Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Developing Adolescent Word-Level Knowledge: Challenges And Opportunities In Professional Learning With Secondary Educators, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

This article aims to highlight the research base for disciplinary literacy approaches, emphasize foundational literacy components that apply to the majority of adolescent learners, and propose tangible approaches to attend to morphological development in multiple academic disciplines. The article will conclude with a call for additional research into the role of morphological awareness in strengthening adolescent reading comprehension, as well as further study of the implications for systemic approaches across all disciplines in secondary educational settings.

Back To The Future: Looking At Nostalgic Practices To Conceptualize A More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 2), Darreth R. Rice, Rebecca L. Witte

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

It’S “A Good Day” To Make Inferences: Helping Emergent And Reluctant Readers, Amy Davis

Michigan Reading Journal

A skilled reader can understand and connect to relationships that are not explicitly stated in text. The process of making inferences can be divided into two categories: text and prior-knowledge-based. This paper offers examples of inference questions using the picture book, “It’s a Good Day” by Kevin Henkes, that teachers can use during shared book readings with emergent and reluctant readers.

Communication: Skill Development Framework, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard, Adam Wardell

Assessment and Reporting

This communication skill development framework was developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing communication. It provides a general definition of communication and describes this construct as it applies in classroom-based learning. This framework synthesises and harmonises existing theory and research on communication. It outlines communication processes along prescribed strands and aspects that are informed by evidence. The strands contained within the framework are 1. Strategising an approach; 2. Conveying information; and 3. Receiving communication. The strands are further broken down into aspects to inform teaching and assessment.

Theorizing “Reflection” And “Refraction” For Teaching Argumentative Writing About Literature In The Secondary English Language-Arts Classroom, Matt Seymour

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

This study theorizes two new constructs—“reflection” and “refraction”—for teaching argumentative writing about literature in secondary classrooms. Derived from a year-long ethnographic study and through contextualized analysis of a student's essay, it examines a Latinx student's argument about the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. The analysis that follows demonstrates how her writing was influenced by both conventional argumentative practices in schools and the specific racial narratives present in the classroom environment. Drawing from the perspectives of New Literacy Studies, the study advocates for writing instruction to consider elements reflection and refraction in English language arts classroom. By doing so, it suggests moving …

Translanguaging: Old Wine In A New Bottle, Or New Wine?, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

The conversation about translanguaging is creating waves around the world, and Illinois is no exception. This column serves to remind the reader of some of the antecedents to this influential concept (“old wine”), predicts how this movement may affect your education setting (“new bottle”), and lays out a few of the aspects of translanguaging that may indeed be “new wine.”

#35 Understanding In Lao, Victoria Gill

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This piece is a celebration, an interpretation, and translation of Lao words and of the Lao language as poetry. This poem dissects and discuss the differences between how the word "understand" is conceptualized and embodied in the Lao language versus English. Further, it shows how in Lao, there are even deeper nuances between what it means "to know" versus "to understand" in Lao.

Interactive Read Aloud Planning Template For The Story, The Letter From The Book Frog And Toad Are Friends, Lauren Dehmer, David Wolff

OER Materials

This is a read-aloud planning template for the story The Letter from the book Frog and Toad are Friends, which holds five stories. The goal of the assignment is to create an effective read-aloud. Research supports these as they can expose children to new words and language structures (Burkins & Yates, 2021). Cunningham et al. (2023) also explain interactive read-alouds as a way to “immerse students in rich content.” The author was given a list of stories from the anthology, The 20^th Century Children’s Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud, from instructor Dr. David Wolff, who …

Los Beneficios De La Enseñanza De Lenguas Extranjeras Con Cuentos Bilingües En Escuelas Rurales, Morgan Gosdin

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This action research explores and reflects on the use of bilingual storytelling as a model for foreign language education in third-grade classrooms. Previous research indicates that familiar stories foster an ideal environment for young learners, shifting the focus to language rather than content (Kirsch, 2008). Stories invoke curiosity in students and allow learners to view a foreign language as comparable to their own rather than simply a list of rules and vocabulary words. The action research, conducted in rural Middle Georgia third-grade classrooms, incorporates cultural and linguistic education. A class of undergraduate language students conducted biweekly lessons reading Spanish stories, …

An Exploration Of Change In Teachers’ Sel Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Beliefs After Participation In A Sel Professional Development Course For Uruguayan Teachers Of Secondary Schools, Sheila Coli

Dissertations of Practice

This convergent mixed-methods study explored how secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Uruguay changed their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of social emotional learning (SEL), and their beliefs about their role in SEL integration, after participating in a six-week online professional development (PD) course. Amid increased international emphasis on the importance of social and emotional competencies (SECs) for students’ academic and personal success, Uruguay’s EFL national curriculum calls for the promotion of these competencies, yet offers limited guidelines or training for their EFL educators. The PD course was designed by the researcher to address this gap, providing …

The Importance Of Pragmatics In The Foreign Language Classroom, Emma Marie Hatsuko Van Ermen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pragmatics has received relatively little attention in language instruction, as it is often regarded as a higher level skill and has only recently gained prominence in linguistic research. This literature review examines the role of pragmatics in foreign language teaching and explores why it is a critical component of language acquisition. First, pragmatics is distinguished from other linguistic branches, such as syntax and semantics, to clarify its unique function in shaping context-dependent communication. Then, the importance of pragmatics in language learning is discussed and the benefits of explicit teaching are highlighted. Finally, common methods for teaching pragmatics such as audio-visual …

Responding To The Needs Of Early Literacy Teachers: Designing Online Professional Development To Improve Writing Instruction For Multilingual Learners, Katie M. Crook, Hazel Vega, Emily Howell, Lindsey W. Rowe, C. C. Bates, Kavita Mittapalli, Amlan Banerjee

Publications

While the population of multilingual learners (MLs) in the United States has grown rapidly in recent years, many teachers feel unprepared to teach them. The professional development (PD) teachers receive is often misaligned with their particular needs and experiences. This design-based research study examined the development and impact of online PD designed with teacher input to improve writing instruction for young MLs. Data were collected over twelve months from 25 teachers in six Southeastern U.S. school districts. Researchers evaluated the impact of the PD on teachers’ knowledge and self-efficacy for teaching writing to MLs. Findings highlight how teachers made instructional …

Umschreiben: A Lesson Plan For Introducing Circumlocution Skills In A German Classroom, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce ways to handle communication breakdown
• Create authentic representations of our personalities: this is something we often do in our first language when we forget a word
• Increase social competence and increase willingness to communicate (will and skill, p. 82)

Idioms Are Indeed The Yellow Of The Egg: A Lesson Plan For Introducing German Idioms, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce the linguistics of idioms.
• Assist students in identifying the appropriate situation to use a given idiom, contributing to students’ social linguistic and social competence (Parks, p. 82).
• Assist students in crossing the threshold of being an observer of the language and associated cultures, into being a participant. They will be able to “press their thumbs” for luck and understand more than just train station.

Deutscher Patriotismus?: Lesson Plan For Exploring German Patriotism, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Compare and contrast the differences in expressing patriotism between the US and Germany
• Introduction to the involvement soccer has in Germany’s culture, even for non-soccer fans

Threading The Needle: Teaching Critical Reading And Writing In The Age Of Ai, Emily A. Durham, Andrea A. Berta

Humanities

All instructors--but particularly instructors who must teach students specific disciplinary ways of reading and writing--face a difficult position with AI. Students will need to use AI in collegiate and professional writing, but using AI for assignments can hinder critical thinking skills crucial to analyzing and correcting AI output. This presentation demonstrates three practices from our developmental English classrooms: a critical reading and writing summary assignment, AI-resistant rubrics, and an exercise to help students evaluate AI-generated suggestions on how to review their work. These activities are designed to help students develop crucial AI-literacy skills to help them succeed in an increasingly …

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 …

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 32 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the education of foreign-born students and families who have recently arrived in the United States, often referred to as Newcomers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding Newcomers in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working …

English Learners With Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

English Learners with Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding English Learners (ELs) who are dually identified as students with disabilities. These annotations build on the annotations regarding ELs with disabilities in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence …

Designated Eld: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Designated ELD: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 19 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding designated English Language Development (d-ELD). These annotations build on the annotations regarding designated ELD in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for English Learners.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 17 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding research-practice partnerships between universities and districts and schools. These annotations build on the annotations regarding university and district partnerships in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors …

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the preparation of preservice teachers preparing to be bilingual teachers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding bilingual teacher preparation in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs. …

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 18 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the assessment of English Learners and Multilingual Learners. These annotations build on the annotations regarding assessment in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

College, Career, And Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

College, Career, and Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 13 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding educational practices that impact the opportunities available to English Learners’ (ELs) in secondary schools and beyond. These annotations build on the annotations regarding college, career, and course access in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and …

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 …

How Self-Perceptions Relate To Recorded Proficiency: An Action Research Project Aimed At Implementing A Supplemental Reading Program For Balinese Students, Katherine L. Johnson

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has had a complex history globally. This is especially true for Bali, Indonesia, where tourism is the main driver of the local economy. Learning English is highly valued, yet many students are left struggling to build the skills needed to rise above the local poverty line. In this action research study, the primary goal was to analyze students’ reading proficiencies to recommend the implementation of a reading program that could be appropriately tailored to individual students. This was done through administering a reading test, tracking both comprehension and reading speed, and a survey …

Understanding Assessments For Adult English Learners: A Case Study Of Second Language Acquisition And Development, Chi Ma

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

While standardized tests have become the norm for assessing language proficiency, they may not effectively capture the diversity of adult immigrants, including their backgrounds, experiences, and varying levels of language proficiency. Grounded in experiential learning theory, sociocultural theory on second language acquisition, and concepts of identity, motivation, and investment, this study explored how the Adult English Learning (AEL) program utilized different types of assessments, what the needs and goals of AEL students were in learning English, and how various stakeholders, including teachers, students, and program coordinator, perceived current assessments reflecting students’ needs and goals.

The findings of the study reveals …

Receptiveness Of The Kindytxt Universal Early Literacy Texting Program By Parents From Low, Medium, And High Socioeconomic Communities, Susan M. Hill, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Nicola F. Johnson, Lennie Barblett

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The home literacy environment (HLE) plays an important role in children’s early literacy learning. Texting programs are an increasing feature of family literacy interventions that support parent engagement in their children’s learning. Unlike face-to-face interventions, texting programs can offer sustained parental support at low cost and large scale. Messages can be translated into other languages, saved and shared, thus potentially widening the influence on children’s HLEs. Most early literacy texting programs target families from disadvantaged communities, yet research suggests all families may benefit from guidance on supporting their children’s early literacy. This study examined the receptiveness of a universal early …

Walking On The Gray: An Existentialist Exploration Of The Possibility Of The Self In The System Of The School, Craig Pope

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the system of the modern public school, particularly at the middle school level, and its deleterious effect on the process of being and becoming a person for students and teachers. The discussion of the self being and becoming an individual is grounded in the religious existentialist philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich. For both thinkers, being and becoming an individual involves finding equilibrium between various poles – finitude versus infinitude, and necessity versus possiblity. Michel Foucault’s exploration of the prison system is put in conversation with the discipline practices of middle schools to delineate how power …

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.