We now have a student population that is culturally, linguistically and economically diverse. This, in turn, has resulted in school board initiatives in response to this diversity, primarily; it appears, in ways that harden social class and racial divisions in the society (Roberston & Kushner, 2006). One clear example of this is the over-representation in Special Education of poor, immigrant students of colour, whose culture and language differs from that of English-speaking Canada. This thesis focuses on the experience of Somali parents whose children have been placed in Special Education or where an attempt has been made to place them. The purpose of this study is to examine if high or low cultural capital among Somali parents’ influences the placement of their children in Special Education. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, I look at the experience of 8 Somali parents. Thematic analysis of the data is used to understand the findings.

We now have a student population that is culturally, linguistically and economically diverse. This, in turn, has resulted in school board initiatives in response to this diversity, primarily; it appears, in ways that harden social class and racial divisions in the society (Roberston & Kushner, 2006). One clear example of this is the over-representation in Special Education of poor, immigrant students of colour, whose culture and language differs from that of English-speaking Canada. This thesis focuses on the experience of Somali parents whose children have been placed in Special Education or where an attempt has been made to place them. The purpose of this study is to examine if high or low cultural capital among Somali parents’ influences the placement of their children in Special Education. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, I look at the experience of 8 Somali parents. Thematic analysis of the data is used to understand the findings.

The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals.

This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.

The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals.

This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.

The study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) children’s language and literacy development. Family Literacy programs aim to encourage parents’ involvement in their children’s early literacy development and are associated with children’s increased performance on measures of early literacy. FI students typically lag behind their English program (EP) peers in English reading. It was hypothesized that a Family Literacy program for FI children would assist them in developing their English and French language and literacy skills. The study involved 71 Grade 1 children. The sample included both FI and EP children and their parents. The FI sample included a group of families who participated in the Family Literacy program and a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. The EP sample acted as a second control group. All children were administered a battery of language and literacy measures in English and in French (FI only) at three time points throughout Grade 1. Results showed that FI children who participated in the program made significantly larger gains in English writing than the FI control group. In addition, findings suggest that gains made by FI children following their participation in the program did not differ from those made by their EP peers who did not attend the program. Qualitative findings provide evidence that FI families who participated in the Family Literacy program increased their engagement in home literacy activities throughout the program, indicating that they adopted the strategies and techniques that were promoted by the program.

Little is known about writing development among English as a second language (ESL) and monolingual children. The “simple view of reading” (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Juel 1988) and “component” models (Joshi & Aaron, 2000) were used as theoretical frameworks in this investigation of story writing development of ESL and monolingual children from grades 4 to 6. This longitudinal study (a) compared the narratives composed by ESLs and monolinguals and (b) examined the nature of the language, cognitive, and reading variables that predict writing in these groups. Reading and writing skills were conceptualized in terms of lower order, word-level components, and higher order, text-level components. The study involved 57 monolinguals and 121 ESLs from various language backgrounds, who had attended English speaking schools since grade 1. Based on the Test of Written Language (TOWL, Hammill & Larsen, 1996) three aspects of narrative writing were analyzed: writing mechanics, writing syntax, and overall story quality. Monolinguals and ESLs were similar on the cognitive, linguistic, word- and text-level reading and writing measures, but ESL performance was lower on vocabulary and reading comprehension across all three grades. Narrative writing in monolinguals and ESLs alike was predicted by syntactic skills, word-level skills (decoding and spelling) and text-comprehension. Nonverbal reasoning and phonological processing significantly predicted writing performance for monolinguals only. Overall, writing mechanics, writing syntax, and story quality all grew significantly across grades. However, only story quality demonstrated significantly different patterns of growth across students, but this difference was not explained by any of the predictors. Importantly, despite having weaker vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, ESLs’ narratives did not differ from monolinguals on mechanics, syntax, and overall story quality. The findings have implications for assessment and instruction of writing in both groups, provide additional evidence that reading comprehension and writing skills share common underlying processes, and suggest that skills that determine reading success can be used to flag possible writing weaknesses in both groups. Despite the effect of L2 status on vocabulary and reading comprehension, ESLs demonstrated similar narrative writing skills to monolingual peers.

The study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) children’s language and literacy development. Family Literacy programs aim to encourage parents’ involvement in their children’s early literacy development and are associated with children’s increased performance on measures of early literacy. FI students typically lag behind their English program (EP) peers in English reading. It was hypothesized that a Family Literacy program for FI children would assist them in developing their English and French language and literacy skills. The study involved 71 Grade 1 children. The sample included both FI and EP children and their parents. The FI sample included a group of families who participated in the Family Literacy program and a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. The EP sample acted as a second control group. All children were administered a battery of language and literacy measures in English and in French (FI only) at three time points throughout Grade 1. Results showed that FI children who participated in the program made significantly larger gains in English writing than the FI control group. In addition, findings suggest that gains made by FI children following their participation in the program did not differ from those made by their EP peers who did not attend the program. Qualitative findings provide evidence that FI families who participated in the Family Literacy program increased their engagement in home literacy activities throughout the program, indicating that they adopted the strategies and techniques that were promoted by the program.

Little is known about writing development among English as a second language (ESL) and monolingual children. The “simple view of reading” (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Juel 1988) and “component” models (Joshi & Aaron, 2000) were used as theoretical frameworks in this investigation of story writing development of ESL and monolingual children from grades 4 to 6. This longitudinal study (a) compared the narratives composed by ESLs and monolinguals and (b) examined the nature of the language, cognitive, and reading variables that predict writing in these groups. Reading and writing skills were conceptualized in terms of lower order, word-level components, and higher order, text-level components. The study involved 57 monolinguals and 121 ESLs from various language backgrounds, who had attended English speaking schools since grade 1. Based on the Test of Written Language (TOWL, Hammill & Larsen, 1996) three aspects of narrative writing were analyzed: writing mechanics, writing syntax, and overall story quality. Monolinguals and ESLs were similar on the cognitive, linguistic, word- and text-level reading and writing measures, but ESL performance was lower on vocabulary and reading comprehension across all three grades. Narrative writing in monolinguals and ESLs alike was predicted by syntactic skills, word-level skills (decoding and spelling) and text-comprehension. Nonverbal reasoning and phonological processing significantly predicted writing performance for monolinguals only. Overall, writing mechanics, writing syntax, and story quality all grew significantly across grades. However, only story quality demonstrated significantly different patterns of growth across students, but this difference was not explained by any of the predictors. Importantly, despite having weaker vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, ESLs’ narratives did not differ from monolinguals on mechanics, syntax, and overall story quality. The findings have implications for assessment and instruction of writing in both groups, provide additional evidence that reading comprehension and writing skills share common underlying processes, and suggest that skills that determine reading success can be used to flag possible writing weaknesses in both groups. Despite the effect of L2 status on vocabulary and reading comprehension, ESLs demonstrated similar narrative writing skills to monolingual peers.