Using the first language (L1) in the English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom has been the topic of debate for decades. What originated as a commonplace practice shifted dramatically in the late 1800s, when for political reasons, the L1 was banned from classroom use. Most second language methods since the 1960’s reflect this decision, by recommending against the inclusion of the L1 in the ESL or EFL classroom. More recently, both researchers and teachers in the field have reopened this previously unquestioned axiom, and now acknowledge the L1 may have numerous advantages for the language learner. This report delineates the support in the literature for the benefits of judiciously using the L1 in the ESL/EFL classroom. / text

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-regulation on the acquisition of academic vocabulary of ELLs with learning difficulties. Participants were four third-grade Spanish-speaking ELLs who performed below grade level on a vocabulary test in English and scored below 25% accuracy on a science vocabulary measure. This study employed a multiple probe design across subjects and it consisted of four phases: (a) baseline, (b) self-regulation training, (c) self-regulation, and (d) maintenance. During baseline, participants were provided direct vocabulary instruction. During training, self-regulation with prompts was added to the direct instruction and, during intervention, prompts were removed. The intervention continued until the maintenance phase. Each lesson included instruction of six target words followed by daily tests of those six words. Each session lasted 30-35 minutes, divided into 26-30 minutes for the lesson, followed by 4-5 minutes for testing. This study was conducted over 15 weeks; all lessons were implemented using a script. To document students’ progress on the acquisition of science vocabulary, two daily vocabulary tests were administered during every session. One was a receptive word-knowledge test to measure how many words students understood. The other was an expressive word-knowledge test to measure how well the students understood the words. Furthermore, student interviews were conducted after completion of the study. Results revealed that self-regulation in conjunction with direct instruction was more effective than direct instruction alone not only on receptive word knowledge, but also on expressive word knowledge. Also, students showed a long-term effect in the acquisition of the both types word knowledge. Students had a positive perception of self-regulation, although they preferred different sub-strategies (self-goal setting, self-monitoring, and self-recording). These findings suggest that ELLs with learning difficulties need an intensive intervention beyond direct instruction alone and self-regulation is a critical strategy in formulating such an intensive intervention. / text

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Previous research into the needs of English Language Learner pupils (ELL) has predominantly focused on progress made in language acquisition and academic attainment, whereby learning and language needs were identified and managed. The current research aimed to explore the emotional needs of ELL pupils, and how they may be different to those of English speaking pupils. All data was collected from responses provided by pupils and teachers within two West Midlands based primary schools. A sequential mixed methods design was employed within a Critical Realist theoretical approach. In Phase 1 quantitative data was collected through the use of the Emotional Literacy Assessment and Intervention measure (2003) as a means of identifying emotional strengths and weaknesses. Self report checklists were completed by 106 pupils aged 9 to11, 29% of which were identified as ELL. Teacher checklists were also completed for each participant. This data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. In Phase 2 qualitative data was collected via focus groups with ELL pupils and their English speaking counterparts, and semi-structured interviews were also conducted with their class teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative findings. Quantitative analysis of the checklist data indicated ELL pupils and their teachers scored ELL pupils as having significantly lower emotional literacy skills than their English speaking counterparts, which suggests they may have greater emotional needs. From the qualitative data, ELL pupils reported experiencing greater negative emotions at the time of starting school in the UK, in comparison to English speaking pupils of the same age. English language proficiency is identified by both ELL pupils and their teachers as the factor that has the greatest impact on their emotional well being. Protective factors such as empathic peers and language partners are identified. Possible mechanisms that may lead to the observed behaviours of ELL pupils are considered within the Critical Realist philosophy. The overall findings are discussed in relation to the literature review conducted, along with a critique of the methods used. The author discusses the lack of consideration of emotional factors within the current national approach to the learning and teaching of ELL pupils. The current study suggests ELL pupils have emotional needs that are specific to their circumstances, and highlights a need to develop a national framework which is grounded in evidence. Future research and the potential role of the educational psychologist in the development of a national ELL framework are discussed.

This case study examined the principles of a professional learning community (PLC) in an elementary school setting and their impact on instructional practices and effect on the reading achievement of English Language Learner (ELL) students. The cohort of students in this study was followed from grades three through five. The data sources included a principal interview, a focus group discussion with teachers, classroom observations and the Standards of Learning reading scores for ELL students. The data from transcripts were analyzed using triangulation and coding techniques. The results of this study are a narrative description of a professional learning community used to impact instructional practices and reading achievement, the perceptions of a principal and teachers, and classroom observations. The data from interviews and the focus group suggest that teacher and principal perceptions of the professional learning community and its principles support their instructional practice. There appeared to be no consistent pattern of performance of individual scores during the study period. The PLC principles of collaboration, collective inquiry and continuous improvement were identified most often to be perceived as effective in the delivery of instruction. Staff development and providing adequate planning time for teachers are recommended as essential practices to a professional learning community. / Ph. D.

The Hispanic population is growing rapidly nationwide, and school districts across the country are faced with the challenge of guiding these learners to high levels of success. The primary focus of this dissertation addresses the implementation in the state of Georgia of the Vision Project, which is titled A Vision for Public Education, Equity and Excellence. This project is designed to build trust and support for public education across the state, to ensure meaningful engagement within communities, and to provide rewarding educational experiences for all Georgia’s students. A secondary focus for this dissertation assesses perceptions of school leadership practices in high poverty, high “English Language Learner (ELL)” school districts. The literature review includes perceived practices that have informed (a) types of leadership teams, (b) parent involvement, (c) professional development of leaders and teachers and (d) instructional practices for high ELL schools. An instrumental case study was used to examine how specific school districts are implementing the Vision Project’s recommendations to improve public education. Moreover, there is a secondary focus on leaders in high poverty, high English Language Learner schools. The emphasis is on their perceptions of practices that have informed student learning. Two “Tier 1” districts were selected by utilizing the Vision Project Executive Director as an informant with regard to which districts were implementing the project with fidelity in the 2014-15 school year. A constructivist view to general inductive approach and thematic analysis guided the process used to identify themes in this study. From the qualitative data, four themes emerged. The themes identified within the data include: (a) the ways formal leadership teams are organized (b) professional development of teachers and leaders, (c) instructional strategies utilized to teach ELL students effectively, and (d) leaders’ perception of the impact and challenge of parental involvement in high poverty schools. Additionally, connections to areas of the GA Vision Project were noted in both School District A and School District B. This study contributes to the field of education by giving educational leaders in high poverty, high ELL schools support for planning, developing, and implementing instructional vision in their workplace and communities.

Ability tests play an important role in the assessment programs of many schools. However, the inferences about ability made from such tests presume that students understand the tasks they are attempting. Task familiarity can vary by student as well as by format. By design, nonverbal reasoning tests use formats that are intended to be novel. The popularity of nonverbal reasoning tests has increased substantially in recent years because of the increasing number of English-language learner (ELL) students in many U.S. school districts. Nonverbal tests are thought to eliminate the need for language in test items and to reduce cultural content. Formats on these tests are also assumed to be equally novel for all students. However, in at least one large study, researchers found substantial differences between the average performance of ELL and non-ELL Hispanic students on three of the most widely used nonverbal tests. Although these differences might reflect real variation in cognitive development, they may also reflect differences in knowledge of test formats and the testing practices used in U.S. schools. In this study, I hypothesized that the score gaps between ELL and non-ELL students might, in part, be due to differences in test familiarity and that providing directions that include more practice and feedback might attenuate these differences. I drew from the research on universal design, dynamic assessment, and cross-cultural testing to develop three different types of directions with practice items. I then compared the effects of these three types of test directions on students completing a nonverbal figure analogies test. Figure analogies tests are generally among the best measures of reasoning abilities and are known to be quite difficult for young students. All directions were provided using video with English and Spanish audio and minor animations to concretize the instructions. The three types of directions were nonverbal-dynamic directions, verbal-dynamic directions, and a control condition that used standard test directions. The nonverbal-dynamic directions presented four practice problems that sampled the range of items on the test. Oral instructions and feedback were minimal. The verbal-dynamic directions presented the same four practice problems with more in-depth description and feedback. These directions also described useful strategies for solving items. The standard test directions presented two sample problems with minimal instruction and feedback. The sample consisted of 882 students in 40 first- and second-grade classrooms in 8 schools. A hierarchical linear model was used to control for similarity among students nested in classrooms and schools and to account for the assignment of treatment (type of directions) at the classroom level. The model included tests for main effects and interactions among treatment, ELL status, and grade. Results indicated that providing additional practice (the nonverbal-dynamic directions) led to small gains in performance, but that the more extensive set of directions (verbal-dynamic directions) were effective only for high-ability students. Contrary to the hypotheses, there was no interaction of ELL status with treatment. An unexpected finding was that use of teacher-read directions instead of video-based directions led to better performance for second-grade students. I conclude that test directions are an important means for improving test familiarity in young students, but that excessive standardization and lengthening of the directions may hinder performance. I also conclude that the choice of practice items and feedback are crucial considerations in the design of test directions.

The effects of comprehension-strategy based and decoding/fluency-based reading interventions on the reading comprehension skills of upper-elementary English language learners (ELLs) were evaluated in this review. Nine studies assessing the efficacy of ten interventions were systematically reviewed. Findings showed that comprehension strategy-based interventions were associated with positive gains in reading comprehension, while decoding and fluency-based interventions were not. Support was shown for direct instruction with guided and independent practice, large group discussions, and small-group student-led discussions. Support was also shown for the use of the following comprehension strategies: summarizing the text, identifying the main idea, making personal connections to the text, monitoring vocabulary comprehension, making predictions, asking questions, and visualizing. / text

No description available.

In this study, the researcher explored high school English language learners’ perceptions of risk factors and protective factors present in their academic and social lives. The researcher also explored how these students negotiated risk factors and used protective factors to be academically resilient. Therefore, the study was designed to examine academic resilience from the students’ perspectives, allowing them to share their story about their success in high school. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What risk factors are present in high school English language learners’ academic and social lives? and (2) Which protective factors do high school English language learners use to be academically resilient? The researcher collected and analyzed qualitative data using key characteristics of focus group analysis. Nine students voluntarily participated in three different semi-structured focus group meetings. The findings revealed that risk factors such as lack of English language ability, low expectations of teachers, inability to form new relationships, stress, and inattentiveness prevented students from being successful. In addition, the students discussed how several protective factors like learning English, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, establishing and implementing good study habits, and possessing certain inner qualities helped them be academically resilient. Two themes that emerged were students (1) choosing to be academically resilient and (2) actively seeking sources of help. Based on this study, suggestions for educators are as follows: (1) consider providing more language support for newcomers; (2) include and build upon parent-school and teacher-student relationships; (3) encourage and provide ways for students to form relationships with others through school-based programs; (4) foster and continue to support the growth of the students’ academic skills; (5) find ways for students to become more involved with community-based services and programs; and (6) stress the importance of holding all students to high standards, regardless of students’ English language proficiency levels.