The influence of two instructional methods, the Constrictive-Interactionist approach (C-I) and the Traditional Process approach (T-P), on student writing was determined by evaluating the post test essays of sixty-five ENG 101 students for overall writing quality using holistic scoring. The products were then analyzed further for specific content features which were emphasized during the treatment and were particular to the essay form. / A significant difference was found between pre- and post tests of individual students regardless of treatment. However, there was a much greater increase in mean scores for the experimental group (C-I), with a mean gain of.78, than the reference group (T-P), with a mean gain of.17. Twenty-four percent of the scores in the T-P classes decreased pre- to post test, while only three percent of the scores decreased in the C-I sections. In the C-I essays there was clear evidence of the evaluation criteria, especially that of well-told meaningful story and clear indication of the event's significance. Insubstantial evidence of the criteria was found in the T-P essays. / A descriptive analysis of the treatments was conducted to inductively discover meaning-making patterns of language: specifically content, structure and function. In the C-I classes the evaluation criteria comprised the content, the function was to explicitly negotiate the meaning of the criteria considering form and function and the structure involved student and teacher interacting to reach consensus on meaning. The function of the T-P instruction was to teach activities and were teacher directed with the teacher's interpretation of meaning. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-02, Section: A, page: 0454. / Major Professor: Carolyn L. Piazza. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

Despite the extensive research conducted on second language (L2) learning over the years, there is no emerging distinct choice of L2 learning approach or strategy that single-handedly facilitates beginning second language learning. Research that seek to find out how beginning L2 learning is best facilitated could make language learning more effective and help retain students who drop-out. This investigation was undertaken as an action research study. It sought to investigate which L2 learning strategy, oral or writing, is a better introduction of French as a L2. Participants involved in the study were beginning students in an Oral class and in a Writing class. Language performance tests, attitude surveys, interview, and journals were used to collect data. The study involved qualitative, quantitative, and a case study. No significant difference was found between oral and writing strategy introduction of L2 French for beginners in reading, vocabulary, and composition. However, learners in the Oral class did slightly better than the Writing class in listening activities. Role-playing and interviewing were two distinct positive teaching approaches that emerged after the treatment.

<p> Researchers (Kennedy &amp; Deshler, 2010; Parette, et al., 2007b) state that students with Learning Disabilities (LDs) can learn most efficiently through use of the correct multimodal educational technologies with the correct delivery of content. These educational technologies and modes of delivery are developed to provide the multisensory experience to the student they serve. Teachers can use these technology devices to provide guided and independent learning opportunities to their students with LDs. However, K-12 schools face major challenges in funding and appointing the appropriate type of manpower needed so that technology infrastructures are supported in all necessary areas. Schools need talented individuals who are versed in both curriculum and pedagogy (e.g., instructional supports) and information technology (IT) to determine the best technologies and delivery systems, train teachers in the appropriate and differentiated use of these technologies and systems. These individuals are called Technology Coordinators (TC). As of 2015, there was no empirical research that has been done on the role of technology facilitation to teachers and students with LBLDs. </p><p> The purpose of this study is to define the dimensions related to the role of the TC that support served students who have been diagnosed with Language-Based Learning Differences (LBLDs). These dimensions were: 1) Teaching and Learning, 2) End-User Support, 3) Network Operations, 4) Administrative Computing, and 5) Budgeting and Planning. This study involved four TCs who work at schools that served students with LBLDs. Through a Multiple Case Study Design (Yin, 2003; Merriam, 2009) using questionnaire and interview data. Results were coded using holistic, elaborative, and selective coding schemes (Salda&ntilde;a, 2013). Results showed various similarities and differences between the four equally successful, yet different models for how to use a TC to achieve solid results for students with LBLDs. Future research would comprise a more comprehensive study involving TCs, classroom teachers and students with LBLDs.</p>

The current study sought to discover the impact of uncontracted braille in early stages of learning compared to contracted braille. Eight students who began learning uncontracted braille participated, and an informal reading inventory test was administered to determine their reading level, word recognition skill, and reading comprehension. Two pages of braille writing samples generated by the students were collected to find out types and frequencies of braille errors. Eight students who began learning contracted braille were matched with those who began learning uncontracted braille on four variables: school setting, gender, current levels of reading on students' Individual Education Programs (IEPs), and chronological ages. In addition, five students who began learning uncontracted braille and five teachers with experience teaching uncontracted braille from the beginning were interviewed by telephone. Using an independent group t test, it was found that the students performed equally well in reading speed, types and frequencies of braille errors, and word recognition skill whether they began with uncontracted or contracted braille. In addition, it was demonstrated that the students who began learning uncontracted braille exhibited better comprehension skill than those who began learning contracted braille Five students interviewed for the current study indicated that they began learning braille before they entered elementary school. They reported that transition from uncontracted to contracted braille took different lengths of time. Uncontracted braille was a motivational factor for family members to acquire braille skills. On the other hand, five teachers who were interviewed reported that professional journals and contact with professionals were the sources supporting teaching in uncontracted braille. Teachers were motivated to teach uncontracted braille because they believed it would be helpful for students with visual impairments who had additional disabilities to acquire braille skills for greater consistency. Two braille teachers reported that the use of uncontracted braille was helpful in collaboration with the classroom teachers because the students could receive prompt feedback from the classroom teachers. Overall, the use of uncontracted braille from the beginning of braille instruction did not present statistical differences among variables. It was found that interviewed individuals had positive experiences regarding the use of uncontracted braille.

Schrier and Hammadou (1994) assert that in order to evaluate effective foreign language (FL) teaching, attributes of effective teaching should first be identified, should be agreed upon as being worth evaluating, should be identified on repeated occasions, and should be proved worthwhile in many settings. The more that is known about successful FL teaching and learning, the more likely FL teachers will be to create models for FL teacher preparation and evaluation that implement relevant behaviors and attitudes of effective FL teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher perceptions concerning the teaching behaviors and attitudes that contribute to effective FL teaching and learning. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire to which 457 post-secondary FL teachers of Spanish, French, and German who are members of ACTFL responded (the response rate was 45.7%). The 80-item questionnaire elicited responses to FL teaching behaviors and attitudes on a Likert-type scale from 1 (not important at all for effective FL teaching) to 5 (essential for effective FL teaching), based on teachers' perceptions regarding how important each attribute is for effective teaching. Based on current research on second language acquisition (SLA), on pedagogical theories underlying current teaching methodologies, and on teaching behaviors and attitudes found to be effective in the field of general education, various teaching behaviors and attitudes of effective FL teachers were identified for inclusion on the questionnaire. The results indicate that there is emerging professional consensus regarding a number of teacher behaviors and attitudes related to FL teaching. This study contributes to the knowledge of what acceptable classroom teaching behavior is. The more that is known about successful FL teaching and learning, the more likely FL teachers, administrators, and curriculum developers will be able to create models for FL teacher preparation and evaluation that reflect effective behaviors and attitudes for FL teaching.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of nonnative English speaking students' interlanguage pragmatics in written discourse. It examined whether the types of redundancy found in second language (L2) learners' written English discourse may be explained by a lack of pragmatic knowledge, and used the theoretical framework of Sperber and Wilson's (1986) Relevance Theory. The particular type of pragmatic knowledge examined was the appropriate use of contextual information assumed to be manifest between the writer (i.e. the student) and the reader (i.e. the instructor). The subjects were 40 nonnative (NNS) and 34 native (NS) English speaking college students enrolled in freshman composition courses. They wrote essays on two topics that were selected carefully to manipulate the degrees of mutually manifest contextual information. The introduction section of each essay was submitted to an initial quantitative analysis. The results indicated that: (1) The mean length of the NNS essays was greater than that of the NS essays on both topics, and the difference on topic one reached a statistically significant level (p < 0.05), (2) The difference between the mean length of the NS essays on topics one and two was statistically significant (topic one<topic two, p < 0.01) whereas the difference between the mean length of the NNS essays on topics one and two was not statistically significant, (3) There were more than twice as many instances of unnecessary types of redundancy in the NNS essays than in the NS essays, and (4) No statistically significant differences were found among the NNS essays in different L1 sub-groups, with relative terseness found in Hindi/Urdu dominant bilingual subjects in the Indian L1 sub-group as an exception. In addition to the initial analysis, this study also examined the relationships between holistically judged essay quality and (1) the length of introduction, (2) L2 learners' linguistic knowledge, and (3) L2 learners' length of stay in the U.S. It further compared the linguistic features of the NNS and NS essays in high, intermediate, and low score ranges.

The United States society is becoming increasingly diverse due to the arrival of large numbers of immigrant groups. Many of these children do not speak English as their first language. However, the U.S. Department of Education (1995) reports that only 15% of English language learners (ELLS) nationwide are educated in programs designed specifically for second-language learners. With English-only educational policies in a number of states, ELLs will likely be put in mainstream classrooms in which they may not receive enough language learning support. In most cases, a teacher in a mainstream classroom is not equipped with the proper ESL education to support ELLs through their transitional phases. It is therefore necessary to research the process of ELLs acquiring English in a mainstream classroom. This ethnographic case study examines the nature of a novice English learner's apprenticeship and her experiences in the process. Ying, an 8-year-old, whose native languages are Taiwanese and Mandarin, arrived in the U.S. 2 months prior to the start of this study. Ethnographic approaches--participant observations, interviews, and artifact collection--are utilized to answer two research questions. The research questions that guide this study are: (1) what is the nature of apprenticeship for a novice ESL learner in a mainstream classroom, and (2) how does a novice ESL learner experience the process of apprenticeship within the contexts of the home, school and community. The findings for the first question document the kinds of assistance and resources Ying received from the community, the school, the class, and the family, and the influence of the assistance and resources on Ying's development of English. The findings of the second question include Ying's significant roles as a collaborator, a resource seeker, a demonstrator, and a contributor in her class and school communities. She utilizes the strategies of tolerating ambiguity, remaining confident, connecting schoolwork with her real life experience, and making good use of resources in the process of learning. Based on these findings, the researcher discusses their theoretical contributions and pedagogical implications of sociocultural theory, comprehensible input, and balance of cognitive and situated perspectives in second language acquisition research.

The purpose of this study was to examine my belief that allowing young children time for free choice engagements and play is not only appropriate but necessary for their development of written literacy. This teacher research study took place in my kindergarten classroom. Data was collected during a daily free choice time when students had access to virtually all materials in the classroom and were responsible for their own engagement decisions. The primary data consists of field notes of my observations while students were involved in free choice engagements, a checklist of their engagements, and artifacts of the written literacy that students engaged in. The data analysis led to the development of a description of the types, functions, and contexts for how written language is integrated into the free choice engagements of the kindergarten students in my class. This analysis is from data on all the children in my classroom. Case studies offered a portrayal of three individual students' explorations of written language during free choice. The case studies give background information about each child, then describe the child as a player, and finally the child's literacy knowledge is described. This study has allowed me to become more acutely aware of what was happening during free choice time in my classroom. Throughout this dissertation I have contended that children come to school with a great deal of knowledge about literacy, and teachers need to value the literacy knowledge that children already have. The same must hold true for play. No doubt children have learned to play long before they come to school. It is the teacher's responsibility to close the gap between the two environments. Teachers need to respect each child's literacy strengths and motivations, and continue to offer invitations for engagements in many functional literacy engagements. I am confident that students will engage in written literacy when they are ready and see the engagements as meaningful and functional in their own lives.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how nonnative English teachers' identity constructions develop and influence their pedagogy in U.S. higher education. The research on nonnative teachers of English has not adequately explored their identity constructions. This study relied on a phenomenological case study approach that analyzed the lived experience of nonnative English teachers in relation to wider language ideologies and practices. Data were generated from spring 2003 to fall 2003 through phenomenological in-depth interviews, classroom observations, questionnaires, and autobiographical accounts of research participants. The data were primarily analyzed through the use of the constant comparative method. The study reveals that identity construction among nonnative English teachers, with its dynamic and contradictory nature, remains challenging, changing, and growing over time in relations of wider language ideologies and practices. Thus, the findings reject a fixed, unitary, and monolithic view on the identity construction of nonnative English teachers. In terms of the study's practical and pedagogical implications, university programs should know that nonnative English teachers can practice mutual accommodation through which both nonnative English teachers and their students can collaborate in order to improve the learning of English and enrich diversity within U.S. higher education. University programs should also focus more on what nonnative English teachers can do in collaboration with native English teachers. Finally, this study suggests that language educators should explore the role nonnative English teachers play in language pedagogy in an era of the global spread of English that produces highly proficient nonnative English speaking professionals.

After studying hundreds of Saudi children's books, I decided to keep eighty of them to represent my selection. My main focus in this study is the literary and cultural characteristics of Saudi children's books. Thus, this study is based on two questions: What are the literary characteristics of Saudi children's books? and What are the cultural characteristics of Saudi children's books? I used the content analysis approach to answer both questions. Content analysis means the use of a theory or theme to analyze a text or a series of texts. The theory or theme is used as an analytical device, the main focus being analysis of the text rather than development of theory. In order to answer the question about the literary characteristics of Saudi children's books, I studied the seven most common literary elements found in textbooks of children's literature. A literary analysis chart was developed representing character, plot, setting, theme, point of view, style and tone. After analyzing the selected books literarily, I found that only a small number of the selected books use techniques of the literary elements to attract the readers. The majority of the books represent the false nature of flat characters and are written to instruct and educate children rather than entertain them. Illustrations do not add much to the written text in the majority of books; thus the majority of the books are illustrated books rather than picturebooks. A cultural analysis chart was developed from the readings and the interviews about Saudi culture. Three major categories represent the Saudi culture for this study: religion, family and childhood. After doing the cultural analysis for the selected books I found that there are many misrepresentations of the Saudi culture in most of the books indicating a lack of careful study of the culture. There is a separation between religious and nonreligious books, women have traditional roles in most of the books, and children are portrayed as either ideal or stupid in the majority of the books. Moreover, the landscape and/or the clothes of characters in most of the books are misrepresented.