Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Interpreting Mandates Through A Bilingual Lens: Dual Language Immersion Teachers’ Experiences With Georgia’S Structured Literacy Law: A Mixed Methods Study Of Policy Implementation In Georgia Dual Language Programs, Grethel Pedroarena

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study investigates how Georgia’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) teachers interpret and implement state literacy mandates, specifically House Bill 307 (HB 307). The research addresses a critical gap in policy-to-practice understanding, as current structured literacy requirements are primarily grounded in monolingual English frameworks that often overlook the instructional realities of bilingual classrooms. The study is theoretically anchored in Translanguaging Pedagogy, Sociocultural Theory, and Teacher Agency Theory.

Data were collected through a statewide survey of 38 DLI teachers and five in-depth phenomenological interviews. Findings reveal that teachers’ interpretations of the mandate are shaped less by the legislative text …

Community-Based Program To Support The Occupational Needs Of Middle Eastern Refugee Women Transitioning Into Western Society, Zuha A. Mohammad, Cassandra Nelson

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

Middle Eastern refugee women resettling in Western societies often experience barriers that disrupt participation in meaningful occupations, including language barriers, unfamiliar systems, financial challenges, and social isolation. These challenges can limit independence and community participation during the resettlement process. Occupational therapy is well-positioned to address these barriers through culturally responsive, occupation-based interventions.

This capstone project developed and implemented a community-based program designed to support Middle Eastern refugee women during early resettlement. The program focused on key areas including system navigation, financial literacy, home safety, stress management, self-advocacy, and community engagement. Educational sessions and practical activities were used to promote skill …

Pembangunan Instrumen Literasi Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah Guru Bahasa Arab Di Sekolah Menengah, Norazida Ibrahim

Student Works (2020-2029)

Current educational transformations demand a paradigm shift from exam-oriented assessment to a more holistic Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA). However, the effectiveness of this implementation is limited by the absence of specific and validated instruments to measure CBA literacy within the context of Arabic language education in Malaysia. This gap results in the actual competency levels of teachers in this field being difficult to determine objectively, subsequently complicating the planning of precise professional development. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate the Arabic Language Teacher’s Classroom Assessment Literacy (ALaTCAL) instrument based on Wilson’s (2005) Four-Building Blocks Model. The instrument encompasses the …

Angkringan Names In Semarang: A Linguistic Landscape Study, Nurul Maghfiroh, Suhandano Suhandano, Aprillia Firmonasari

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The article reveals the linguistic landscape study of angkringan names in Semarang City. It covers language preference, language inference, and language preservation on signages. Researchers collected 140 pictures of angkringan signages from 10 sub-districts of Semarang. Observation and interviews are also conducted to obtain comprehensive linguistic landscape data. Qualitative analysis indicates that there are two naming patterns: monolingual and bilingual. The monolingual analysis identifies that the most preferred language code is Javanese, followed by Indonesian, English, and Sanskrit. Meanwhile, in the bilingual pattern, the dominant language combination used is Indonesian-Javanese, followed by Javanese-English, Javanese-Indonesian, Javanese-Dutch, Sanskrit-English, and Sundanese-English. Meanwhile, angkringan …

Attention To Their Uniqueness: Differentiation In A University Classroom, Robin Gingerich

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

University students come to campus with unique gifts and individual challenges. To meet the needs of diverse learners, one solution is differentiation. Differentiation involves deliberately planning lessons that address the unique learning styles of diverse learners by offering pedagogy informed not only by content, but also by the students themselves. While differentiation in elementary and secondary classrooms is considered best practice, professors in higher education face unique challenges when it comes to implementing differentiation. This paper examines definitions of differentiation, research on differentiation in universities, and, from the author’s personal experience, offers suggestions for university writing instructors.

Moving Forward And Looking Back, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

At The Door, Kaya L. Klein

Virginia English Journal

At the Door is about that pause before stepping into the classroom the moment when my worries and doubts wait quietly behind me. It’s about leaving all of that behind so I can be fully present for my students, who come in with curiosity, excitement, and open hearts. Their energy and joy lighten the weight I carry and remind me why I teach. This poem is a celebration of those small, powerful moments when teaching feels meaningful, when students’ laughter and questions make every fear seem smaller, and when I remember why I show up every single day.

A Unique 21st Century Relevant Analysis Of Carter G. Woodson’S The Mis-Education Of The Negro And Teacher Occupational Resilience, Nadrian D. Antoine

Virginia English Journal

This article offers a contemporary analysis of Carter G. Woodson’s The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), emphasizing its enduring relevance to 21st-century educational challenges and the emerging framework of Teacher Occupational Resilience (TOR). Woodson’s central argument that American schooling functions as a system of psychological conditioning that marginalizes Black identity, history, and agency remains strikingly applicable in modern debates on culturally relevant pedagogy, systemic inequity, and digital‑age misinformation. The article explores Woodson’s critique of leadership, the omission of curriculum, and the reproduction of miseducation by credentialed yet culturally detached Black professionals. It then connects these insights to TOR theory, which …

Using Ai To Build Background Knowledge, Bruce Powers, Keisha Motley

Virginia English Journal

The new technology of AI can be used to address an old need: the building of student background knowledge in order to improve comprehension and maximize ability to make inferences. Examples are shared and discussed.

Teachers Writing Together To Restore Hope And Resist Burnout, Beth M. Lehman

Virginia English Journal

This article invites teachers to consider how the practice of writing, especially in facilitated writing groups designed for teachers, can be an effective activity for processing stress and restoring hope. Attention on teacher writing often focuses on how writing helps teachers to improve their teaching. Here the attention is on the value of writing for teachers themselves. Practices of Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) strengths-based writing groups are described with a focus on Teachers Flourishing through Writing, an online workshop series that the author helped to create. Through analyzing workshop methods and self-reflecting on workshop experiences, the author asserts that …

Beyond Trends: The Potential Influence Of The Ela Teachers Of Tiktok, Heather Lynn Wright, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

This paper describes a study on content from secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of TikTok and their potential influence on future teachers. There were two research questions: (1) What information is being dispersed through TikTok specifically for secondary ELA teachers?; (2) What connotations about secondary ELA teaching are implied implicitly or explicitly through the tone of the TikTok creator? TikToks were examined through a three-part framework, considering the constructs of performances (Goffman, 1956), stickiness (Zott et al., 2000), and affinity spaces (Gee, 2004). Using a systematic approach, 50 secondary ELA TikTok accounts were identified and the top 20 …

Apprenticing Towards Deeper Learning In The Ela Classroom: Using Young Adult Literature To Support Students’ Mastery, Identity, And Creativity, Julianna Kershen, Kacy M. Price, Nynke Wimp, Evie Jackson, Kaitlin Rogers

Virginia English Journal

This practitioner focused article highlights the perspectives of pre-service teachers and undergraduate researchers investigating the kinds of learning interactions and instructional decisions that result in deeper learning outcomes for high school students. Deeper learning outcomes are often described as 21^st century skills, including mastery learning, support of holistic and scholarly student identities, and the ability to engage collaboratively with critical and creative problem-solving skills. The authors suggest a series of young adult literature texts that can serve as springboards into project-based learning opportunities that provide authentic and real world-connected activities, iterative cycles of learning, peer-peer collaboration, and in-depth disciplinary …

Bank Street School For Children’S Story Of Integrating Structured Phonics Into A Progressive Literacy Approach, Melanie Bryon, Douglas R. Knecht, Emily Linsay, Emily Schottland

Occasional Paper Series

This article explores how the Bank Street School for Children (SFC), a historically progressive institution rooted in child-centered, experiential learning, has successfully integrated structured phonics into its literacy program. Traditionally focused on whole language practices, SFC recognized inconsistencies in student reading outcomes and, beginning in 2017 undertook a multi-year evaluation of its literacy approach. Guided by the core values of child development and equity, and research in cognitive science, the school adopted a research-based phonics program, implementing it across Kindergarten through fourth grade over multiple years. This shift aimed to ensure all students—not just those with strong language backgrounds—gain the …

“It Was Hard, But It Worked:” Children’S Theories Of Learning To Read, Cristina Valencia Mazzanti, Laura Tiktin-Sharick, Madeleine Zuck, Tiphareth Ananda

Occasional Paper Series

In this paper we come together as teachers, a school leader and a professor to examine children’s theories of learning to read captured in written and illustrated texts created by 143 children currently enrolled in kindergarten to sixth grade. This collection of children’s theories of reading was created in the context of a progressive elementary school located at Smith College, a women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts. Our hope in examining children’s theories is to humanize and historicize current debates about how reading is taught. We also hope to offer a counter narrative to the dichotomies currently shaping reading education, …

“This Curriculum Has No Real Reading:” A Case Study Of Student Activism In Response To A Centralized Curriculum Mandate, Alina Lewis

Occasional Paper Series

The widespread implementation of “science of reading” policies across national and local contexts in the past few years is yet another chapter in the reading wars (Preston, 2022; Thomas, 2024; Goldberg & Goldenberg, 2022). This is not the first time that a national panic about literacy has incited fierce debates over how best to teach reading. Since the publication of “Why Johnny Can’t Read” in 1955, the question of “how, when and how much phonics instruction” has been hotly contested among scholars and practitioners (Thomas, 2024; Flesch & Sloan, 1955). However, the current literacy policy landscape--in the wake of the …

When Science Of Reading Policy Meets Classroom Reality: The Nonsense Word Problem, Lisa Dewing-Birno, Luis Lopez

Occasional Paper Series

A central feature of many Science of Reading (SoR)-aligned curricula is the use of nonsense words in early literacy assessment to measure a student's ability to decode unfamiliar words using knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. However, the research base for using nonsense words as an instructional tool is much weaker and more contested. Through two narratives, we illustrate how the implementation of SoR instruction with nonsense words can be particularly problematic. We argue that effective literacy instruction demands what we call pedagogical clarity, the ability to integrate pedagogical practices with deep understanding of individual learners, their cultural and linguistic resources, and …

Uplifting The Legacy Of Black Teachers: Loving And Liberatory Pedagogies In A Science Of Reading Context, Natasha A. Thornton, Amanda L. Armstrong, Brooke Blacknall, Jordan Freeman, Elaine Nevers-Williams, Mukkaramah Smith

Occasional Paper Series

This article explores Black liberatory pedagogy (BLP) as a critical approach to navigating current Science of Reading (SoR) mandates, which are often restrictive and fail to honor the literacies and linguistic practices of Black children. Through the narratives of six educators—classroom teachers, teacher candidates, and teacher educators—the article examines how they have experienced and responded to the implementation of SoR standards and curriculum shifts. These stories also illuminate what becomes possible when teachers are in spaces that allow for autonomy, imagination, and culturally responsive pedagogy. The educators’ experiences, expertise, and cultural wisdom are centered, demonstrating how they enact BLP through …

Letter From The Editor's Desk, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Dual Immersion In California: Analyzing California’S Global 2030 Goals, Jonathan Tejeda, Kamila Campos, Robert Emmans

School of Public Policy Capstones

California's Global 2030 initiative set an ambitious target: half of all K-12 students to achieve bilingual proficiency by 2030. This qualitative study examines whether Dual Language programs (DLPs) in California's major metropolitan areas are positioned to meet that goal. Drawing on ten semi-structured expert interviews with researchers, administrators, teachers, and nonprofit advocates, the study identifies four central challenges: inadequate student preparedness, chronic underfunding, insufficient teacher training, and a failure to connect students to their cultural heritage. The findings reveal that California lacks the infrastructure, data systems, and financial commitment necessary to achieve the 2030 goals. The authors recommend establishing a …

Developing A Bilingual Education Program For Middle Schools In Richland School District 01: Promoting Literacy Through Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy, Paige E. Swanson

Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal

The following study explores how bilingual and immersive language learning programs can enhance multi-subject literacy and academic engagement among at-risk African American middle school students in Richland County School District One (R01) in Columbia, South Carolina. Through a qualitative thematic analysis utilizing a literature review of fifty sources that explore education, linguistics, and psychology, the research identifies intersections between bilingual education, culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), and literacy development in at-risk youth populations. Six themes were revealed by the analysis. From these themes, the results conclude that African American students experience greater academic success when classroom instruction integrates their cultural identities, …

Social Emotional For Secondary English Language Learners, Summer E. Wallace

ASPIRE 2026

A presentation about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), it's importance, and how to implement it in the classroom. Specific considerations are included for secondary English Language Learners. Parts of lesson plans created for this population of students on the topic of SEL are included, as well, to show how this type of instruction can be effectively implemented in the classroom.

The Design Of Chatbot Learning Media For Arabic Vocabulary Learning For 7th Grade Students At Mtsn, Rizki Alifia Putri, Alif Cahya Setiyadi

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Arabic language learning at the Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTsN) level often faces challenges such as limited curriculum time allocation and the dominance of conventional teacher-centered methods. This research aims to produce a design for chatbot-based learning media using the Smojo.Ai platform, focusing on vocabulary (mufradat) mastery for 7th-grade students. The approach used is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation); however, this report is limited to the Design and Development (expert validation) stages. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, documentation studies, and validation questionnaires. The results indicate that the characteristics of the "Mufrodaty" chatbot integrate …

Uniting To Strengthen Reading Instruction Through Mixed-Reality Simulations, Todd Whitney, Kera B. Ackerman

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Improving literacy outcomes in Kentucky requires professional learning models that effectively bridge the gap between research and classroom practice. The partnership between the Kentucky Reading Research Center (KYRRC) and the University of Kentucky SimLab (UK SimLab) represents an innovative approach to building teacher capacity through mixed-reality simulations aligned with statewide literacy initiatives. Grounded in evidence-based instructional practices, the partnership integrates professional learning and opportunities for deliberate practice in core literacy areas, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Mixed-reality simulations provide educators with structured, low-risk environments to rehearse instructional routines, receive feedback, and refine their teaching, addressing well-documented challenges …

Teaching Iep Development To Preservice Teachers Using Real-World Scenarios And Kentucky Resources, Laura S. Clarke, Dusty Columbia Embury

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

When considering all of the content and pedagogy required for preservice teachers to master before they begin teaching students with disabilities, candidates at public, regional university report that one of the most complex components is understanding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and how to write them. In this article, we will provide a program description of the structure, components, and outcomes of a model preservice personnel preparation program designed to address the pedagogical needs of university teacher education candidates in this rural state university. We will describe the plan and initial results from a small pilot study in which faculty in …

Critical Incident Analysis: A Methodological Approach For Teaching Trauma Informed Practices, Penny B. Howell, Mary S. Thomas, Shantel D. Crosby, Khirsten Scott

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Drawing on sociocultural theory, a transdisciplinary, multi-racial team of teacher educators, a social work educator, and a scholar of English and rhetoric, designed a study focused on developing teacher candidates’ understanding of trauma-informed practices during their teacher preparation program. Qualitative data from teacher candidates’ reflections on Critical Incident Descriptions (CID) completed during student teaching reveal their developing understanding of trauma-informed practice with Timing, Maintaining Relationships, Holding High Expectations, and Engaging Students so they Remain in the Classroom as prevalent themes across all CIDs. Findings suggest that Critical Incident Analysis promotes teacher candidates’ reflection practices as they make connections …

Cultural Competence Training For Peer Tutors And Mentors, Grace Nunamaker, Nicole Brun-Mercer

Boise State University Publications and Presentations

Culture informs our beliefs, behaviors, and sense of identity. It shapes our values, thought processes, view of the world and the people within it. Being aware of our own cultures, of cultural differences, and of ways to navigate those differences is increasingly recognized as a vital skill to develop for both personal and professional purposes. Cultural competence is particularly important when working in education because how we think and behave is so inherently linked to how we teach and learn. Many peer mentors and tutors are finding themselves in an instructional position for the first time; they have limited experience …

English Diphthongs For English Learners: The Same, But Different, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

In any language, diphthongs need to be reckoned with, but teaching diphthongs to learners of English as a new language requires greater insight and special skills. In this column, we take a look at English diphthongs, why they matter, and how they might be best handled when teaching English language learners.

Cover Page Vol. 65 Issue 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Book Clubs And Young Adult Literature: Preparing Preservice Special Educators In Inclusive Literacy Practices, Marie Tejero Hughes, Juana Abarca, Marta Mohammad

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The study presented in this article explored how book clubs centered on young adult (YA) literature supported 67 preservice special educators (PSEs) in developing inclusive literacy practices. The study examined PSEs’ reflections on social, cultural, and personal themes in YA narratives and how these informed their planning for students with disabilities. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, researchers analyzed online discussion posts collected over a 6-week book club course component. Findings reveal that PSEs engaged with themes such as identity, resilience, systemic inequities, and disability representation, often connecting literature to their own positionalities and future teaching roles. PSEs also identified a …

Home Visits As Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A First-Grade Classroom Community Learns From Families’ Shared Assets And Challenges, Jen Mccreight

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article builds on existing scholarship by analyzing the use of home visits as a tool to learn about families’ funds of knowledge—their viewpoints, beliefs, and critical understandings—while also examining families’ own complex views of their linguistic and cultural assets. Through the lens of culturally sustaining pedagogy, the article discusses how home visits were used as a family/school partnership practice that celebrated and built on first grade students’ unique cultural and linguistic assets, as well as how families’ insights were shared with and taken up by first-grade students through classroom activities and projects.