Diplomová práce se zaměřuje na analýzu současné marketingové strategie společnosti Erasmus Life Lisboa. Specifikuje faktory jak vnitřního tak vnějšího okolí, které ji nejvíce ovlivňují. Na základě výsledků těchto analýz navrhuje změny v uplatnění marketingových přístupů

This study investigates the intercultural development with young learners from Sweden and New Zealand, when using written telecollaboration as a tool. Telecollaboration; is a tool used for online collaboration, it provides for a possibility of connecting students from across the globe and can function as a supplement to traditional teaching. The exchange, took place over a couple of months, connecting two remote and quite unknown corners of the world, from the students’ perspective. Students shared cultural topics with their peers through the course of two emails each, as well as, creating an overall multimodal presentation of their school. The telecollaborative exchange was done in the quest to develop the students social and self-awareness regarding culture through authentic meetings. The data collected is in the form of mind-maps, multi-choice surveys and unstructured observations. Visible themes, found during the project, is unpacked and analysed in accordance with Byram’s (1997) theoretical model of ICC. These themes are also compared with findings of previous research on telecollaboration in educational settings. The results of the study revealed that a development of the young learners’ intercultural understanding was partially achieved. Furthermore, implications met, was the limitation of time as well as the range of technology available.

Majority of English as second language (ESL) students attending primary and secondary schools in the United States are not considered college ready despite mandated educational strategies aimed at improving language acquisition and academic performance. ESL students are more likely to drop out within the first 2 years of college than their English-speaking peers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore educators' perspectives regarding high postsecondary attrition rates of ESL students in Middle Tennessee. Tinto's retention theory provided the framework for the study. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 6 Middle Tennessee public high school teachers and 6 Middle Tennessee college professors from 2- and 4-year public colleges. Interview data were coded and analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Findings revealed 4 major themes: language acquisition, barriers to college graduation, adverse circumstances, and academic achievement. Participants reported a desire for alignment between primary, secondary, and postsecondary education. Findings were used to develop a professional development training curriculum for secondary and postsecondary educators. The project included effective strategies to use in the classroom to increase ESL students' college readiness and college graduation rates. If implemented correctly, this project will positively impact ESL students' language acquisition and academic achievement, but it will also develop a significant professional partnership between K-12 public schools and colleges.

This applied dissertation was designed to explore the relationship between the language complexity of high school academic assessments and the language proficiency of English Language Learners (ELLs) in their academic achievement levels and to examine what accommodation strategies would be the most effective in reducing performance gaps between ELLs and non-ELLs that are due to language factors. Students designated ELL by the school where the study took place scored significantly lower than non-ELL students in teacher-created content area assessments and state-standardized tests. English for speakers of other languages accommodations, such as extended time in completing tasks and assessments and the use of dictionaries and glossaries, seemed to narrow the gap between ELLs and non-ELLs; however, the effect was not substantial. Research was conducted to determine whether providing English for speakers of other languages linguistic modification accommodations increased student scores. Two groups of students participated in this research: the control group received the standard test, and the experimental group received the modified test. An original 10th-grade reading comprehension test normed on English-speaking students was administered to the control group and the linguistically modified version of the original test was administered to the experimental group. A comparison of the outcomes was assessed to find out whether there was a significant difference in academic achievement between the two groups. This quantitative study was followed by a qualitative study through student interviews to examine whether there was a relationship between the perceptions of ELLs on the usefulness of the accommodation types and their test scores. An analysis of the data revealed that students with low English language proficiency may not understand the test questions they are expected to answer. As a result, their test scores may not be an accurate measure of the test item construct, but a measure of their limited English skills.

This paper reports a study that examined the pedagogical knowledge (knowledge and beliefs related to the act of teaching) of two more successful and two less successful adult ESL instructors during planning teaching and post teaching reflection. The verbal reports of their teaching were compared to previous studies (Gatbonton, 2000, 2008; Mullock, 2006) that used stimulated recall to categorize adult ESL instructors' pedagogical thoughts during their instruction. The comparison showed that the previous categories were inadequate to cover the data. Additional codes were added in order to codify all the data after which patterns and themes emerged that overarched the previous categories. The five pattern themes among the four participants included academic focus, comprehension, engagement, language management, and student centered. The two more successful teachers each had one specific pattern theme whose fundamental focus was on student learning. These themes dominated the more successful teachers' pedagogical foci while the other four themes were subservient to that dominant theme. Like the more successful teachers all five pattern themes were present in the planning and reflection of the less successful teachers. However, the protocols of the less successful Adult ESL teachers did not exhibit a central theme or pedagogical focus that orchestrated and directed the movement of their pedagogical thoughts among the remaining pattern themes. This lack of a dominant theme meant that the pedagogical foci of these teachers moved from one theme to another without a consistent orientation toward a central goal. The conflicted or divided nature of the pedagogical thinking of these less successful teachers may contribute to the reduction in the learning of students in their classes.

This quantitative survey design study examined whether children’s ethnicity makes a difference in teachers’ referral and placement decisions in gifted and talented (G/T) programs. A total of 524 teachers from all over the United States who have taught or currently teach pre-kindergarten through 5th grade participated. The participants were randomly given one of six vignettes adapted from a previous similar study (Elhoweris et al., 2005). Participants answered whether the child described should be referred and placed into gifted and talented programs. All six vignettes described gifted and talented characteristics; the only differences were the children's ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Data was collected via an online survey powered by Qualtrics® XM distributed via social media sites. A nonparametric test was conducted. Results showed no significant difference in preK-5th grade teachers’ referral and placement decisions for G/T educational programs based on children’s ethnicity. Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U tests were computed among the dependent variables and teachers’ school SES, Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, specialization, years of experience, and highest level of education. Teachers’ level of education, years of experience, and their schools’ SES were found to be significant. Findings are discussed in terms of limitations, future research, and application to the gifted and talented field.

Investigations of the Swedish upper secondary school show that almost one fifth of the students struggle with low motivation. Hence, this paper concentrates on two different contexts in which increased motivation for ESL has been highlighted: contexts where songs and music are used, and extramural contexts. Nevertheless, there is a research gap in the combination of these two aspects. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the role of songs in extramural contexts regarding motivation and vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, the purpose is to investigate these contexts in the plurilingual and culturally rich country of South Africa and thereafter explore how this can be implemented in the Swedish ELL classroom. Hence, a student questionnaire and two qualitative interviews with youth leaders were used to answer the two research questions: To what extent does the use of songs in extramural contexts affect the perceived vocabulary acquisition among high school students and youth leaders in South Africa? Furthermore, how does extramural use of English songs affect the perceived motivation and joy for learning English as a second language? The results revealed a positive impact of songs in extramural contexts, where social media was the most common context, both regarding motivation and vocabulary acquisition. Nevertheless, the effects were stronger when using songs productively, and the genre that had most effect on the vocabulary was HipHop. Hence, there is much to bring into the Swedish ELL classroom from the song-based extramural contexts, which can fulfil and develop requirements from the Swedish National Curriculum.

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As the practice of social justice in traditional schools becomes embedded in the discourse of educational settings (Theoharis, 2007), school leaders are increasingly being required to practice social justice leadership by identifying and initiating practices that engage students from diverse and under-served backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership practices of six former and current principals who have led National ESEA Distinguished Schools (formerly National Title I Distinguished Schools) in the United States. These principals work with diverse student populations that typically struggle to make academic gains and meet state standards. As such, this study sought to delve into the leadership practices of Title I principals. By understanding the leadership practices in which these principals engaged, and how consistent these practices are with the principles of social justice, a model of social justice leadership can be postulated for consideration. A qualitative research methodology, in-depth phenomenological interviews (Seidman, 2013) was used. Open-ended questions were posed during the semi-structured interviews of the principals. The findings in this study provide details on what actions six Title I principals from districts across the United States took to lead their schools to National ESEA Distinguished School status. These social justice leaders address the social structures of oppression, privilege, and opportunity that can deprive marginalized student groups from access to educational opportunity. Principals reported that the actions they took to ensure equity and fairness were around creating safe and orderly learning environments, professional learning communities, and professional development for staff. / Doctor of Education / This study will provide insight into the leadership practices of Title I principals and how they successfully led Title I schools and gained national recognition. The National Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools (formerly National Title I Distinguished Schools) Programs recognizes schools for their growth in student academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership practices of these principals and to understand how consistent these practices are with the principles of social justice leadership. The target population of the study was principals from six Title I schools who obtained National Distinguished ESEA School status. These principals work with diverse student populations that typically struggle to make academic gains and meet state standards. Each principal participated in a 60-minute, semi-structured interview. The purpose of the interview was to uncover and encapsulate a person's experience (Seidman, 2013). The analysis of the experiences of these leaders provided a lens that other school leaders might consider to improve their leadership practice. The data analysis indicated that these social justice leaders address the social structures of oppression, privilege, and opportunity that can deprive marginalized student groups of access to educational opportunity. Principals reported that the actions they took to ensure equity and fairness were around creating safe and orderly learning environments, professional learning communities, and professional development for staff. Findings from the study indicated more research is needed on the practices of social justice leadership.