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Computers in the Grade 9 FSL classroom : how do they influence students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance?Hagerman, Michelle Schira 05 1900 (has links)
This study compared the attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance of two Grade 9 Core French
(FSL) classes in Ontario. One class of 16 students used computer mediated communication (CMC) for
approximately 1.5 hours per week. The other class of 24 students did not use computers. Analysis of
covariance showed no statistically significant differences on any quantitative measures of attitude,
motivation, self-concept or performance. The analysis of student interview responses and teacher
observations revealed no significant between-group differences on these four variables either. The
results suggest that computers are not better than traditional communicative methods of second language
teaching in developing Grade 9 FSL students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance. Since
the teacher was the variable common to both classes, however, her influence may explain the
undifferentiated between-group results. Regardless of the methods used to teach students, the teacher
may always be the most influential variable in determining students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept
and performance.
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Chinese parents and ESL teachers : understanding and negotiating their differencesGuo, Yan 05 1900 (has links)
Research indicates that the limited communication between English as a Second
Language (ESL) teachers and parents is a serious problem confronting educators.
However, no serious study has been done to date on ESL parent-teacher communication
that adequately recognizes the problematic nature of such communication and that
approaches the discourse data from a functional linguistic perspective.
This study investigates the communication processes between ESL teachers and
Chinese immigrant parents (chiefly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China)
through a focal communication event, ESL Parents' Night, when they discuss their views
of an ESL program in particular and the education of immigrant adolescent students in
general. The study falls within the theoretical perspectives of learning organization,
negotiation of intercultural conflict in a multilingual situation, language socialization, and
sociocultural views of activity. Data were collected by multiple methods: 1) observations
of twelve ESL department planning meetings and three annual Parents' Nights, 2)
individual interviews of teachers and bilingual assistants who acted as intermediaries
between teachers and parents, and 3) a focus group discussion. Specifically, the
methodology combines qualitative research approaches and discourse analysis.
Results indicate that teachers viewed the ESL program positively whereas many
parents perceived it negatively. Teachers and parents were deeply divided both by what
and how they were discussing at Parents' Night. This 'double difference' creates a major
difficulty for intercultural negotiation of conflict, and preconditions aiding dialogue and
negotiation become vitally important. Noting variation in interaction in different parts of
Parents' Night, the study discusses various conditions that may have promoted or
hindered the intercultural negotiation of these conflicts. The researcher's analysis of the
difficulties of communication between Chinese parents and Canadian teachers at Parents'
Night demonstrates less a solution to intercultural conflict than a need for continuous
negotiation between the two cultural groups.
Implications of this research include the need to expand the boundaries of language
socialization theory to give a greater role to reflective processes, and learning organization
theory to include multilingual and multicultural issues. It also provides practical
suggestions for improving intercultural communication between parents and teachers in
the interest of adolescent ESL learners frequently caught between conflicting sets of
attitudes and expectations.
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ESL students learning biology : the role of language and social interactionsJaipal, Kamini 05 1900 (has links)
This study explored three aspects related to ESL students in a mainstream grade 11
biology classroom: 1) the nature of students' participation in classroom activities, 2) the
factors that enhanced or constrained ESL students' engagement in social interactions, and 3)
the role of language in the learning of science. Ten ESL students were observed over an
eight-month period in this biology classroom. Data were collected using qualitative
research methods such as participant observation, audio-recordings of lessons, field notes,
semi-structured interviews, short lesson recall interviews and students' written work. The
study was framed within sociocultural perspectives, particularly the social constructivist
perspectives of Vygotsky (1962,1978) and Wertsch (1991).
Data were analysed with respect to the three research aspects. Firstly, the findings
showed that ESL students' preferred and exhibited a variety of participation practices that
ranged from personal-individual to socio-interactive in nature. Both personal-individual and
socio-interactive practices appeared to support science and language learning.
Secondly, the findings indicated that ESL students' engagement in classroom social
interactions was most likely influenced by the complex interactions between a number of
competing factors at the individual, interpersonal and community/cultural levels (Rogoff,
Radziszewska, & Masiello, 1995). In this study, six factors that appeared to enhance or
constrain ESL students' engagement in classroom social interactions were identified. These
factors were socio-cultural factors, prior classroom practice, teaching practices, affective
factors, English language proficiency, and participation in the research project.
Thirdly, the findings indicated that language played a significant
mediational role in ESL students' learning of science. The data revealed that the learning of
science terms and concepts can be explained by a functional model of language that
includes: 1) the use of discourse to construct meanings, 2) multiple semiotic representations
of the thing/process, and 3) constructing taxonomies and ways of reasoning. Other
important findings were: talking about language is integral to biology teaching and learning,
ESL students' prior knowledge of everyday words does not necessarily help them interpret
written questions on worksheets, and ESL students' prior knowledge of concepts in their
first language does not necessarily support concept learning in the second language.
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ESL teacher education in British Columbia : experienced teachers' perceptions and preferencesVoth, Charles D. 11 1900 (has links)
This thesis surveyed the perceptions and preferences of experienced ESL teachers in British Columbia concerning their second language teacher education (SLTE). The study asked what skills and knowledge were important for SLTE in light of teaching experience, and what experiences and activities for training were preferred in light of past training or personal learning styles. A 92-item questionnaire based on one used by Richards and Hino (1983) was distributed to 412 teachers, members of an ESL teacher association. The response rate was 32.76%. The results of a descriptive statistical analysis indicated that generally, the respondents had not frequently received training for skills and knowledge that they considered to be high priority. In addition, the items for which the respondents had received adequate training were not frequently indicated as high priority items for SLTE. The data was further broken down by levels of training, years of experience, and learner age groups. This analysis also revealed some interesting differences among the respondents. Recommendations were made that SLTE programme planners take trainees' needs into account and that they model what they propose to be good teaching approaches. Finally, possible areas for further research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate
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Computers in the Grade 9 FSL classroom : how do they influence students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance?Hagerman, Michelle Schira 05 1900 (has links)
This study compared the attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance of two Grade 9 Core French
(FSL) classes in Ontario. One class of 16 students used computer mediated communication (CMC) for
approximately 1.5 hours per week. The other class of 24 students did not use computers. Analysis of
covariance showed no statistically significant differences on any quantitative measures of attitude,
motivation, self-concept or performance. The analysis of student interview responses and teacher
observations revealed no significant between-group differences on these four variables either. The
results suggest that computers are not better than traditional communicative methods of second language
teaching in developing Grade 9 FSL students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept and performance. Since
the teacher was the variable common to both classes, however, her influence may explain the
undifferentiated between-group results. Regardless of the methods used to teach students, the teacher
may always be the most influential variable in determining students' attitudes, motivation, self-concept
and performance. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate
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Chinese parents and ESL teachers : understanding and negotiating their differencesGuo, Yan 05 1900 (has links)
Research indicates that the limited communication between English as a Second
Language (ESL) teachers and parents is a serious problem confronting educators.
However, no serious study has been done to date on ESL parent-teacher communication
that adequately recognizes the problematic nature of such communication and that
approaches the discourse data from a functional linguistic perspective.
This study investigates the communication processes between ESL teachers and
Chinese immigrant parents (chiefly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China)
through a focal communication event, ESL Parents' Night, when they discuss their views
of an ESL program in particular and the education of immigrant adolescent students in
general. The study falls within the theoretical perspectives of learning organization,
negotiation of intercultural conflict in a multilingual situation, language socialization, and
sociocultural views of activity. Data were collected by multiple methods: 1) observations
of twelve ESL department planning meetings and three annual Parents' Nights, 2)
individual interviews of teachers and bilingual assistants who acted as intermediaries
between teachers and parents, and 3) a focus group discussion. Specifically, the
methodology combines qualitative research approaches and discourse analysis.
Results indicate that teachers viewed the ESL program positively whereas many
parents perceived it negatively. Teachers and parents were deeply divided both by what
and how they were discussing at Parents' Night. This 'double difference' creates a major
difficulty for intercultural negotiation of conflict, and preconditions aiding dialogue and
negotiation become vitally important. Noting variation in interaction in different parts of
Parents' Night, the study discusses various conditions that may have promoted or
hindered the intercultural negotiation of these conflicts. The researcher's analysis of the
difficulties of communication between Chinese parents and Canadian teachers at Parents'
Night demonstrates less a solution to intercultural conflict than a need for continuous
negotiation between the two cultural groups.
Implications of this research include the need to expand the boundaries of language
socialization theory to give a greater role to reflective processes, and learning organization
theory to include multilingual and multicultural issues. It also provides practical
suggestions for improving intercultural communication between parents and teachers in
the interest of adolescent ESL learners frequently caught between conflicting sets of
attitudes and expectations. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate
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ESL students learning biology : the role of language and social interactionsJaipal, Kamini 05 1900 (has links)
This study explored three aspects related to ESL students in a mainstream grade 11
biology classroom: 1) the nature of students' participation in classroom activities, 2) the
factors that enhanced or constrained ESL students' engagement in social interactions, and 3)
the role of language in the learning of science. Ten ESL students were observed over an
eight-month period in this biology classroom. Data were collected using qualitative
research methods such as participant observation, audio-recordings of lessons, field notes,
semi-structured interviews, short lesson recall interviews and students' written work. The
study was framed within sociocultural perspectives, particularly the social constructivist
perspectives of Vygotsky (1962,1978) and Wertsch (1991).
Data were analysed with respect to the three research aspects. Firstly, the findings
showed that ESL students' preferred and exhibited a variety of participation practices that
ranged from personal-individual to socio-interactive in nature. Both personal-individual and
socio-interactive practices appeared to support science and language learning.
Secondly, the findings indicated that ESL students' engagement in classroom social
interactions was most likely influenced by the complex interactions between a number of
competing factors at the individual, interpersonal and community/cultural levels (Rogoff,
Radziszewska, & Masiello, 1995). In this study, six factors that appeared to enhance or
constrain ESL students' engagement in classroom social interactions were identified. These
factors were socio-cultural factors, prior classroom practice, teaching practices, affective
factors, English language proficiency, and participation in the research project.
Thirdly, the findings indicated that language played a significant
mediational role in ESL students' learning of science. The data revealed that the learning of
science terms and concepts can be explained by a functional model of language that
includes: 1) the use of discourse to construct meanings, 2) multiple semiotic representations
of the thing/process, and 3) constructing taxonomies and ways of reasoning. Other
important findings were: talking about language is integral to biology teaching and learning,
ESL students' prior knowledge of everyday words does not necessarily help them interpret
written questions on worksheets, and ESL students' prior knowledge of concepts in their
first language does not necessarily support concept learning in the second language. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate
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Teacher perceptions of response to intervention for English learnersUnknown Date (has links)
The current qualitative study focuses on how teachers perceive the Response to
Intervention (RtI) framework for English learners, specifically assessments and the
instructional decision-making process. RtI serves as a framework to help “close the gap”
and create a more equitable environment for struggling English learners (Florida
Department of Education, 2008). The current study explored elementary school general
education teachers’ perceptions and understanding of the RtI process for English learners. Eight elementary general education teachers participated in two interview sessions each to address what general education teachers know about the RtI process for English learners, how teachers report their interpretation of policies and procedures with respect to instruction and assessment of English learners, how teachers feel about their understanding of RtI, and how teachers feel about their understanding of instruction and assessment for English learners. Teacher participants shared their knowledge of the importance of progress monitoring and data collection during the RtI process. Participants reported that progress monitoring and data collection were used to inform instructional decisions for English learners. Participants also provided insight into a shift in teacher accountability related to data collection and progress monitoring.
Teacher participants addressed elements of the RtI process: three tiers of RtI,
evidence-based interventions, data and data collection, and progress monitoring. Based
on teacher responses, teachers monitor student progress, but find some elements of
progress monitoring unclear. Participants expressed concern about measuring student
progress and the means used to demonstrate growth and to compare struggling students to the performance of peers in the same grade level.
The RtI framework includes targeted interventions for struggling students, and
participants perceive that RtI helps to identify students with disabilities earlier.
Participants reported benefits and drawbacks related to RtI. The participants specifically
focused on the collaborative problem solving team as a beneficial support system for
teachers navigating the RtI process. Teachers reported perceptions on language acquisition and learning disabilities, adjustment time for English learners, assessments for English learners, parental involvement and experiences, instruction for English learners, and professional development and support for the instruction of English learners. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
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Writing, elementary teachers, and English language learners: a case study of teacher reported pedagogical knowledge and collaborative inquiry in a title 1 schoolUnknown Date (has links)
This qualitative case study was conducted to investigated whether selected 3rd-5th
teachers in a Title 1 school increased their understanding as they described and used their
pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in writing aligned with the Common Core
Anchor Standards 1-6. It also examined how the teachers collaborated to advance their
knowledge in the area of ELs in the classroom. Qualitative data were collected in the
form of 15 participant interviews and 15 Learning Team Meeting (LTM) observations.
The data from the interviews and observations were used to investigate how participants
implemented the Common Core Anchor Standards (CCAS) 1-6 in their classrooms. The
data also sought to examine how the participants’ collaboration in LTMs contributed to
the selected 3rd-5th grade teachers’ PCK with respect to CCAS 1-6 and support for their
English language learners (EL). The findings indicated that participants recognized various EL instructional strategies embedded in the subject matter of writing. Further, the data indicated that the dual language participants collaborated as an effective means for delivering various EL instructional strategies. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
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The procedures British Columbia school psychologists use to assess English as a second language students.Angerilli, Mark 11 1900 (has links)
The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "Do British Columbia school psychologists use a multifaceted approach to assess English As A Second Language students?" Another purpose of the study was to measure the prevailing procedures used to psychologically assess ESL students in British Columbia school districts. A data collection design was developed that consisted of a mailed self-administered questionnaire that was to be completed by all of the school districts in British Columbia. The questionnaire items were grouped in 3 separate sections - The first section (4 items) of the questionnaire requested personal and demographic information. The second section (35 items) asked participants to indicate on a 4 point Likert scale (always(1) - usually(2) -sometimes(3) - never(4)) the techniques and testing instruments they used during the psychological assessment of an ESL student. These techniques and instruments were selected from the literature outlining multifaceted assessments and included (a) the use of tests translated into the student's L I, and the assessment of the student's L 1, (b) reference to peers and siblings, (c) use of translators, (d) parental involvement, (e) number of years in an English - speaking school system before assessment, (f) use of norm-referenced standardized tests, (g) assessment of the student’s social/cultural/linguistic background, and (h) an awareness of the bias found in widely used tests, and the use of test results to prescribe treatment. The third section (open-ended) invited the participants to briefly describe the guidelines, if any, that their district followed to distinguish learning English As A Second Language difficulties from cognitive processing problems. The results revealed that many B.C. school psychologists involved in the assessment of ESL students are cognizant of the linguistic/ socio/cultural bias found in norm-referenced standardized tests and, as a result, are not extensively administering tests such as the WISC-R to ESL students, nor are they relying exclusively on the test scores to prescribe treatment for ESL students. Moreover, many psychologists are using peers and siblings to establish more realistic norms. Many of the psychologists are assessing the students' academic records (when available) and health records, and involving the ESL students' parents in the assessment process. The data also indicated that several phases of a multifaceted assessment need to be addressed by many of the school psychologists in British Columbia that are involved in the assessment of ESL students. These include: 1)the assessment of the students' L 1, and the use (when appropriate) of standardized tests translated into the student's L 1 2)involving trained translators in the interview and assessment of ESL students, and the interview of the students' parents 3) measuring the students' current level of functioning with 'dynamic' assessment and adaptive behaviour measurement (such as Feurerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device) 4) involving the students' classroom teacher in the assessment through the use of anecdotal reporting 5) understanding that it takes at least five years, on the average, for an immigrant child who arrives in the host country after the age of six to approach grade norms in L2 Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency.
This study has revealed the wide range of psychological assessment procedures currently employed by British Columbia school psychologists. Some psychologists are utilizing all of the data at their disposal to accurately assess ESL students, while others are employing practices that may produce inaccurate and misleading results. In this regard, this study has established a need for valid multifaceted psychological assessment of ESL students procedures to be adapted by all of British Columbia's 75 school psychologists.
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