra. Para ilustrar su potencial educativo, se conecta la pintura con más de veinte investigadores de distintas disciplinas. El diseño de las actividades se apoya en teóricos de la adquisición de segundas lenguas y en referentes de artes plásticas del Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (2007) y abarca las competencias lingüísticas del Marco Común Europeo …

Public Writing As Open Pedagogy, Rachael Nevins

Open Educational Resources

This guide to inviting students to share their writing publicly was developed for faculty participating in seminars on open pedagogy at BMCC. It discusses public writing as a way to engage in open pedagogy, outlines the types of writing that students may engage in publicly, and presents the relevant pedagogical, technical, and ethical considerations.

Understanding The Influence Of A University-Based Reading And Literacy Center Literacy Tutoring Program On Students’ Literacy Behaviors, Beliefs, And Skills: Stakeholder Perspectives, Wanda D. Turk

Theses and Dissertations

A convergent mixed-methods study designed with a networked systems theory framework investigated the influence of a university-based reading and literacy center literacy tutoring program on students’ literacy behaviors, beliefs, and skills. The study examined stakeholder perspectives of changes in students following their participation in the literacy tutoring program. A convergent mixed-methods design collected and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data separately before merging for interpretation. Quantitative data came from students’ pre-assessment scores and post-assessment scores. The results indicated that students’ scores increased, decreased, or remained the same from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Qualitative data came from tutor interviews and parent surveys. The …

Editors’ Introduction To Volume 74, Anna Smith, Carolyn S. Hunt, Viraj V. Patel

Faculty Publications - College of Education

For the 74^th Annual Meeting, the Literacy Research Association (LRA) membership was invited to respond to the current moment characterized by “consistent systemic legislative and political efforts to thwart achievements in literacy research, pedagogical practices, curricula, diversity, equity, and cultural inclusions” (LRA, 2024, Conference Program, p. 2). Drawing on Congressman John Lewis's invocation to “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble” (Discover UMES, 2014), LRA President Elect and 2024 Conference Chair, Fenice Boyd, called on the membership to consider what actions literacy scholars are best suited to …

Literary Homeplace As A Site Of Knowing And Healing, Shamonique Hassell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The concept of literary homeplace serves as a locus of rhetorical healing for Black women, emphasizing their lived experiences and creative expressions as forms of resistance and restoration (Collins, 1986; hooks, 1990; Nettles, 2001). The labor of Black women within families, churches, and artistic endeavors contributes to the cultivation of a collective consciousness surrounding oppression and healing (Edwards, 2010; Carey, 2016; Morrison, 1992). Building upon hooks’ (1990) notion of homeplace, this dissertation examines how Black women foster spaces characterized by care, dignity, and resilience (Hersey, 2022; Tate, 1984). Using personal narrative and articulating Black women’s voices, I position homeplace as …

Amplifying Student Voices: A Case Study On The Writing Workshop In A 10th Grade English Classroom, Erin S. Drulis

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores how a white, second-year 10th-grade English teacher implemented a culturally affirming version of The Writing Workshop in a private high school serving primarily Black and Latine students from working class families. Through a yearlong collaborative coaching partnership between the researcher and teacher, this study examined how writing instruction might elevate student voice in writing instruction. Grounded in a pragmatic interpretivist epistemology and supported by five intersecting theoretical lenses—democratic education (Dewey), sociocultural constructivism (Vygotsky), culturally affirming pedagogy (Ladson-Billings), critical pedagogy (Freire), and radical love (hooks)—this case study investigated how students used writing as a means of …

Effects Of Actualized Language Policy On Ukrainian Stability, 1989-2022, Dawn Hersey

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation seeks to generate a new perspective of the complicated relationship between actualized policy and stability through looking at Ukraine’s language policies and stability in a mixed manner approach that includes both primary and secondary sources. Russia justified its irridentist activities through claiming to protect Russian nationals within Ukraine’s borders: language policies within Ukraine appear to be a trigger for Russian antagonism. Neither Russian irridentism nor Ukrainian nationalism are being considered as right or wrong in this dissertation: the intent is to highlight trends, patterns, and perceptions in alignment with Ukrainian language policy. This dissertation does not present a …

The Effects Of Explicit And Systematic Phonics Instruction On Student Achievement, Teagan Dougherty

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how explicit and systematic phonics instruction impacts student achievement, and to explore how instructional strategies are effectively implemented in the classroom. To guide the study, two research questions were developed: (1) How does explicit and systematic phonics instruction impact student achievement in vowel teams and r-controlled vowels? (2) What are teacher perceptions of explicit phonics instruction and how are they implemented in the classroom? This was a mixed-methods study. Data was collected from 18 second-grade students and one classroom teacher. Quantitative data was gathered using weekly pre and posttests addressing various phonics …

Exploring The Educational Gap Of Virginia English Language Learners: Challenges And Opportunities For Academic Success, Amanda Purcell, Sochitl Rodriguez Kauffman

UROP Posters

English Language Learners (ELLs) in the state of Virginia have significantly lower scores in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment exam than those of their English-speaking peers. The SOL measures students’ mastery of knowledge and skills taught in the classroom, and over the last decade, passing rates of the assessment’s core subjects amongst ELLs have continued to decrease and remain relatively low. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the average passing rate for ELLs who took the Writing SOL was only 26%, with Science being not much higher at 29%, and Reading at 33%. For the non-ELL student body, average rates …