Language learning strategies have become an important element of second language acquisition research over the course of the last few decades. Much research on these strategies has been dedicated to speaking, reading, and other language skill sets. However, one essential skill needed for communication is pronunciation. No matter how proficient other areas of linguistic ability may be, it can be difficult to interact effectively with native speakers if one's pronunciation is poor. Yet research dedicated to pronunciation and language learning strategies is in surprisingly short supply. Of those studies that have researched pronunciation strategies, some have been dedicated to discovering new pronunciation strategies (Derwing & Rossiter, 2002; Osburne, 2003; and Vitanova & Miller, 2002), while others (Peterson, 2000) categorized pronunciation strategies using a well known strategy inventory. However, there is one study that has gone in a different direction concerning pronunciation strategies. Rather than categorize pronunciation strategies using a strategy taxonomy like Oxford (1990), Eckstein (2007) categorized pronunciation strategies using Kolb's (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle model and found significant effects between pronunciation accuracy and use of pronunciation strategies mapped using Eckstein's (2007) Pronunciation Acquisition Construct (PAC).The present study tested the PAC by teaching pronunciation strategies to L2 Japanese learners. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of pronunciation strategy usage categorized using the PAC upon pronunciation gains and to examine learner differences based upon pronunciation gains and strategy usage. In doing so, significant gains were found in contextualized pronunciation. Additionally, subjects who more frequently used the strategy "think of benefits to be gained by improving pronunciation", a motivation strategy, were found to show higher levels of pronunciation gain in a non-contextualized pronunciation environment.

本論文旨在探討閱讀檔案評量結合閱讀策略教學對於中台灣低成就國中生的影響。本研究對象為兩名八年級國中生，在七年級時因段考成績被學校歸為低成就組。這兩名學生上學期的英語成績平均相近，上課參與度高，作業確實繳交。 本研究採用Li (2008)與Yang (2007)針對國中基本學力測驗英語閱讀測驗題型提出之六大分類：確認文章主旨、引導正確結論、導出暗示推論、猜測字詞意義、尋找細部資訊、找出字詞指涉，並將此分類納為閱讀策略教學之目標。學生必須遵照閱讀檔案評量進度表，在接受閱讀策略教學同時，透過讀書心得練習策略，並透過閱讀檔案進行自評。研究為期十七週，每週一節課。為求完整了解學生閱讀與學習行為改變，並探究閱讀檔案評量結合閱讀策略教學之成效，本研究除蒐集學生閱讀檔案，亦施行仿全民英檢閱讀測驗，發放問卷，和學生進行面談，並觀察學生學習狀況。 本研究發現閱讀檔案評量結合閱讀策略教學能夠幫助低成就國中生精熟閱讀策略及提高閱讀成效。即使學生在進行檔案評量前後，對自己使用閱讀策略的認知和實際進行檔案評量的表現有所出入，學生於閱讀時進行選擇、反省、分享之情形仍較進行檔案評量前增加，充分體現檔案評量的精神。而學生閱讀行為之改變均符合Benson (2003)所談之促進學習自主原則。一旦學生學習自主性增加，學習動機隨之提高，學習反應良好，也同時負起學習責任(Cameron, 2007; Chen, 2004; Sarwar, 2002; ÜSTÜNLÜOGLU, 2009)。 本研究因此建議教育部基測委員會不應該僅以單選題型式來測驗學生閱讀能力，而應該嘗試其他題型。此外，本研究也建議英語教師設計適合學生的閱讀教材，或訂出學生閱讀分級讀本的規則，並建議編者把閱讀檔案評量與閱讀策略教學融入課本中。而按學生個別差異進行適性及彈性的調整仍有其必要性，以期發揮檔案評量結合策略教學對於學生閱讀表現之最大成效。 / The present study aims to investigate the effects of reading portfolio assessment (RPA) and reading strategy instruction on the junior high low achievers in central Taiwan. Participants in the present study were two eighth graders who were identified as low achievers according to their performance in monthly exams when in the seventh grade. They had something in common: having similar English average scores last semester, taking active participation in class, and finishing assignments by due dates. According to Li’s (2008) and Yang’s (2007) categorization of reading strategies, the Basic Competence Test (BCT) English reading comprehension tests are designed based on the following six reading strategies— identifying the main idea, drawing correct conclusions, drawing implications and inferences, determining the meaning out of the context, finding the detailed information, and finding the targets of the references. Following the RPA syllabus, the participants received reading strategy instruction, practiced the strategies through journals, and assessed themselves through reading portfolios. The observation took one class period every week for 17 weeks. With the help of simulated General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) reading comprehension tests, questionnaires, reading portfolios, conferences, and observations, the findings of the present study showed the participants’ change in reading/learning behaviors and the effectiveness of RPA/reading strategy instruction. The results indicated that RPA and reading strategy instruction may make the junior high low achievers master reading strategies and perform well in reading. Even though there is inconsistence between their understanding of their strategy use before RPA and their actual performance during RPA, they thoroughly show Katz and Johnson-Kuby’s (1996) three elements of portfolio assessment with increase in selection, reflection, and sharing when reading. The changed reading behaviors correspond to Benson’s (2003) principles for fostering learner autonomy; because of increased learner autonomy, they raise their learning motivation, have positive learning response, and take responsibility for their learning (Cameron, 2007; Chen, 2004; Sarwar, 2002; ÜSTÜNLÜOGLU, 2009). At last, the present study suggested that the BCT committee consider trying more diverse ways to test reading ability, rather than focusing only on single choice questions. Furthermore, this study suggested that English teachers design reading materials suitable for students or set up a system to get students to read higher level books, and that textbook editors include RPA and reading strategy instruction. Meanwhile, editors and teachers have to keep in mind that personal and diverse adjustments are permitted in order to have the best effectiveness on students’ learning of reading, as long as the adjustments follow guidelines for RPA.

本研究旨在探討後設認知教學策略對高中生英文作文的學習成效。研究者以桃園縣立永豐高中五年某班中的四十二位學生為對象，進行為時一學期共十五週，每週兩節課的實驗。教學實驗進行之前，全體學生接受研究者改編自Schraw and Dennison (1993)，O’ Neil and Abedi (1996)，Wey(1998) 所編製的後設認知量表，實施後設認知量表前測，並接受作文的前測。研究者根據作文前測的成績區分出能力高、中、低三組於教學實驗結束之後施以訪談。全體學生並於教學實驗結束之後，再度接受後設認知量表與作文的後測。以觀察其在策略教學後英文寫作表現與後設認知行為的差異情形。 本研究主要的發現下： 1.後設認知策略教學的確能夠有效提升高中生的英文寫作能力。 2.後設認知策略教學的確能夠有效增加高中生在英文寫作中的後設認知 程度。 3.高中生英文寫作表現的確與後設認知的成長有正相關。 4.學生對於後設認知策略教學均抱持正面的態度。 有鑑於此，本研究建議高中英文教師應用後設認知教學策略於高中英文作文教學中。 / This researcher explored the effectiveness of the metacognitive strategy instruction in senior high school writers’ performance, based on the theories of metacognitive strategies. Forty-two high school students in Yung-feng were selected to be subjects. Adapted from Schraw and Dennison’s Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (1993), O’ Neil and Abedi’s State Metacognitive Inventory (1996) and Wey’s Writing Self-Assessment Questionnaire (1998), Mtacognitive Awareness Questionnaires before and after Instruction, were used to measure students’ metacognitive awareness. To assess the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on writing performance, forty-two pieces of writing were assigned in class and then scored based on criteria by the CRESST writing score guide: overall impression, quality and scope of content, organization and presentation of content, and mechanics. The Pair-Sample T test was performed to test the hypotheses in this study. The findings can be summarized as follows: (1) Metacognitive strategy instruction has positive effects on the students’ writing performance. (2) Metacognitive strategy instruction has positive effects on students’ metacognitive awareness. (3) Students’ writing performance proved correlated to their metacognitive awareness. (4) Students’ attitudes towards the metacognitive strategy instructions were generally positive. Thus, we recommend that metacognitive strategy instruction be used in English writing in senior high school.

abstract: The federal No Child Left Behind Act has set the goal that all students in every state shall be proficient in reading by 2014. Arizona teachers face the challenge of having 100 percent of their students meeting or exceeding grade level reading standards assessed by Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). One of my goals as a reading teacher is to widen the range of options my students will have. My goal every year is to have my students read at or above grade level. I also am committed to inspiring students to become motivated to love literacy because voluntary lifelong reading is important in peoples' lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate conducting brief, interactive, weekly reading conferences during daily Scaffolded Self-Selected Reading (ScS-SR) sessions while incorporating Transactional Strategy Instruction with a pair-share with a partner, and to see if it would improve my students' reading motivation and comprehension. Data were collected via the Motivation to Read Profile Survey and Interview, informal observations, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency Test (DIBELS: ORF), and Oral Reading Records used by my school district. Findings concluded that students tended to become more willing readers, with several of them explicitly attributing their newfound willingness to read to my efforts. Most students became somewhat more aware of their reading experiences, explaining how different types of books in ScS-SR affected them. All students' reading comprehension performance improved, with measureable increases in students' instructional reading levels, retellings, and meaningful miscues that students attributed to leveled books, strategy instruction, and retellings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Leadership and Innovation 2011

Over the last decade, the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWD) in the general education classroom has increased. Currently, 60% of SWD spend 80% or more of their school day in the general education classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). This includes students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a developmental disability characterized by impairments in behavior, language, and social skills (American Psychological Association, 2013). Many of these SWD struggle with mathematics in the elementary grades; fewer than 20% of SWD are proficient in mathematics when they begin middle school, compared to 45% of their peers without disabilities. Furthermore, 83% of SWD are performing at the basic or below basic level in mathematics in the fourth grade (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). As the rate of ASD continues to increase (Centers for Disease Control, 2013), the number of students with this disability who are included in the general education classroom also continues to rise. These SWD and students with ASD are expected to meet the same rigorous mathematics standards as their peers without disabilities. This study was an attempt to address the unique needs of SWD and students with ASD by combining practices rooted in the literature, strategy instruction and video modeling. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an intervention on the ability of students with and without disabilities in inclusive fourth and fifth grade classrooms to solve word problems in mathematics. The intervention package was comprised of a graphic organizer, the K-N-W-S, video models of the researcher teaching the strategy to a student avatar from a virtual simulated classroom, TeachLivE, and daily word problems for students to practice the strategy. The researcher used a quasi-experimental group design with a treatment and a control group to determine the impact of the intervention. Students were assessed on their performance via a pretest and posttest. Analyses of data were conducted on individual test items to assess patterns in performance by mathematical word problem type. The effects of the intervention on SWD, students with ASD, and students without disabilities varied widely between groups as well as amongst individual students, indicating a need for further studies on the effects of mathematics strategy instruction on students with varying needs and abilities.

This study investigates the effects of self-regulated strategy development (Harris, Graham, & Mason, 2009) for cognitive strategy instruction in persuasive writing (POW+TREE) using a synchronous online learning environment for special education students. Participants are four adolescent students with learning disabilities (LD) with low achievement in writing. One undergraduate research assistant delivered instruction using a synchronous online platform (e.g., Adobe Connect) in conjunction with collaborative writing software (e.g., Google Docs word processing). A multiple probe across participants design was used to demonstrate a functional relationship between instruction and number of essay elements (EE). Number of correct minus incorrect word sequences (CIWS) was used as a secondary dependent measure. A nonexperimental pre-post design was used to compare the mean performance of holistic writing quality scores and standard scores from the TOWL-3. All four participants gained EE and CIWS from baseline to treatment and demonstrated standard score changes from pre to post-test on the TOWL-3. Implications for writing instruction for students with LD using online learning environments are discussed.

The enrolment of international students at Canadian institutions of higher learning has tripled to 318,153 in 2018/2019 from 101,304 in 2008/2009 (Statistics Canada, 2020). Similarly, the number of international students in B.C.’s post-secondary institutions has significantly risen (BC Council on Admissions & Transfer, 2019). A significant proportion of these international students for whom English is an additional language first encounter Canadian higher education through their enrolment in English-for-academic-purposes (EAP) programs, which prepare students for English-language coursework and offer a path for enrolment at Canadian institutions without an institution’s required documentation of English language proficiency. For international English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) students who initially enrol in EAP programs in order to later pursue higher studies in Canada, reading a variety of academic texts can be challenging, since reading comprehension “involves the ability to integrate various sources of information in order to construct” meaning (Li & D’Angelo, 2016, p. 159). To facilitate reading comprehension, second language (L2) researchers have identified a variety of reading strategies, and extensive research has been conducted to examine the efficacy of reading strategy instruction. However, the research on the effect of reading strategy instruction remains inconclusive due to the interplay of various contextual and individual variables (e.g., Cohen, 2011; Plonsky, 2011). This study reports a mixed methods-action research project involving 52 intermediate-level EAP students conducted to investigate the efficacy of L2 reading strategy instruction at a post-secondary institution in Canada. Implemented through five phases: diagnosing, reconnoitering, planning, acting, and evaluation (Ivankova, 2015), the study used Mokhtari and Sheorey’s (2002) Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) to capture the participants’ reading strategy use and a standardized reading comprehension test to measure the participants’ reading comprehension abilities. Further, participants’ weekly post-task verbal reflections and post-intervention interviews provided qualitative data about learners’ use of reading strategies over time. Through both qualitative (i.e., content analysis) and quantitative data analyses (i.e., descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-test, Pearson’s correlation, and MANOVA tests), the results showed higher awareness and use of reading strategies and reading performance among the participants after the intervention. In strategy use and reading comprehension, the experimental groups that received reading strategy instruction outperformed the comparison group that simply received regular instruction on reading with no instruction on strategy use. Statistically significant correlations were found between participants’ overall strategy use and reading performance. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed that the participants used a wide variety of global, problem-solving, and support reading strategies depending on reading academic texts in English. / Graduate

Learning disabilities are a life-long problem for many individuals. Besides the adjustments all adolescents experience in life, learning disabled adolescents must contend with academic problems at school which have a drastic effect on their selfesteem. This becomes particularly evident when these pupils face the demands of the secondary school syllabus where they have to be able to concentrate, read for information, memorise facts, answer questions and solve problems, and write assignments. By the time learning disabled adolescents reach secondary school they have already experienced so much failure that they become passive towards their studies. Teaching these pupils metacognitive learning strategies covering these skills helps them to become more independent learners. Through executive training procedures they are assisted to become more involved in their studies, the promotion of better self-regulation and self-monitoring is fostered, and as their scores improve, so does their motivation and selfconcept / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

本個案研究旨在探討實施聽力策略教學對四位台灣國中生的影響與衝擊。 不同於以往傳統認知取向的策略教學，本文採用維高斯基（Vygotsky）社會文化取向理論來分析學生的學習；相信策略教學與學習應該考量到學生與外界環境及人際間的互動，而非只探討教學本身的成效。因此本研究在個案對策略學習及自主學習的觀感和態度上多所著墨。文獻回顧內容則涵蓋聽力策略的理論及聽力策略教學實施情形及成效的研究。 　　本研究對象針對37位八年級的學生實施為期18週的聽力教學。但重心放在四位個案身上。研究方法採用質化的學生訪談及學生學習日記的分析輔以量化的聽力策略問卷。實施的步驟分為準備期、診斷期、教學期、練習期、及評估期。在教學開始前，學生們先通過全民英檢初級的聽力測試以評估其聽力能力並篩選個案。然後，實施聽力策略問卷調查以觀察學生平時使用的策略。之後，學生們接受六項聽力策略的教導，包含：猜測、分類、類推、記筆記、選擇性專注、及詢問。在教學實施期間，個案被要求寫學習日記，記錄對所學策略的感想及使用情形。學習日記及訪談是分析個案學習情形的主要資料。 第四章則著重於探討四位個案的家庭背景，學校表現，及對自主學習的態度和想法。目的是希望完整呈現四位個案不同的人格及學習特質，及之所以他們會如此學習的原因。第五章記錄了研究的兩樣重大發現： 1. 聽力能力較高的同學顯然比聽力較弱的學生更能夠有效率的交互使用「由上而下」 及「由下而上」的聽力策略。而聽力較弱的同學則傾向於過度依靠直接翻譯」策略。 2. 原本一向被傳統認知學習策略所忽略的情意方面的因素，反而似乎是影響學生策略學習的主因。這些情意方面的因素包括了：學生如何控制自己的脾氣，學習態度，及情緒。更重要的是，學生似乎都傾向於需要找到生命中的重要他人，並依靠這些較有能力的大人來提供他們踏出學習第一步時必要的安全感，知識，能力，方法及學習的動力。 因此，本研究的發現，回應了維高斯基的社會文化取向理論。唯有先透過人際間的互動與學習，才有可能回歸自我，反求諸己，達到內省與自發的境界。本研究希望能藉由教育現場的真實互動情形，喚醒策略學習及教學研究者對社會文化取向的學習理論，以及學生情意態度影響學習成效的重視。 / The purpose of this case study was to investigate four Taiwanese junior high school learners’ listening strategy use when receiving listening strategy instruction. Different from conventional quantitative SLA strategy studies, this present qualitative case study, adopting sociocultural perspectives, grounded on the conception that the issues of strategy learning should not be understood only in terms of direct instruction and its effectiveness. Instead, exploring the learning processes in which learners and the external environment are necessary. Therefore, this case study focused on the discussion of four learners’ attitude toward learning and their perspectives toward listening strategy instruction. The participants of this study were 37 students in a Taiwanese junior high school in the Taipei city. Yet, the focus was on four cases, Natalie, Tom, Jasmine and Jin Pin. Three major data collection instruments were adopted including the quantitative questionnaire, qualitative interviews and learning journals kept by the four cases. The instructional procedure was divided into five stages-- preparation, diagnosis, instruction, practice, and evaluation. A sample GEPT listening comprehension test was given to the students to pretest their proficiency in the diagnosis stage. Then the instruction on six listening strategies--guessing, grouping, inferencing, note-taking, selective attention, and asking for clarification was provided for 18 weeks. The Listening Comprehension Strategy Questionnaire based on Wang (2000) was conducted to identify the learners’ listening strategy use. Their learning journals were evaluated to explore their ongoing problems and perceptions toward learning the strategies. In Chapter Four, the profiles of the four cases were illustrated including their family background, school performance, and attitude toward learning autonomously to give a full picture of their learning habits. In Chapter Five, major findings are summarized. First, the case study echoed the previous finding that more skillful listeners seem to use both the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ strategies more effectively while less skillful listeners rely too much on direct translation. Second, some salient issues previously not emphasized were found including learners’ affective concerns and their ability to control emotions, turned out to powerfully influence the learners’ learning. The learners needed to be assisted first by some adult surrogates and their significant others and to gain enough guidance, assurance, sense of security and control over the emotions before they can move on to self-regulated learning. If not, their learning tends to be subject to their own emotions, which are mostly controlled by the interaction between the learners and the external environment or the others. This finding consisted with the sociocultural perspective in that learning is a collaborative process between the learners and their social contexts. Only through interaction with others can learners achieve a new level of autonomy. To foster learner autonomy, strategy training needs to account for a more interactive view of learning. It also suggests that more efforts should be paid to explore the impact of learners’ affective and social concerns on their language learning toward autonomy.

A major thrust in assessment reform is the instructional use of assessment (Ministry, 2010). Assessment for learning (AFL) has, however, proven challenging for teachers to implement (Brookhart, 2004; Swaffield, 2011; Tierney, 2006). Researchers have called for studies of classrooms that show how AFL works in practice (Bennett, 2011; Shepard, 2000). This study gathers images of practice from classrooms where teachers have been implementing a structure-based approach called Question Structure. Although a key premise of AFL is that assessment can be used instructionally to support learning, Question Structure’s constructivist-information-processing approach is rooted in educational measurement traditions usually juxtaposed to AFL theory and practice (Broadfoot & Black, 2004). Images of practice were drawn from classroom observation, teaching artifacts, and interviews from teachers who had been implementing the system for three to six years in three Ontario school boards. Data were analyzed through sub-questions emerging from the literature and through grounded theory. The study found that Question Structure supported AFL principles and practices. It also supported a Tylerian, backwards-design approach to program design, but not to excess. Technical revisions tended to evolve into significant change in practice, including program reconceptualization and increased focus on students’ learning. The structure-based approach functioned in a variety of ways, for example to support task clarification, (re)reading and comprehension of text, writing process, open-ended collaborative work, and student-generated questions. Teachers were able to clarify the meaning of ‘structure,’ to distinguish structures from instructional and cognitive strategies, and to use universal structures and strategies as subject-specific pedagogy in Language Arts/English. The role of the technical interest and implications for professional learning are also discussed.