<p> This study of the assets that international graduate students bring to the process of learning English academic writing in the US has two purposes. The primary purpose is to develop the Translingual Graduate Writers&rsquo; Inventory of Strengths (TGWIS) and to test its reliability and validity as a tool to determine the particular strengths and resources of international graduate writers. The second purpose is to describe the academic writing strategies used by translingual graduate writers in order to suggest a conceptual framework of graduate academic writing in English and to promote teaching and learning of graduate academic writing in English for international graduate students based on positive psychology and translingualism. </p><p> Previous studies of L2 learning have paid more attention to negative psychological and affective dimensions such as foreign language learning anxiety and writing apprehension. In response tothe need particularly psychological and social dimensions of international graduate academic writers in English, the TGWIS was developed. Based on the conceptual frameworks of translingualism (Canagarajah, 2013a), embodied self (Kramsch, 2009), Strength-Centered Therapy (Wong, 2006a), positive psychological perspectives (Lopez, Pedrotti &amp; Snyder, 2015; Nakamura &amp; Cs&iacute;kszentmih&aacute;lyi, 2002, 2009; Seligman, 2002), and growth mindset (Dweck, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2010; Dweck &amp; Master, 2009), the TGWIS V.10 was developed with eight psychological and social components (<i>N</i>=509). I tested the validity and reliability of the TGWIS as an instrument to promote a positive perspective on translingual academic writers by employing exploratory factor analysis (<i>n</i>=249) and confirmatory factor analysis (<i>n</i>=260). The final measurement model of the TGWIS V.10 is consisted of four factors with16 items: Interest and motivation to pursue graduate academic writing (GAW) in English (5 items; &alpha; = .84), self-confidence in GAW in English (5 items; &alpha; = .80), perceived professional value of GAW in English (3 items; &alpha; = .73), and using translingual resources in GAW in English (3 items; &alpha; = .74). </p><p> The major contribution of this study is to inform stakeholders in US graduate education programs of the perspectives of international graduate students and to inform efforts to provide customized graduate level writing assistance. These aspirations can be fulfilled in a &ldquo;nested&rdquo; environment with affective and social supports, validating their strengths as translingual writers. </p><p>

<p> The language and communication skills of foreign students have long been a concern in U.S. universities. The majority of U.S. universities require foreign students for whom English is not their native language to take English language proficiency tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as part of admission requirements. Some universities have included interventions to increase the success of Chinese students against their struggle to understand English course content. One such program is the Gateway to Successful Tomorrow Bilingual Degree Program (GST). The gap to be addressed on this study was that the effectiveness of GST has not been formally evaluated among foreign students particularly overseas Chinese students studying at U.S. universities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the GST among overseas Chinese students studying at U.S. universities as measured through students&rsquo; grade point averages (GPA) and TOEFL scores. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural theory. The quantitative study used a causal comparative design to gather quantitative data from student achievement records and TOEFL scores. Pearson&rsquo;s correlation analysis and analysis of variance were conducted to predict if underlying relationships exist among variables. Key findings of the analyses showed that GST students had a significantly higher GPA than non-GST student. However, results also indicated that there was no evidence that the GST program significantly improved TOEFL scores. The GST program had an overall positive impact on the international Chinese students&rsquo; academic performance and with continued research international students stand to gain even more from this program. </p><p>

abstract: ABSTRACT This research is a study of the relationship between language acquisition and the status of equity. The history of the Maya people in Guatemala gives strong evidence that their failure to acquire competence in Spanish, which is the national language of their nation, has resulted in their failure to compete in the social, economic, and political components of their society. It also shows that they have failed to maintain their competence in Mayan, their own language, as a result of mistreatment from their conquerors who have shown a determination to eliminate their use of Mayan. Many Maya have left Guatemala and entered the United States in hope of finding the status of equity which has evaded them for hundreds of years. The key to overcoming their poverty and loss of civil rights can be found in the US through compensatory programs offering them the opportunity of competency in English along with the opportunity to maintain their Mayan language. The US legal system guarantees equal rights for a quality educations for students who are learning English. This study offers some suggestions for integrating the Guatemalan Maya into mainstream activities of the economy and social life of this country. It offers the idea of sustaining and increasing their competency in Mayan as a long-range possibility. The status of equity is available for the children of the Guatemalan refugees who enter the United States as they exercise their rights to a quality education. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 2017

<p> My study asks the questions: What criteria do teachers take into consideration when they determine the placement of bilingual students with learning disabilities and do they feel competent to make that decision. Current research provides information the important need to focus on bilingual students with learning disabilities. It also provides information about teacher readiness to teach this subgroup and what is being done to help meet their needs. The researcher conducted interviews of two middle school boys and their bilingual and learning resource teachers. Participant teachers and students were observed in a three-month window and interviewed. Due to their difference in English proficiency their classroom placement varied through this year and which may affect their classroom placement in the future. My study answers my questions because we hear firsthand from seasoned teachers in the field and share how they feel about teaching bilingual students with learning disabilities. The question concerning their best classroom placement is also answered by examining and analyzing students' collected data of their academic histories. After various classroom observations, teacher and student interviews and collection of data, the study found that the two boys had similar learning disabilities yet their academic achievements were different. Both learning resource teachers explain that there is a language barrier between them and their bilingual students with learning disabilities. Whereas, the bilingual teacher finds it difficult to detect a learning disability in her students because she is unsure if the student's difficulty in reading stems from a lack of English proficiency or a masked learning disability. The most practical way to find the correct placement for a bilingual student with a learning disability is when a team of educational professionals meet and discuss the particular student's strengths and weaknesses using their field of expertise. Final thoughts are shared of what further research needs to be done and why it is important. </p><p>

abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and opinions of Navajo students toward the Navajo language and culture programs within the schools they were attending. Although in the final year of the No Child Left Behind, a majority of the 265 schools on and near the Navajo reservation have not been making Adequate Yearly Progress, a concern for the parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and the Navajo Nation. The study entailed conducting a survey at five schools; three of which were not meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind. The purpose of the survey instrument (27 questions) administered to the students at the five schools was to examine their attitudes and opinions as to participating in Navajo language and culture programs, to determine if the programs assisted them in their academic achievements, and to examine whether these programs actually made a difference for schools in their Adequate Yearly Progress requirement Approximately 87% of 99 Navajo students, 55 boys and 58 girls, ages 9 through 14, Grades 3 through 8, who lived off the reservation in Flagstaff, Arizona and Gallup, New Mexico, and took the survey knew and spoke Navajo, but less fluently and not to a great extent. However, the students endorsed learning Navajo and strongly agreed that the Navajo language and culture should be part of the curriculum. Historically there have been schools such as the Rock Point Community School, Rough Rock Demonstration School, Borrego Pass Community School, and Ramah Community School that have been successful in their implementation of bilingual programs. The question presently facing Navajo educators is what type of programs would be successful within the context of the No Child Left Behind federal legislation. Can there be replications of successful Navajo language and culture programs into schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress? / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2013

Orientador: Zilda Maria Gesueli Oliveira da Paz / Dissertação (mestrado profissional) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T01:43:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Albuquerque_GrazieleKathleenTavaresSantanade_M.pdf: 3589777 bytes, checksum: 755703e5ebc08071e925f7f11226b204 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Por muito tempo a escola desconheceu as especificidades dos alunos surdos e persistiu em trabalhar com eles da mesma forma que com os ouvintes. As mesmas práticas eram e, às vezes ainda são usadas, com as mesmas exigências, desconsiderando-se que os alunos surdos apresentam diferenças linguísticas significativas, que devem ser contempladas em seu processo educacional. Reconhecendo a importância da língua de sinais para o desenvolvimento da criança surda, e levando em consideração a importância da integração e participação efetiva desta no ensino regular, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa é observar e analisar, a partir de práticas de letramento, a inserção de uma criança surda em uma das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental de uma escola inclusiva, possibilitando uma proposta de educação bilíngue. Para a coleta de dados foram desenvolvidas práticas pedagógicas voltadas à interação comunicativa surdo/ouvintes, utilizando-se uma história da literatura clássica infantil, atividades de leitura e escrita e dramatização em LIBRAS (língua brasileira de sinais). Os registros se deram por meio da observação participante, provenientes de diário de campo e filmagens realizadas pela professora/pesquisadora das atividades em sala de aula. A pesquisa mostra as possibilidades de inclusão da criança surda no ensino regular, que se efetivou pelo comprometimento do professor em buscar formação e subsídios para a realização de tal processo, e ainda, propicia uma reflexão sobre novas possibilidades de olhar e avaliar o sujeito surdo na sala de aula inclusiva / Abstract: For many years, schools have ignored the specific needs of deaf students, working with them as if they were hearing students. The same practices were, and often still are used with the same requirements, with no regard to the important linguistic differences deaf students present that should be addressed in their educational processes. This study recognizes the importance of sign language in the development of the deaf child and takes into consideration the importance of integration and effective participation in regular schools. The general aim of this study is to observe and analyze, from the standpoint of literacy practices, how deaf children are included in one elementary education classroom in an inclusive school in order to engender a bilingual education proposal. Data was collected in the context of pedagogical practices that focused on deaf /hearing student interaction, using a story from classical children's literature, reading and writing activities and dramatization in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). Using participant observation, data was recorded in a field notebook and the teacher/researcher carried out the video and audio recording of classroom activities. The study shows possibilities for including deaf children in regular schools, by highlighting the role of teachers that strive to further their own education, looking for theoretical support to enhance their teaching. The study also enables one to think about new possibilities for understanding and evaluating deaf students in inclusive classrooms / Mestrado / Interdisciplinaridade e Reabilitação / Mestre em Saúde, Interdisciplinaridade e Reabilitação

Le Vanuatu (anciennement Condominium franco-britannique des Nouvelles-Hébrides) est une république indépendante depuis 1980. Située dans le Pacifique Sud, c'est sans doute la nation qui possède la plus grande diversité linguistique au monde per capita, avec environ une centaine de langues mélanésiennes, la lingua franca appelée bislama, et le français et l'anglais, langues d'éducation. Le bislama est un créole lexifié à partir de l'anglais mais dont la grammaire est influencée par le substrat mélanésien. Longtemps langue orale, le bislama joue un rôle prépondérant dans les années 70 pour mener le pays à l'indépendance, ainsi que dans le domaine religieux avec la traduction des évangiles, puis de la bible. Depuis quelques années, le bislama occupe de plus en plus de place et se créolise, en particulier dans les zones urbaines en pleine expansion. Mon travail porte sur l'évolution du bislama écrit à partie de l'analyse d'un corpus qui couvre une période d'environ quarante ans afin d'observer si la langue écrite est en voie d'anglicisation (donc de décréolisation en se rapprochant de la langue source). Mon étude sera donc à la fois diachronique et synchronique et couvrira des documents écrits de la presse, religieux et politiques, ainsi que du matériel éducatif publié en bislama. Plus récemment, la langue écrite est également utilisée pour les SMS, forums de discussions sur sites internet et mails. Bien qu'inscrite dans la constitution comme unique langue nationale du Vanuatu, ainsi que langue officielle avec le français et l'anglais, le bislama n'a pas de place dans le système éducatif officiel ,où seules les deux langues européennes du gouvernement colonial sont utilisées comme langues d'instruction. Le Vanuatu réfléchit à une nouvelle politique linguistique éducative dont le pays va se doter très prochainement, projet qui fait la part belle au bilinguisme anglais/français. Mon travail examinera aussi les raisons de cet état de fait ainsi que les conséquences à la fois sur la langue elle-même et ses répercussions sur le statut du bislama écrit au Vanuatu. / Vanuatu, formerly the Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides, became independent in 1980. Located in the South Pacific region, it is probably the nation with the highest proportion of languages per capita, with more than one hundred indigenous languages, the lingua franca named Bislama, and English and French, the languages of instruction. Bislama is a creole whose lexifier is English but with the grammar of the Melanesian substrate languages. For a long time used orally, it became the language of political fight towards independence in the 1970, along with the language of religion with the translation of the Gospels. Bislama has become more and more widely used in the last forty years, and is now a creole, particularly in the ever expanding urban areas.My study deals with a corpus of written Bislama over a period of roughly fort years so as to find out whether Bislama is decreolising, that is to say getting closer to its lexifier, namely English. My research is both diachronic and synchronic, based on written documents from all the genre: press, religion, political life, poetry, and also taking into account the newer forms of writing such as email or SMS. It also looks at educational material and posters. Event though Bislama is the only national language of the country, is is not given any place-or hardly any- in the official educational system of Vanuatu. Indeed, the two languages of instruction are still French and English. The Government of Vanuatu is thinking of a new Education Language Policy, with a few changes such as the introduction of indigenous languages in the very first years of education, for instance. However, the aim of the policy is to achieve English/French bilingualism by the end of High School, without giving Bislama any role apart from being an instrument to facilitate the learning of other subjects. My research also deals with this aspect of the situation, as well as its consequences on written Bislama in Vanuatu.

<p> This study examines the application of the Simple View of Reading (SVR), a reading comprehension theory focusing on word recognition and linguistic comprehension, to English Language Learners&rsquo; (ELLs&rsquo;) English reading development. This study examines the concurrent and predictive validity of two components of the SVR, oral language and word-level decoding, for determining ELLs&rsquo; English reading comprehension in the third and fifth grades, using data from a nationally representative dataset, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS-K). Literature in both first (L1) and second language (L2) reading comprehension development suggest that, in addition to word- and text-level decoding factors, oral language skills (such as listening comprehension) also impact L2 reading comprehension. This study found that while English word-level decoding skills were the strongest predictors of ELLs&rsquo; English reading comprehension in third grade, both third and fifth grade English oral language skills were stronger at predicting fifth grade ELLs&rsquo; English reading outcomes, thereby confirming the hypotheses grounded in the conceptual frameworks of ELL reading comprehension development (Proctor et al., 2005; Zadeh et al., 2011; Kim, 2015).</p><p> These findings suggest that screening fifth grade ELLs using English oral language measures may be more effective at predicting potential difficulty in reading comprehension than traditional fluency measures (such as DIBELS ORF). Moreover, while English word-level decoding factors are stronger predictors for third grade English reading comprehension, these findings indicate that third grade English oral language measures may be better at determining how ELL students will perform in English reading comprehension as they conclude elementary school in fifth grade than traditional fluency and decoding measures. In sum, the results of this study underline the importance of instruction, intervention and assessment in English oral language skills as critical components of literacy programming for elementary ELLs.</p><p>

Magister Educationis - MEd / In South Africa, there has been little research into the language practices of multilingual students in tertiary institutions or into how such students negotiate identities in these globalising contexts where the dominance of English remains an important factor. This research was aimed at exploring the appropriateness of 1997 Language-In-Education policy for schools and the national Language Policy for Higher Education (2002) for equipping students for tertiary teaching and learning. It therefore investigated the relationship between the language practices and construction of identities of a group of multilingual first year students in the Education Faculty at a Western Cape university. In this integrated institution, in spite of the current political and socio-economic transformation that has been at the centre of new policies, the medium of instruction is still predominantly monolingual. The premise of the research was that in a multilingual country such as South Africa with 11 official languages, tertiary institutions ought to more vigorously engage with their current language policies in order to value and extend the language practices of multilingual students for academic learning. Here multilingual repertoires are understood as resources rather than problems. The research draws extensively on Bourdieu's notion of 'linguistic capital' quantifying language itself as a form of capital with a market value. Through thematic analysis of themes drawn from questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation in both tutorials and lectures, the investigation concluded that a monolingual medium of instruction to non-native speakers should be practised alongside other languages as means to support in their academic attainment. Finally the research emphasised the importance of code switching as a strategy that facilitates learning and promotes understanding of the role language resources play in social and academic interaction.

Orientador: Carmen Zink Bolonhini / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T10:21:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Goldstein_MariaSuelyOliveira_D.pdf: 7907811 bytes, checksum: 726cb0d6333465b9ac30ca46be8cc127 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Esta Tese se respalda nas seguintes premissas: a) estudos que evidenciem questões culturais e enunciativas devem ocupar um lugar constitutivo no ensino-aprendizagem de língua; b) consideramos que um lugar de destaque para a inserção desses componentes é no currículo de línguas. Uma das vias que propomos, para que esse objetivo seja alcançado, é que se leve em consideração a memória discursiva, que é dada, por exemplo, pela junção entre a literatura e o ensino de língua. No nosso caso, as compilações de contos populares se mostraram muito apropriadas para tal fim, pelo fato de elas registrarem parte da memória e da história dos povos. Essa reivindicação se respalda no postulado de que a "enunciação em outras línguas, ou em variantes diversas da própria língua materna, é uma experiência que mobiliza questões de identidade, e paulatinamente culturais, sejam elas implícitas ou explícitas, presentes em toda aula de língua" (Revuz, 1998). Naquele ambiente, o professor deve, de acordo com o quadro teórico aqui adotado, estar atento aos conflitos de identidade e sociais que se apresentam nas práticas da língua em sala de aula, que são determinados pela própria língua, que materializa a cultura dos sujeitos. Esse professor, observador da discursividade, deve estar alerta para as diferenças enunciativas, no que tange, por exemplo, às inter-relações que ali acontecem. Tal providência visa, entre outras coisas, propiciar, por exemplo, a diluição de mal-entendidos interculturais, provocados pelas diferenças de formação discursiva dos sujeitos. Para contemplar essa proposta, investigamos os currículos bilíngües de dois colégios alemães particulares, situados no Estado de São Paulo. A pesquisa que nesses ambientes é empreendida trata, em grandes linhas, por um lado, do tratamento dado aos domínios sociocultural e literário, nos currículos da educação bilíngüe desses colégios, e, por outro, das compilações em foco e do discurso de professor e alunos - investigando o debate oral, desencadeado pela leitura de contos populares, na construção de práticas letradas orais, em aulas de línguas, do nível II, do Ensino Fundamental, de uma dessas escolas bilíngües. Além disso, também examinamos questões sobre as relações socioculturais do sujeito, aqui especificamente com o meio ambiente, que aparecem nas aulas e nos contos populares pesquisados, observando, além de repetições discursivas (Pêcheux, 1983) sobre esse tema naqueles ambientes e de outros aspectos discursivos que se mostram ali relevantes, a diluição de mal-entendidos interculturais em práticas letradas, mediadas pelo professor e a mobilização de questões de identidade e culturais que ali acontecem. / Abstract: This work is based on the following premises: a) studies that focus on cultural and enunciation issues must have a constitutive place in the teaching-learning of languages; b) we consider the language curriculum to be a central and significant place for the insertion of such components. One of the paths proposed to achieve this objective is to take into consideration the discursive memory, brought about, for instance, by the combination of literature and the teaching of languages. In our case, compilations of popular tales have proven to be very appropriate to this end, as they register part of the memory and history of the people. This affirmation is founded in the assertion that enunciation in other languages, or the many variants of the mother tongue, is an experience that mobilizes issues of identity and culture, either implicit or explicit, throughout the language class (Revuz, 1998). According to the theoretical framework adopted in this study, in that situation, the teacher must be aware of the identity and social conflicts present in the practice of language within the class, determined by the language itself, which materializes the culture of the subjects involved. Such a teacher, observant of discursiveness, must be aware of enunciation differences in relation, for example, to the inter-relations that occur in those circumstances. Among other things, this action aims at promoting, for instance, the clarification of intercultural misunderstandings, resulting from the different discursive background of the subjects. In order to contemplate this proposal, we investigated the curricula of two bilingual (German/Portuguese) private schools in the state of São Paulo. In broad terms, the study conducted in such settings includes, on one hand, the treatment given to the sociocultural and literary domains, in the bilingual education curricula of those schools, and, on the other hand, the compilations mentioned as well as the discourse of both teacher and students, thus investigating oral debates, resultant from the reading of popular tales, in the construction of oral literacy practices, in the language classes of Level II, in Elementary School, in one of the bilingual schools mentioned. In addition to that, issues related to the sociocultural relationships of the subjects, in this case specifically with the environment, which appear in the classes and in the popular tales studied were also examined. Discursive repetitions (Pêcheux, 1983) about the theme in those contexts, as well as other discursive aspects that seemed relevant, the dissolution of intercultural misunderstandings in literacy practices mediated by the teacher, and the mobilization of identity and cultural issues present in the situation were also observed. / Doutorado / Multiculturalismo, Plurilinguismo e Educação Bilingue / Doutor em Linguística Aplicada