This report discusses the current climate within mainstream content–area classrooms for English language learners (ELLs), and how academic and linguistic supports can improve the success of ELLs in school endeavors. The first section of this paper highlights these four aspects of instruction: comprehensible instruction, academic rigor, culturally relevant pedagogy, and teacher/student relationships, in order to create an academically and linguistically supportive classroom. The second section translates research and theory into practice, providing activities that promote both academic and linguistic development for all students by involving listening, reading, writing and speaking instruction. / Foreign Language Education / text

This study aims to find research relating to the use of children’s literature to promote vocabulary development in young children, particularly English language learners in Sweden. The main questions address how (methods) children’s literature can be used and why (reasons) children’s literature is often recommended for the teaching of vocabulary to young learners. The study also aims to explore reasons against the use of children’s literature in vocabulary teaching found in previous research. A systematic literature review was carried out, including results from five empirical studies. The studies involved native speakers, second language learners and foreign language learners from various backgrounds. The results suggest that while research has shown children’s literature to be a good tool to use with young learners, careful lesson planning needs to be carried out. Direct instruction and scaffolding using pictures, technology and gestures is recommended. Hence, the teacher plays an important part for the vocabulary development using children’s literature in the classroom.

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs has been a problem for over forty years. Factors contributing to minority overrepresentation include the lack of primary prevention, inappropriate language and educational assessment, over-referral of minority students for suspected learning difficulties, duration of enrollment in language support services [i.e. English as a Second Language instruction (ESL)], and lack of cultural and linguistic knowledge by K-12 teachers, specialists, and administrators. The goal of the investigator was to determine pertinent placement factors used by Multidisciplinary Educational Team (MET) members when deciding whether or not to place Latino English Language Learner (ELL) students in special education for a suspected specific learning disability (SLD). Identification of such factors may elucidate why some ELL students are inappropriately placed in special education for a SLD while others who need services are not. The investigator also willdetermine the extent special education eligibility determination was based on standardized achievement test scores, Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test scores, IQ-achievement discrepancy criteria, and qualitative data such as MET report data.

This dissertation examines the effects of semantic and phonetic radicals on Chinese character decoding by high-intermediate level Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) learners. The results of the main study (discussed in Chapter #5) suggest that the CFL learners tested have a well-developed semantic pathway to recognition; however, their phonological pathway is not yet a reliable means of character identification. Semantic radicals that correctly pertain to character meaning facilitated reaction time in semantic categorization tasks (Experiment #1), while radicals that had no immediately interpretable relation to character meaning had a strong inhibitory effect. The relativeaccuracy of phonetic radicals (for predicting the whole-character's pronunciation) did not measurably improve homonym recognition (Experiment #2). Subjects were then tested to determine their default processing modes in Chinese character reading. In a lexical decision task (Experiment #3) wherein semantic radicals or phonological components were blurred to delay recognition, surprisingly, the subjects were significantly slower in identifying pseudo-characters when the phonological component was blurred, indicating that, despite having unreliable phonological pathways to character recognition, the subjects were still utilizing that strategy first. These results were mirrored in a sentence reading task (Experiment #4) wherein a single character had either a blurred semantic radical or phonological component. This tendency to use the less developed pathway is explained as a default means of attempting character recognition as a result of subjects gleaning orthographic information from the densely packed phonological component and as a result of L1 (English) interference predisposing subjects to phonological decoding strategies.Such a study on CFL learner reading processes is an important step towards ameliorating CFL teaching methodologies. For this reason, the author contrasts the data on CFL learners with data taken from similar experiments with native Chinese speakers (in Chapter #6) in order to demonstrate concrete differences in character reading processes which should affect teaching practices between the two groups. The authorconcludes the dissertation by making targeted recommendations for CFL pedagogical practices based upon the results of the study on the effect of character-internal features on reading patterns by non-native readers of Chinese (Chapter #8).

The public education system in Ontario, like many other education systems worldwide, is currently undergoing drastic changes effected by globalization. The globalization of education, which can be understood as “the worldwide discussions, processes, and institutions affecting local education practices and policies” (Spring, 2009, p. 1), has led to Ontario’s curriculum being used in over 20 schools located outside the province (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2011). Because these schools grant the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), students must satisfy the same graduation requirements as those students who attend secondary school located in Ontario. A requirement for graduation includes the successful completion of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), a large-scale assessment intended to measure literacy. English Language Learners (ELLs) have more difficulty passing the OSSLT than their peers who speak English as their first language (Doe, Cheng, Klinger, & Zheng, 2011; Fox & Cheng, 2007). This issue is of particular concern to educators and students at these schools. Because the majority of these schools are located in China, my study focuses on ELLs in one school in China which uses the Ontario curriculum. The purpose of my study is twofold: 1) to understand how Chinese English Language Learners perceive the news report on the OSSLT, and 2) to understand how issues of culturally embedded knowledge affect their ability to take the test (the OSSLT) successfully. I selected a qualitative research approach because the intent of this study was to understand the perspectives of Chinese ELLs. I conducted three focus groups with one class of ELLS in one secondary school in China. I also used observations and analysis of written artifacts to triangulate the collected data. The findings of this study revealed some challenges and perspectives on the OSSLT specific to Chinese ELLs. I conclude that the issue of cultural literacy is a key factor preventing Chinese ELLs from demonstrating their true level of literacy on the OSSLT. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-30 17:42:05.977

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parent or caregiver shared-reading interventions on Hispanic prekindergarten students’ language and literacy scores. In addition, this study investigated the effects of shared reading interventions on Spanish-speaking parents’ home literacy behaviors with their children. Teacher perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the intervention were also examined. The present mixed-methods study was similar to research conducted by Jiménez, Fillipini, & Gerber (2006) and Whitehurst, Falco, Lonigan, Fischel, DeBaryshe, Valdez- Manchaca, & Caulfield (1988) in that shared reading strategies were conducted with parents or caregivers and their children. Differing from previous research, the current study utilized an experimental pretest-posttest control group design, sessions were conducted over a 20-week period, students’ language and literacy scores were examined in both English and Spanish, and Hispanic preschool children and their parents or caregivers served as participants. Statistically significant results were found in students’ oral language scores in English and Spanish. The treatment group scored higher in both languages. Statistically significant results were also found in several aspects of parent or caregiver home literacy behaviors. Parents or caregivers in the treatment group reported reading more to their children in both English and Spanish. The treatment group also reported reading with greater frequency and for greater periods of time with their children. Additionally, children in the treatment group asked to be read to more often and possessed a greater enjoyment for being read to during sessions. Finally, parents or caregivers in the treatment group indicated that they held a greater enjoyment for reading, at the end of the intervention. Teachers in the study perceived the program to be a success and attributed positive changes within the parents or caregivers and children to the intervention.

This thesis examined what means a group of elementary school principals in multicultural communities used to support and imporve the language learning of English Language Learning (ELL)students. In this thesis, multicultural communities are defined as urban schools which have a majority of students whose mother tongue is not English. Although they are challenged to value and honour the diversity of their school communities, these principals must also ensure that their teachers meet the mandated rigors of the Ontario curriculum, and that the students attain desired levels of achievement as defined by the Ontario Ministry of Education. In an increasing number of schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) ELL students form a majority of the student population; yet this reality is barely acknowledged in provincial educational policy or in the professional education of Ontario's school principals. Nor has the educational research adequately addressed the challenges of educating ELL students over the past thirty-five years. The research literature on the characteristics, activities, and behaviour of effective school principals rarely mention their knowledge of other cultures and languages or their expertise related to ethnic and racial diversity. Semi-structured interviews were used to capture the responses of ten elementary school principals of multicultural school communities. The findings indicate that principals who were successful in leading multicultural school communities and improving the literacy achievement of ELL students had a deep understanding of literacy development; cultural needs of the community; and ESL issues. Although much of the leadership framework is similar to principalship in non-multicultural school communities, principals identified a number of leadership competencies that are particular to a diverse community. The findings have implications for the courses which prepare principals for these schools; the professional development of senior administrators; and the choice of personnel suitable for leadership roles in multicultural communities.

There is evidence that ineffective classroom instruction, particularly in the early primary grades, is a major contributor to the high incidence of reading problems in the United States. Researchers attribute poor classroom instruction to a lack of teachers’ basic understanding of the concepts related to the English language that are necessary to teach literacy. Is there a similar contributing factor related to the low literacy levels of young English language learners (ELLs) who are approaching a new language at the same time they are learning to read? The purpose of this study is to determine what elementary school teachers of ELLs perceive and know about evidence-based literacy instructional practices and their perceived ability to teach ELLs using the literacy constructs and skills necessary for reading. To measure elementary school teachers’ knowledge and perception of their own abilities, a survey was developed with 76 items refined from multiples resources. These resources were selected due to the reliability of the items and their target investigations of studying perceptions and knowledge of basic literacy constructs. Reliability for the scores on the survey was high at 0.982. Descriptive statistics provided insight into the average and variance in performance on each item of the survey, as well as groups of items on the survey. The results show that teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge of specific literacy constructs did not correlate positively with their performance on the items related to the knowledge of specific literacy construct areas nor with the number of years of teaching experience. This dissertation discusses survey and performance results, along with implications for improved teacher preparation.

HOW SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS SUPPORT READING AND INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS by Melinda Morin This study explored the school library media programs in four schools. The percentage of English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in each of these schools was among the highest on their respective levels in their school districts. Moreover, the percentage of ELLs in these schools who met and exceeded the standard for reading and English/language arts on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) in the spring of 2010 was more than the Annual Measureable Objective (AMO) of 73.3% or slightly less. The participants were the school library media specialists who administered the school library media programs in these schools. This was a qualitative study. During an inductive thematic analysis, the data coalesced into four themes that corresponded with the research questions: instruction, collaboration, media/technology, and interpersonal communication. These findings were derived from the data. 1. The participants used both conventional and technology-based instructional strategies to support reading and information literacy skills instruction for all of their students, including the ELLs. 2. The school library media collections included first language, bilingual, and multicultural literatures, picture books, nonfiction books written on a lower reading level, graphic materials, Hi-Lo reading materials and other digital resources; however, the materials varied in age, suitability, and condition. 3. The school library media specialists collaborated informally with the other members of the instructional team. 4. The school library media specialists undertook other practices that support reading and information literacy skills instruction for ELLs on a discretionary basis.

Given the projected increase of Hispanic Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), researchers have begun examining issues related to their high levels of school dropout, largely stemming from academic underachievement. The focus of this study is to examine the impact of teacher expectations, parent expectations, and academic self-efficacy on the achievement of Hispanic Spanish-speaking ELLs. Participants in this study were from a medium-size school district in southwest Texas and included 99 2nd, 5th, and 8th grade students identified as limited English proficient, their parent, and their teacher. Norm-referenced achievement measures and researcher developed measures were utilized in this study. Findings from this study indicate that teacher expectations was a significant predictor of all measures of achievement, while parent expectations was a significant predictor of English reading and students? academic self-efficacy was a significant predictor of Spanish reading. Second, this study determined the best predictor for reading and math achievement was teacher expectations in 2nd grade, but there were no significant predictors in 5th and 8th grade. Third, this study addressed the possibility of academic self-efficacy functioning as a mediator, but the analysis was not conducted because academic self-efficacy did not serve as a significant predictor of all measures of achievement. Findings from additional analyses indicate that students' English language proficiency was determined to be a significant predictor of English reading achievement and parent expectations. Furthermore, students' Spanish proficiency was positively associated with their grade levels, and Spanish proficiency was negatively related to English proficiency. Academic self-efficacy was separated by domains (i.e., math self-efficacy and reading self-efficacy). In the overall sample math self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of math achievement. Math self-efficacy served as a significant predictor for 5th and 8th grade math achievement. In the overall sample, reading self-efficacy did not significantly predict English or Spanish reading. Reading self-efficacy served as a significant predictor in 8th grade English reading. Parents' employment desires for their children demonstrated a mismatch with parents' desire for their child's highest level of education. Teachers believed that family concerns were the greatest obstacle participants faced and many did not desire to speculate about students? future employment.