Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Grammar Instruction Embedded Within Writing Instruction In The Secondary Ela Classroom, Erika Scheu-Millek

Masters Projects

Available research indicates that American students are underperforming in the area of writing. Grammar is the foundation of the English language, so it follows that an understanding of the language system is inherent in the act of writing. Grammar instruction, however, has been largely absent from American ELA classrooms for the past half century. This project examines the research which supports grammar instruction as part of the writing process and synthesizes the most promising research findings into a writing unit for 11th and 12th grade students. This unit includes a genre-based framework for instruction, directed writing, sentence combining, and instructional …

Trauma-Informed Teaching Of Literature To Multilingual Learner Refugees: In Search For Balance Between Cultural Responsiveness And Curriculum Sensitivity, Ekaterina Midgette, Jordan González

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The unprecedented refugee crisis since the onset of the pandemic changed the demographics of the student population and recontextualized culturally responsive literacy education. Many Multilingual Learner refugee students entering our classrooms bring with them experiences of mass exodus that have direct implications for teaching and learning. It is imperative to identify culturally responsive pedagogies that balance cultural representation with sensitivity toward multifaceted trauma endured by Multilingual Learner refugees. Using an ecological perspective as a theoretical framework, we examine tensions and critical considerations in choosing culturally responsive children’s and young adult literature as they apply to the context of three contemporary …

Addressing Tensions In Textual Voice Construction, Marcela Ossa-Parra

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Guiding historically minoritized students in their textual voice construction entails navigating the tensions between these white-dominant monolingual voices and the diverse voices they bring to the classroom. This conceptual paper presents an ecological voice-construction process model that sheds light on how writers negotiate external and internal expectations in their writing. These expectations are derived from the political, sociocultural, dialogic, and personal contexts in which voice construction is situated. The model establishes four interrelated processes for negotiating textual voice corresponding to each context: negotiating power relations and ideologies, entering the conversation, engaging the reader, and connecting with the self. This model …

Improving The High School And College Classroom Experience For Learners With Refugee Status: Theory, Practice, And Change., Kayte Thomas, Sara-Jean Lipmen

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Refugee populations are increasing globally, and children make up more than fifty percent of those displaced. Unique experiences that come with forced migration including fragmented education, trauma, family separation, grief, and adverse other effects can impact learning in the classroom for refugee students. Existing data indicates that schools lack sufficient protocols to meet the needs of students with refugee status who consistently face risks associated with ill-prepared learning environments, and therefore must rethink possibilities to address this. By adopting strategic decolonized approaches, educational leaders can create supportive environments which improve instructional methods and learning outcomes for these students as they …

Liberation Education: A Strive To Make Literacy Instruction Meaningful For All Elementary School Students & Teachers, Cassandra K. Goodwin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this conceptual research was to review literature on the implementation and the implications of liberation education in the elementary literacy classroom, specifically for students of color and white teachers in urban schools. This research discusses educational frameworks tied to liberation education and explores common themes that arise through the literature review. The importance of culturally responsive teaching, critical pedagogy, and multiliteracies pedagogy through literacy instruction is highlighted. Thorough teacher preparation, and active teacher engagement allow for student empowerment. Positive effects of liberation education through literacy for students and teachers are explored. Strides away from traditional teaching to …

Can Subaltern, Multilingual And Multidialectical Bodies Feel? An Aspirational Call For Undoing The Coloniality Of Affects In English Learning And Teaching, Jihea Maddamsetti

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

When Spivak (1988/2010) provocatively raised the question “Can the subaltern speak?” and concluded that they cannot, she did not mean that the subaltern literally or physically cannot speak. She meant that Western/Eurocentric/White ways of knowing and languaging produce colonial, epistemic violence that silences subaltern bodies.

In this conceptual paper, I pose a related question: “Can subaltern, multilingual and multidialectical bodies feel?” Little attention has been paid to understanding the affect of multilingual and multidialectical students during English Learning and Teaching (ELT) . As a teacher educator/researcher positioned within ELT in the white settler context of the U.S., I reach a …

Elementary Teachers' Perspectives On Teaching Reading Comprehension, Reid Smith, Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Lorraine Hammond

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

PURPOSE: We report findings from a survey of elementary teachers regarding reading instruction. The purpose was to examine teachers' beliefs about how children in the first 7 years of schooling develop reading comprehension skills and to characterize the self-reported practices and strategies they use to support children to comprehend connected text. METHOD: A web-based survey was used to collect data from 284 Australian elementary teachers about their beliefs and practices regarding reading comprehension instruction. Selected Likert-scale items were aggregated to determine the degree to which participants held "child-centered" or "content-centered" views of reading instruction. RESULTS: Australian elementary school teachers hold …

Supporting Students In Learning English Outside The Classroom, Mubariz Zirman

Journal of Research Initiatives

Both inside and outside the classroom are essential in learning a language. However, the importance of these two environments may change from here to there. For instance, in Afghanistan, English is a foreign language, and it is mainly learned inside the classroom. Therefore, the classroom is considered an essential place for learning. This paper aims to identify ways of supporting students in learning a language outside the classroom. Specifically, it will discuss ways of learning English outside the classroom, such as the flipped classroom approach, involving students in out-of-classroom learning, online learning, project-based learning, interacting with native speakers, surfing social …

Critical And Cultural Language Pedagogy: Interdiscursive Multimodality As A Means Of Cccessible Multiliteracy And Social Equity/Justice In The Higher Education Classroom​, Brian Kapustka

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This professional development presentation explores critical and cultural language pedagogy through a multiliteracies and multimodal framework in higher education classrooms. Drawing on scholarship in literacy studies, sociolinguistics, critical pedagogy, translanguaging, and discourse theory, the presentation examines how interdiscursive multimodality can function as a means of accessible multiliteracy and social equity in language education. It addresses the role of discourse, identity, power, and linguistic accessibility in shaping classroom practice and highlights strategies for promoting metalinguistic awareness, sociolinguistic sensitivity, trauma-informed pedagogy, and equitable evaluation practices. Through engagement with case studies on multimodal language learning and multiliteracies in online world language instruction, the …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

Creating Inclusive Classrooms With Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Melissa Kane

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This is a qualitative phenomenographic study that uses the theoretical frameworks of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) (Paris, 2012), Intergroup Contact Theory (Allport 1954), and Social Constructivism (Smagorinsky, 2007) to evaluate how 7^th grade students at a Title I middle school in the Southeastern United States experience the phenomenon of peer relationships in the context of a CSP writing unit. Students created, peer edited, and shared multimodal “Where I’m From” (Lyon, n.d.) poems in intentionally created groups. The researcher collected data via participant interviews, participant journals, and a researcher reflection journal. Findings indicated that students developed a better understanding of …

Multimodal Digital Literacy Practices: Perspectives Of L2 Academic Writing Instructors, Priscila Jovazino Bastos Medrado Costa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my dissertation study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of English language instructors about the use of multimodal digital technologies in the teaching of academic writing. Writing academically in English as a second language (L2) is complex and multilayered for international students, and multimodal digital literacy practices are essential in the writing process in the age of information technology. The literature on multimodal digital literacies applied to L2 English instruction and to academic writing and the literature on teachers’ impressions about instructional technologies are vast. However, there is a need for further studies that address the …

Teacher Candidate Self-Efficacy And Ability To Teach Literacy: A Comparison Of Residency And Traditional Teacher Preparation Models, Doreen L. Mazzye, Michelle A. Duffy, Richard L. Lamb

Journal of Global Education and Research

This comparative study explored self-efficacy and ability for scientifically-based literacy instruction between a traditional and residency model of teacher preparation. Pre-/post-survey data was collected using the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Scale. Mentor teachers completed a modified version of the survey on candidates’ abilities. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests, independent sample t-tests, and a trend analysis. Results revealed that candidates in the Residency Model held higher levels of self-efficacy for literacy instruction than in the Traditional Model. Mentor teachers rated candidates in the Residency Model as more able to teach literacy than those in the …

The 2023 Whippoorwill Award: The 2023 Whippoorwill Award: Complex Representations Of Rural Identities And Places, Chea L. Parton, Erika L. Bass, Devon Brenner, Kate E. Kedley, Alan Hoffmann, Jennifer Sanders, Jacqueline Yahn Mrs., Michael Young

The Rural Educator

Announcing the 2023 Whippoorwill Award winners.

Nikole Uw!, Erin Catoggio, Aj Humenik, Emily Papagiannis, Alyssa Varga

Games

Practice speaking, hearing, and moving in Munsee (Lenape)! This game is modeled after Simon Says and includes instructions, a caller's card, and a sample color wheel, all of which can be adapted to players' interests and abilities.

Empowering Chinese Students To Regain The “Voice” Via Vygotsky’S Zpd Integrated With The Socratic Seminar, Zhengjie Li Dr.

Journal of English Learner Education

Many Chinese students studying in the United States (U.S.) today report that they do not have a “voice.” They feel marginalized because of a lack of communicative competence in English and their inability to understand Western cultures, especially during their first year in the U.S. (Ching et al.). Some Chinese students are unable to adapt to the academic environment in American high schools, which leads to feelings of exclusion. To smooth this transitional period, this study suggests that the scaffolding (see Bruner, 1978, 1985) from ESL teachers in both verbal and written forms be implemented before students are placed into …

Effectiveness Of English Learners Computer-Based Testing Accommodations: A Meta-Analysis, Tuba Gezer Dr., Claudia Flowers, Richard Lambert

Journal of English Learner Education

With the increased number of English learners (ELs) participating in large-scale state testing, there has been an increased focus on fairness in testing for these students. Test accommodations have shown promise in eliminating barriers and improving accessibility, and computer-based testing (CBT) allows individual customization of tests with built-in accessibility features. Most research on testing accommodations focuses on paper-based tests, but CBT is the most predominant mode of delivering large-scale state assessments. This study aims to synthesize research on the validity and effectiveness of CBT accommodations for EL students. Meta-analysis methodology was used to summarize the findings from previous CBT studies. …

Accelerate Beginner English Learner’S Writing Skills From Day One, Eugenia F. Krimmel Ed.D.

Journal of English Learner Education

This article addresses the customary practice of delaying teaching of writing for Beginner English Learners (BELs) which often results in slowing writing development. Barriers preventing teachers from earlier writing instruction include a belief BELs cannot produce written English before learned orally first, a lack of teaching writing know-how, and few level-appropriate materials for older BELs. The systematic approach ALL Beginner Learners of English (ABLE) Writing Method is a solution to build both teachers’ confidence and BELs’ phonics, spelling, and writing skills from day one. The basic premise of the ABLE Writing Method is that if one is able to think, …

The Double Entry Journal, Doreen C. Bowens

Open Educational Resources

The Double Entry Journal is a note-taking technique for English Composition courses that encourages students to become active readers.

Pirls 2021 Australian Year 4 Data [Sas], Kylie Hillman, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues, Marina Schmid, Sue Thomson

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

This dataset (SAS zipped) is a data source for the report Progress in International Reading Literacy Study: Australia’s results from PIRLS 2021. Refer to the readme.txt file for details.

Pirls 2021 Australian Year 4 Data [Spss], Kylie Hillman, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues, Marina Schmid, Sue Thomson

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

This dataset (SPSS zipped) is a data source for the report Progress in International Reading Literacy Study: Australia’s results from PIRLS 2021. Refer to the readme.txt file for details.

Pirls 2021 Australian Year 4 Data Readme [Text], Kylie Hillman, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues, Marina Schmid, Sue Thomson

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

This readme file contains information on use of the datasets that form the data source for the report Progress in International Reading Literacy Study: Australia’s results from PIRLS 2021.

Open Access Publishing For English Language Learners, David Patent, Sarah Tomlinson, Dylan Mohr, David T. Lind

EnglishUSA Journal

Open access publishing for English language learners reinforces the notion that valuable perspectives can be shared with the academic community before attaining an idealized threshold of English language proficiency. This report offers a description of three case studies that illustrate how open access repositories can be used to provide publishing opportunities for English language learners and stimulate interest in academic writing. Historical background on open scholarship publishing is included, along with implications for policy. The report expands on a panel discussion presented by the authors at the 2023 EnglishUSA Professional Development Conference.

Evaluating Middle School English Language Learners’ Science And Literacy Proficiency, Yasemin Ozkaya

Dissertations

The academic success and English proficiency of ELL students are receiving more attention as a result of the growing number of ELL students and the demand for accountability and assessment in education. It is widely accepted that ELL students struggle on state standardized tests because they lack the cognitive academic language abilities needed to succeed on extensive subject evaluations (Thakkar, 2013). According to Abedi and Dietel, ELLs' academic performance lags behind that of other segments of population, and the attainment gap reduces only slightly over time (2004).

The NWEA archival data of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who attended …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Multilingual And Multicultural English Education In Asia, Isabel Pefianco Martin, Marianne Rachel G. Perfecto, Wei Keong Too

Educational Leadership and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Case Study Method To Increase Preservice Teachers' Experience With Ell Accommodations And Self-Efficacy, Kelly M. Torres, Samantha Tackett, Meagan C. Arrastía-Chisholm

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The enrollment of English language learners (ELLs) in American public schools continues to increase each year. The substantial growth in this population of learners makes it imperative for future educators to understand how to effectively support ELLs’ acquisition of academic content and English language proficiency. In past studies, preservice teachers have reported lower levels of self-efficacy when supporting these learners. This investigation examines how case study approaches can be utilized with preservice teachers to understand how they recommend strategies/accommodations for ELLs and their levels of self-efficacy in implementing these instructional approaches. Findings from this research suggest case studies are effective …

Great Lakes Great Books: Making Classroom Connections, Lynette Suckow

Michigan Reading Journal

Use stories from the Great Lakes Great Books list to connect readers to the classroom curriculum.

Steam Pride: Biographies & Autobiographies Written And/Or Illustrated By Black Americans, Jonella Mongo Ph.D.

Michigan Reading Journal

While there are thousands of nonfiction children’s books published annually, only a handful are biographies or autobiographies about Black Americans in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts or mathematics as well as written and/or illustrated by a member of the group. This article highlights biographies and autobiographies that include the stories of many well-known plus less-known individuals who have made impressive contributions to our nation and the world in STEAM fields. Books that showcase people from the past along with contemporary persons across various occupations, careers, and positions. Literature to learn from and celebrate diverse perspectives as teachers, parents, …

Using Way-In And Stay-In Scientific Picturebooks To Learn About Science And Scientists, William P. Bintz

Michigan Reading Journal

The power and potential of literature to learn science has long been recognized by both science and literacy specialists. Literature is often a child's first introduction to science and the first encounter with the concept of science and the role of scientists. The problem is that much science literature focuses mostly on the scientist or the science. This article responds to the imbalanced portrayal between science and scientist in children’s literature. It also discusses the value of scientific picturebook biography to teach science, introduces the notion of Way-In and Stay-In texts, and provides examples of both types of texts along …

Using Multicultural Texts To Motivate Special Education Middle Schoolers To Read Independently, Ramona Maria Di Maria

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate and examine middle school students’ motivation to read independently. The goal was to see what happens to seventh grade special needs students’ motivation when using authentic multicultural texts during independent reading. Motivation profiles, student interest surveys, reading habit observations and student multicultural book choices were collected and analyzed. The special needs students that participated in the study showed how a structured daily independent reading schedule, choice of multicultural literature, and classroom environment can increase their motivation to read independently. The implications for teaching independent reading in a middle school special needs …