Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-252).

The increasing momentum behind the use of Content Language and Integrated learning (CLIL) within the Dutch educational system is a disputed one. Despite a considerable body of literature supporting the benefits of CLIL many stakeholders feel otherwise and are reluctant to employ CLIL despite the generally positive literature. Others are more enthusiastic and take (forms of) CLIL on board only to dismiss its principles after a number of years, leaving them disappointed; some educational institutes manage to implement a different approach to teaching successfully whereas others seem to fail. Hence there is a need for research to explore the issues that may cause disjunction between CLIL models of best practice as described in literature and everyday work situations. This thesis seeks to explore the complex ways in which professionals negotiate and relate to the implementation of Content and Language Integrated learning. An interview study was conducted to identify the complex ways in which professionals negotiate and relate to the implementation of Content and Language Integrated learning as well as an identification of disjunctures when experiences and expectations of the professionals were placed next to each other and compared in detail. This thesis presents the key findings of in depth semi- structured interviews with six teachers and two headmasters in secondary education at two different locations. The stakeholders were closely involved in the implementation of CLIL. The analysis I employed sought to interpret and pin down insiders' views on the consequences of the implementation of CLIL in their professional and social lives by means of inductive approaches and techniques. The data procured from the interviews were very rich and meaningful, which support the discussion on issues in the implementation of CLIL. The findings showed that the stakeholders at each setting approached CLIL differently and experienced different forms of disjuncture. The obstacles and possible frictions have been mentioned in this study which require attention, for when the frictions described in this study are addressed in a profound and resolute manner the CLIL case, or any new educational implementation, may well be furthered.

<p> This study investigated the acoustic characteristics that contribute to the perception of foreign-accentedness of English spoken by native Ewe speakers. Forty monosyllabic words spoken by four speakers were rated on accentedness by 109 participants; 51 with exposure to Ghanaian-accented-American English and 58 with none. The ratings and measurements of F1 and F2 values of the vowels were analyzed and compared. The results suggest that the perception of accentedness was influenced by the acoustic properties of vowels. Listeners rated L2 speakers as more accented than they did L1 speakers. Accentedness ratings did not correlate with comprehension of words, and finally, listeners with previous exposure to Ewe accented American English rated the non-native tokens as less accented than listeners without previous exposure. Previous exposure did not influence comprehension of tokens.</p><p>

The purpose of this thesis is to show the historical discrepancies in literacy skills of deaf students in the United States and how they correlate to language philosophies and the resulting educational practices. These philosophies are described chronologically beginning with the first formal educational institution, in 1817, followed by the Oralism Movement, the philosophy of Total Communication, and the Bilingual-Bicultural Approach. All three language approaches can be seen today in schools for the deaf across America, but only the bilingual-bicultural approach builds a foundation in a natural L1 (American Sign Language) in an effort to develop an L2 (English).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This observational study investigates the writing processes of young, developing bilinguals from majority- and minority-language backgrounds. The research was situated in two grade 1 classrooms in a Two-Way Bilingual Education (TWBE) program in the Northeastern United States. A TWBE program is an educational model that integrates native English-speakers and speakers of a minority language for all or most of the day and promotes high academic achievement, dual-language and literacy development (i.e., bilingualism and biliteracy), and cross-cultural understanding for all students. The following research questions guided the study: How do first-grade English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students develop as writers in a TWBE program that employs a process writing approach? (a) What are the trends and patterns of bilingual writing processes and skills? (b) Do trends and patterns differ depending on classroom context (English/Spanish Writing Workshop)? Researchers observed and audiotaped 8 focal children as they composed stories in Spanish and English Writing Workshops (WW), collected artifacts from all stages of the writing process, and conducted interviews with focal children at the end of WW sessions. Triangulation of multiple data sources provided a comprehensive view of emergent bilingual writing behaviors, verified themes and patterns, and cross-validated regularities in the data. Cross-case analyses of students' individual profiles of bilingual writing processes revealed similarities and differences in their cross-linguistic skills, as well as patterns of transfer of writing processes and skills. Patterns of bilingual writing related to codeswitching and literacy transfer (both positive and negative) for Spanish-dominant and English-dominant young writers led to the development of a preliminary model of bilingual writing development for English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students. This model presents phenomena unique to bilingual writers, relates these to bilingualism and biliteracy, and proposes anticipated expression of the phenomena for students from linguistic minority and linguistic majority backgrounds. The findings suggest that access to two languages and support for bilingualism affect both the processes of writing and the products children create, leading to the development of biliteracy and metalinguistic awareness of two languages for Spanish-dominant and English-dominant students. / 2031-01-01

<p> Using autoethnographic research for this study, I intimately explore my experiences in school as a Detroit Latino male and the relationship with my family, community, and school and how they intersected and helped me achieve academic success. I excavate the indigenous roots that characterizes my family&rsquo;s way of knowing and explore how that foundation laid the ground work for the values that have shaped my identity. I select a personal narrative that relies on memories, photos, school yearbooks, and news clippings to describe my journey within the southwest Detroit Latina/o community. I identify the community institutions and their influences on me that contributed to my sense of belonging and eventual academic success.</p><p>

This interpretive qualitative study explores the lived experiences of seven hijabi youth and how they experience social activities offered in their secondary schools in Ottawa, Ontario. The main research questions are: (1) How do hijabi women in Ottawa secondary schools experience the social activities offered by their schools, and (2) In what ways are hijabi girls being included or excluded from social activities because of their religious obligations? A phenomenological tradition of inquiry has been used in order to understand the essence of the experience as perceived by each participant. Analysis has been conducted using Moustakas' (1994) modifications to the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen Method of Phenomenological Data. The researcher has also shared her own story of interaction with social activities in high school. The findings and implications of this study have been categorized into themes in order to illustrate the essence of how hijabi youth experience social activities in Ottawa secondary schools. The themes identified are: (a) Us Versus Them; (b) Fighting Stereotypes; (c) Culture Differences; and (d) A Desire to Participate. The first emergent theme, Us Versus Them, explains the alienation hijabi students feel when partaking in social activities offered at their schools. The second emergent theme, Fighting Stereotypes, details the everyday questions, assumptions and judgements hijabi students face from peers both Muslim and non-Muslims that ultimately discourage them from partaking in activities. The third emergent theme, Culture Differences, explains how current social activities in schools compromise the religious values of hijabi girls. The fourth and final emergent theme, A Desire to Participate illustrates participants' willingness and in some instances, eagerness to participate in school social activities. The author aims to raise awareness of how hijabi girls experience social aspects of high school and with that, a message for academic authorities to examine how their students are being included or excluded with means towards creating in inclusive environment. The conclusion of this thesis raises implications for further study such as the role that self-esteem plays in the participation of hijabi girls in school social activities.

The purpose of the current investigation was to explore the effects of aphasia on working memory (WM) in bilingual adults. Available research supports the notion that there are strong positive correlations between WM capacity and language function in monolingual adults with aphasia and that aphasic adults' ability to comprehend language may be predicted by WM capacity. The relationship between WM capacity and auditory comprehension, as measured by the Token Test, was investigated in bilingual adults with and without aphasia. Additional areas of investigation included examination of the influence of aphasia on bilingualism and language proficiency as measured by differential performance in both languages on the Boston Naming Test (BNT); relationships between severity of aphasia, as measured by the Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT); and WM, as measured by listening span. Sixteen participants between the ages of 26 and 91 were included in this study (mean age for women was 61.3; men was 52.8; 37% of the sample population was male, 63% was female). Eight participants were non-aphasic bilingual adults, the remaining 8 participants were bilingual aphasic adults. Results of the study indicated that both groups yielded relatively equivalent findings for the two languages on WM measures. Highly significant and strong positive correlations were observed between WM and auditory comprehension for both groups in both languages. There were no significant differences between English and Spanish results relative to auditory comprehension in the group with aphasia. There was, however, more variability on the BNT for the group with aphasia. Moreover, a significant difference between English and Spanish on the BNT was observed for the non-aphasic group. Significant relationships were found between language proficiency and aphasia severity for both languages; however, no significant differences were found between English and Spanish on the BAT. Nonetheless, moderate to strong positive linear relationships were observed between WM and aphasic severity (BAT) and strong positive relationships were found between language proficiency and aphasia severity for both languages for the group with aphasia. In conclusion, results suggest that the impact of bilingualism on WM for aphasic adults may be similar to what has been observed for monolingual aphasic individuals. Further research is needed relative to the nature of WM in bilingual adults with aphasia.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.