The literacy experiences of a small group of culturally-diverse children were examined in this study. The experiences, too, were diverse – and influential. The children, five girls aged four – five years, attended the same Preschool, in an inner suburb of a large city in Australia. Data were gathered at home, during the last two months of the preschool year and, for three of the children, during writing sessions in the first six months of Year One. Vygotskian ideas on meaning-making were integrated with other perspectives on development, literacy learning and teaching from a sociocultural, theoretical framework. The purpose was to identify dimensions of children’s literacy experiences and provide insight into ways in which children negotiate culture, literacy, and schooling, challenge current perspectives, contribute to research knowledge and determine how teachers might take account of cultural diversity in classrooms to better support children in literacy learning. A grounded theory method was employed using multiple data collection tools and techniques in both home and school contexts. Data were coded using a process of constant comparison to identify features, characteristics and dimensions of children’s literacy experiences. Independent inter-rater agreement on the coding of features at home, Preschool and school was 98.4%. Findings included a variety of values, beliefs and perspectives amongst parents and between teachers in relation to literacy learning, roles and relationships, and home-school connections. Children’s literacy experiences at home differed in terms of nature, frequency and resources and experiences in each of the settings were very different. A major finding was that children acted as agents of their own learning: mixing, transferring, trying out, adapting, and experimenting to determine appropriate practices and make decisions including when to exercise choice to enact agency. These assimilation and accommodation adaptations were identified as akin to code-switching, labelled as culture-switching, and identified as areas requiring further research.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 168-173). Also available in print.

This dissertation is an effort to contribute to the knowledge base concerning reading instruction for adolescent students who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), as well as their acquisition of Standard English (SE), by focusing on language structure during a modified approach to guided reading (MGR). Emphasis was placed on teaching the eight inflectional morphemes in SE, as well as other literacy strategies to AAVE speaking students. This intervention hypothesized that the teaching and learning of inflectional morphemes, in particular, would increase SE literacy acquisition. The intervention utilized formative experiment methodology and a quasi-experimental time series design. Data sources and collection took several forms: a) KTEA II - reading (letter and word recognition and reading comprehension) and written language (written expression) (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004); b) field reflections; c) student surveys; and d) video-taped MGR lessons. Informal assessments such as the Ekwall/Shanker Reading Inventory, 4th Edition (Shanker & Ekwall, 2000) were used to guide instruction for MGR lessons. The findings supported the hypothesis that instruction of inflectional morphemes in SE has a positive impact on reading, writing, and overall acquisition of SE among AAVE speaking students.

The primary purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate two instructional programs designed to enhance early literacy skills of pre-kindergarten 4-year-olds enrolled in Head Start. A second goal was to compare literacy task assessment measures of three instructional groups, (1) explicit literacy instruction (ELI; N= 26), (2) shared book reading (SBR; N = 25), and (c) no specialized treatment (NST; N = 29), prior to the onset of treatment and again 15 weeks later. Pre-treatment group differences on measures of early literacy and receptive vocabulary were not significant. Intervention for the ELI group focused on providing explicit, systematic, developmentally appropriate instruction to enhance phonological awareness skills and increase alphabet knowledge. The SBR intervention, which focused on enhancing oral language, involved scaffolding strategies. Children in the two intervention groups received instruction two times per week for 15 weeks. Post-treatment outcome measures obtained for these two groups were compared with each other and also with scores of children in the NST group who received Head Start standard curriculum instruction only. ANOVA results indicated that post-treatment scores for the ELI group were significantly better than those of the other two groups on overall primary literacy measures and for the phonological awareness component, but not for alphabet knowledge. Differences between the SBR and NST groups were not significant for any measures. These results indicate that explicit, systematic early literacy instruction can improve Head Start children's literacy scores. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Health Professions, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders. / "December 2006." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-90)

This thesis investigated the literacy practices of a group of Somali refugee women participating in Canada’s federally‐funded ESL program LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada). Assuming that many Somali women arrive in Canada with limited experience with print literacy, and so encounter novel challenges in their settlement and learning experiences, I interviewed 4 Somali women about their uses and perceptions of the value of literacy in their lives and their experiences of learning to read and write in Canada. A cross‐case analysis revealed how social forces constrain and enable the women’s literacy practices, shaping both how they access and use literacy, as well as the ways in which they understand and value literacy. Implications are outlined for ESL educators, researchers and policy makers.

Theorists who have categorized translation as an imperfect and never-ending task have also questioned the legitimacy of this field over the years. It is uncommon for other disciplines to consider translation a topic of study. Except for translation classes in which students discuss in detail the nature of the translators’ tasks and their methodology, professors of other disciplines rarely address the fact that the voice of the translator is an overlooked, yet an important component of any translation. As a consequence, students around the globe read translated works without acknowledging translators’ ethos and their rhetorical situation. The consideration of this voice in those translated texts is mentioned only in passing, if at all. Due to the lack of discussion that relates the disciplines of translation and rhetoric, it is imperative to re/examine and re/frame the current state of the rhetoric of translation and comment on the traditional and historiographical ties that intertwine these two disciplines. In this way I argue that translation, as a discipline, should be considered part of the rhetorical tradition, and a key element within rhetorical education. This relationship between rhetoric and translation is further complemented with the pedagogical application of practical rhetorical and translation tools in the analysis and critical interpretation of selected Western translated texts. The fruition of this goal will be presented through a new approximation to the reading of these very same texts. To this end, I am also introducing a new literacy called Transglobal whose aim is twofold: For one, it aims to decenter preconceived patterns of thought that confine the interpretation of translated texts within the boundaries of mere ideological superstructures, but it is also based upon a pedagogy that is global, transcending all national boundaries. In sum, what I am proposing is that professors of all disciplines engage in a rhetorical and translation dialogue with their students to broaden the understanding and current perception of translated texts.

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore content area teachers’ understanding of literacy, the strategies they use in working with content materials to support their students’ learning of content, and how collaboration with a literacy expert informs literacy instruction. In my work with content area teachers, they have expressed the need for support as they try new literacy strategies when engaging students in content material. Literacy skills are a part of all content areas. Therefore, literacy scholars need an ongoing understanding of how content teachers define and perceive literacy in their content area in order to provide this support. Framed within a sociocultural lens (Vygotsky, 1978), this action research study (Schmuck, 2006) examined how high school content area teachers engaged students in reading content material as they implemented literacy strategies to support students’ access to content. Guiding this study were the following questions: (a) How do content area teachers define and perceive literacy and specifically define literacy in their content area? (b) How do teachers use literacy strategies they learn in professional development sessions? (c) Is there a benefit when a literacy specialist and a content area teacher collaborate to design literacy instruction? Participants in this study included three content area teachers: a math teacher, a business teacher, and English teacher. Data collection occurred throughout the spring term 2012 in the school where the participants work. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, observations, discussions generated from collaborative planning sessions with the researcher, informal debriefings with participants, and a researcher journal. Themes abstracted from the data were (a) teachers’ definitions of literacy did not change over the course of the study, (b) their disposition toward use of strategies did change over the course of the study, and (c) collaborative, embedded professional development between the content area teacher and literacy specialist was an important factor in changing disposition. This action research study emphasizes a need for literacy specialists in schools and embedded, ongoing professional development, and informs literacy specialists how content area teachers can be supported as they engage students in reading content material.

The purpose of this study is to examine the coaching interactions of two literacy coaches and four classroom teachers in order to explore how these interactions serve to support teacher learning. The analysis of the study describes how the coaches support teacher reflection and teaching for processing strategies during guided reading lessons. The literature review suggests that reflective practice (Schön, 1996) involves thoughtfully considering one’s own experiences while being coached by a professional in the discipline. I conducted observations and interviews for two cycles of teaching and coaching sessions per teacher coach dyad, for a total of eight guided reading lessons, 16 pre/post conferences, and conducted interviews with each teacher and literacy coach. The research questions for this study are: 1. How does the discourse found within the coaching interactions support teachers in their learning as described by the coaches? 2. How does the discourse found within the coaching interactions support teachers in their learning as described by the teachers? 3. What patterns of discourse are seen within coaching interactions? a. How do the interactions support teacher reflection during the dialog? b. How do the interactions support the teachers’ understanding of teaching for processing strategies within small group reading instruction? 4. What if any are the differences related to training and knowledge of the coaches? The findings of this study are presented through: (a) case studies; (b) the participants’ descriptions of coaches supporting student and teacher learning; and (c) a description of the characteristics and interaction patterns within pre-and post-conferences. My analysis showed that these coaches support reflection-on-action through their post- conferences with teachers and that the support varies with the expertise of the literacy coach. Analysis of the data revealed that these teachers believe that literacy coaches support them in the following ways: (a) by giving them feedback; (b) giving them confidence; (c) making connections to learning theory; (d) praising their teaching; (e) helping foster teacher reflection; (f) identifying professional texts; (g) providing language to use while teaching reading and writing; and (h) identifying observable evidence of how the teachers’ supported student learning.

No description available.

This study investigated the significant differences and correlations on college students¡¦ reading motivation and their internet literacy. A total of 950 college students were stratified randomly selected from 17 Taiwanese colleges. All participants completed ¡§Reading motivation¡¨ and ¡§Internet literacy¡¨ scales. In addition, 5 target students with highest scores on internet literacy were recruited for standardized test and follow-up interview. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and canonical correlation assessed the similarities and differences between groups. The initial findings were as follows: 1.College students¡¦ reading motivation and internet literacy appear to have moderate performance. 2.Female college students¡¦ mean score on ¡§reading motivation¡¨ was significantly higher than their male counterparts. 3.High academic achievement college students¡¦ mean score on ¡§internet literacy¡¨ was significantly higher than low academic college students. 4.College students who major in engineering, manufacturing domain¡¦s mean score on ¡§internet literacy¡¨, dimensions of ¡§information accessing¡¨, ¡§information sharing¡¨ were significantly higher than social sciences, business management domain¡¦s college students. And college students who major in liberal arts domain¡¦s mean score on dimensions of ¡§information creating¡¨ were significantly higher than agronomy major¡¦s college students. 5.College students with higher reading frequency¡¦s mean score on ¡§reading motivation¡¨ and ¡§internet literacy¡¨ were significantly higher than low reading frequency college students. 6.College students with higher book-borrowing frequency¡¦s mean score on ¡§reading motivation¡¨, dimensions of ¡§information creating¡¨ were significantly higher than low book-borrowing frequency college students. 7.College students consume more time on reading¡¦s mean score on ¡§reading motivation¡¨, dimensions of ¡§information creating¡¨ were significantly higher than these consuming less time on reading¡¦s participants. 8. College students with longer internet seniority¡¦s mean score on ¡§internet literacy¡¨, dimensions of ¡§information accessing¡¨, ¡§information evaluating¡¨ and ¡§information integrating¡¨ were significantly higher than less internet seniority¡¦s college students. 9.College students with higher educational expectation had significantly higher mean scores on ¡§reading motivation¡¨ and ¡§internet literacy¡¨ than these low educational expectation participants. 10.Canonical correlations between college students¡¦ ¡§reading motivation¡¨ and ¡§internet literacy¡¨ were found in this study.