First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

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 …

Re-Thinking L1-L2 Similarities And Differences In English Proficiency: Insights From The English Reading Online (Enro) Project., Noam Siegelman, Irina A. Sekerina, Victor Kuperman

Publications and Research

This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses. We then provide a bird's-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening …

Eye-Movement Benchmarks In Heritage Language Reading, Olga Parshina, Anna K. Laurinavivhyute, Irina A. Sekerina

Publications and Research

This eye-tracking study establishes basic benchmarks of eye movements during reading in heritage language (HL) by Russian-speaking adults and adolescents of high (n = 21) and low proficiency (n = 27). Heritage speakers (HSs) read sentences in Cyrillic, and their eye movements were compared to those of Russian monolingual skilled adult readers, 8-yearold children and L2 learners. Reading patterns of HSs revealed longer mean fixation durations, lower skipping probabilities, and higher regressive saccade rates than in monolingual adults. High-proficient HSs were more similar to monolingual children, while low-proficient HSs performed on par with L2 learners. Low-proficient HSs differed from high-proficient …

Effects Of Parent Child Interaction And Language Stimulation On Children's Language Development, Rachel E. Timm, Helen Raikes

UCARE: Research Products

Research Questions:

• Does parent positive regard relate to a child’s receptive language development?

• Does language stimulation relate to a child’s receptive language development?

• Does parent bookreading behavior (reading fluency, reading intonation/animation, comfort level, and child involvement) relate to a child’s receptive language development?

Measures:

• Preschool Language Scale-5 (PLS-5)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 (PPVT-4)
• HOME Language and Literacy Scale
• Video Codes from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care

Results:

• Positive regard was not significantly related to the PLS-5 or the PPVT-4.
• The HOME Language and Literacy Scale was a significant predictor of the PPVT-4 and was related to the PLS-5 …

Effect Of Music Integrated Instruction On First Graders' Reading Fluency, Kerry Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The study examined music-integrated (MI) instruction, framed by automatic information processing theory and elements of prosody. A quasi-experimental, pre- and posttest design was utilized to ascertain the effect of MI instruction on reading fluency among first grade students. Subjects were students in two public elementary schools in Georgia. To determine the effect of MI instruction on reading fluency scores, independent samples t-tests were employed to compare students' Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test scores. Analysis revealed to what degree MI instruction in reading had effect upon two DIBELS indicators, specifically nonsense word fluency (NWF) and phoneme segmentation fluency …

Stimulating Reading Excitement In Secondary Level English Language Learners, Rachael J. Schweigert

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this paper is to examine how ESL teachers can stimulate reading excitement in secondary level English language learners. The current research about factor which affect reading enjoyment in secondary level English language learners will also be discussed. These factors include element in reading instruction, attitudes toward reading, readability of text, interest level in literature, and availability of meaningful literature. Current research regarding applications that can be used in classrooms will also be reviewed, such as reading models and reading strategies. Based on the results of this research, suggestions will be presented regarding literature that can be used …

Innovative Literacy Content, Methods, And Assessment In English-As-A-Foreign Language Primary Instruction, Tzu-Ru Tsai

Theses Digitization Project

The primary goal of this project is to offer Taiwanese teachers diverse innovative literacy instruction and assessments to motivate students' reading processes. Sample curriculum/lesson plans are included.

Reading Fluency Instruction In Upper Elementary International School Classrooms, Jinky Lunaspe Dagoon

Theses Digitization Project

This project focuses on the importance of reading fluency, emphasizing its role in the construction of meaning and aiding in the overall comprehension process. Its components: accuracy, automaticity, and prosody are examined in relation to various activities that enhance each component. A sample curriculum is discussed.

Activities For Integrating Reading And Writing In The Language Classroom, Leslie Giesen

MA TESOL Collection

This project aims to provide teachers with a selection of practical activities for integrating reading and writing in the language classroom. It first looks at the connections between reading and writing and discusses how their integration enhances learning. A compilation of before-reading, during-reading and after-reading activities with detailed lesson plans follows.

Improving Reading Skills In College-Level English Instruction In Korea, Seoung-Hoon Han

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Readings With Exercises For Advanced Esl Students, Vincent D. Antonelli

MA TESOL Collection

Readings in English for non-native speakers are usually simplified and controlled so that the students will not be overwhelmed by the linguistic complexity of the reading passage. For advanced English language students however, simplification is no longer useful or necessary. The student's interest in reading real material should be met by choosing material that is of high interest value. This project contains three readings which, although edited, have not been simplified. The readings have been chosen for their potential interest value to the ESL student. Exercises accompany each reading. It is the author's contention that for advanced level students, grammar …

Preparing And Adapting Reading Materials For Esl Adults, Kathryn L. Riley

MA TESOL Collection

The adult ESL student who is illiterate or functionally illiterate in his native language has particular difficulty when learning to read English. This paper is a step by step description of a materials writing project undertaken at Bristol Community College, Fall River, Massachusetts; the goal of the project was to develop reading materials for adult Portuguese ESL students, many of whom were illiterate. Included in the paper are the general guidelines followed, specific steps taken to meet the requirements of each guideline, and a discussion of each level of materials developed. Examples of all four levels are included. Particular emphasis …

High Interest Readings For The Adult Beginning Esl Student, Judith Anne Zoebelein

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

The Reading Process And Alphablanks, Dale Saul, Linda Driver

MA TESOL Collection

Alphablanks was developed as an aid for teaching reading by Rosalie R. Saul. It has been used chiefly in teaching children to read in their native language, especially in the field of learning disabilities. We wanted to expand its use into the ESL classroom. But we also wanted to present a rationale for using Alphablanks, to research the field of reading and how we go about learning to read, in order to find out exactly what areas of reading Alphablanks would help. Thus this paper is divided into two main parts: a summary of current research into reading, interpreting this …

Easy Readings In English For Foreign Students: An Annotated Bibliography, Ronald Rojas

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.