The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of family factors and family involvement in family literacy programs in Taiwan. The 617 participants consisted of five principals, nine schoolteachers, three local library heads, and 300 parent/grandparent and child pairs, the latter aged 3-8. Five questionnaires, 339 children's book logs, 17 interviews, and observations during 30 family visits were employed to gather data. Principal-component analysis, analysis of variance, and a grounded theory approach were utilized to analyze the information gathered, The 208 families in the 8-week home-school reading program and the 131 families in the follow-up 7-week home-library summer reading program were asked to read children's books provided by the school or borrowed from the local library, to record book logs on a daily basis, and to complete questionnaires. The participating principals, teachers, and local library heads were interviewed. Results showed that no one single factor in this study determined all of the outcomes and benefits of the family literacy programs, although several family factors (e.g., children's age, parental education, occupation, and gender) had statistically significant effects on some aspects of family involvement such as families' typical and favourite reading activities, and encouragement of children's participation in the programs. Families' commitment to reading with their children was a salient factor in involvement in the family literacy programs. The participating children read with their family members, tutors, and friends. Most of the parents reported that their children had positive attitudes toward reading after participating in the family literacy programs. Principal-component analysis revealed four factors of perceived benefits from the programs: social skill-related benefits, literacy-related benefits, action-related benefits, and cognition-related benefits. Families who had participated in a previous family literacy program reported more positively about the outcomes of the programs than other families. Choral reading was found unexpectedly in family literacy practices. The parents' active correction of their children's oral reading and their concern about their children's reading skills and comprehension abilities suggest that family involvement in the family literacy programs may be related to their high expectation of their children's academic achievement. Four types of family involvement in family literacy programs emerged and a theoretical model of family factors was proposed.

This thesis aims to investigate how the Certificate of General Education for Adults (CGEA) caters for non-language outcomes in ESL literacy classrooms. The research focuses specifically on ESL literacy learners with limited or no formal education who are characterised as having literacy needs. Non-language outcomes (NLO) such as improved self-esteem, cultural awareness and the development of learning-to-learn skills are seen by many teachers to be important gains from language and literacy courses. However, since the introduction of competency-based credentials like the CGEA, many practitioners are concerned that these do not acknowledge NLO. Using the theoretical framework of a previous study by Jackson (1994) into NLO categories, this thesis reported on the findings of a qualitative multi-case study of six teachers and their low-level ESL literacy learners. A range of data including teacher interviews, classroom observations and field notes was used to examine the informants’ conceptualisation of both ESL literacy learner characteristics and of NLO. The teachers were also asked to comment on whether NLO were documented in the CGEA. The data revealed that the informants’ characterisation of ESL literacy learners matches current definitions found in the literature. The teachers reported that these learners do make non-language gains, particularly in the affective and learning skills categories. This thesis also identified classroom metalanguage to be an additional NLO for the target learners which was not previously identified by Jackson (1994).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-190).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 240-251).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2008. / Principal faculty advisor: Robert Hampel, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1990. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-60).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-163).

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "December 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 32-35). Also available online.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 19, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-60)

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 27, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-47).