The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-regulation on the acquisition of academic vocabulary of ELLs with learning difficulties. Participants were four third-grade Spanish-speaking ELLs who performed below grade level on a vocabulary test in English and scored below 25% accuracy on a science vocabulary measure. This study employed a multiple probe design across subjects and it consisted of four phases: (a) baseline, (b) self-regulation training, (c) self-regulation, and (d) maintenance. During baseline, participants were provided direct vocabulary instruction. During training, self-regulation with prompts was added to the direct instruction and, during intervention, prompts were removed. The intervention continued until the maintenance phase. Each lesson included instruction of six target words followed by daily tests of those six words. Each session lasted 30-35 minutes, divided into 26-30 minutes for the lesson, followed by 4-5 minutes for testing. This study was conducted over 15 weeks; all lessons were implemented using a script. To document students’ progress on the acquisition of science vocabulary, two daily vocabulary tests were administered during every session. One was a receptive word-knowledge test to measure how many words students understood. The other was an expressive word-knowledge test to measure how well the students understood the words. Furthermore, student interviews were conducted after completion of the study. Results revealed that self-regulation in conjunction with direct instruction was more effective than direct instruction alone not only on receptive word knowledge, but also on expressive word knowledge. Also, students showed a long-term effect in the acquisition of the both types word knowledge. Students had a positive perception of self-regulation, although they preferred different sub-strategies (self-goal setting, self-monitoring, and self-recording). These findings suggest that ELLs with learning difficulties need an intensive intervention beyond direct instruction alone and self-regulation is a critical strategy in formulating such an intensive intervention. / text

Second language acquisition has seen a shift toward sociocultural approaches over the past fifteen years (Block, 2007). Sociocultural theory (Offord, 2005), language socialization (Schieffelin and Ochs, 1986), and “communities of practice” (Lave and Wenger, 1991) highlight how language learner identity, like language itself, is both socially and individually constructed. As learners acquire a foreign language, they also gain a new awareness of who and how they are—they develop a second language (L2) self (Granger, 2004). How language learners identify themselves depends on contextual factors (Norton, 1995). This report focuses on how language learner social identity is negotiated in three contexts: the foreign language classroom, the study abroad setting, and in face-to-face interactions. / text

This qualitative case study was conducted to learn about the experiences of one language-minority student learning French in a core French class in Eastern Ontario. In-class observations and interviews with the language-minority learner (LML), his guardian, his teachers and principal were conducted over a six-week period. The data collected helped to create a thick description of the LML’s experiences. The results of the study show that the institution, family and friends all play a role in the LML’s experiences in learning French. It was found that the use and availability of resources, possible curriculum modifications, and effective teaching and learning strategies for language-minority students are important factors affecting the experiences of the LML. This study shows that peers have a strong influence on the experiences of the LML in learning French in the core French context. Finally, the Canadian School Stay program came under scrutiny and information was gleaned from the regional coordinator. Suggestions are made for improved content delivery and further research. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-24 13:27:50.613

<p>The aim of this study was to determine the types of sport that are available for the learner with a physical disability in ordinary schools in the Western Cape and what prevents and facilitates participation in sport.</p>

Using learner centered instruction (LCI), a group of beef farmers were guided to design a farm in a layout that would most effectively offer continual learning opportunities for the beef practitioners themselves. Learner centered instruction was used as the primary teaching method for the project's completion. When using LCI, coupled with the correct facilitation of programs, student empowerment, and subject interest, positive experiences are more likely to result.

A literature and an empirical study disclosed that parental involvement in school activities has too little impact in education at different schools in the Dl 1 area. The literature study revealed that neither arguments for, nor arguments against parental involvement in school activities should be overemphasized at the expense of the principals and SGB's. The educators are taking no initiative to improve or build up home-school relationships with parents or with the community. For better results there should be: educator-parent involvement, which is essential in promoting and supporting school performance, teaching and learning, and in the general well-being of the citizens of the future; and a parental involvement, which can make a valuable contribution to the educational process through commitment to and knowledge of their children. The empirical method, using questionnaires, was successful in obtaining information about parental involvement in school activities. It also established how co-ordination can be successful at school between the principals, SGB's, educators, parents and learners in the promotion of effective education implementation. The study established that, if practical partnerships succeed, benefits will be reaped from increased parental involvement, in that there could be: an improvement of learners' academic achievement, attitudes and inspiration; an increased motivation to attend school; an involvement by the community in the structures of the school; parental assistance in the management of a school within the School Management Team and the School Governing Body; an improvement of home-school communication; an improvement at schools in all respects; and the end-product will not only be the creation of an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning, but proper, practical partnerships will be established in the educational system in these areas. A number of recommendations were made with regard to the research findings for the Johannesburg South Mega District (Dl1). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

A literature and an empirical study disclosed that parental involvement in school activities has too little impact in education at different schools in the Dl 1 area. The literature study revealed that neither arguments for, nor arguments against parental involvement in school activities should be overemphasized at the expense of the principals and SGB's. The educators are taking no initiative to improve or build up home-school relationships with parents or with the community. For better results there should be: educator-parent involvement, which is essential in promoting and supporting school performance, teaching and learning, and in the general well-being of the citizens of the future; and a parental involvement, which can make a valuable contribution to the educational process through commitment to and knowledge of their children. The empirical method, using questionnaires, was successful in obtaining information about parental involvement in school activities. It also established how co-ordination can be successful at school between the principals, SGB's, educators, parents and learners in the promotion of effective education implementation. The study established that, if practical partnerships succeed, benefits will be reaped from increased parental involvement, in that there could be: an improvement of learners' academic achievement, attitudes and inspiration; an increased motivation to attend school; an involvement by the community in the structures of the school; parental assistance in the management of a school within the School Management Team and the School Governing Body; an improvement of home-school communication; an improvement at schools in all respects; and the end-product will not only be the creation of an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning, but proper, practical partnerships will be established in the educational system in these areas. A number of recommendations were made with regard to the research findings for the Johannesburg South Mega District (Dl1). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

The goal of this study is to examine teacher feedback, learner uptake, and feedback perceptions in an adult Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) context. A 200-level Chinese reading course was observed for data collection. Participants included 13 students and one teacher. Thirteen class sessions (10 hours) were video-taped. A short survey, given at the end of each of the last six class sessions, was designed to elicit the teacher’s and the students’ perceptions of feedback frequency. The participants were not informed of the focus of this research at the beginning of data collection. Video-recorded data was fully transcribed and coded using Panova and Lyster’s (2002) feedback categorization. The teacher’s response to the survey was compared to that of the students’ regarding perceptions of feedback frequency. The results showed that the teacher provided feedback to 68.1% of all students’ errors. On average there was one feedback move every 2.4 minutes. All feedback types in Panova and Lyster’s model were present, and there were a few new moves, namely “asking a direct question,” “directing question to other students,” and “using L1-English.” A total of 245 teacher feedback moves occurred during the observation. Recasts accounted for 56.7% of all feedback moves, followed by metalinguistic feedback which accounted for 10.6%. Elicitation moves achieved the highest uptake rate (94.1%). Next, explicit correction and metalinguistic feedback had 88.9% and 53.8% uptake rate respectively. Concerning perceptions of feedback, the teacher was more accurate in perceiving four types of feedback while the students were accurate about three. It was concluded that recast was the predominant type of feedback in this study. Other explicit types of feedback were more successful in leading to learner uptake. The teacher and the students were generally not accurate in perceiving the frequency of each feedback type, due to the challenge of remembering the feedback move after the lesson had finished. The pedagogical implication is that teachers should consider a wide range of feedback techniques, especially more explicit types, to better engage students in a reading class. / Graduate

Recently, task-based research motivated by a Vygotskian theoretical perspective has led to studies that demonstrate how the task-as-workplan is interpreted and reshaped by learners in actual performance (Coughlan and Duff, 1994). The ability of learners to set their own ‘tasks’ suggests that researchers need to investigate how individual students react to the tasks they have been asked to perform (Ellis, 2003). To date, there have been very few systematic studies on learner and teacher perceptions in this particular field. Four studies conducted by Kumaravadivelu (1989, 1991), Slimani (1989, 1992), Block (1994, 1996), and Barkhuizhen (1998) have shed light on the learner and teacher perception of classroom events. This study has continued the investigation into how individual students react to the tasks they have been asked to perform. In particular, it has focussed on four potential mismatches between teacher intention and learners’ interpretation of task, previously identified in a study by Kumaravadivelu (2003): instructional, pedagogic, procedural and strategic. The study aimed to look at teacher and learners’ perceptions and therefore a qualitative approach was used to gather information. The study was triangulated on two levels, using a variety of data (data triangulation) and different methods (questionnaires and interviews) to collect the data (methodological triangulation). Sixteen students studying for a Certificate in English at the School of Languages and Social Sciences at Auckland University of Technology were asked to perform a task and then complete a questionnaire which was designed to elicit information regarding the four potential mismatches, between teacher intention and learner interpretation, referred to above. Four pairs of students participated in each of the two tasks. Four students, one from each pair was then interviewed in order to elicit more in-depth information regarding the four mismatches referred to above. The teacher was also interviewed after the task had been completed. The student answers from the questionnaires were compared with the data gathered from the student and teacher interviews. The findings seem to show that two mismatches between teacher intention and learners’ interpretation were evident, namely instructional and pedagogic. There was no clear evidence of a strategic or procedural mismatch. Despite the small sample size, the study seems to show that mismatches are identifiable. Given the importance of perceptual mismatches and the fact that they are part of the practice of everyday teaching, it is important that we try to identify as many mismatches as possible in future research. It is reasonable to assume that the narrower the gap between teacher intention and learner interpretation, the greater the chances of achieving learning and teaching objectives (Kumaravadivelu, 2003).

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.