The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of participation in Read 180, a teacher-mediated, computer-mediated reading instruction program, on the reading proficiency of 4th and 5th grade English Language Learners. The students who participated in the Read 180 program scored below the 25th percentile on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Cultural-historical activity theory guided the research. Research questions for the study were answered with quantitative and qualitative methods. The questions asked were: 1. What are the effects of participation in Read 180, a teacher-mediated computer-mediated-integrated learning system that provides reading instruction, on the growth in reading proficiency of a group of participating English Language Learners? 2. What are the effects of participation in Read 180, a teacher-mediated computer-mediated integrated learning system that provides reading instruction, on the reading achievement of a group of participating English Language Learners when compared with the reading achievement of a group of English Language Learners with similar characteristics receiving reading instruction supported by a reading basal program? 3. How does the mediated structure of Read 180, a teacher-mediated, computer-mediated integrated learning activity system that provides reading instruction and surrounding activity systems interact to affect learning? Data analysis revealed that the fourth and fifth grade experimental group significantly improved their proficiency on the Scholastic Reading Inventory. Analysis of pre- and post-test scores obtained with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment (FCAT) of fourth and fifth grade experimental and control groups were not statistically significant. Qualitative findings indicated that the organization of classroom instruction had a significant impact on the quality of instruction. A discussion of the findings presents several implications and recommendations for future research on teacher-mediated, computer-mediated reading instruction.

This study investigated, through survey methodology, the instructional practices of teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities in Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD). These practices were compared to best-practice recommendations made by a group of evaluators in the field of bilingual special education. Results indicated that teacher practices differed considerably from recommendations made by expert evaluators in the field. Specifically, teachers preferred English as the exclusive language of instruction while expert evaluators strongly recommended bilingual instruction. Also, teachers reported strong administrator support while expert evaluators did not. Furthermore, most teachers reported satisfaction with the instruction of ELLs in their schools while most expert evaluators reported dissatisfaction. Results also showed that when administrators at Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings encouraged discussion about language of instruction, the likelihood of parent participation in these discussions increased. Language dominance and language proficiency testing of preschool aged ELLs, and representation of LPAC members at IEP meetings were major predictors of whether or not these children would receive referral to the bilingual or ESL programs in the future. Most of the results found in this study supported results found by Mueller, Singer, and Carranza in 2006. This study highlights research favoring the development of the primary language of ELLs in PPCD and Pre-K settings while underscoring the disconnect among teachers' beliefs, training, and instructional practices.

This study examined the representational patterns of English language learners receiving special education services in school districts in South Texas. Additionally, this study identified school district characteristics that were related to the probability that an English language learner might be placed in special education programs. Data were collected from the Texas Education Agency'€™s Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System 2004-2005 and Academic Excellence Indicator System for the 2003-2004 school year. Composition indices, risk indices, and relative risk ratios were calculated and reported for each of the school districts in Education Service Centers I (Edinburg), II (Corpus Christi), and XX (San Antonio) in the State of Texas (N=110). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the direction and strength of the relationship among odds ratios and school district characteristics. These characteristics included total student enrollment, percentage of poor/underserved students, percentage of Latino students, percentage of English language learners, percentage of Latino teachers, and percentage of students in bilingual/English as a second language programs. Results indicated that English language learners in school districts in South Texas were more than twice as likely as their non-English language learner counterparts to receive special education services. Additionally, inverse relationships were documented for odds ratios equal to or greater than 2.00 and the school district characteristics of percentage of poor/underserved students, percentage of Latino students, percentage of English language learners, percentage of Latino teachers, and percentage of students in bilingual/English as a second language programs. It was concluded that there was an overrepresentation of English language learners receiving special education services in 77% (N=85) of the school districts in South Texas.

This study described how three English language learners from Korean cultural backgrounds in first grade (7 years old) learned and interacted by applying Collaborative Strategic Reading to their reading comprehension instruction. This article also reported the perceptions of three Korean English language learners in cultural aspects of group work. The theoretical framework of Collaborative Strategic Reading relied on reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning. As an instrumental intervention and strategy, this method has been formed to help English language learners and students with reading disabilities improve their ability to comprehend texts. Before examining the impact of Collaborative Strategic Reading, this research focused on the nature of collaborative importance in multicultural consideration by providing students with opportunities to develop more collaborative abilities. / text

This study looks at two methods of identification for a specific learning disability in reading – Response to Intervention and Discrepancy Testing – and examines their efficacy with English Language Learners (ELL). A McNemar chi square analysis will be used to compare the outcomes of the two methods. Additionally, a multiway contingency table will be constructed and the association between English as a First Language (EFL)students and ELL students will be determined by using a conditional odds ratio. It is expected that both methods of learning disability testing will have difficulty distinguishing between a learning disability in reading and a language acquisition problem. The results will help prevent the misplacement of ELLs into Special Education. / text

Federal mandates require that all students participate in large-scale assessments. A population of students with learning disabilities and who are second language learners are emerging within the schools. The purpose of this descriptive study was to gain additional knowledge about accommodation use by determining what accommodations were provided and whether the accommodations used were related to student achievement. Information was collected on accommodation use by 6th and 7th grade students who participated in a large-scale assessment. A post hoc data analysis was conducted to investigate accommodation use during the AIMS-DPA reading assessment. The collected data indicated a high percentage of accommodations were provided to English language learners, who have learning disabilities in 6th grade than 7th grade. A higher number of non-linguistic accommodations were provided than language-related accommodations. Language-related accommodations were provided more frequently to 6th grade students. Analyses indicated that reading performance and accommodations were not significantly related.

The purpose of this study was to describe the ways in which one elementary teacher included English language learners (ELLs) in her mainstream classroom. A case study design was chosen to obtain an in-depth understanding of this teacher’s beliefs and practices about ELLs and their inclusion. Descriptive data were collected from teacher interviews, classroom observations, and various artefacts. Data from these three sources were found to be highly consistent, indicating a close relationship between the teacher’s beliefs and practices. Two main themes emerged relating to the teacher’s ways of supporting and including young ELLs. The first theme was concerned with the teacher’s beliefs in and employment of broad-based instructional strategies such as differentiating instruction and assessment; emphasizing engagement through the use of a variety of meaningful activities and materials; focusing on oral language; stressing problem solving and cooperative learning; and encouraging students to take the lead. While the literature endorsed these general practices, it also stressed the need for teachers to address ELLs’ distinct language and cultural needs. Appreciating and incorporating diversity to facilitate ELLs’ inclusion was the second theme. Here, the data primarily came from interviews with the teacher who reported the value of exposing children to diversity and examining one’s and others’ biases, as well as utilizing practices that integrate the cultural knowledge of various groups and involve parents of diverse linguistic/cultural backgrounds. An analysis of these data found that many of the teacher’s approaches to incorporating diversity were integral to her program and addressed diversity from a critical standpoint. It was in this way that the findings connected to Dei et al.’s (2000) work–a key component of the study’s theoretical framework. Upon examining the data through the lenses of various theoretical constructs, one main concern regarding this teacher’s views and practices was raised throughout. Although the teacher appeared to recognize the value of students maintaining their home languages, there was little evidence of her promoting first language usage in the classroom. Ramifications of this omission were discussed, pointing to the need for further research to uncover some of the concerns educators may have about supporting ELLs’ first languages in the classroom. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-12-16 12:45:04.765

Research on English Language Learners’ (ELL) test performance in relation to their language use at home and attitudes towards mathematics have rarely been investigated. This study examines the effects of different test formats and constructs, learner characteristics, and attitudes towards mathematics on ELLs’ performance in the Education Quality Accountability Office (EQAO) Grade 9 mathematics test. The participants include a total of 2867 ELLs in Grade 9 who participated in the EQAO Grade 9 mathematics test (1887 from the academic course and 980 from the applied course). The overall results of the study supported the following conclusions. First, ELLs tend to score better in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) over Open Response Questions (ORQ), and language use at home has interaction effects on their performances on various test formats and constructs. Secondly, significant interactions occurred between language use at home and ELLs’ performance of test formats and constructs. In addition, ELLs who speak another language (only another language) scored higher in performance in both test formats and constructs than ELLs who spoke only English at home. From the ELLs’ questionnaire responses at both the academic and applied levels, two learner characteristics were derived from the section of the questionnaire measuring attitudes towards mathematics: perceived mathematics competency and mathematics interest. The questionnaire also revealed that ELLs in the academic level viewed mathematics in separate constructs (i.e., numerical and spatial mathematics), whereas ELLs in the applied level viewed mathematics as a whole. By extracting from learner characteristics, perceived mathematics competency was found to be the significant predictor for mathematics test performance of ELLs in the academic and applied levels. Moreover, perceived numerical and spatial mathematics ease are significant predictors for mathematics test performance in the academic level. On the other hand, perceived mathematics ease was found to be a significant predictor for the applied level. Results are discussed in relation to second language development, mathematics teaching and learning, and cultural differences. Limitations of the present study were presented where implications for research, test development, and practice are suggested for future research. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-29 23:49:17.068

This phenomenological study explores the beliefs and practices of New Zealand early childhood teachers in supporting English acquisition for Asian immigrant English language learners (ELLs). The focus of the study is on the analysis of early childhood teachers’ beliefs about how they can support English acquisition among Asian immigrant ELLs and how these beliefs influence the teachers’ practices in early childhood education (ECE) settings. The theoretical framework of this research draws on a range of sociocultural perspectives, including (i) the sociocultural positions initially defined by Lev Vygostky (1978), (ii) the notion of guided participation articulated by Barbara Rogoff (2003), (iii) theories of second language acquisition discussed by Lantolf and Thorne (2000), and by Krashen (1982, 1985), and (iv) acculturation as addressed by Berry (2001). The main participants of this study were seven early childhood teachers and six Asian immigrant ELLs from two ECE centres. Four Asian parents participated in interviews to ascertain the parents’ perspectives about their children’s learning of English and their maintenance of home language. Research methods for the teachers included observations and semi-structured pre- and post-observation interviews. For each centre, observations were carried out over a six week period which enabled a series of snapshots of how the teachers supported the ELLs as they acquired English. The findings were analysed using thematic analysis, and presented three themes: English dominance, social cultural adaptation, and guided participation. These themes impacted the learning experiences of the Asian immigrant ELLs and other children attending the ECE as well as the teaching approaches of the early childhood teachers. The findings revealed that there were dissonances between the teachers’ beliefs and their practices, as well as variation between individual teachers’ beliefs and practices. Because of a significant increase in the number of ELLs in New Zealand ECE centres, it is important for early childhood teachers to understand the emphasis upon sociocultural theories in the ECE curriculum, so that they can effectively apply these theories to their practices. This study will provide a basis from which to consider how early childhood teachers in New Zealand can draw upon sociocultural perspectives to better support ELLs as they acquire English, while valuing and supporting their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Although studies have addressed high school English language arts (ELA) instruction, little is known about the decision-making process of ELA teachers. How do teachers decide between the resources and instructional strategies at their disposal? This study focused on two monolingual teachers who were in different schools and grades. They were teaching mainstream students or English Language Learners. Both employed an approach to writing instruction that emphasized cultural mediation. Two questions guided this study: How does the enactment of culturally mediated writing instruction (CMWI) in a mainstream classroom compare to the enactment in an ESL classroom? What is the nature of teacher decision-making in these high school classrooms during English language arts instruction? Data were collected and analyzed using qualitative methodologies. The findings suggest that one teacher, who was familiar with CMWI’s principles and practices and saw students as partners, focused her decisions on engagement and participation. The other teacher deliberately embedded CMWI as an instructional stance. Her decisions focused on empathy, caring and meaningful connections. These teachers enacted CMWI in different ways to meet their students’ needs. They embraced the students’ cultural resources, used and built on their linguistic knowledge, expanded thinking strategies to make difficult information comprehensible, provided authentic learning opportunities, used formative assessments as instructional guides, and delivered just-in-time academic and non-academic support.