<p dir="ltr">This study investigates the production of dative clitic doubling among Spanish heritage speakers and English-speaking L2 learners of Spanish. Dative clitic doubling, a grammatical structure in Spanish, is challenging for bilingual speakers (Montrul, 1998; Cuervo, 2007; Escobar-Alvarez, 2017). The study examines the extent to which heritage speakers of Spanish and L2 learners demonstrate knowledge of dative clitic doubling in Spanish with ditransitive verbs across four conditions: psych verbs, wh-questions, double object constructions, and inalienable possession. The results from an online Elicited Production Task reveal that L2 learners exhibit crosslinguistic influence from their L1, characterized by the omission of the dative clitic in the analyzed structures. Heritage speakers also show some degree of crosslinguistic influence, often preferring prepositional constructions over dative clitic doubling. The findings are discussed in the context of the current discourse on the roles of proficiency, language use, and exposure.</p>

<p>Service learning has been proposed as a widespread educational movement that merges academic work with real-life community service activities that encourages students to reflect and think critically about their experiences. As a pedagogical tool for second language acquisition, the greatest benefit of utilizing service learning activities results in the fact that it creates connections to the target language community and provides authentic experiences for target language use. Although service-learning has been extensively implemented into language programs such as Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL), it is still in its infancy with Chinese second language learners.</p><p><br></p> <p>This dissertation examines the effects and outcomes of service-learning involvement on the advanced Chinese learners towards language acquisition, cultural understanding, and community engagement. The study was conducted in a Midwest university with 30 students from a variety of educational and cultural backgrounds.The data was collected through pre-/post-survey, observation and reflective journals. Findings indicated that the service-learning experiences enhanced and enriched students' Chinese language learning. Additional benefits to the students included increasing their knowledge of Chinese culture and history, developing a higher motivation for community engagement and transformative learning, and forming connections to people and community beyond the classroom. However, differences were also found in students' service-learning experiences and outcomes based on gender, race, and cultural backgrounds. Future directions of Chinese service-learning in the emerging fields were discussed as promising avenues for future Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) research and practice.</p>

<p>Despite an emphasis on oral communication in most foreign language classrooms, the resource-intensive nature (i.e. time and manpower) of speaking tests hinder regular oral assessments. A possible solution is the development of a (semi-) automated scoring system. When it is used in conjunction with human raters, the consistency of computers can complement human raters’ comprehensive judgments and increase efficiency in scoring (e.g., Enright & Quinlan, 2010). In search of objective and quantifiable variables that are strongly correlated with overall oral proficiency, a number of studies have reported that some utterance fluency variables (e.g., speech rate and mean length of run) might be strong predictors for L2 learners’ speaking ability (e.g., Ginther et al., 2010; Hirotani et al., 2017). However, these findings are difficult to generalize due to small sample sizes, narrow ranges of proficiency levels, and/or a lack of data from languages other than English. The current study analyzed spontaneous speech samples collected from 170 Japanese learners at a wide range of proficiency levels determined by a well-established speaking test, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). Prior to analysis, 48 <i>Complexity, Accuracy, Fluency</i> (CAF) measures (with a focus on fluency variables) were calculated from the speech samples. First, the study examined the relationships among the CAF measures and learner oral proficiency assessed by the ACTFL OPI. Then, using an empirically-based approach, a feasibility of using a composite measure to predict L2 oral proficiency was investigated. The results revealed that <i>Speech Speed</i> and <i>Complexity</i> variables demonstrated strong correlation to the OPI levels, and moderately strong correlations were found for the variables in the following categories: <i>Speech Quantity, Pause</i>, <i>Pause Location</i> (i.e., Silent pause ratio within AS-unit), <i>Dysfluency</i> (i.e., Repeat ratio), and <i>Accuracy.</i> Then, a series of multiple regression analyses revealed that a combination of five CAF measures (i.e., Effective articulation rate, Silent pause ratio, Repeat ratio, Syntactic complexity, and Error-free AS-unit ratio) can predict 72.3% of the variance of the OPI levels. This regression model includes variables that correspond to Skehan’s (2009) proposed three categories of fluency (speed, breakdown, and repair) and variables that represent CAF, supporting the literature (e.g., Larsen-Freeman, 1978, Skehan, 1996).</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T19:34:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Paula Amaral do Rego.pdf: 902241 bytes, checksum: b137c1ad91a28d147f20885daebadc34 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11-03 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The present study intended to answer how we can lead the pupils in basic education to master the prestige variant without discrediting the other variants, which they may or may not have more access. The study has as main objective to contribute to the implementation of an effective Educational Linguistics (EL) by presenting the Sociolinguistics and EL and their contributions to the teaching of Portuguese; investigating how the work on variations may contribute to a more effective EL; and developing a teaching sequence that could be applied in a ninth-grade Middle School class following the EL studies and then contemplating the linguistic variations. In a theoretical and practical disposition, the methodology of the study is based on literature relevant to the issue, followed by the writing of a theoretical substantiation rooted in EL and Sociolinguistics. The work with non-prestige variants led to the Cordel Literature, explored in its theoretical foundation to benefit the development of the teaching sequence previously mentioned. The results of the study attended the proposed objectives in which the elaboration of the teaching sequence was embedded in the manners proposed by EL, looking at the linguistic variations and emphasizing the prestige variant, which must be worked at the school above all variants although escaping from the old methodology that was based on rote memorization of grammar rules and nomenclature / A presente pesquisa vislumbrou responder de que maneira podemos levar os alunos do ciclo básico de ensino a dominarem a variante culta, sem desprestigiar as demais variantes, as quais eles podem, ou não ter mais acesso. Tivemos como objetivo geral, contribuir para a implementação de uma Educação Linguística (EL) eficaz e como objetivos específicos, apresentar a Sociolinguística e a EL e suas contribuições para o ensino de língua portuguesa; investigar de que maneira o trabalho com as variações pode contribuir para uma EL mais eficaz; e elaborar uma sequência didática que pudesse ser aplicada em uma sala de nono ano do Ensino Fundamental II e que percorresse os caminhos da Educação Linguística, contemplando, então, as variações linguísticas. Tendo caráter teórico prático, seguimos como metodologia o levantamento de bibliografia pertinente ao tema, seguido da redação de uma fundamentação teórica ancorada na Educação Linguística e na Sociolinguística. A intenção de trabalharmos partindo de variantes desprestigiadas nos levou ao contato com a Literatura de Cordel, explorada na fundamentação teórica para dar subsídio à elaboração da Sequência Didática pretendida. Os resultados obtidos contemplaram os objetivos da pesquisa, pois a elaboração da sequência didática se encaixou nos moldes de ensino proposto pela Educação Linguística, contemplando as variações linguísticas e dando ênfase à variante culta, a qual deve ser trabalhada na escola acima de todas as variantes, mas fugindo da antiga metodologia que se assentava na mera memorização de nomenclatura e regras gramaticais

Motivation always attracts language teachers’ attention as one of the most significant factors for second language learning. In the past decades, motivational studies have experienced transitions and developments, and various studies investigated language learning motivation. (Dörnyei and Ryan, 2015) However, those motivational studies indicate that research outcomes vary depending on languages, contexts, and individuals, and understanding L2 learning motivation requires investigations at the local level.<div>This study examined the motivation of Japanese learners at a large state university in the Midwestern United States by asking them to respond to an online survey with eleven motivational factors that include the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) and the anti-ought-to L2 self (Thompson & Vásquez, 2015). <div>The main findings are as follows. First, attitude towards leaning Japanese, classroom support, the ideal L2 self, and the anti-ought-to L2 self had significant relationships with students’ intended effort. Second, rather than how long/in which course students study, why/for what they are learning Japanese makes the most significant differences in their motivation. Third, the ought-to L2 self might not be the best motivational factor for learning Japanese since characteristics of Japanese are different from those of English, which is widely used around the world. Fourth, interest in Japanese anime, manga, and games did not correlate with participants’ ideal L2 self and intended effort although interest in the other cultural items showed moderate correlations with those factors. Fifth, the longer/higher-level their learning experience became, the less interest participants showed in Japanese anime, manga, and pop culture, indicating that their interest in these cultural aspects began to vary and shifted to the other aspects of Japanese culture. </div><div>The main pedagogical implications suggested by the study are that there is a need to help students to set realistic goals and visualize future self-image with the Japanese language so that they can continue learning regardless of the course level or length of study, and teachers should consider at which stages their students are, and on the basis of that, decide how much anime and manga to incorporate into their lessons.</div></div>

<p>The present study investigated technical qualities of the elicited imitation (EI) items used by the Assessment of College English – International (ACE-In), a locally developed English language proficiency test used in the undergraduate English Academic Purpose Program at Purdue University. EI is a controversial language assessment tool that has been utilized and examined for decades. The simplicity of the test format and the ease of rating place EI in an advantageous position to be widely implemented in language assessment. On the other hand, EI has received a series of critiques, primarily questioning its validity. To offer insights into the quality of the EI subsection of the ACE-In and to provide guidance for continued test development and revision, the present study examined the measurement qualities of the items by analyzing the pre- and post-test performance of 100 examines on EI. The analyses consist of an item analysis that reports item difficulty, item discrimination, and total score reliability; an examination of pre-post changes in performance that reports a matched pairs t-test and item instructional sensitivity; and an analysis of the correlation patterns between EI scores and TOEFL iBT total and subsection scores.</p><p>The results of the item analysis indicated that the current EI task was slightly easy for the intended population, but test items functioned satisfactorily in terms of separating examinees of higher proficiency from those of lower proficiency. The EI task was also found to have high internal consistency across forms. As for the pre-post changes, a significant pair-wise difference was found between the pre- and post-performance after a semester of instruction. However, the results also reported that over half of the items were relatively insensitive to instruction. The last stage of the analysis indicated that while EI scores had a significant positive correlation with TOEFL iBT total scores and speaking subsection scores, EI scores were negatively correlated with TOEFL iBT reading subsection scores. </p><p>Findings of the present study provided evidence in favor of the use of EI as a measure of L2 proficiency, especially as a viable alternative to free-response items. EI is also argued to provide additional information regarding examinees’ real-time language processing ability that standardized language tests are not intended to measure. Although the EI task used by the ACE-In is generally suitable for the targeted population and testing purposes, it can be further improved if test developers increase the number of difficult items and control the contents and the structures of sentence stimuli. </p><p>Examining the technical qualities of test items is fundamental but insufficient to build a validity argument for the test. The present EI test can benefit from test validation studies that exceed item analysis. Future research that focuses on improving item instructional sensitivity is also recommended.</p>

<p>Many multilingual learners who use a language other than English at home face academic challenges from English monolingualism prevalent in the U.S. school system. English as a New Language (ENL) programs teach English to these learners while playing a role in reinforcing English monolingualism. For educational inclusivity and equity for multilingual learners, it is imperative to center their holistic language repertoires in ENL classrooms; however, this can be challenging due to individual and contextual factors. Using translanguaging as a conceptual framework, this qualitative case study explores how high school multilingual learners’ languages are flexibly used in ENL classes and how the students think about such classroom translanguaging practices. I used ethnographic methods to observe ENL classroom activities and instructional practices, interview the participants, and collect photos and documents in a high school in Indiana for a semester. The participants were an English-Spanish proficient ENL teacher and four students from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose language repertoires included Spanish, Lingala, French, Arabic, and English. The findings describe the difficulties and possibilities of incorporating all students’ multilingual-multisemiotic repertoires in ENL classes. The classroom language practices primarily constituted of Spanish and drawing; some instructional activities and practices, such as the multigenre identity project and the teacher’s use of Google Translate, well integrated the students’ multilingual-multisemiotic repertoires. When the students engaged in English writing, they frequently used machine translation, such as Google Translate, through dynamic processes involving evaluation. While the students perceived such classroom translanguaging practices generally positively, they considered using machine translation as a problem, a resource, or an opportunity. With these findings, I argue that multilingual learners’ competence to use their own languages and machine translation technology freely and flexibly is a valuable resource for learning and should be encouraged and developed in ENL classrooms. To do so, ENL teachers should use instructional activities and practices considering students’ dynamic multilingualism. TESOL teacher education should develop such competence in teachers, and more multilingual resources should be provided to teachers. In the case of a multilingual classroom with singleton students, building mutual understanding, empathy, and equity-mindedness among class members should be prioritized. Finally, I recommend that the evolving multilingual technologies, such as machine translation, be actively used as teaching and learning resources for multilingual learners.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The present study examined the acquisition of Spanish grammatical gender in 22 bilingual children (aged 5;0 to 13;5 years; Med=9;4 years; STD=2.3) who were born and raised in the United States and acquired Spanish as heritage speakers—that is, they learned Spanish, the minority language, in a home setting (Valdes, 2001). Each of the child participants had at least one parent who was born and raised in a Spanish-speaking country before immigrating to the U.S. post-puberty. Eleven (11) of the adults/parents, (aged 18 to 60 years, Med=42; STD=8.5)—all native speakers of Spanish—participated with their children, providing a control group for comparison purposes. Specifically, the study examined whether child heritage speakers of Spanish have linguistic intuition that enables them to<i> </i>distinguish between grammatical and ungrammatical constructs of gender expression in Spanish heard in ordinary speech (Chomsky, 1965). An Acceptability Judgment Task (AJT) presented each of the participants with both grammatical and ungrammatical versions of Spanish sentences in four grammatical conditions: (a) determiner-noun (DET-NOUN) assignment, (b) determiner-adjective (DET-ADJ) agreement, (c) noun-adjective (NOUN-ADJ) agreement, and (d) determiner phrase (DP) directionality (Cuza & Perez Tattam, 2016). Results showed that the participants—both children and adults—correctly found the grammatical examples to be acceptable. The adult participants consistently rejected the ungrammatical examples while many of the child participants had difficulties recognizing the ungrammatical examples as unacceptable. Statistical analysis found that the external factors of language dominance and language experience were significant in relation to the ability to distinguish the ungrammatical items, suggesting that the children who were dominant in Spanish and had more experience with the language were also more likely to recognize the ungrammatical constructs of the language. This result is in keeping with the Bilingual Alignments Approach, which focuses on the correlation of expected responses with the external factors of language dominance and language experience (Sánchez, 2019).</p>

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) began to audit Australian universities. At the same time, universities were increasingly using online technologies for teaching and learning. Little is known about how these two significant changes in teaching and learning might be acting and interacting at a time of increasing focus by universities on the educational marketplace. This thesis investigates the AUQA audits carried out in 2002 of three Australian universities which had different locations in the Australian higher education marketplace and had different approaches to the use of online technologies. I use Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyse a range of artefacts produced between 2002 and 2005 by and about the universities. I analyse the first three editions of the AUQA manual, the universities' web sites before and after their audit, the submissions of those universities to AUQA, and the audit reports by AUQA on them. I explore the role that representations of the "online university" discourse play in constructions of a "quality university" discourse within these texts. I discovered a number of shifts in emphasis in the texts over time. Notions of the "online university", while prevalent in the texts produced early in the time frame of the study, were absent from later texts. Also, texts produced early in the study represented the three universities as very different institutions. However texts examined towards the end of the study represented the universities to be more similar in nature. Given the diverse nature of the institutions' market locations, I found that quality assurance processes work to reduce the representation of institutional diversity. There was evidence that the "online university" discourse came to be used more as a marketing tool and less as a marker of quality education over the time period of the study. I argue that AUQA's audits do not support institutions? various market positionings as described by Marginson and Considine (2000), but rather provide the imprimatur of "brand Australia" by producing representations of each institution that are safe and amenable to the audit process. The "online university" discourse speaks of new and borderless teaching strategies, while the "quality university" discourse speaks of containment and control of university activities. The bounding and limiting effect of the "quality university" discourse over the outward reaching "online university" discourse resulted in the three universities representing themselves in increasingly isomorphic ways. My analysis shows that over the time frame of the study, the surveillance of a national quality audit body, through self-audit by universities and the subsequent publication of reviews of universities by that body, produced more cautious representations of the universities and ironically, less direct influence by the audit body over universities? actions in the marketplace. The study suggests that the degree of influence which the ?online university? discourse and the "quality university" discourse have on the representations of universities is dependent largely on the degree to which they can impel universities within the market. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2007

<div>Service-learning is an organized volunteer activity in which learners serve the community while utilizing and enhancing their own skills, thus benefiting both the learners and the community. Studies have shown that students gain various benefits from participating in a service-learning activity, especially in their academic skills and civic growth through continued reflections (Eyler, Giles, & Braxton, 1997; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Billig, 2000; Grassi et al., 2004; Steinberg, Bringle, & Williams, 2010), often increasing their motivation to learn the related subject (Steinberg et al., 2010). Service-learning has been implemented in foreign language courses in the United States, especially Spanish (Barreneche & Ramos-Flores, 2013). However, service-learning literature on Japanese as a foreign language is limited.</div><div>The researcher founded a service-learning program in the Japanese language. In the program, the university students enrolled in intermediate- or higher-level Japanese courses help Japanese children with their schoolwork as volunteer tutors. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study on four of the student-tutors to examine the program's potential benefits to maintain and enhance the student-tutors' various motivations toward learning Japanese. The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) (Clary, Snyder, & Ridge, 1998) was used as an analysis scheme, which reports six most commonly found functions, or varying motivations, for participating in a volunteer activity. The student-tutors indicated five out of the six VFI functions, showing a connection between their service-learning experience and their personal growth. They built strong connections with the Japanese community and kept their motivation to improve their Japanese skills to better help the children. It is hoped that the present research will contribute to providing an example of Japanese service-learning in the U.S.</div>