This thesis project details research conducted and the method employed to create a tool for acquiring the technical vocabulary from the Utah Driver Handbook. Technical terms were compiled into a vocabulary tool for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. ESL programs within the state have noted the need for materials to help learners acquire this vocabulary. The tool will assist ESL learners preparing for the written driving exam by reinforcing the vocabulary through various iterations, including flash cards, simplified definitions, and an L1 gloss. Learners preparing for the exam will be able to study difficult vocabulary terms using the tool. The tool includes flashcards containing definitions and images, a list of terms with simplified learner definitions, and a list of terms in English with their Spanish equivalent. The tool was created with the intent of providing learners with the ability to revisit difficult terms in a number of ways (i.e. Quizlet, images, simplified definitions, and an L1 gloss). The intended outcome of this research is that the tool will be useful to ESL learners preparing for the written driving exam and be made applicable to learners in other settings.

The purpose of this study was to develop vocabulary materials to aid non-native English speakers, specifically Russian speaking test-takers, in their preparation for the mathematical sections of the General Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in terms of English mathematical vocabulary. GRE and GMAT preparation materials and practice tests published by the Educational Testing Service, Kaplan, and Barron's were analyzed with the help of computer software. This data was then used to determine which key words to include in the vocabulary tool, which is now available on Quizlet (www.quizlet.com). The developed materials were further proofread by competent mathematics and English language professionals and assessed with the help of a questionnaire administered to them. The rationale of the materials development and the procedures used for the process are described in detail in this thesis project.

Maintenance of staff training continues to be problematic at agencies that serve individuals with developmental disabilities, due to high client to staff ratios, staff turnover and lack of time and resources for training. The purpose of this study was to find a refresher method that staff could independently access that would be effective, as well as convenient and non-aversive. Seven staff participants at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities were trained on two client intervention plans using a Behavioral Skills Training (BST) method. Each group was given follow-up training: one group received a video refresher; one utilized flashcards and one served as the control group. All participants increased correct responses after BST training. While all participants also maintained a higher percentage of correct responses after maintenance training, all of the video and one of the flashcard group participants exhibited higher scores in the last few months of the study than did the control group. Participant surveys revealed that the videos were the most preferred method of maintenance training; participants thought they would be most likely to independently access videos over flashcards, if the resources were made available.

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The focus of this thesis was to develop vocabulary materials to supplement those already in use for emergent literate Burundian refugees preparing for the U.S. Citizenship Test. These learners study in conjunction with the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City, Utah, and with volunteer tutors who help them study. The flashcards and supporting activities were designed to better enable tutors to teach learners highly-dense vocabulary items, as well as to provide vocabulary scaffolding support for both learners and tutors and to increase depth of vocabulary knowledge with the target vocabulary. The U.S. Citizenship Test Vocabulary Flashcards and Vocabulary Support booklet were the products of a frequency-based vocabulary analysis to provide content-focused vocabulary instruction. This thesis details the steps and rationale of the process used to create these materials.

This report describes the development process of a fullstack application designed to help users study with integrated AI functionalities for the creation of flashcards. Users upload images containing text that are processed by third-party artificial intelligence application programming interfaces to create a data structure of questions and answers based on the text. The application is centered around flashcards but also includes features such as quizzes and the sharing of flashcard collections. To facilitate the use of the application for multiple users, a decision was made to migrate from Swift, a programming language for iOS to JavaScript. By using the React Native framework, an application for cross-platform can be created on a single code base. A scalable backend solution was also developed for the application by integration of a monolithic architecture with Microsoft's cloud service, Azure. The backend consisted of a NodeJS Express server connected to a MySQL database. The application managed to replicate the prototype despite some minor issues. The application's core requirements were successfully implemented with some additional features. / Denna rapport beskriver utvecklingsprocessen av en fullstack applikation, vars användningsområde är att hjälpa användare studera genom integration av AI funktionaliteter för skapandet av flashcards. Användare laddar upp bilder med text som sedan hanteras av en tredjeparts artificiell intelligens applikationsprogrammeringsgränssnitt för att skapa en datastruktur som innehåller frågor och svar baserade på den skannade texten. Applikationen är centrerad kring flashcards men har även funktioner som test samt delandet av flashcard samlingar. För att möjliggöra användandet av applikationen för fler användare så gjordes valet att migrera från Swift, ett programmeringsspråk skapat för iOS, till JavaScript. Genom att använda React Native ramverket, kan en applikation som stödjer flera plattformar skapa en gemensam kodbas. En skalbar backend-lösning utvecklades samtidigt för applikationen genom att integrera en monolitisk arkitektur med Microsofts molntjänst Azure. Backenden bestod av en NodeJS Express server ansluten till en MySQL databas. Applikationen lyckades replikera prototypen med några få hinder. Applikationen uppfyllde kravspecifikationen samt att huvudfunktionerna implementerades med några extra funktioner.

The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) was produced by a rationale for word inclusion improved from the methodology used to generate Coxhead's AWL (Gardner & Davies, 2014). It offers a comprehensive view of high frequency academic vocabulary that could greatly benefit ELLs if implemented into ELL curricula (Gardner & Davies, 2014). However, because of the newness of the list, there are few learning resources currently utilizing the AVL. The major objective of this thesis project was to create digital flashcards for the first 500 words of the AVL to increase the list's accessibility to ELLs and teachers worldwide. These flashcards were made available through Quizlet's online interface. This paper describes the two types of flashcards developed: AVL words paired with simplified English (learner) definitions, and AVL words paired with L1 translations into seven languages. It further describes an evaluation of these flashcards by ESOL teachers working at a U.S. intensive English program, and concludes with suggestions for the future development of AVL learning resources.

Educational research has demonstrated that there is a correlation between struggling readers and poor vocabulary knowledge skills. In this quasi-experimental study 53 fifth and sixth grade struggling reader in a low socioeconomic suburban school district were assigned to one of three treatments designed to improve their knowledge of 30 high frequency words by: 1) a word-mapping treatment in which students focused on the definition, synonyms, a sentence and drawing to illustrate the meaning of the targeted words; 2) a guided reading treatment in which students were presented with four different reading passages and asked to focus on and define the targeted words; and 3) a control treatment in which the district-wide use of flashcards drill and practice were used to learn words from the high frequency list. Students completed pre-tests and four week delayed post-tests after the treatment on each of five measures. Sentence construction was tested after the treatments were completed. Analysis of Covariance and correlated t-tests were done to investigate two questions: 1) Considering each treatment on its own, did word mapping, guided reading and flashcards treatments have a significant effect on vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, word recognition, fluency, sentence completion and sentence production; 2) Were there significant differences among the word mapping , guided reading and flashcard treatment groups? There were significant differences at the post-test among the three groups for word recognition and fluency. / CITE/Language Arts

Learning new words and acquiring vocabulary could arguably be the most important thing when learning a new language. Without words, you would not be able to express anything even if you were to have perfect grammar, since you would not have anything to fill the grammatical structures with. Therefore, in general, it is of interest to explore and investigate how learning new words could be done but as a teacher, there is specific interest as to how learning new words could be done in a classroom setting. Previous research shows that there is a need for explicit vocabulary learning where acquiring new vocabulary is treated as an explicit learning criterion in schools in Sweden. Therefore it felt like a suitable topic to delve into as a soon-to-be licensed teacher of English.  An experimental pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test-design study was run, in which a test group of English 5-students from an academic program at upper-secondary school, productively practised ten target items. The ten target items were learnt by using digital flashcards in the program Quizlet. The students had two occasions where they practised the words for ten minutes learning with a day in between. The results indicate that using digital flashcards can be an, if not effective, at least a good way of introducing and learning new words since the retention of the words two weeks after the final learning occasion, tested to be over 50% when the students were asked to translate the target items from Swedish to English.

In this study we researched varying aspects of using flashcards to increase vocabulary, these aspects include method variations, as well as variations to the flashcards themselves. Through this text it is conveyed that vocabulary is important for communication. The aim of this research is to reflect upon the various flashcards variances and understand their effects upon vocabulary teaching. To research both writers searched for relevant articles together, these articles were agreed upon together. Each researcher read and summerized half of the articles each. Afterwards, the other researcher read the same article and inspected the written summaries. The results of the various research papers generally agreed with theories of learning. Multiple different learning theories were used as basis for this research, and the findings of the research articles are overall in agreement with these theories. The different drill methods, altering the flashcards themselves and the introduction of digital flashcards were found to be in agreement with the relevant learning theories. The different flashcard alternatives were found to have positive results, however these positive results were in different aspects. Some results found the students had larger vocabulary, some other results found the students had longer retention of the vocabulary learnt, and some had increased motivation.