First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

Observing Census Enumeration Of Non-English Speaking Households In The 2010 Census: Spanish Report, Christina Isabelli, Yuling Pan, Lubkemann Stephen

Scholarship

This study was part of an ethnographic research project in the 2010 Census Assessment and Research Program to observe the 2010 Census Nonresponse Followup interviews with households that speak a language other than English, in areas of the U.S. with heavy concentrations of residents with limited English proficiency. A multilingual research team consisting of seven sub-teams in the seven primary languages (Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese) was commissioned to carry out the research in the 2010 Census.

The objectives of this research were to identify: (1) how language and socio-cultural factors affect the enumeration of non-English-speaking populations …

Techniques And Principles In Language Teaching, Third Edition (Book Review), Elizabeth M. Kissling

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

The intended audience of this volume is a “teacher educator” interested in developing a repertoire of language teaching methods. The preface argues that training in methodologies, though certainly not without its critics (e.g. Hinkel, 2006; Rajagopalan, 2007), is useful to language teachers. The authors define the “techniques” in the volume’s title as the methods or actions teachers carry out in the classroom, and the “principles” as the thoughts (beliefs, attitudes, values, and awareness) of teachers that guide those actions. The techniques and principles must be connected and coherent for a language teacher to be successful.

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 …

Choice, Coercion, Capabilities And Conflict: Multilingualism, Human Development And Peacekeeping In A Globalized World, Megan R. Thompson

Honors Projects

The development of English into an international lingua franca is not an inevitable result of globalizing forces. Instead, the “triumph” of the English language and the consequent decline of the world’s linguistic diversity cannot be viewed in isolation of its parallel history of conquest, violence, power and exploitation. Today, the languages privileged by the powerful—not only English, but also other dominant languages or standard varieties of those languages—determine access to social, economic and political mobility. This fact renders any discussion of language “choice” irrelevant—when a choice yields the sacrifice of basic human capabilities on one hand and the denial of …

Language Learning And Study Abroad: A Critical Reading Of The Research (Review), Elizabeth M. Kissling

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Kinginger’s interpretation of the research represents an endorsement of the great potential of study abroad, balanced with several limitations and caveats. Kinginger argues that while study abroad generally results in increased proficiency and oral fluency, slightly superior to gains resulting from at-home formal study, one should note the design flaws of many studies such as lack of a true control group as well as reliance on monologic, situation-less tasks to measure language gains, even in the areas of discursive, pragmatic, and sociocultural competencies. Kinginger also notes that opportunities for learning language and cultural through interactions with native speakers can be …

New Media, New Communicative Genres And Inclusive Technology-Mediated L2 Pedagogy: A Conversation With Steve Thorne, Victoria Antoniadou, Steven L. Thorne

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Professor Steve Thorne is well-known for his work on second and foreign language development and Internet-mediated communicative activity. He is identified with the study of language use, communication dynamics and technology-mediated foreign, second and plurilingual language learning, occurring within and outside of formal educational settings. His work draws on sociocultural and cultural-historical approaches to language development and he is particularly interested in multiplayer online gaming environments, the "cultures of use" of Internet communication tools, and intercultural communication. Professor Thorne is currently a faculty member in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University and at the University …

Playing The Blame Game: English Education In Omani Government Schools, Valentine Sergon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Given that the Omani government has undertaken in recent decades a massive education reform to improve, among other things, the English level of Omani students, it is now time to evaluate how the system is faring, where it is failing and why. Under the new Education system enacted in 1998, Omani students begin learning English from grade one with the aim that, by grade twelve, students know enough English to be able to study at a university level in English. Unfortunately, a vast majority of students who enter university in Oman are forced to enroll in one to three semesters …

Language Typology And Sentence Frame Effects On Motion Verb Interpretation In Grade Schoolers, Emma C. Kelty

Master's Theses

Most English descriptions of motion events express manner in the main verb and path in a prepositional phrase, as in “She skips out of the house”. However, the same event can be described differently if a different syntactic frame is used: “She exits the house”. While young children have been found to interpret novel motion verbs according to the syntactic frame information, adults have been found to rely somewhat more on the overall language pattern, or typology (Hohenstein et al., 2004; Naigles & Terrazas, 1998). Grade schoolers have not been examined in this paradigm, and their linguistic abilities suggest that …

Arabic Diglossia And Arabic As A Foregn Language: The Perception Of Students In World Learning Oman Center, Hilal Al-Mamari

Capstone Collection

The principle objective of this independent inquiry is to address the research question: what are the impacts of Arabic Diglossia, if any, on the experience of learners of Arabic as a foreign language? The study attempts to answer this question through the perception of a sample group of 23 learners studying Arabic as a foreign language in World Learning Oman Center in semester of Spring 2011.

Diglossia is defined by linguists as a sociolinguistic phenomenon in which a particular language has two varieties, one of which is considered High and more standard and used in exclusive domains, while the other …

La Construcción Social Del Español En La Diglosia Educativa De California, Nicole Siminski

World Languages and Cultures

This project attempts to deconstruct the position of the Spanish language in society while observing its effects on Spanish speaking students in the education system. An extensive look at the history of bilingual education in California reveals its portrayal in society as well as how it is implemented in the school systems. I will study the reaction of both native English speaking children and native Spanish speaking children to learning a second language in a dual immersion setting. Dual Immersion programs are popular for English speaking families but Spanish speaking families are often hesitant to participate. Due to social class …

Bilingualism And Bilingual Education In The U.S., Zakaria Jouaibi

Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

No abstract provided.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes: Vocal Production In Infant Siblings Of Children With Asd, Rhea Paul, Yael Fuerst, Gordon Ramsay, Kasia Chawarska, Ami Klin

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Background: Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at higher risk for acquiring these disorders than the general population. Language development is usually delayed in children with ASD. The present study examines the development of pre-speech vocal behavior in infants at risk for ASD due to the presence of an older sibling with the disorder. Methods: Infants at high risk (HR) for ASD and those at low risk, without a diagnosed sibling (LR), were seen at 6, 9, and 12 months as part of a larger prospective study of risk for ASD in infant siblings. Standard clinical …

Fostering Effective French Communication In The Classroom, Lindi Brown

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of work the author completed while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. It is focused on her beliefs of how French should be taught in a university classroom. It also includes three artifacts addressing how a challenging aspect of the language should be taught, how authentic literature can be utilized in the classroom, and why the French culture should be incorporated into the curriculum. Finally, there is an annotated bibliography of books and articles which have shaped the author’s beliefs and opinions about teaching French as a foreign …

Cultural Brokering And Bicultural Identity: An Exploratory Study, Jorida Cila, Richard Lalonde, Zohrah Haqanee

Western Migration Conference Series

Abstract: Cultural brokering refers to a process where individuals mediate between two parties that are experiencing some type of cultural misunderstanding. Our exploratory study indicates that cultural brokering is a diverse experience that spans the boundaries of one’s family and includes various norms, values and traditions.

The Challenge Of Successful Integration For Francophone Immigrants Within Minority Communities, Suzanne N. Huot, Belinda Dodson, Debbie Rudman

Western Migration Conference Series

A critical ethnography was undertaken to explore the integration experiences of French-speaking newcomers from visible minority groups residing with the London, Ontario Francophone minority community. Findings highlight a complex negotiation process involving learning the tacit social norms characterizing the host society.

Comparing Deaf Native Signers And Deaf Early Signers With Respect To Phonological Perception, Ian Deandrea-Lazarus

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Common criteria for a native ASL signer include exposure to ASL from birth and having Deaf parents. This study questions the necessity of the second criterion by comparing two groups: 16 Deaf adults with Deaf parents and exposed to ASL from birth, and 16 Deaf adults with hearing parents and exposed to ASL before age two. All determined whether pairs of pseudosigns, sometimes differing in phonological details, matched. The two groups did not differ significantly on accuracy, but the first group responded faster than the second group on average. These findings suggest processing differences between the two groups, but otherwise …

Student Use And Teacher Requirement Of E-Mail Conventions, Lora Ibrahim Galabi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of conventions by EFL students and the requirement of conventions by EFL teachers in student-teacher e-mail communication, in an English-medium university in the Arab world. A convenience sample of 61 students and 13 teachers from the Intensive English Program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt was used. Data were obtained for this exploratory study from a student survey, a teacher survey, and a sample of student e-mails, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and thematic content analysis. Chi-square tests revealed a correlation between the frequency of …

Introduction, Mika Ishino, Gale Stam

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Knowledge In The School Garden: New Ways Of Teaching Literacy To Esl Students, Michele Durivage

MA TESOL Collection

My thesis project includes a combination of materials development and classroom-based research. In my paper, I explore existing garden-related curricula, and create original garden-based lesson plans to teach literacy to fourth grade ESL students. This curriculum development project contributes to the field of ESL in its innovative garden-based pedagogy. The field study took place during the spring semester of 2009 at Increase Miller Elementary School in Westchester County, New York. Using nature as inspiration for writing descriptive essays and poetry, the ESL students at Increase Miller produced imaginative writing pieces, using their own voices to express their thoughts. The students’ …

Instructional Practices That Hinder And Support Esl Students In The Self-Contained Esl Classroom And The Mainstream Classroom, Ebru N. Bozburun

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes the academic challenges that many English Second Language (ESL) students must deal with from the moment they start attending a bilingual program at elementary school until they finish the last step of their academic experience. These students continually struggle to keep up with their peers, often fail the state mandated tests, and eventually, drop out before receiving their high school diploma. For the past three years, both as a self-contained ESL teacher and an ESL certified co-teacher in the mainstream classroom, I taught ESL Language Arts to Spanish- speaking students at a public junior high school in …