First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

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).

Perkaitan Antara Kognisi, Bahasa Dan Komunikasi : Satu Kajian Kes, Noor Hasnoor Mohamad Nor

Student Works (2000-2009)

The purpose of this study is to observe the inter-correlation of cognition, language and communication in normal individual subject. The concept, structure and function of each factor is the basis of the said intercorrelation. The researcher expounds two theories on language acquisition, that is behaviourist and mentalist, as well as study the acquisition along with phonological, morphological, syntax and semantic levels. The intercorrelation of cognition, language and communication is subsequently refined using two methods - external and internal - as previously used by Foss and Hakes (1978). Internal representation is observed via cognition and semantic aspects, whereas external representation via …

Analisis Kontrastif Kata Bilangan Dan Penjodoh Bilangan Di Antara Bahasa Melayu Dan Bahasa Jepun, Aini Aziz

Student Works (2000-2009)

The main aim of this research is to study and identify errors in numerals and quantifiers in the Japanese Language which are often made by the Malay students at MARA University of Technology, Shah Alam. The writer attempts 10 find factors that cause these errors and suggests various methods to solve the problems. A survey has been carried out as a background study. 19 sets of questionnaire were administered to the students of the Diploma in Tourism Management, faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism. UiTM. The aim of this study is to get feedback on the errors that always occurred, …

¿Corregir O No Los Errores En La Clase De Español Como Lengua Extranjera?, Eva NúÑEz-MéNdez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

A lo largo de la historia de la enseñanza de las lenguas extranjeras los errores se han considerado desde diferentes perspectivas: algunas veces se han visto como algo totalmente negativo (como fallos que demostraban la incapacidad del estudiante para expresarse correctamente), otras como la única guía indicativa para examinar el proceso del aprendizaje lingüístico. Desde los años setenta con el método contrastivo hasta el contemporáneo método comunicativo el rumbo de la investigación y corrección de los errores ha cambiado en gran medida. Hasta que Pit Corder publicó “The significance of learners’ errors” en 1967 se pensaba que los errores se …

First Language Transfer Amongst Malay Students In National Primary Schools, Kien Cheng Yong

Student Works (2000-2009)

This study attempts to discover the influence of first language transfer on the production of written English. Since all the subjects are Malay students, their first language is likely Bahasa Melayu. Their second language is the English Language which is taught in their national primary schools. Besides that, this study also seeks to discover the types of errors involved in first language transfer, whether gender and the socioeconomic background of the subjects affect ESL learning. 194 Year 4 students from two national primary schools in Kajang, Selangor were involved in this study. They were given four sets of writing tasks …

Pemerolehan Dan Penguasaan Bahasa Di Kalangan Kanak-Kanak, Noor Azmira Mohamed

Student Works (2000-2009)

Kajian dilakukan untuk melihat tahap pemerolehan dan penguasaan bahasa di kalangan kanak-kanak yang berusia 2.6 tahun dan 3.7 tahun berdasarkan analisis am, analisis sintaksis dan semantik bahasa Melayu. Kedua-­dua sampel merupakan kanak-kanak Melayu yang mempunyai latar belakang bahasa yang sama iaitu dilahirkan dan dibesarkan di Kelantan. Oleh itu bahasa pertama kedua-dua mereka ialah bahasa Melayu dialek Kelantan. Oleh kerana kedua-dua sampel yang dipilih terdiri daripada kanak-kanak Melayu yang dibesarkan dalam masyarakat Melayu dan menggunakan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa pertama dalam sebarang bentuk perhubungan, maka analisis bagi melihat tahap pemerolehan dan penguasaan bahasa di kalangan mereka juga akan dilakukan berdasarkan aspek-aspek …

Language Attitudes And Academic Achievement: A Study Of Mexican Immigrant Esl Students In The Northwest, Julie Ann Cheshire

Dissertations and Theses

As the population of Mexican immigrant learners continues to increase in the Northwest, an understanding of the cultural, social and psychological realities of these students' lives becomes an ever more important issue for professional language educators, classroom teachers, and school administrators. Our understanding of the needs of these learners will have an important effect on how prepared they are to participate in academic situations and community life.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between language attitudes and ESL learning among young adult Mexican-immigrant learners in one community education program in the Northwest. Learners' values and beliefs …

Portland Dialect Study: The Story Of /Æ/ In Portland, Jeffrey C. Conn

Dissertations and Theses

This study reports on the hypothesized raising of the low, front vowel /æ/, which is characteristic of a regional dialect vowel shift found in cities of the Midwest and Eastern North of the United States. The raising of this vowel is the primary change in a series of vowel shifts that have traditionally been attributed to this region of the U.S. The purpose of this study is to document the production of this vowel by residents of Portland, Oregon, in order to see what light it can shed on dialect research of the Pacific Northwest, especially across age groups to …

Error Analysis And Curriculum Development In An Efl Classroom In Taiwan, Meng Teh Wu

MA TESOL Collection

It is the premise of this paper that errors provide invaluable information for guiding teachers and learners in the process of language acquisition. They offer insights for the teacher in constructing curricula and help the students with their ingerlanguage development. Errors should not be regarded as negative indicators. They are significant guide posts in the learning process. When and how to correct errors and what errors to correct has been the focus of Error Analysis studies. In this respect this paper is no exception. Special emphasis has been laid, however, on how to translate theoretical concepts into the author’s classroom …

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.

The Importance Of Community Building In The Efl Classroom, Svitlana Trofymenko

MA TESOL Collection

This paper argues that success in the EFL classroom depends less on techniques and materials, and more on the relationships between the class members and the educational climate. It asserts that, because the creation of a sense of community facilitates learning in different ways, the most important talk of a teacher is to foster a sense of community between students in the language classroom as well s to challenge them with linguistic tasks. A classroom community can increase student motivation and self-esteem. It can reduce extreme anxiety and maximize student-student interaction in the EFL classroom. It can also facilitate co-operation …

Comings And Goings: Considerations And Reflections On The English Program In Korea (Epik), Kiama Robinson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines both practical considerations for sojourners who are planning to work overseas in South Korea’s English Program in Korea (EPIK) and reflections on the author’s experiences with this program. The first section of the paper presents pre-departure, arrival and descriptions of what the school and housing might consist of, followed by reflections on the author’s direct experiences through three paradigms: world view, intercultural adjustment, and culture shock. While the main focus of this paper is on native English speakers participating in EPIK, the practical considerations and discussion may also be generally helpful for hosting organization as well as …

The Evolution Of A Reflective Practitioner: One Teacher’S Story, Anne K. Reagan

MA TESOL Collection

Becoming a reflective practitioner requires and active, disciplined process as well as support from colleagues according to the experiences of one elementary school Spanish teacher. This paper provides an overview of the learning experiences in a MAT graduate program that shaped this teacher’s initial thoughts about reflective teaching. It also reviews several experts’ ideas on reflective thought and teaching. Finally, it narrates and analyzes her experience of creating a reflective teachers’ group using a text as the impetus for discussion. The conclusion offers ideas for future development of a reflective teachers’ group.

Written Feedback In The Classroom And Beyond, Karen Gould Peltola

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is an in-depth look at the experimentation with and use of written feedback with middle school foreign language students and their parents. It includes my own learning about giving written feedback, the process by which I have trained my students to give written feedback, and finally the extensions of written feedback beyond the classroom, to the parents. Examples of written feedback forms and formats are included, as well as completed examples.

Motivating Adolescents To Be Active Participants In The Language Learning Process, Kier Merill

MA TESOL Collection

Motivating adolescents to be active participants in their own language learning process is a challenge faced by all middle and high school language teachers. This paper provides and overview of tone teacher’s experiences in the struggle to motivate her own students. it also supplies some useful ideas on activities that work to motivate students both inside and outside the classroom. The appendices include step by step plans to help guide other teachers in carrying out some of the activities in their own classes.

“Pass The Remote…! Interactive Classroom Review For The 21st Century: Bringing Remote Response Pads Into Your Classroom, Lisa Michelle Lucas

MA TESOL Collection

This project describes a form of computer-assisted interactive classroom instruction, which is particularly useful in the ESL context. Not only does this project show how to integrate instruction with ever advancing technology, it also demonstrates how to integrate interactive class work with the diverse and relevant learning styles of each learner in the classroom. This project will show how easy it is to use this technology in conjunction with thematic units or projects-whatever the level of the ESL student. Enclosed are examples of instructional materials, created for the ESL High Beginner and examples of how they relate to the paper …

Rising Off The Plateau In Learning Arabic, Daniel Scott Linquist

MA TESOL Collection

Experiencing plateaus in second language learning is a common experience, especially for language student studying Arabic or one of the other languages considered more difficult. Some of the causes for the plateau experience in Arabic are its complex grammar, its vast amount of vocabulary, and the different roles of Modern Standard Arabic and the spoken dialects of Arabic.

Rising off the Plateau in Studying Arabic is a thesis project, which analyzes this second language learner’s attempt to make significant progress in studying Modern Standard Arabic. The project was based on a self-directed, semi-intensive Arabic language program, which prioritized the reading …

The Effect Of Educational Kinesiology On Second Language Acquisition, Tina Lynne Haverstick

MA TESOL Collection

This thesis is a summary of my experience working with the theory of Educational Kinesiology (Edu-K) in the foreign language classroom environment. It may serve as a guide for anyone who is interested in tapping into the full potential of students’ brains within a structured learning environment.

A case study is presented here examining the effects of educational kinesiology on two groups of kindergarten students I taught simultaneously in my EFL classroom in Taiwan.

I chose to assess their attitudes toward different classroom activities, including those geared toward improving listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as the overall attitude …

Drama Methodology And Its Usage In Removing Barriers To English Language Acquisition In Japanese University Students, C Malcom Barry Duff

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines how drama methodology can be used to remove barriers to English acquisition and to encourage English language production in Japanese university students. The effect of the affective filter and Monitor use in language production will be covered. The use of drama methodology will be analyzed and its usage in the classroom evaluated. The use of drama techniques to create lessons will be demonstrated.

Unleashing The Writer Within: A Workshop Based Writing Course Designed To Release Student Fears, Cultivate Creativity And Develop Editing Skills, Kimberly Sue Connelly

MA TESOL Collection

Establishing a community of learners in a language classroom produces a fertile environment in which to teach any and all language skills. Building community was the focus of the Writing Workshop that I designed and taught to large classes of high beginner to advanced immigrants, refugees, and international students in a college level ESL program. The activities I developed for the first weeks connect students to each other through creativity, music and art, authorize students to set their own goals, encourage them to examine their writing anxieties, and allow them to explore their identities as writers. By breaking down fears …

Using Innovative Language Learning Methods With Mombusho Textbooks, Janet Melinda Beane

MA TESOL Collection

This paper shows how chapters from two different textbooks at different levels might be taught using several different methods. The paper begins with a discussion of my reasons for choosing this topic and goes on to lay out what I feel a method needs to consider in order to be a good method. In the next section, I go on to introduce various innovative language teaching methods such as ALM, TPR and the Silent Way. For each method I include a short section of background information including the principles and techniques of each lesson. Then I contrast a typical lesson …

African Film: A Dynamic Medium For A High School French Class Cultural Curriculum, Denise Elizabeth Dunn Barstow-Girel

MA TESOL Collection

Culture can be an integral part of the French foreign language class when students learn French language and Francophone culture through a content-based approach using the medium of African films. Founded on the pedagogical value of a thematic study of issues aimed at raising linguistic, cultural, and global awareness in adolescent, fourth or fifth year high school French students, I developed this cultural curriculum focused on Francophone African culture. While learning the French language, students will gain knowledge of West African cultures including historical aspects, and the role of the French language in this region.

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, …

Building A Teacher Education Program For Efl Teachers: From Process To Product, Eliana Santana

MA TESOL Collection

This IPP contains a teacher education program for a school in the north of Brazil. It also shows the process I used in order to construct it. It shows the context for which the program was developed, the state-of-the-art in TESOL teacher preparation, as well as my own beliefs and assumptions about how learning teaching takes place. Then, it presents the needs analysis as well as the curriculum designed for the program.

The Affect Of Writing On The Internet, Jane Hoelker

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a description of the development, objectives, implementation and results of an advanced composition course conducted on the Internet with IWE (International Writing Exchange) of the Helsinki University of Technology. The purpose of the course was to motivate students of English who were discouraged during the difficult IMF era in Korea in 1998. During the 90's the majority of English Education majors at Pusan National University in Korea had studied and/or traveled overseas for extensive periods of time during their undergraduate career. But, in 1998 opportunities for overseas travel and study had been greatly curtailed due to IMF …

The Role Of Universal Grammar In Second Language Acquisition: An Experimental Study Of Spanish Esl Students' Interpretation Of Lexical Pronouns, Mary Kathleen Kevari

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Writing, Computers, And Rhetorical Situations: A Composition Odyssey, Kristine Louise Potter

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis, an autoethnography, explores my own, personal experiences using technology in various writing situations: my writing process, collaborative publishing, my M.A. internship, online tutoring, and my first experience teaching college English composition in a computer classroom.

Using An Imaginative Literature-Based Approach To English-As-A-Foreign-Language Reading Instruction, Changqing Liu

Theses Digitization Project

This project provides a background on English instruction in Taiwan, and presents a literature review that builds a theoretical foundation for this project. It also introduces a model of teaching instruction based on an integrated literature approach, and offers a curriculum design which includes plans for instructional lessons.

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

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Culture Teaching In Efl Through Computer/Critical Thinking, Jung-Im Woo

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to develop computer-assisted language learning (CALL) lesson plans using the Internet and to offer an example for academic senior high school teachers in South Korea of exemplary treatment of cultural topics that promote critical thinking and incorporate crosscultural understanding based on cooperative learning.