<p> With this qualitative self-study, I investigated my practice as a general music teacher with my Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. The purpose of this study was to investigate my teaching practice and develop creative strategies to foster the engagement and motivation among the students in my sixth grade bilingual classroom. The framework of this study was modeled from the five foci of self-study research (Samaras, 2011). The main research question was: &ldquo;What creative strategies could help me engage my sixth grade bilingual students?&rdquo; Specifically, this study addressed how strategies related to language, lesson planning, and technology impacted the engagement of the students. The investigation included four teaching/observing sessions and the interviews of two administrators within the school district. Data revealed that my creative strategies engaged the students, as the content became accessible to them. The data also revealed that the linguistic misunderstandings throughout the sessions resulted in frustration between the students and myself.</p>

<p> This dissertation reports on a study of two widely used eleventh grade ELA textbooks for the opportunities they provide students to construct knowledge through writing. Data included every writing task in both textbooks (158 tasks) as well as the corresponding texts. Data analysis focused on (a) how cognitive demand, textual grist, and elaborated communication contribute to the rigor of a writing task, (b) how authentic the tasks are to the discipline of ELA, and (c) how writing tasks position students as intellectual authorities. This study contributes a new approach to determine the quality of ELA writing tasks and a detailed assessment of the writing tasks in the most widely used ELA textbooks. The findings from this study showed differences in the quality of ELA writing tasks types (text-based, non text-based, and creative writing), with text-based tasks ranking the highest quality for cognitively demanding work. Findings also showed that textual grist and opportunities for elaboration in addition to cognitive demand are essential factors when determining the overall rigor of text-based writing tasks (i.e., analyzing text-based ELA writing tasks for cognitive demand alone may inflate the rigor of the task). Further findings on writing task quality describe the level of disciplinary authenticity and intellectual authority contained in ELA textbook writing tasks and why these features are important in determining the quality of ELA writing tasks. The findings from this study suggest the importance of using a disciplinary-specific theory of task quality, including a three-part model of rigor, disciplinary authenticity, and intellectual authority, to assess the quality of ELA writing tasks. Additionally, this study provides suggestions for practitioners including how teachers might revise and supplement ELA textbook writing tasks in order to support student writing.</p>

No description available.

<p> This study investigated whether learners with a phonemic vowel quantity distinction (VQD) in their L1 have an advantage when acquiring allophonic vowel length in L2. Many languages contain a phonological rule to devoice final consonants. While English maintains a phonemic contrast between voiced and voiceless syllable codas ("bat" vs. "bad," e.g.), it accompanies an allophonic contrast in the duration of the preceding vowel, resulting in longer vowels before voiced codas than before voiceless ones. German-L1 English learners (group 1), whose L1 has devoiced codas and VQD, and Russian-L1 English learners (group 2), whose L1 also devoices codas but has no VQD, performed a vowel production and XAB vowel perception task, designed to determine whether group 1 perceived and produced longer vowels before English voiced stop codas, compared to group 2. Both perceived but did not produce vowel lengthening before English voiced codas, which was significantly different from native English speakers. </p>

<p>This inquiry analyzed the relationships between individual differences and gains made in oral proficiency of adult, second language learners of Spanish during one semester studying abroad. Oral proficiency was measured using a pre/post-SA Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI, CAL, 2009). Gain scores were correlated with two cognitive aptitude measures: 1) the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT); 2) a phonological working memory test (WM); and 3) a series of motivational and affective aptitude measures including Willingness-to-communicate (WTC, McIntyre, 1992), motivation and other affective variables (Gardner, 1985; Yashima, T., Zenuk-Nishide, L., &amp; Shimizu, K., 2004). </p><p> The researcher concludes that the students made significant gains in oral proficiency during the experience abroad, both in terms of COPI scores and fluency (words/minute). Using the Language Contact Profile (LCP, Collentine &amp; Freed, 2004) students reported speaking, listening and reading significantly more in Spanish than in English during the study abroad; however, they reported writing almost as much in English as in Spanish. There was a significant negative correlation between the MLAT and COPI gains; indicating that students who had higher language learning aptitude made fewer gains in oral proficiency while abroad. WM, WTC and other affective aptitudes were not correlated with COPI gains in this study; WM and L2 anxiety were significantly correlated with the pre-SA COPI. Finally, WM and the MLAT were significantly correlated, but no other aptitude measures collected were found to correlate. </p><p> In the discussion the researcher reviews the inverse pyramid schema of the ACTFL guidelines (1999) and demonstrates the impact of the imprecise delineation between the levels. The contraction of the scale at the upper reaches leads to a ceiling effect for second language learners and does not allow an accurate depiction of growth in language skill and development. As the ACTFL scale is the standard in oral proficiency measurement in the United States, data collection instruments based on this scale do not meet the needs of researchers in SLA or educational settings that wish to investigate achievement in oral proficiency in varying context of language leaning. </p>

<p> Adult second language (L2) learners often experience difficulty producing and perceiving non-native phonological contrasts. Even highly proficient bilinguals, who have been exposed to an L2 for long periods of time, struggle with difficult contrasts, such as /r/-/l/ for Japanese learners of English. To account for the relative ease or difficulty with which L2 learners perceive and acquire non-native contrasts, theories of (L2) speech perception often appeal to notions of similarity. But how is similarity best determined?</p><p> In this dissertation I explored the predictions of two theoretical approaches to similarity comparison in the second language, and asked: [1] How should L2 sound similarity be measured? [2] What is the nature of the representations that guide sound similarity? [3] To what extent can the influence of the native language be overcome?</p><p> In Chapter 2, I tested a `legos' (featural) approach to sound similarity. Given a distinctive feature analysis of Spanish and English vowels, I investigated the hypothesis that feature availability in the L1 grammar constrains which target language segments will be accurately perceived and acquired by L2 learners (Brown [1998], Brown [2000]). Our results suggest that second language acquisition of phonology is not limited by the phonological features used by the native language grammar, nor is the presence/use of a particular phonological feature in the native language grammar sufficient to trigger redeployment. I take these findings to imply that feature availability is neither a necessary, nor a sufficient condition to predict learning outcomes.</p><p> In Chapter 3, I extended a computational model proposed by Feldman et al. [2009] to nonnative speech perception, in order to investigate whether a sophisticated `rulers' (spatial) approach to sound similarity can better explain existing interlingual identification and discrimination data from Spanish monolinguals and advanced L1 Spanish late-learners of English, respectively. The model assumes that acoustic distributions of sounds control listeners' ability to discriminate a given contrast. I found that, while the model succeeded in emulating certain aspects of human behavior, the model at present is incomplete and would have to be extended in various ways to capture several aspects of nonnative and L2 speech perception.</p><p> In Chapter 4 I explored whether the phonological relatedness among sounds in the listeners native language impacts the perceived similarity of those sounds in the target language. Listeners were expected to be more sensitive to the contrast between sound pairs which are allophones of different phonemes than to sound pairs which are allophones of the same phoneme in their native language. Moreover, I hypothesized that L2 learners would experience difficulty perceiving and acquiring target language contrasts between sound pairs which are allophones of the same phoneme in their native language. Our results suggest that phonological relatedness may influence perceived similarity on some tasks, but does not seem to cause long-lasting perceptual difficulty in advanced L2 learners.</p><p> On the basis of those findings, I argue that existing models have not been adequately explicit about the nature of the representations and processes involved in similarity-based comparisons of L1 and L2 sounds. More generally, I describe what I see as a desirable target for an explanatorily adequate theory of cross-language influence in L2 phonology.</p>

The release of the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in July 1997 marked a fundamental and almost radical break from the state-driven language policy of the apartheid government, to one that recognizes cultural diversity as a national asset, the development and promotion of eleven official languages and gave individuals the right to choose the language of learning and teaching (DoE, 1997: 2-3). The LiEP aimed at providing a framework to enable schools to formulate appropriate school language policies that align with the intentions of the new policy, namely, to maintain home language(s) while providing access to the effective acquisition of additional language(s) and to promote multilingualism. This research explores language use and implementation of the LiEP in a rural commercial farm community. The study is guided by three research questions, namely: 1. What is the language use and preference of a selected rural commercial farm community? 2. How do teachers on rural commercial farm schools respond to the LiEP and its implementation? 3. What are the implications of the language preference and use of a selected rural commercial farm community and teachers’ responses to the LiEP and its implementation for language practice at rural commercial farm schools? After reviewing literature on rurality and language policy implementation in South Africa, the study articulated a broader contextual framework which is titled Rurality as a sense of place. This perspective captures the uniqueness of the context and facilitates a deep understanding of how rurality as a sense of place influences language preference and use. A further theoretical framework, namely the combined models of Stern (1983) and Sookrajh (1999), facilitate an understanding of rural community language preference and the implications for practice in the school environment. xiv To achieve the aims of the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data. A language preference and use survey questionnaire was conducted with respondents comprising parents, teachers and learners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected teachers and principals and school governing body chairpersons. The findings were inter-related at the policy, community and school levels. The study identified patterns and problems of language use at different levels. At a community level, it focused on language profiles of parents teachers and learners; language use in private and public situations; attitudes towards public language policy and language choices in the language of teaching and learning as well as the use of mother-tongue and additional languages as subjects. At the school level, it focused on teacher and principals’ beliefs and understandings of the LiEP and implementation challenges being faced. The study found that while most respondents come from multilingual backgrounds, the use of African languages is confined to “home and hearth.” English and to a diminished extent, Afrikaans is still widely used in public interactions. At school level, there has been no significant change to school language policy developments. The subtractive model of language teaching where mother-tongue is used in the early grades and an abrupt transfer to English as the language of learning and teaching from grade four onwards continues to exist in three of the four schools. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that English is not widely used in the rural community and learners have no exposure to quality English language interactions. This study recommends a market-oriented approach to promoting African languages which effectively involves all stakeholders participating in concert to implement the multilingual policy. Since English remains the dominant language in South Africa and is viewed as the language of opportunity, the language of international communication, the language of economic power, and the language of science and technology, schools should promote education that uses learners’ home languages for learning, while at the same time providing access to quality English language teaching and learning. / http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1062 / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The present research examines the linguistic situation in the Lower South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal where isiZulu is used as the means of instruction and of administration, but IsiCele is used as home language by the Cele clan. The research was carried out in the areas of Ezingolweni, Emawuleni, Emfakuceba and KwaShonkweni, all being the Cele clans. Places known for use of Tekela and Lala dialects (Nhlangwini, Bhaca, IsiZansi, etc) have been investigated by other researchers. The research data was collected by asking questions to school leaving learners. The researcher also contacted educators, community leaders to examine the phenomenon such as language contact, language variations and language usage in the situation under investigation. He was also able to compile a sizeable list of lexical and further identified phonological and morphological variation from the standard language. The picture that emerges from the research is that the people under investigation (amaCele) speak a language with clear connection with their original language, which is isiThonga. The lexicon utilized for the expression of the material culture is however influenced by neighboring Xhosa an element that can be explained by the fact that for several decades the educators for the areas were drawn from the Cape. The material was then tested in taped conversations with elderly oral persons in rural areas. In the multicultural and the multilingual situation in South Africa, each wide spread cultural manifestation has a role to play and must be preserved as a treasure. The researcher suggests that ways should be found to encourage speakers of IsiCele to use with pride their language as an important tile in the cultural mosaic that is South Africa. It would be unwise and short-sighted to pursue a policy of blindly imposing Standard Zulu to obliterate the cultural heritage contained and manifested in IsiCele. / Thesis (Ph.D) - University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, 2006.

A quantitative study on the merits of using the learner's mother-tongue (instead of English) as a medium of instruction. This investigation attempts to find out how many schools and parents in KwaMakhutha implement (or know about) the Language in Education Policy in 1997 (LiEP). / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

<p> The current study examined the role of music in Mandarin vocabulary learning in a Mandarin immersion preschool setting. The goal was to find out how children learn Mandarin with and without music. Using a pre-test/post-test design, I first identified 5 Mandarin words that most children did not know, and then divided children into two groups: the experimental group were taught the 5 words using pictures and song, and the control group learned the same words by pictures and the same song with the melody removed. In the post-test, I asked children of each group "Which one is the XX" in Mandarin and each child pointed to the picture of what they thought was XX. My results show that both groups learned new words; however, children in the non-music group learned more words than children in the music group. These results demonstrate learning from a short-term intervention, but also raise questions about the role of the language's tonality in the effectiveness of using music for word learning.</p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> immersion school, music, vocabulary learning, Mandarin</p>