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University American Sign Language (Asl) Second Language Learners: Receptive And Expressive Asl Performance, Jennifer Beal Dr. 2020 Valdosta State University

University American Sign Language (Asl) Second Language Learners: Receptive And Expressive Asl Performance, Jennifer Beal Dr.

Journal of Interpretation

American Sign Language (ASL) is used by estimates of up to 500,000 people (deaf and hearing) in the United States (Mitchell et al., 2006); however, the majority of users are typically hearing university students, frequently within university interpreting or deaf education preparation programs, who learn ASL as a second language (L2). It is unclear how these learners develop their skills as they progress through university training programs. The present study documents university learners’ receptive and expressive ASL skills, factors related to performance, and self-evaluation and strategy use at the end of their ASL IV course. Both assessments are readily available, …


Eye-Movement Benchmarks In Heritage Language Reading, Olga Parshina, Anna K. Laurinavivhyute, Irina A. Sekerina 2020 CUNY Graduate Center

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 …


Beyond Exposure: Markers Of English Proficiency In School-Aged French–English Bilinguals, Erin Quirk 2020 CUNY Graduate Center

Beyond Exposure: Markers Of English Proficiency In School-Aged French–English Bilinguals, Erin Quirk

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bilingual children show more variation in their language development than monolingual children, a fact that has been linked to their experience with their languages. Bilingual language experience also varies more than monolingual children's, both in terms of how much they hear the language spoken around them (exposure) and how much they speak the language themselves (production). This dissertation investigates the following aspects of the relationship between bilinguals’ language experience and development which are not well-understood: how children’s language production relates to their proficiency in that language, how children’s language exposure relates to receptive versus expressive and lexical versus grammatical skill, …


Knowledge Of The Present Perfect By Albanian/English Bilinguals, Erjon Xholi 2020 CUNY Graduate Center

Knowledge Of The Present Perfect By Albanian/English Bilinguals, Erjon Xholi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper concerns the acquisition process of a specific part of English grammar by native speakers of Albanian. The focus is the English present perfect, and the similarities and differences that it bears to the Albanian Compound Perfective. The two constructions are made from similar parts, but they crucially differ in the aspectual nature of their participles. While the Albanian particle is perfective, the English is underspecified. We argue that the process of the acquisition of the PP by Albanian bilinguals is one where input, analogy, and direct grammar teaching do not suffice. We apply Generative Grammar logic to the …


Testing The Perceptual Magnet Effect In Monolinguals And Bilinguals, Michael C. Stern 2020 CUNY Graduate Center

Testing The Perceptual Magnet Effect In Monolinguals And Bilinguals, Michael C. Stern

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Previous research has demonstrated an apparent warping of the perceptual space whereby the best exemplars or ‘prototypes’ of speech sound categories minimize the perceptual distance between themselves and neighboring stimuli in the same category. This phenomenon has been termed the ‘perceptual magnet effect’ (PME). The present study extends work on the PME to a speech sound category previously unstudied in this paradigm (American English /æ/), and to bilingual speech sound representation and perception. American English monolinguals and Turkish-English bilinguals completed identification tasks, category goodness rating tasks, and same-different discrimination tasks with synthesized vowel sounds from the American English /æ/ category—not …


Penggunaan Lakuan Tuturan Dalam Interaksi Semasa Kelas Bahasa Cina Peringkat Prasekolah, Yee Wah Lim 2020 Universiti Malaya

Penggunaan Lakuan Tuturan Dalam Interaksi Semasa Kelas Bahasa Cina Peringkat Prasekolah, Yee Wah Lim

Student Works (2020-2029)

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti jenis-jenis lakuan tuturan yang digunakan oleh kanak-kanak prasekolah semasa mereka berinteraksi dengan guru dan rakan sebaya dalam kelas bahasa Cina di tadika. Pemerolehan bahasa dan perkembangan bahasa kanak-kanak masih berlaku pada peringkat umur mereka antara 4 tahun hingga 6 tahun (Piaget, 1964; Saxton, 2017). Data yang dikumpul melibatkan rakaman video semasa kanak-kanak prasekolah sedang belajar, menjalankan aktiviti, bermain dan berinteraksi dengan guru dan rakan sebaya. Justeru, kajian ini menggunakan kaedah analisis kandungan dan kerangka analitikal yang diadaptasi daripada kerangka lakuan tuturan Searle (1976) dan Yule (1996), serta kajian-kajian lakuan tuturan yang terkini (Özge Gül, …


The Ielts Exam And Cut-Off Decisions: One University's Mistake, Ann E. Roemer 2020 Utah State University

The Ielts Exam And Cut-Off Decisions: One University's Mistake, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

College and university admissions officers are the gatekeepers who decide which individuals may join the "country club" of higher education. As such, the decisions they make have a significant impact on the lives of individuals, especially those who are willing to travel across the globe and risk living in an unfamiliar country in order to receive a postsecondary education. Making decisions about international students and their credentials is much more complicated than evaluating the applications of U.S. students. Part of this complicated process involves decisions regarding English language proficiency and cut-off scores for exams such as the Test of English …


Editorial, Carina Staudte, Miglena Nikolova 2020 College of DuPage

Editorial, Carina Staudte, Miglena Nikolova

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

No abstract provided.


Texte Im Spiegel Der Zeit: Die Methode Der Wirklichkeitsmontage In Alexander Kluges Dezember, Ann-Kathrin Latter 2020 College of DuPage

Texte Im Spiegel Der Zeit: Die Methode Der Wirklichkeitsmontage In Alexander Kluges Dezember, Ann-Kathrin Latter

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Wie spiegelt die Literatur das Phänomen der Zeit wieder? Auf welche Weise gelingt es den Erzählungen, Zeit einzufangen und einen Hauch von Realität wiederzugeben? Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt sich das vorliegende Paper. Es untersucht die speziellen Begebenheiten und Affordances der deutschen Gegenwartsliteratur und betrachtet ins Besondere die Methode der Wirklichkeitsmontage. Untersucht wird dabei Alexander Kluges Kurzgeschichtensammlung Dezember, die in Zusammenarbeit mit Gerhard Richter entstanden ist und Erzählungen aus verschiedensten Jahrhunderten enthält.


Applying A Newly Learned Second Language Dimension To The Unknown: The Influence Of Second Language Mandarin Tones On The Naïve Perception Of Thai Tones, Vance Schaefer, Isabelle Darcy 2020 University of Mississippi

Applying A Newly Learned Second Language Dimension To The Unknown: The Influence Of Second Language Mandarin Tones On The Naïve Perception Of Thai Tones, Vance Schaefer, Isabelle Darcy

Faculty and Student Publications

This study investigates whether L2 Mandarin learners can generalize experience with Mandarin tones to unfamiliar tones (i.e., Thai). Three language groups-L1 English/L2 Mandarin learners (n=18), L1 Mandarin speakers (n=30), L1 monolingual English speakers (n=23)-were tested on the perception of unfamiliar Thai tones on ABX tasks. L2 Mandarin learners and L1 Mandarin speakers perceived Thai tones more accurately than L1 English non-learners. Mandarin learners L1 speakers showed priming on Mandarin tones on a lexical decision task with repetition priming, suggesting L2 tones had been encoded within lexical representations of L2 Mandarin words. However, results must be interpreted cautiously, with an absence …


Language Teachers’ Intercultural Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective, Ekaterina Arshavskaya 2020 Utah State University

Language Teachers’ Intercultural Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

Responding to the call to build teacher interculturality in more dynamic ways, this paper analyzes developmental trajectories of three pre‐service teachers enrolled in a course on language and culture in a master’s in second language teaching program at a U.S. university. From a sociocultural theory perspective, the article illustrates the various ways in which the pre‐service teachers incorporated (or not) the mediational means available to them. The article findings support the claim about the sociocultural nature of human learning, while the analysis informed by a sociocultural perspective on learning explicates why intercultural learning can be more enriching for some participating …


Exploring Academic Stressors Related To Second Language Acquisition And Barriers Of Turkish-International Graduate Students Studying Education In The Southeast United States, Nermin Ciloglu Cakmakci 2020 University of Central Florida

Exploring Academic Stressors Related To Second Language Acquisition And Barriers Of Turkish-International Graduate Students Studying Education In The Southeast United States, Nermin Ciloglu Cakmakci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Many students around the world have a strong desire to study in the United States, and in recent years international students in the United States have enrolled at an all-time high. There is a significant need to learn more about these students' needs and strategies to identify the most effective practices to improve their academic life and life quality. The demand for overcoming life challenges in a new country and achieve high academic performance with their second language creates high stress for these international students. One of the groups among these international students that has been understudied is the Turkish …


The Effects Of Chinese And Spanish Writing Systems On L2 English Learners’ Vocabulary Acquisition, John Mitchell 2020 Central Washington University

The Effects Of Chinese And Spanish Writing Systems On L2 English Learners’ Vocabulary Acquisition, John Mitchell

All Master's Theses

Writing systems vary in how they relate graphemes to phonology and meaning. Consequently, each writing system makes unique demands on native speakers, resulting in different cognitive processes. This research examines the visual and phonological processes used by native Spanish and Chinese speakers and how these processes affect their acquisition of English vocabulary and spelling. Experiments 1 and 2 investigate how native Chinese and Spanish speakers associate graphemes to phonology. Experiments 3 seeks to differentiate visual processing from phonological processing when acquiring vocabulary. Experiment 4 assesses the efficacy of those processes. Six native Chinese speakers (NCS) and six native Spanish speakers …


The Effect Of Blended Learning On Language Proficiency Of An Efl Class: An Empirical Study, Jamile Sulam Tango Rojas 2020 West Virginia University

The Effect Of Blended Learning On Language Proficiency Of An Efl Class: An Empirical Study, Jamile Sulam Tango Rojas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The combination of online learning and face-to-face lessons have become a relevant learning model in English Language Teaching in the last years. The goal of this research study was to investigate the integration of such a blended learning approach in an EFL class in Bolivia. The study was conducted at a binational language institution, and it focused on the effect of blended learning on the students’ overall language proficiency and each language skill individually. Data was collected via a proficiency pre-test at the beginning of the experiment, two quizzes during the module, and a final exam, all of them to …


Language Transfer Between English And German: A Phonetics-Based Study Of Interactions Between Speakers' Native And Second-Language Vowel Systems, Emelia BensonMeyer 2020 Claremont Colleges

Language Transfer Between English And German: A Phonetics-Based Study Of Interactions Between Speakers' Native And Second-Language Vowel Systems, Emelia Bensonmeyer

Scripps Senior Theses

The present study addresses language contact processes in which the phonetic systems of the languages that bilinguals speak interact. Specifically, language transfer with respect to English and German was examined, focusing on native German speakers (L1) who learned English as a second language (L2). It employed as its central method an analysis of their vowel systems, both language-specifically and cross-linguistically. Extralinguistic variables were also considered, ranging from speakers’ age of acquisition (AOA) of English to their length of residence in an English-speaking environment to their consideration of home. Results indicated statistically significant differences between speakers’ production of /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ …


Learners’ Perceptions Of Wiillingness To Communicate In Myanmar, Maw Maw Tun 2020 Northern Illinois University

Learners’ Perceptions Of Wiillingness To Communicate In Myanmar, Maw Maw Tun

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Willingness to communicate, defined as “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons using second language” (MacIntyre, 1998), plays a key role in second and foreign language instruction, as greater willingness to communicate (WTC) is believed to facilitate more L2 communication. In a foreign language learning context, classroom WTC is highly influenced by classroom environment factors as well as international posture, which is hypothesized to capture a general attitude to the international community and foreign language learning. Given the importance of willingness to communicate in language learning, this study examines Myanmar EFL learners’ …


Mindfulness And Well-Being: A Mixed Methods Study Of Bilingual Guided Meditation In Higher Education, Chieh Li, Qinghong Ann Cai, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones 2019 Northeastern University

Mindfulness And Well-Being: A Mixed Methods Study Of Bilingual Guided Meditation In Higher Education, Chieh Li, Qinghong Ann Cai, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This mixed-methods study investigated the acceptability and outcomes of a mindful approach to teaching a foreign language in higher education institutions. The approach included Bilingual Guided Meditation (BGM®) in the classroom to reduce students’ anxiety and foster a positive mindset. The BGM program combines bilingual positive suggestions with guided meditation and relaxing background music. Results indicated that the BGM may reduce anxiety and can improve academic performance.


Adult Educators At The Crossroads Of Language Learning And Workforce Development: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Agency, Liz Ging 2019 University of Massachusetts Boston

Adult Educators At The Crossroads Of Language Learning And Workforce Development: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Agency, Liz Ging

Graduate Masters Theses

Since the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014, there has been renewed questioning about the nature and purpose of adult education programs in the United States, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The heavy workforce development orientation of the new law is a starker manifestation of trends focused on job training which have been sweeping through the field of adult education for the last few decades. In the midst of these shifts, little research has been done to investigate what the educators charged with meeting these policy goals think about these changes, the …


Using The Linguistic Experiences Of Youth And Their Families As Curriculum: The Language Box Project, Molly A. Perara-Lunde Ms. 2019 University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Using The Linguistic Experiences Of Youth And Their Families As Curriculum: The Language Box Project, Molly A. Perara-Lunde Ms.

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This qualitative curricular case study investigated the implementation of a project called the Language Box in a seventh grade Humanities classroom in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I worked with the classroom teacher to design the Language Box project, which focused on the language use practices of the students and their families. We designed the project with the goal of addressing issues of home language loss, bilingualism, and English language acquisition. The students in the classroom were almost exclusively Hispanic, many came from low income families and some were undocumented. Each student acted as a researcher, investigating the language use practices in …


Silently Struggling In A New World: Exploring English Language Learners With Language Disabilities, 2019 Kennesaw State University

Silently Struggling In A New World: Exploring English Language Learners With Language Disabilities

Symposium of Student Scholars

With the awareness that Spanish speaking households compose a significant number of students in English language learning (ELL) programs, this researcher will be illuminating areas of academic ambiguity where language learning overshadows learning disabilities in the United States— a country with no official language. This phenomenon will be thoroughly examined using textual methodologies such as secondary analysis, theoretical study, and an extended literature review to describe how these correlations negatively impact students with English as a secondary way of expression. By emphasizing this gap within academia, it is the hope of the author that additional teacher-created resources will be readily …


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