The purpose of this quantitative case study was to examine the position of an instructional literacy coach as perceived by high school administrators, teachers, and coaches in one Florida school district and to determine if any perceptual variance existed among those groups. A problem existed with understanding how the instructional literacy coach position manifested in different school contexts and how that manifestation impacted workplace dynamics. Given the dynamic nature of instructional coaching, this study further explored the level of congruence or incongruence between key faculty groups in order to better understand perceptions of coaching as a professional learning tool. The population of interest consisted of faculty members (N = 108) from eight public high schools. Data from the researcher-developed survey titled Perceptions of Instructional Literacy Coaches Instrument (PILCI©) were collected and analyzed. An evaluation of the data found statistically significant differences among faculty groups with respect to high school instructional coach perceptions. Overall, a moderate level of perceptual congruence existed between faculty groups (teacher-coach and coach-administrator) who were co-located in the school district hierarchy, while the differences that existed for teachers-administrators could not be explained by their position. Secondary faculty members will be informed through these findings about the perceived expectation of the instructional coach position within a school district that has a partnership with the University of Florida Lastinger Institute, and how that may impact workplace dynamics. The results also sought to improve organizational school leadership behavior, and to understand school-faculty relationships as it related to perceived successful professional learning outcomes.

Reading is a challenging task for English as a Second Language (ESL) students (Pang, 2008; Nassaji, 2011). Instructors and researchers have explored various ways to promote ESL students' reading development. Since research on story-based pedagogy has shown benefits in the area of language development, stories can be used to promote ESL reading development. Furthermore, research on Digital Booktalk shows that when students engaged in after-reading video production activities they found a new purpose in reading (Gunter & Kenny, 2012). Additionally, digital storytelling (DST) research has revealed that DST can foster learner motivation and autonomy (Hafner & Miller, 2011; Kim, 2014). In this study, ESL instructors engaged adult ESL students in a video book trailer (VBT) production project. ESL students learned story structural elements, drafted story summaries, and used Web 2.0 tools to produce a VBT to retell the stories they read. This phenomenological study investigated ESL students' experiences in the VBT project. Data was gathered from questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and student assignments. Student interviews, classroom observations, and open-ended questions in questionnaires were coded. There were two cycles of coding where codes and pattern codes were developed. Data from questionnaires, classroom observation recordings and student assignments triangulated findings from interviews. This study revealed participants' learning benefits, challenges, and their comparisons with their earlier educational experiences. First and foremost, it is suggested that a VBT project could provide integrated and implicit English learning opportunities for reading, vocabulary, writing, pronunciation and speaking. The primary obstacles reported by participants were insufficient time and energy as well as demanding linguistic expectations. When comparing this project with their earlier learning experiences, participants identified that digital production tasks were somewhat familiar. While learning to produce their own VBTs, They developed their digital skills for English learning purposes and mastered video editing skills. Project completers reported that they were excited that they were reading for a brand-new goal and increased their self-efficacy in using English and working on academic projects. Pedagogical implications were provided for future implementation in second language classrooms.

This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of administrators, teachers, and parents from an elementary school that was in its first year of dual language transition. The majority of past studies conducted on dual language education focused on students' linguistic and academic outcomes (Lindholm-Leary, 2012). Studies investigating dual language schools' planning, policies, and classroom implementation are significantly less, and those that have, were at schools that were already functioning as dual language with the intent to examine what made the school successful (Alanis & Rodriguez, 2008; Freeman, 1996; Hunt, 2011). Through a phenomenological and case study approach, the current study examined the overall effect that transitioning from a monolingual to a dual language school had on the school culture with foci placed on the curricular and policy planning at the macro-level and its implementation at the micro-level. The study collected data from a variety of sources, including classroom observations, documents, photographs, and interviews with the school's principal, dual language teachers, and parents of the dual language program. Qualitative coding cycles concluded the following four themes, listed alphabetically: (a) classroom language use and second language differentiation, (b) dual language support, (c) language policy and curriculum development, and (d) teachers' dispositions on dual language teaching. This study highlighted the importance of inclusive leadership when planning a new dual language program. Additionally, the study shed light on the implementation process of the planned dual language program in which teachers need flexibility to adjust the language and curricular policies that were established at the macro-level.

Recent data have shown that only 34% of eighth graders and 37% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency (NAEP, 2015). A total of 21% of Hispanic eighth graders were reading at or above proficiency, and only 25% of Hispanic 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. Of African-American students, 16% of eighth graders and 17% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. In order for adolescents to become successful and productive adults, they need to acquire advanced literacy skills. Many of these demands require an education beyond high school (Rothman, 2012). Concern for English learners (EL) is even more warranted due to the fact that they represent the fastest growing school-age population in the United States and tend to exhibit lower academic achievement than their non-EL peers (Matthews & Ewen, 2006; National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition [NCELA], 2006; Padolsky, 2005; Thomas & Collier, 2001; Klingner, Artiles, & Barletta, 2006). To address this issue, the present study was conducted to examine the effects of a Vocabulary Scenario Technique English Learner Peer Protocol (VST-ELP) with ninth-grade English learners (ELs) who were struggling with literacy. The technique's purpose was to increase students' vocabulary in order to improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The study employed an experimental design, specifically a pre-test/post-test comparison group design with a total of 34 participating students and one classroom teacher. The study was conducted over four weeks with six hours of intervention. An analysis of variance revealed that there was an increase in mean scores from pre to post in the experimental group on both the synonym and sentence tests. Findings suggest that the Vocabulary Scenario Technique English Learner Peer Protocol (VST-ELP) was effective with ninth-grade EL students who were struggling with literacy. Clinical implications and future research directions were discussed.

Reading attitude plays a vital role in the academic achievement of students. This thesis reports findings from a study of how parents' reading attitudes and habits may influence their children's reading attitudes and habits. Students and parents attending a metropolitan university's Saturday Reading Camp (SRC) in the United States participated in this study. Participants completed a survey that examined participants' reading attitudes and habits. Results from this study showed minor similarities between the reading attitudes of parents and their children. However, there were more significant similarities between the reading habits of parents and their children.

The motivation to read plays a key role in any student's reading development and success. In the context of 21st century literacies and learning, students engage in reading with print and digital texts and read in traditional and multimodal settings. This situated thesis explored the topic of second grade students' motivation to read through the lens of reading performance and time spent reading and improving their reading skills using i-Ready. Fourteen second grade students in a Central Florida elementary school classroom received the Motivation to Read Profile- Revised (MRP-R) (2013), an established survey, that is designed to gauge elementary school age students' motivation to read. In addition, the researcher selected the top 25% students who showed progress in reading using i-Ready results from Diagnostic 1 and Diagnostic 2 and conducted one informal conversation interview about their motivation to read. The MRP-R (2013) data was analyzed using elementary statistics in the areas of reader self-concept and value of reading. The informal conversational interview data was analyzed in terms of themes in the area of value of reading—i.e., other sources/books students like to read, if they like to read electronic sources or print ones, and what they read when they use the Internet. In summary, this study may guide myself as a teacher, and potentially other teachers, to make connections between what students are motivated to read and selecting text(s) for them to read when on i-Ready. The ultimate value of this study lies in guiding teacher instruction and decisions to maximize student motivation to read. The results from this study showed that the group that spent the most time was more positively motivated to read than the remaining second graders. However, the group that showed the most growth was not more or less motivated to read.

In this descriptive linguistic study, the lexico-grammatical complexity of placement and exit English for Academic Purposes (EAP) student writing samples was analyzed using corpus linguistic methods to explore language development as a result of student enrollment in the EAP program. Writing samples were typed, matched, and tagged. A concordance software was used to produce lexical realizations of grammatical features. A comparison was made of normed frequency counts for nine phrasal and clausal features as well as raw frequencies for type to token ratio (TTR), average word length, and word count. In addition, the contribution of variables such as advanced grammar and writing course grades, LOEP scores, and the number of semesters in the EAP program to the English Learner's (EL) lexico-grammatical complexity found in exit essays was also examined. Twelve paired parametric and non-parametric analyses of lexico-grammatical variables were performed. Dependent t test results showed that normed frequency counts for such features as pre-modifying nouns, attributive adjectives, adverbial conjunctions, coordinating conjunctions, TTR, average word length, and word count changed significantly, and students produced more of those features in their exit writing than in their placement essay. Non-parametric Wilcoxon test indicated that such a change was also observable with noun + that clauses. The frequencies of verb + that clauses and subordinating conjunction because, though non-significant, actually decreased. A split plot ANOVA allowed to see whether a change in above mentioned statistically significant lexico-grammatical features could be attributed to grammar instruction in EAP 1560. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between those who took EAP 1560 class and those who did not on pre-modifying nouns, coordinating conjunctions, TTR, average word length, and word count. On the other hand, those students who did not take EAP 1560 class had higher counts of attributive adjectives but lower of adverbial conjunctions, both statistically significant results, than those students who took the class. Lastly, five multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to predict frequencies of exit pre-modifying nouns, attributive adjectives, noun + that clauses, adverbial conjunctions, and TTR from EAP 1560 and EAP 1640 grades, LOEP scores, and the number of semesters students spent in the EAP program at SSC. The only significant regression analysis was with TTR, and 28% of its variance could be explained by the independent variables. LOEP Language Usage score was the only significant individual contributor to the model. Even though exit adverbial conjunctions were not predictable from the chosen IVs, LOEP Sentence Meaning score proved the only significant contributor to that model. The results indicate that compressed phrasal features are indicative of higher complexity and EL proficiency, while clausal features are acquired earlier and signal elaboration, as previously described in the literature.

The current study identifies and discusses the adjustment challenges facing Arabian Gulf Students (AGSs) that may affect their English performance (EP) in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the United States. The current study uses student departure theory to lead the theoretical framework and incorporates Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and Social Integration Questionnaire (SIQ) to lead the methodology of this study. The mixed-method investigation with multi-location sampling examined 160 AGSs, enrolled full-time in different IEPs in the U.S. during the spring semester of 2019. The AGSs participants were from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. A pilot study preceded the final study to obtain AGSs' insight on the questionnaire items and time consumption. In the final study, the participating students completed a demographic information questionnaire as well as the SACQ and SIQ for the quantitative segment of this study. Face-to-face and Skype interviews followed as the qualitative segment of the proposed study. Data analyses included several methods. The questionnaire results were analyzed by inputting data into IBM Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics. The interview responses were analyzed within a phenomenological approach by finding common themes within the interview responses. The findings shed light on the needs and means of helping AGSs succeed in achieving high levels of English proficiency in IEPs in the U.S.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on teaching science as argument within a science methods course on elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') (a) understandings of the nature of science (NOS), (b) knowledge about argumentation, (c) complexity of their written explanations, and (d) ability to incorporate components of the framework for teaching science as argument to support students' literacy and science learning. This mixed-methods study utilized an embedded quasi-experimental design with a treatment (n = 20) and control group (n = 25). The treatment group instructor, who completed an eight-week professional development course, implemented the intervention protocol across a 12-week period. Throughout the intervention, emphasis was placed on three key components of teaching science as argument (i.e., argument structure, public reasoning, and the language of science). The control group instructor, who did not partake in any professional learning activities, implemented business-as-usual instruction. Results from a repeated measures MANOVA revealed that, although the intervention did not have a significant impact on PSTs' knowledge of argumentation, PSTs who received the intervention did demonstrate a significant increase in their understanding of the NOS and in the complexity of their written explanations, as compared to PSTs who did not receive the intervention. Furthermore, analysis of PSTs' written lesson plans revealed several themes (i.e., opportunities for students to collect and analyze data, use of scaffolds for helping students construct scientific explanations, emphasis on the use of text to support scientific inquiry, and attention to developing students' science vocabulary) consistent with the framework for teaching science as argument. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence illustrating the effectiveness of intentionally designed teacher preparation experiences for developing PSTs' knowledge, beliefs, and practices for supporting students' engagement in scientific explanation and argument.

The present study, a corpus-based quantitative analysis, investigated the use of passive voice in terms of percentage (percentage of total passive usage), constructions (the most commonly used passive forms), and dispersion (the verbs that tended to be associated with passive usage) in college STEM textbooks, more specifically in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The corpus consisted of twenty textbooks with over 1 million running words selected from the textbooks' chapters. By identifying the main verbs and passive verbs used in the textbooks, the percentage of passive voice usage was calculated. The statistical difference of passive constructions between disciplines was examined by conducting a MANOVA test, and an instrument, the Compleat Lexical Tutor was used to generate a word list of the most commonly-used past participles in passive voice. Results showed that the overall percentage of passive voice usage is over 30%. The MANOVA test revealed a statistically significant difference of passive voice constructions across the four disciplines, i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Implications for teaching suggest that passive voice was an important grammar feature that needs to be taught tor the English as a second/foreign language students who major in the STEM fields. Additionally, the use of passive constructions should be taught differently in reading and writing based on the needs of the four STEM disciplines, due to the significant difference of passive forms usage in these fields.