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This thesis shows one way of presenting a writing process to students in conjunction with other writing programs which are mandated to be taught by the school district.

Learning to speak a foreign language can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, involving verbal exchanges in a target language. It is a process that includes learning about, understanding, and to some extent identifying with members of another culture who speak a different language. The inclusion of collaborative activities in the language classroom provides a natural setting for conversation and increases the learners' opportunity to use the target language. When working in small groups or in pairs, students are practically forced to communicate to accomplish a learning task. Students learn together so they are subsequently able to perform better individually. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine if a collaborative assessment preparation strategy with immediate feedback used in an intensive adult English language program at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLI) had an effect on achievement, confidence and satisfaction with the learning experience. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationships among students' entry proficiency level, language anxiety, confidence, satisfaction and achievement when DLI students used the collaborative strategy. DLI provides English language training to members of foreign militaries from over 100 countries. This quasi-experimental study included 76 participants from 21 different countries, enrolled in upper-intermediate General English courses at DLI. The instructional intervention used by participants in the experimental group included individual and pair completion of practice quizzes using immediate feedback assessment technique (IF AT) answer sheets. Participants in the control condition went through the same lesson plans as their experimental group peers but without completing any of the practice quizzes. Data were collected over the course of one week using test scores, survey instruments, interviews and classroom observations. Results showed that there was no significant difference between control group and experimental group on the outcome measures. However, the relationship between confidence and achievement was significant. Analysis of learner perceptions of the instructional strategy revealed three overarching themes: (1) students valued collaborating and discussing with peers during quiz completion; (2) the feedback they received; and (3) learning from their mistakes. Students perceived making mistakes and disagreements with their partners as less enjoyable. Instructors mentioned the immediate feedback learners received, the active learner engagement, and learner confidence as the most beneficial attributes of the intervention. The overarching concern of instructors was the time it took to complete the quizzes, due to the already limited time available to cover course content. Limitations of the study include the short data collection period resulting in limited exposure to the intervention, the uniqueness of the participants, and the inclusion of only upper-intermediate level books in the experiment. Future research should include all levels of the General English curriculum, participant scores from practice quizzes, and learner perceptions by culture group. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / February 17, 2015. / Achievement, Anxiety, Assessment, Collaboration, Confidence, Practice Quiz / Includes bibliographical references. / James D. Klein, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeffrey A. Milligan, University Representative; Vanessa P. Dennen, Committee Member; Alysia Roehrig, Committee Member.

This study centers on maintaining motivation in second language learning (SLL), by exploring Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs), a recently conceptualized phenomenon theorized by Professor Dornyei and his colleagues (Dornyei, Muir, Ibrahim, 2014; Dornyei, Ibrahim, Muir, 2015). DMCs are characterized by motivational intensity, goal-directness, and self-propelled progress. They also build on an intricate structure that includes an explicitly laid-out pathway with a clear set of subgoals. These subgoals serve as progress markers and can create opportunities for regular feedback and positive emotionality, resulting from a fruitful cooperation within a supportive discussion group. As a second language learners (SLLs) accomplish their respective goals and subgoals, they solidify their long-term motivation and significantly increase their chances of reaching a high level of second language (L2) proficiency. The aim of this study is to explore the role of DMCs in developing language learning proficiency among Arab heritage learners (AHLs) and Arab ESL learners, as well as to identify the most effective components of DMCs for adult second language learners. The research sample included two groups of students enrolled in language programs at Florida State University: AHLs who were studying Arabic in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, and native Arabic speakers who were studying ESL at the university’s Center for Intensive English Studies. Each group had 3 students. Accordingly, the main queries that guided this research examine the extent to which DMCs exist for these students, how the phenomenological makeup of the DMCs differed between the two groups, and how the DMCs dynamically impacted the participants’ learning processes over the course of one academic semester. Based on a phenomenological method of data analysis exploratory research, data was gathered through in-depth interviews, reflective journals, and observations for the participants of both groups. In addition to providing an empirical validation of the DMC phenomenon, the results revealed what it was like to experience a DMC, how the participants developed DMC structures, and how they maintained individual and group motivation in an academic language learning setting. Findings suggest that developing a DMC structure immediately after a DMC starts is vital to maintaining long-term motivation, due to the effect of a behavioral routine and its role in ensuring the interactive engagement needed to achieve one’s goal. The findings also underscored the central roles of the language institution and the language teacher in altering second language learners’ behavioral routines, and how learners transition from a salient and facilitative recognizable structure to a clear perception of progress. As a result of the positive effect that the individuals received throughout the DMC experience, their efforts were appreciated and effective engagement was maintained until their goals were accomplished. However, this positive effect was not just the pleasure of activity and engagement or the feelings that were associated with simply learning a second language. Rather, it was the high energy that was received due to a sense of happiness associated with a great transformation, which developed the participants’ vision of how to reach the goal, levels of structural development and skills, and individuals’ feelings about how they were developing. The results likewise revealed that DMCs can be experienced not just by individuals but also by groups of learners, when a combined energy becomes directed toward a shared goal. Furthermore, the study shows that groups’ DMCs were based on the ultimate form of the group’s performance, in large part due to the time they invested in learning the L2, and that reaching the goal maintained motivation by letting them use their highest capacity to apply what they learned. In summary, the empirical evidence presented in this study suggests that long-term motivation in a DMC is the outcome of the ideal combination of motivational principles that enable individuals to reach their highest level and to achieve outstanding results in terms of accomplishing their goals. Throughout the DMC and due to the effect of the positive impact and structural functions, the motivational energy was renewed, allowing both long-term progress and autonomy interaction without the need for optional self-regulatory procedures. Once applied in a second language setting, DMCs deliver an exceptionally influential boost to second language learners’ performance as well as their motivation. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / July 9, 2018. / Comparative analysis, DMC, ESLs, HLLs, Motivation, SLL / Includes bibliographical references. / Phil Hiver, Professor Directing Dissertation; Valliere Richard Auzenne, University Representative; Ayesha Khurshid, Committee Member; Kelly Whalon, Committee Member.

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