Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

1.5 Generation Korean-American Young Adults' Bilingualism And Their Identity In The U.S., Hanna Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 20th century, particularly post-1965, there has been rapid growth in the Korean-American population in the U.S. The number of 1.5 generation Korean-Americans has also increased. 1.5 generation Korean-Americans can take advantage of learning both languages and cultures in the two countries which can help them become bilingual and bicultural individuals. However, previous studies about the language experience and identity of Korean-Americans have mainly focused on the first or second-generations (Kang, 2013; M. Park, 2005) rather than 1.5 generations. Some of these studies have focused more on children at an early age (E. S. Park, 2005; Zhou, 1997) instead …

Dialogic Feedback And Its Effects On English Language Learners’ Writing Development: A Case Study, Shokhsanam Djalilova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study aimed to investigate the meanings that second language (L2) learners derive from their writing purposes revising processes and their engagement with dialogic feedback. The goal was to grasp the meaning that revision experiences had for L2 learners (n=17) and to understand the context within which they were operating and its influence on their revision behavior. In order to gain a better understanding of L2 learner engagement and investment in the revision processes which were bound to time and context the case study was built upon an ecological-semiotic approach to learning. The case study aimed to construct …

Acquisition Of Chinese Wh-Questions By English L2 Learners, Linfei Yi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current thesis investigates the acquisition of Chinese wh-questions by English l2 learners based on the syntactic differences between the two languages. I seek to find out how well do the l2 learners acquire the wh-questions, as measured by a grammaticality judgment task; what wh-words tend to pose difficulties for the acceptability of l2 learners; if l2 learners able to acquire the native-like word order of wh-questions in Chinese; if the results of the initial l2 learners in line with any hypotheses of the initial state. Through the analysis of the results, I will conclude that l1 English learners of …

The Effect Of Using Board Games In Reducing Language Anxiety And Improving Oral Performance, Yi-Chun Cheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many English as a second language (ESL) learners feel anxiety about speaking English, and their oral performance is affected in this situation. This study aims to determine the effect of using board games on the improvement of ESL students’ oral performance. Task-based instruction and communicative approaches to pedagogy were used for the games. This is a descriptive method of research which intends to determine the correlation between the usage of educational board games and the level of learners’ language anxiety as well as their improvement in oral performance. The pre-test and post-test which were adapted from the Speaking Proficiency English …

Academic And Language Socialization Of Russian Ma Tesl Students At Us Universities: Struggles, Triumphs, And New Identities, Marina Lepekhova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year a great number of students leaves their home countries to study abroad. As a result, international students constitute a considerable portion of student body in us universities and around the world. For many students, study abroad is a holistic and a life-changing experience. Life in a foreign country and everyday exposure to new social and academic cultures make international students undergo an uneasy academic socialization process and re-imagine themselves through the use of second language (l2). This process is simultaneously coupled with academic and language socialization practices that construct novices as certain kinds of situationally organized persons, with …

Language Policy Implementers: Faculty Perspectives On Language Policy At A Southeastern U.S. University, Jordan Nicholas Troisi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Faculty members, as language policy implementers, retain significant control of the enactment of policy in local contexts. In order to better understand the relationship between de jure language policies at multiple levels of the policy hierarchy, in addition to faculty members? acceptance or rejection of these policies, this study investigated faculty perspectives on language policy, specifically at a southeastern university in the United States. This study employed multiple methods of research including a policy examination and a survey. These methods were selected in order to inspect de jure language policies at the national, state, governing board, and institutional level as …

The Effectiveness Of Teaching Methods In Traditional Amish Schoolhouses In Lawrence County, Tn, Ann Marie Paley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Amish community at Ethridge in Lawrence County, Tennessee is one of a handful in Tennessee, and, with a population of 1,500 and more than ten church districts, is the largest in the South and one of the top 20 in the nation. This particular Amish community was colonized when three families led by Dan Yoder, Joe Yoder, and Joseph Gingerich moved to the area from Ohio in the mid-1940s due to problems with the establishment of their own schools. Swartzentruber Amish are a subgroup within Old Order Amish society and occupy a distinct place on the conservative end of …

Effects Of Swahili Vowel System On Kenyan English Speakers' Pronunciation, David Macharia Irungu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Interventions On Reading Comprehension In A Second And Foreign Language, Anna Velezheva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension is one of the crucial skills for the students enrolled or planning to enroll in language learning courses at North American universities. In order to be able to read academic texts, the students need to develop strong comprehension skills. The present study plays an important role in the field of second/foreign language (L2/FL) acquisition due to its attempt to investigate those classroom practices that can foster reading comprehension among international students learning English as a second language and American students learning German as a foreign language. The present study analyzes the influence of two interventions on reading comprehension …

Blogging Through The Fog: Examining Possible Effects Of Blog Tasks On Culture Acquisition, Katherine Carr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the internationalization of the English language and the rise of the internet and other computer-mediated forms of communication (CMC), researchers have examined what the culture surrounding the English language includes, the literacy and language that is used in CMC interaction, and how the above come together in the language classroom. This paper examines performances on quizzes of two beginner ESL classrooms (one used a blog and one did not) to see if using supplemental blog tasks affects culture acquisition. The cultural readings in the textbook as well as the characteristics of blogs not present in textbooks were examined to …

The Effects Of Anxiety On Second Language Acquisition, Jingjing Tu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety occurs in second/foreign language learning. A large body of previous research has demonstrated the effect of language anxiety on second/foreign language learning. Many studies have found anxiety has a debilitating effect on language learning. Factors associated with anxiety have also been investigated widely. This study focuses on the effects of the interlocutor(s) and communication contexts on language anxiety experienced by a group of ESL students studying at a flagship university in the Southeastern United States. A background questionnaire and an adapted instrument called Second Language Speaking Anxiety Scale were utilized in order to report the anxiety that students experienced …

The Effect Of Direct And Indirect Corrective Feedback Taking A Sociocultural Approach, Brenda Aromu Wawire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Debate on the effectiveness and usefulness of written corrective feedback has centered on Truscott's 1996 article that placed a strong case against grammar correction as ineffective and harmful and therefore should be abandoned. A growing body of research has proved the value of judicious and purposeful error correction and has also put forward guidelines to guide such pedagogy. The second language acquisition process is deemed to be a very complex and slow process. Therefore it is paramount that corrective feedback be structured according to an individual learner's linguistic ability. Contributing to this research base, this study investigated whether there is …

Intersection(S) Between Sociocultural Knowledge, Classroom Discourse And Stance, John Munyui Muchira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Speakers of all languages align their talk to that of their peers in order to create identity in social discourse. While students' interactions in class reveal awareness of their personal educational achievements, they also exhibit a desire to inform others about their socio-cultural knowledge, their beliefs, and feelings. A number of studies have shown how participants create interactional environments where they can not only expand their knowledge in instructional styles but to a great extent construct and reconstruct their personas. Sociocultural knowledge and stancetaking has a great impact on classroom discourse and language learning. My study was conducted on an …

The Relationship Between Student Self-Efficacy And English Proficiency In A University Intensive English Program, Vanessa Carrie Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between learner self-efficacy and English-language proficiency in a native English environment involving participants from various non-native English backgrounds. Participants were 43 English language learners in a university-level Intensive English Program in the Southeast United States. Previous studies, including those by Idrus and Sivapalan (2010); Nasseri and Zaferanieh (2012); Rahimi and Abedini (2009); Teng (2005); Tifarlioglu and Cinkara (2009); Wong (2005); and Hsieh and Kang (2010), have examined self-efficacy and learning outcomes for students who shared a comlanguage and were studying English in the students' native language environments. Findings in these …

Comparing The Teaching Of Culture In Esl/Efl Classrooms, Daniela Silva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present research is interested in investigating if culture is approached in efl and esl classrooms. If it is, we want to know the differences in curriculum (textbooks and syllabi), especially as it pertains to cultural knowledge, in an efl class in Brazil, compared to an esl class in the united states. We will also investigate the classroom practices for incorporating culture into the English language classrooms in those contexts. Finally, we will check which cultural teaching approaches are evident in those efl and esl classrooms. Although it is difficult to define precisely what is meant by the term "culture", …

Developing Social Networks And Language Learning: Japanese Esl Students In A Study Abroad Context, Michiyo Fujimoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigates the relationship between the English language proficiency of Japanese students in a short term study abroad (SA) context and the structure of their social networks. Their personal social networks were investigated through individual interviews. Analyzing their investment in English along with examining their construction of social networks, the purpose of this study is to investigate if there are any relationships between their type of social network and their English proficiency. The data was collected through individual interviews. Their oral English proficiency was evaluated by the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) developed by the Educational Testing …

Cultivating A Rainbow Median Through The Study Of Sexuality In Second Language Acquisition: Identity Construction Of Lesbian Women Native To The Southern Region Of The United States, Elizabeth Walker Graves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite diverging theories concerning the dissimilarities between male and female speakers, there is a general consensus that there is relevance in the relationship between gender and language, especially when considering the sociolinguistic effects of gender in second language acquisition and for the L2 learner. While there is a wealth of publications dedicated to examining the relationship between gendered roles and language, the idea of superseding the study of gender roles with a more comprehensive and considered study of gender identities has not been as forthcoming until very recently. Furthermore, there is little significant research into the relationship between gender identity …

Impact Of Imagine Learning English In Two Northern Mississippi Schools, Dawn M. Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study, Impact of Imagine Learning English in Two Northern Mississippi Schools, describes an effectiveness study of the impact that the computer program Imagine Learning English (ILE) has on English language learning. The study sought to determine the impact of ILE on the annual yearly progress and reading skills of mid-level English language learners (ELL). The objective of the study was to see if ILE was successful in raising the reading comprehension skill scores of English Language Learners (ELL) who worked the program as a language training tool. This study is the result of data that was collected from students …

The Effect Of De-Contextualized Multimedia Software On Taiwanese College Level Students' English Vocabulary Development, Yaw-Liang Yan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer technology has been applied widely as an educational tool in second language learning for a long time. There have been many studies discussing the application of computer technology to different aspects in second language learning. However, the learning effect of both de-contextualized multimedia software and sound gloss on second language students had been rarely explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of computer-assisted language learning (call) on de-contextualized multimedia software vocabulary learning and retention for college level students in Taiwan. One-hundred-fifty-five participants completed this experiment. The control group class was taught in a regular classroom. …

Instructors' Attitudes Toward The Use Of Technology At The University Of Mississippi, Julia Emilia Bussade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the Spanish and Portuguese Instructors' attitudes toward technology at the University of Mississippi. In this mixed method study, with a very limited number of participants ( N = 20), attitudes were analyzed by combining the results of all three instruments that composed this research project: a survey, class observations and personal interviews. The results from the triangulation of these three instruments showed that the instructors have a positive attitude toward technology.

This particular investigation adapted and employed two dimensions to assess teachers' attitudes toward technology: (1) anxiety, fear and/or aversion; and …