First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

Maintaining And Nurturing The Language And Culture Of Heritage Spanish-Speakers At The Elementary Level, Amanda Amarotico

MA TESOL Collection

In many schools across the United States native Spanish-speakers are enrolled in Spanish foreign language classes in order to fulfill a foreign language requirement. The Spanish foreign language class is inappropriate for the native Spanish-speaker’s needs. It is essential that these students be given opportunities to expand their linguistic skills to become fully bilingual and biliterate. Spanish classes for native Spanish-speakers exist at the high school level in many parts of the country, but elementary students are rarely given such opportunities.

The author of this professional paper and report on the creation of an after school Spanish Club discusses the …

The Role Of Identity In Language Acquisition: A Cross- Generational Perspective., Darlene Annette Snider

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper I will reflect on the role of identity as it relates to second language acquisition. My hypothesis is that second language acquisition can be slowed or even halted when students cannot adapt to the culture of the language they are studying. Student’s facing cultural conflict tend to distance themselves from the community thereby creating barriers in the learning process. This hypothesis is based upon my own experience as a third generation Canadian. I believe the effective classroom will work to reduce cultural conflict by affirming the learner’s cultural identity and sense of self as they explore the …

Promoting Language And Culture Learning In An Efl Context, Laura Anne Battles

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Paper (IPP) describes the intercultural communication project I undertook during my Interim Year Teaching Practicum (IYTP) in Granada, Spain. Throughout the academic year of 1998-1999, English-speaking students enrolled in the University of Granada’s Spanish Language and Culture Courses were invited to participate as volunteer language and culture exchange partners with my Spanish-speaking, intermediate-level English as a Foreign Language students. These classroom experiences, designed to enrich the course’s speaking, reading, writing, and listening curriculum, were intended to stimulate authentic communication and to heighten personal and intercultural awareness among the participants.

The argument presented in this paper is that …

Building Literacy For Beginning English Learners, Amy Kathleen Anderson

Theses Digitization Project

This project is to help improve the instruction for English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. public elementary schools. Specifically, it explores research-based approaches for instructing students who enter upper-elementary classrooms speaking little to no English.

Teaching Speaking In The Foreign Language Classroom, Amanda J. Smith

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

One of the most necessary skills for living in the twenty-first century is gaining the ability to know and use another language. In many areas of life, from business transactions to broadcasting television weather warnings, the demand for proficiency in a foreign language is growing. One of the most important skills to have in a foreign language is the ability to speak the language with native or non-native speakers of that language. A great number of foreign language learners most likely consider one of their primary language goals to be the ability to speak the language at a high level …

Designing And Teaching A Culture Course In Korea: Developing Cultural Awareness In The Korean University Classroom, Melanie Van Den Hoven

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Project outlines my process of becoming aware of the interrelationship of language and culture in the Korean University language classroom and the issues surrounding teaching culture in Korea at the turn of the millenium. My decisions, reflections and realizations made as an expatriate EFL teacher based in Seoul, Korea, which helped to address these concerns, are fully presented. This paper reflects on the “culture bumps” inherent in my living and teaching context, and the cultural adjustments made both in the classroom and out. It also explores the major theoretical influences that have been helpful in designing a …

The Effects Of Acculturation On The L2 Learner, Raya C. Longto

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with the deconstruction of a novel (A Sprig of Lemon Blossom) written on the subject of Acculturation. Since the latter half of the twentieth century the world has traveled at an incredible speed towards globalization. Given this reality the number of people who constantly travel abroad for a variety of career and work related purposes is growing by the hour. Under the circumstances the theme of acculturation has become crucial as without an adequate form of this phenomenon people cannot function to the best of their abilities. The deconstruction of this novel addresses the three-fold process of …

Academic Competence For Technical Reading In English As A Foreign Language, Mei-Fen Chen

Theses Digitization Project

This project offers a strategy-based curriculum designed to increase academic competence in technical reading for Taiwanese students of English as a foreign language. Strategies include acquiring specialized vocabulary words, enhancing background knowledge, and increasing metacognitive awareness.

Applications Of The I-Thou-It Framework To Teaching English As A Foreign Language In Macedonia, Zora Busovska

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is based on David Hawkins’ framework of the I-Thou-It with an expanded and personalized interpretation. It aims at defining more precisely the roles of the I, the Thou, and the It in the author’s classroom. The paper also cites research related to this framework and compares the findings, differences and similarities of author’s research with those of other researchers. The paper examines each of the roles and the interplay that takes place between and among them.

The paper explains the advantages of the subject-centered classroom, i.e. dominance of the It. Thus, the emphasis of the paper is on …

Exploiting The Auditory, Visual, And Kinesthetic Modalities In The Language Lab, Christine P. Brennan Mori

MA TESOL Collection

The primary purpose of this paper is to introduce new methods of maximizing the traditional language lab by overlaying a framework of the perceptual modalities on different classroom activities.

Three Surveys On Adult Esol Pronunciation: Teachers, Students, Textbooks, Hortensia Louro Bernal

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study used three instruments to examine the current state of the teaching of ESOL pronunciation. These instruments included a survey of 62 teachers, another survey of 508 ESOL students, and a comparative study of ten pronunciation textbooks in widespread use since 1990. The purpose of the study was to characterize the teaching of pronunciation at present through the voices of the teachers, the opinions of the students, and the content of the textbooks. The study also identified the approaches and types of activities being proposed by the experts and recommended additional activities as well as a rationale for their …

Writing On!, Maria Aranda

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes my participation in the development and implementation of an online writing program at Associacao Alumni, a Binational Center in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The program, Writing On!, was Alumni’s first of many online programs that was developed by a team of teachers of writing.

In Chapter One, I narrate my first experience with giving feedback online in a writing program designed for a young Brazilian student who needed to improve his academic writing skills in order to study in the U.S.A. this enriching learning experience planted the seeds of Writing On!.

In Chapter Two, I give an overview …

Social Cognition-Based Content Instruction For Communicative Competence In Japanese Middle School English, Wakana Kitamura

Theses Digitization Project

This project demonstrates how English teachers in Japan can conduct purposeful and meaningful lessons for middle school low-intermediate students. The teaching approach used for this project is based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI).

Esl Mentoring: An Empowering Tool, Maria Cristina Tur

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this IPP will be a qualitative case study of the mentoring program at Hostos Community College, City University of New York. I will learn the working of the mentoring program. I will examine the mentor’s role and strategies in helping her two protégés. I will reflect upon the relevance of a Mentoring Program as a tool in facilitating the acquisition of ESL. Finally, I will explain the advisor/advisee program at Intermediate School 184 in the South Bronx in whose pilot program I participated.

Tenant Partners For Community Education: A Family Literacy Project, Pamela J. Anderson

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this paper is to discuss, describe, and evaluate a family literacy program I developed as a pilot project for Southeast Asian immigrant families with elementary school-aged children living in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.

I will give an overview of this project and review recent research on the different approaches to family literacy. Using a working definition of family literacy based upon current research and implementation in the field, the Indochinese Housing Family Literacy Project-a description of its structure and expected outcomes, lesson plans, and useful findings from current working programs-will be explored and described. Finally, …

Improving Interactional Competence In A Teaching-English-To-Speakers-Of-Other-Languages Training Program, Marguerite Faye Jackson

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Expressive Writing And Academic Discourse: Bridging The Gap For High School Second Language Learners, Cynthia Katherine Case

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Humor Recognition: A Comparative Analysis, William T. Argent

Dissertations and Theses

There are various approaches to the explanation of humor in the field of humor research. Some of these theories, while providing interesting insight into the phenomenon known as humor, remain limited in their ability to account for how humor is recognized. Others do not even address the issue. This thesis compares five different theories in humor research by analyzing the humorous short story "My Watch" by Mark Twain. These theories are: 1. a typological approach to humor, 2. a social- functional model, 3. incongruity theory, 4. Grice's Cooperative Principle taken from linguistic pragmatics, and 5. the General Theory of Verbal …

Japanese Students' Perception Of Their Language Learning Strategies, Michiyo Ozawa

Dissertations and Theses

Students' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) is affected by their educational backgrounds and academic requirements, and so are their attitudes toward language learning. This study investigates Japanese students' perception of their English LLSs in different language environments: Japan and the United States.

A group of 43 Japanese students from Otemae College participated in a cultural study program at Portland State University. The group consisted of 28 students who studied for two terms (ST Group) and 15 students who studied for three terms (LT Group).

In this study, a combination of a self-assessment questionnaire, dialogue journals, and a card-ranking activity …

Nova University Graduate Education Module (Gem) Master's And Educational Specialist Degrees Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages (Tesol) 1993, Nova University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Reading And Listening Enrichment For Esl Students, Karen Aili Liu Lo

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Just Like The Dutch Kids: A Sociolinguistic Study Of A Child's Early Acquisition Of Dutch As A Second Language, Judith Marlow Herby

MA TESOL Collection

opportunity for my family to spend a year in the Netherlands provided me with the occasion to observe my son’s acquisition of Dutch and to discover with him what it is like to become bilingual. This study of his progress begins in the U.S. with his introduction to Dutch as a foreign language at the age of 3 years, 1 month, and continues through his eighth month in the Netherland (age 4,5). Special attention is given to sociolinguistic factors as well as behavior and cultural adjustment. A journal of his verbal and behavioral progress was kept during this time and …

Ways; Socio-Cultural Aspects Of Tesl In Japan, Linda Hiroko Enga

MA TESOL Collection

The objective of this paper is to present aspects of the Japanese society and culture which may directly or indirectly affect the ESL class, specifically in a Japanese college or university. An analysis of these facts and their relevance in the ESL class and teaching techniques which have been used to meet the specific needs of the Japanese ESL students are also given.

A Supplementary Reference Guide For Non-Native English Speakers On The Communicative And Cultural Aspects In The Esl Miscellany, Joanne Ching Chao

MA TESOL Collection

This is a supplementary guide designed especially for non-native ESL users to be used in conjunction with The ESL Miscellany. It covers two parts of the book, the Communicative Aspect and the Cultural Aspect. In the Communicative Aspect this guide includes the definitions of all the idioms under the different categories, such as food, music, colors, and religion which appear in The ESL Miscellany. In the Cultural Aspect, six areas have been explained and defined. These are “Famous Americans”, “heroes”, “Historical Sites”, “Dates and Holidays”, “Famous Quotations”, and “Proverbs”.

A Handbook For Esl Teacher Training At Okinawa Christian School, Dan Jerome

MA TESOL Collection

The handbook has been designed for use as the text in a two or three day teacher-training course as well as a reference book of information useful throughout the academic year of the school. Because many of the ESL teachers at the school are inexperienced and/or untrained in the field, the information and suggestions have been written in non-technical language using a question/answer style that attempts to deal with the practical issues with which new teachers are most concerned. More than a “how-to” book, however, the handbook suggests matters of philosophical importance that will help teachers see beyond the immediate …

Teaching And The Boarding School Environment At Tasis England, William Bradley Stevenson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses my 1981 summer teaching experience at TASIS England, an American boarding school located outside London. In this environment, there were personal constraints both on the students and on myself. I increased my knowledge of the shape and structure of English and how to teach it. In the classroom there are always discipline problems. I look at one way I found to deal with them. In this boarding school environment, I had additional duties that gave me the opportunity to learn about teenagers. I also gained some insight into culture and how to relate to these international students …

Communication Modules: Student-Generated Language Arts Projects For Bilingual Education, Annie Katherine Hawkinson

MA TESOL Collection

The materials consist of nine curriculum units designed for use with bilingual students at 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels. Although originally developed for French-English bilingual students, they can be used with any language group, since the learning activities are themselves not language-specific. The language used for each communication project is collected from the students themselves: hence the units themselves can be used with any bilingual group.

The learning activities are also designed to be used in multilevel classes, i.e. classes where students' language proficiency may vary. They of course may also be used in classes where such variation does …

A Voyage To A Culture: A Special Collection Of Teaching Techniques ( Imaginary Trip Becomes Real In A Classroom), Silvana Hage

MA TESOL Collection

My project uses an imaginary voyage in a classroom as an introduction to second language culture. It consists of a special collection of teaching techniques for post-elementary language teachers of an advanced second language course. The purpose of this project is to help students get a glimpse of a culture in a situational, functional, and performing way. The students plan an imaginary trip to the second language culture of the country where the second language is spoken.

A description of my own experience with the project is given in order to give an overview of how long, when, where, and …

Suggestopedia: New Use Of Innate Mental Capacities, Phyllis Lorraine Crowell

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses certain characteristics of human mental functioning - an understanding of which sheds light on the mechanism of suggestopedia. These characteristics are: (1) the electrical impulses produced by the brain, and in particular, the alpha brainwaves, which are characteristic of a calm state of mind which is believed to be optimum for accelarated learning, (2) the division of left and right brain hemisphere functioning and perception - with the right ( intuitive) functions being a focus as the receiver of suggestion (subminal stimuli from the environment; the moving force in suggestopedia), and (3) the conscious vs. the paraconscious …

Materials For Teaching Indonesian By "Silent Way", Thomas Ray Ross

MA TESOL Collection

This material consists of a Color Coded Pronunciation Guide and a Color Coded Spelling Guide to be used for teaching Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) as a second language, particularly when using the Silent Way. The guides assign colors to each sound of Indonesian and then present the writing of the language (in the New Spelling system) using those colors. Accompanying the guides are descriptions and keys (including examples)