<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if adult English learners who used the small talk flash cards communicative activities would lower their affective filter thereby increase their motivation to speak English, and if by practicing authentic conversation with the small talk cards, it would help to increase the students' oral and written output in English. Forty adult English learners were chosen to participate in this comparison study. The study was conducted over a 4-week period. The learners' attitude towards speaking English and their English oral proficiency were scored both at the beginning of the study and at the end. Furthermore, the two groups' writing skills were evaluated and compared at the end of the study. The hypothesis, that the small talk card would help reduce the affective filter and help develop oral and written output, were minimally supported by the data collected. However, a longer study with more participants would better substantiate the results. The data showed that adult English learners enjoyed and wanted the chance to practice authentic language in class. Additionally, they benefited greatly from the practice. Therefore, teachers should make every effort to include as many of these activities as possible in their curriculum.</p>

<p> As the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in schools, so does the concern for their lack of academic progress and the possible inequitable representation of this culturally and linguistically diverse population in special education (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, &amp; Higareda, 2005; Guiberson, 2009; Mac Swan &amp; Rolstad, 2006; Rinaldi &amp; Samson, 2008). Of particular concern is the increase of ELLs with an eligibility of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), especially when examined at the local level (Klinger, Artiles, &amp; Barletta, 2006). To understand this phenomenon at the local level, this mixed-method study examined ELLs with SLD in a large California urban school district by targeting English language development (ELD) at the macro and micro level. The researcher accomplished this focus by examining the relationship between English language proficiency levels, grade levels, and type of learning disorder among kindergarten through twelfth grade ELLs with SLD. The researcher analyzed cumulative educational records of three eighth grade ELLs with SLD, including Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs), to examine how ELD needs have been addressed. The results of the quantitative portion of this study revealed greater distribution patterns of ELLs with SLD in sixth through ninth grades. The researcher also found ELLs with SLD to be primarily represented in the early stages of ELD (beginning, early intermediate, and intermediate) and identified with an auditory processing disorder. Results of the case studies also revealed that after nine years of ELD instruction, the students had not reclassified as English proficient and documented evidence of ELD instruction and support was minimal.</p>

<p> Schools in the United States have more students who are English learners (ELs) than at any point in recent decades. Academic performance for these students, as measured by standardized tests, falls below that of their native English-speaking peers and, on some measures, is not making the sorts of gains that other groups appear to be making. Of the various program delivery models for ELs found in schools in the U.S., dual language has received a great deal of attention and interest in recent years due to some impressive long-term student achievement results. There is a great deal of research regarding the effectiveness of dual language and practices that have been shown to support that effectiveness. However, there is little in the research focusing on the perspective of dual language principals and listening to their voices. </p><p> This qualitative study involving interviews of 15 elementary principals of dual language schools in the Eastern United States region was focused on understanding their experience as they contextualized best practices to meet the needs of their specific student population. The study drew on conceptual frameworks of transformative leadership theory, Fowler&rsquo;s initiative implementation, and Cummins&rsquo;s interdependence hypothesis. </p><p> Analysis of the interview data revealed that dual language principals frequently found themselves playing a balancing act between two groups of people within their school. Another finding was that the dual language principal&rsquo;s responsibilities are more complex than those of their colleagues in more traditional elementary schools. It was also learned that dual language best practices are generally followed faithfully. The final finding was that, despite the extra complications, dual language principals find the rewards to be worth the extra effort. The study reveals that dual language programs offer a powerful vehicle for transformative leaders to build community across language and culture. </p><p> Implications for policy include recommendations for school systems to coordinate efforts to find qualified bilingual staff and appropriate bilingual materials. Future research is suggested to explore the perceptions that different language and cultural parent groups have about dual language. Several implications are outlined for practice, including creating meaningful and purposeful cross-cultural experiences for students and parents.</p><p>

<p> This study of the assets that international graduate students bring to the process of learning English academic writing in the US has two purposes. The primary purpose is to develop the Translingual Graduate Writers&rsquo; Inventory of Strengths (TGWIS) and to test its reliability and validity as a tool to determine the particular strengths and resources of international graduate writers. The second purpose is to describe the academic writing strategies used by translingual graduate writers in order to suggest a conceptual framework of graduate academic writing in English and to promote teaching and learning of graduate academic writing in English for international graduate students based on positive psychology and translingualism. </p><p> Previous studies of L2 learning have paid more attention to negative psychological and affective dimensions such as foreign language learning anxiety and writing apprehension. In response tothe need particularly psychological and social dimensions of international graduate academic writers in English, the TGWIS was developed. Based on the conceptual frameworks of translingualism (Canagarajah, 2013a), embodied self (Kramsch, 2009), Strength-Centered Therapy (Wong, 2006a), positive psychological perspectives (Lopez, Pedrotti &amp; Snyder, 2015; Nakamura &amp; Cs&iacute;kszentmih&aacute;lyi, 2002, 2009; Seligman, 2002), and growth mindset (Dweck, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2010; Dweck &amp; Master, 2009), the TGWIS V.10 was developed with eight psychological and social components (<i>N</i>=509). I tested the validity and reliability of the TGWIS as an instrument to promote a positive perspective on translingual academic writers by employing exploratory factor analysis (<i>n</i>=249) and confirmatory factor analysis (<i>n</i>=260). The final measurement model of the TGWIS V.10 is consisted of four factors with16 items: Interest and motivation to pursue graduate academic writing (GAW) in English (5 items; &alpha; = .84), self-confidence in GAW in English (5 items; &alpha; = .80), perceived professional value of GAW in English (3 items; &alpha; = .73), and using translingual resources in GAW in English (3 items; &alpha; = .74). </p><p> The major contribution of this study is to inform stakeholders in US graduate education programs of the perspectives of international graduate students and to inform efforts to provide customized graduate level writing assistance. These aspirations can be fulfilled in a &ldquo;nested&rdquo; environment with affective and social supports, validating their strengths as translingual writers. </p><p>

<p> The language and communication skills of foreign students have long been a concern in U.S. universities. The majority of U.S. universities require foreign students for whom English is not their native language to take English language proficiency tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as part of admission requirements. Some universities have included interventions to increase the success of Chinese students against their struggle to understand English course content. One such program is the Gateway to Successful Tomorrow Bilingual Degree Program (GST). The gap to be addressed on this study was that the effectiveness of GST has not been formally evaluated among foreign students particularly overseas Chinese students studying at U.S. universities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the GST among overseas Chinese students studying at U.S. universities as measured through students&rsquo; grade point averages (GPA) and TOEFL scores. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural theory. The quantitative study used a causal comparative design to gather quantitative data from student achievement records and TOEFL scores. Pearson&rsquo;s correlation analysis and analysis of variance were conducted to predict if underlying relationships exist among variables. Key findings of the analyses showed that GST students had a significantly higher GPA than non-GST student. However, results also indicated that there was no evidence that the GST program significantly improved TOEFL scores. The GST program had an overall positive impact on the international Chinese students&rsquo; academic performance and with continued research international students stand to gain even more from this program. </p><p>

<p> My study asks the questions: What criteria do teachers take into consideration when they determine the placement of bilingual students with learning disabilities and do they feel competent to make that decision. Current research provides information the important need to focus on bilingual students with learning disabilities. It also provides information about teacher readiness to teach this subgroup and what is being done to help meet their needs. The researcher conducted interviews of two middle school boys and their bilingual and learning resource teachers. Participant teachers and students were observed in a three-month window and interviewed. Due to their difference in English proficiency their classroom placement varied through this year and which may affect their classroom placement in the future. My study answers my questions because we hear firsthand from seasoned teachers in the field and share how they feel about teaching bilingual students with learning disabilities. The question concerning their best classroom placement is also answered by examining and analyzing students' collected data of their academic histories. After various classroom observations, teacher and student interviews and collection of data, the study found that the two boys had similar learning disabilities yet their academic achievements were different. Both learning resource teachers explain that there is a language barrier between them and their bilingual students with learning disabilities. Whereas, the bilingual teacher finds it difficult to detect a learning disability in her students because she is unsure if the student's difficulty in reading stems from a lack of English proficiency or a masked learning disability. The most practical way to find the correct placement for a bilingual student with a learning disability is when a team of educational professionals meet and discuss the particular student's strengths and weaknesses using their field of expertise. Final thoughts are shared of what further research needs to be done and why it is important. </p><p>

<p> Many math students, both EL and non-EL, struggle to reach the level of proficiency on California state tests which is required since the passage of NCLB in 2002 (California Department of Education, 2012). In California only 34% of students scored at the level of proficiency or above in 2011 (National Assessment for Educational Progress, 2012). The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine the degree of achievement, similarities, and differences in learning fourth-grade math for ELs and non-ELs when sentence frames are used as the method of instruction and when sentence frames are not used as the method of instruction in a southern California school district. The instructional method of using sentence frames with all students, non-ELs and ELs, may assist all students to become successful and reach the level of proficiency in fourth-grade mathematics. A group of approximately 23 teachers with approximately 30 students each for a total of 700 fourth-grade math students, will teach two lessons, one lesson that primarily uses sentence frames as the method of instruction and one lesson that does not use sentence frames in the method of instruction. Pre and post tests for each lesson was taken and data was analyzed to identify patterns, similarities, differences, and diverging themes associated when the use of sentence frames are used as the method of instruction and when sentence frames are not used as the method of instruction with ELs and non-ELs.</p><p>

<p> This study examines the application of the Simple View of Reading (SVR), a reading comprehension theory focusing on word recognition and linguistic comprehension, to English Language Learners&rsquo; (ELLs&rsquo;) English reading development. This study examines the concurrent and predictive validity of two components of the SVR, oral language and word-level decoding, for determining ELLs&rsquo; English reading comprehension in the third and fifth grades, using data from a nationally representative dataset, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS-K). Literature in both first (L1) and second language (L2) reading comprehension development suggest that, in addition to word- and text-level decoding factors, oral language skills (such as listening comprehension) also impact L2 reading comprehension. This study found that while English word-level decoding skills were the strongest predictors of ELLs&rsquo; English reading comprehension in third grade, both third and fifth grade English oral language skills were stronger at predicting fifth grade ELLs&rsquo; English reading outcomes, thereby confirming the hypotheses grounded in the conceptual frameworks of ELL reading comprehension development (Proctor et al., 2005; Zadeh et al., 2011; Kim, 2015).</p><p> These findings suggest that screening fifth grade ELLs using English oral language measures may be more effective at predicting potential difficulty in reading comprehension than traditional fluency measures (such as DIBELS ORF). Moreover, while English word-level decoding factors are stronger predictors for third grade English reading comprehension, these findings indicate that third grade English oral language measures may be better at determining how ELL students will perform in English reading comprehension as they conclude elementary school in fifth grade than traditional fluency and decoding measures. In sum, the results of this study underline the importance of instruction, intervention and assessment in English oral language skills as critical components of literacy programming for elementary ELLs.</p><p>

<p>This quasiexperimental single group design study investigated the validity of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) to identify fourth and fifth grade students who are at-risk in vocabulary development. The subjects of the study were 88 fourth and fifth grade students at one elementary school in Washington State. The Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), a previously validated vocabulary assessment with fourth and fifth grade students, was used to determine concurrent validity with two VLT subtests, the 2000 level and Academic Word Level. The two VLT subtests and GRADE vocabulary subtests were administered over one academic week near the end of the 2011-2012 school year. </p><p> Prior research has identified vocabulary knowledge and development as a key indicator in reading achievement. However, there is currently a lack of assessments able to identify students who are struggling with vocabulary development. The VLT is a well-established and researched vocabulary test which identifies levels of vocabulary knowledge, but it has been used exclusively with English language learners primarily at the university level. The study, therefore, expands on the current research base on the VLT with a new population to determine if the VLT is a valid vocabulary assessment for fourth and fifth grade students. </p>

<p> There were dual purposes of this exploratory, case study. The first purpose was to investigate and describe the teaching strategies of six Head Start teachers within one program in Oregon whose dual language learners had shown gains of at least three levels in receptive and expressive English language development, as determined by their assessment ratings in Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System. The second purpose was to identify what, if any, professional development strategies and resources have been beneficial to those teachers in promoting English language development for children who are dual language learners. </p><p> This qualitative study utilized three data collection methods: interviews, observations and review of artifacts. The one-on-one interviews with the purposive sample of teachers occurred during the first phase. The interview questions were designed to learn about teaching strategies utilized by Head Start teachers to promote English language development for children who are dual language learners as well as teachers' relevant professional development resources and opportunities. During the second phase of the study, the <i>Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition</i> (CASEBA) instrument was used to conduct classroom observations in each of the six teachers' classrooms. Furthermore, a review of relevant artifacts was conducted during the observations. </p><p> Seven conclusions emerged from the study. First, home language support in the classrooms contributed to English language development. Second, teachers' use of pictures, gestures and other visual cues promoted children's comprehension of English. Third, culturally responsive curriculum was not necessary for promoting enhanced language outcomes. Fourth, a supportive social/emotional environment in the classroom contributed to progress in expressive language development. Next, singing songs with gestures and high quality teachers' talk in English also contributed to expressive language development. Lastly, professional development, formal and informal, is beneficial and needed for preschool teachers. </p><p> Five recommendations emerged from the study. Policy recommendations are for college teacher preparation programs to require coursework pertaining to dual language learning and for programs to actively recruit bilingual teachers. Practice recommendations are for programs to implement a Planned Language Approach, set up peer mentoring and training opportunities, and for teachers to plan individual and small group read alouds. </p>