<p> This study investigated the correlation between oral English language proficiency, primary language use, and sense of efficacy by Chinese-speaking teachers using English medium of instruction (EMI) in Chinese university courses. Twenty-one Chinese EMI university teachers participated in the study by completing an online survey to find how these variables are correlated and to identify patterns in their perceptions about EMI preparation, student learning, and teaching behaviors. A quantitative method was used to calculate descriptive data and Pearson Correlation using SPSS 24.0, which revealed a moderate correlation between oral language proficiency and sense of efficacy for teaching EMI among Chinese university teachers. A qualitative method was used to analyze data for common themes and provided some support that EMI teachers&rsquo; perception of their oral proficiency levels and concern about their students&rsquo; English proficiency level influence their teaching behaviors and attitudes toward the effectiveness of EMI for learning content. Additional research would further address the gap in existing literature about how to attain, maintain, and develop an appropriate level of oral English proficiency for teachers to feel they are sufficiently capable of teaching EMI effectively.</p><p>

<p> The attainment of a college degree has long been a part of the American dream. For the English learner, however, reaching this goal is a task fraught with difficulty. Yet, as the participants in this study demonstrate, it is possible.</p><p> In this qualitative, phenomenological study of seven current community college students who graduated from a Southern California high school, not yet proficient in the English language, the researcher sought to identify the factors that both encouraged and discouraged their decision to pursue higher education.</p><p> This study collected original data on factors within the school setting, peers, family and personal characteristics that supported or discouraged the participant continuing their education past high school. To identify facets most significant in each of the three areas, the data is viewed through the lens of Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s Ecological Systems Theory.</p><p> The English &ndash;only policy is viewed through the lens of the Critical Race Theory and student experiences highlight the restrictive nature an English only policy places on our state&rsquo;s English learner population.</p><p> Conclusions derived from this study point to the importance of adult and peer relationships in the adolescent&rsquo;s life, and the significance seemly small acts can have on the English learner&rsquo;s decision to continue on to higher education.</p><p> To support the English learner population, recommendations of primary language support upon entrance into the California school system, and the establishment of a bilingual single subject English credential for secondary English teachers is suggested.</p><p> Further recommendations include a standard practice for reviewing the English learner&rsquo;s language proficiency quarterly, research into what allowed the adolescent to reject negative perceptions of the peers may build upon the body of research into strategies to support the English learner. </p><p> Last, this study was limited to current community college students in the Southern California region. Research into English learners who went into a four-year university may develop findings that support or contradict this study and broaden the research base into school, peer, and family factors that encourage English learners decision to continue on to higher education. </p><p>

<p> This dissertation is an inquiry into the social experiences of first year international graduate students, and how those social experiences inform their academic writing development. Drawing from the sociocognitive perspective (Atkinson, 2002; Lantolf, 2000), this study recognizes that the university is social in nature, and language learning occurs in the mind, body, and world (Atkinson et al., 2007). The international graduate students in this study were recruited from the first quarter academic writing class in fall 2014 (n=113), and were surveyed at four time points throughout the academic year. The dissertation focuses on four students, Luiza from Brazil, Camila from Chile, Q from Korea, and Kira from China as illustrative examples of the social environments that students have as well as trajectories of writing development. The focal students participated in three interviews throughout the year and written texts were also collected at three time points (at the end of the fall, winter, and spring quarters). Findings from the students&rsquo; social environments suggest that students tend to gravitate towards co-nationals in social settings. In terms of receiving writing support, students in the study relied primarily of colleagues and friends, followed by professors. Writing tutors and family members were sought out the least for writing support. Peers tended to be more accessible and approachable than professors, while professors were rated as more helpful than peers. In terms of the writing development of the students, this study focuses on clausal, phrasal, and lexical complexity. Findings from the textual analysis portion suggest that the writing of the focal students became more complex based on these measurements. In particular, students generally scored higher on the number of modifiers per noun phrase measure throughout the year, suggesting that their noun phrases were becoming more complex, although there were some deviations to this pattern. Also, students used more words from the academic word list and field specific jargon throughout the year. The implications of this study are relevant to writing professors, STEM professors, international student services, and the university as a whole.</p><p>

<p> An estimated 44% of secondary school English Learners (ELs) are immigrants. Some arrive in the United States with a rigorous academic education and often excel beyond most native-born students while others arrive without any formal education or having missed years of schooling. This second subpopulation of ELs is called students with interrupted or limited formal education or SLIFE. These learners have to work harder than their native English-speaking peers and even harder than their more literate EL peers to meet the same accountability goals because these students need learn a new language, develop literacy skills in the new language, and also master content area standards simultaneously. The problem that was addressed was that teachers&rsquo; low expectations and subsequent differential treatment of SLIFE may contribute to the lower graduation rates and achievement gap and between SLIFE, other ELs, and mainstream English-speaking students. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine high school content teachers&rsquo; perceptions of and expectations for their students who are classified as SLIFE. Participants are high school teachers in one school district in the Southeastern United States. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews. The findings showed the difficulties faced by teachers trying to support SLIFE students in mainstream content area courses, but also revealed the willingness these teachers demonstrate to do whatever it takes to help all of their students. The data expressed a deep desire these teachers feel to be better equipped. Research is needed to determine what supports, research, and training experiences and efficacy are needed for planning and delivering instruction to their SLIFE students with the goal of both academic success and a positive acculturation experience. Further research is also needed to determine what, if any, institutional barriers exist and what can be done to remove them so that the teachers&rsquo; efforts will be facilitated, not hindered.</p><p>

<p> Research affirmed that instructional strategies that promote English Language Learners&rsquo; (ELLs) Academic Language Proficiency (ALP) are essential in the primary grades for ELLs to succeed in school. This quantitative causal-comparative study relied on the premise of Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural theory and addressed to what extent Balanced Math instruction affected ELLs&rsquo; math performance in Grade 1 and Grade 2, as measured by STAR Math. This study examined the extent differences existed on STAR Math Scores and Student Growth Percentiles of ELLs in Grade 1 and Grade 2 based on exposure to Balanced Math instruction in a rural school district located in the Pacific Northwest. The Mann-Whitney <i> U</i> test examined the extent there were significant differences, <i> p</i> &lt; .05 of the dependent variable, Student Growth Percentile, based on exposure to Balanced Math instruction. The results of the Mann-Whitney <i> U</i> were not statistically significant, <i>U</i> = 1034.50, <i> p</i> = .062, and the null hypothesis could not be rejected. ANOVA assessed if there were significant differences based on the alpha level <i>p</i> &lt; .05 of the dependent variable, STAR Math Scaled Scores, based on exposure to Balanced Math instruction. The results of the ANOVA were not statistically significant, <i>F</i> (1,114) = 0.12, <i>p</i> = .729, &eegr;²_p = 0.00, and the null hypothesis could not be rejected. This study concluded there were no significant differences between ELLs who received Balanced Math instruction and ELLs who did not receive Balanced Math instruction.</p><p>

Prof. C.J. Conradie

No description available.

In July, 1969, the Malaysian Minister of Education announced 'a new education policy' under which English, Chinese and Tamil schools were required to begin the process of conversion to Malay medium instruction in stages, beginning in 1970. This policy to introduce Malay as the medium of instruction took roughly forty years to evolve. The aim of this study is to examine how this was achieved through four phases of politics and government in West Malaysia: (i) The British Colonial Administration, 1930-1941; (ii) The Post-War Colonial Administration, 1945-1954; (iii) The Alliance Government, 1955-1961, and (iv) The Alliance Government, 1962-1971. It was observed in this study that though non-Malay demands for the preservation of their vernacular schools were persistent and consistent they lacked political unity and cohesiveness in successfully pursuing their demands. The Malays, in contrast were initially apathetic towards the language question. They became politicized during the period preceding Independence, however and were able to establish their political supremacy. A consequence of this was that they were able to pursue a communally oriented language policy with great effectiveness so that Malay became established as the medium of instruction. The policy was successfully pursued by a series of Government Ordinances and Acts that were designed to ensure that the provisions of the Constitution with regards to the Malay language were adhered to while permitting flexibility in their implementation. However, it was found that the constitutional contract between the Malays and the non-Malays was an important and integral aspect of the policy making Malay the medium of instruction. Perhaps the most important reason for the successful establishment of the policy lies in the gradualistic and incremental nature in which the policy was implemented. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. / This study is concerned with the experiences of Grade Eight African learners attending a school in Lenasia where English is the medium of instruction. Multilingualism is prevalent in the multiracial society in which we live. Since the adoption of the language policy by the new democratic government, South African schools now have the right to choose their language of instruction. The experiences of the Grade Eight African learners and the choice of English as the medium of instruction and the rationale behind this choice was investigated. The increasing number of functions that English plays in our lives, as well as, the role played by, and the importance of, home languages in our lives, were explored. The role that English and home languages play when, or if, used simultaneously to bring about positive changes, was researched. This study was an attempt to ensure that all languages are appreciated for the part they play in our lives., as well as the empowerment they bring about in our culturally different communities. This research design used has its origin in the nature of the research problem "What are the experiences of grade eight African second language learners attending an English medium school in Lenasia?" The research methods chosen for this study emerged from both the research orientation and the aim of the study. This research study discusses the experiences experienced by learners, being taught through the medium of English. Problems which are partially caused by the use of the vernacular is further explored. Insight into how these negative experiences of learners and their low self-esteem could be minimised was investigated, and recommendations were suggested. Learners' perceptions on activities and curriculum, which will assist in the improvement of English, were also determined. The use of home languages and their values in the learners' lives was researched. The role of home languages in the community as well as at school, together with English spoken at home and at school was determined. The programmes and methods, which can be utilised to ensure the proximal use the vernacular and English, were reflected through the approaches suggested by different scholars, and by the literature review. These approaches are explained and discussed to ensure a clear understanding of the research study being investigated.

Recent studies show that Buchner's use of biblical allusions in his literary and political writings reflect considerable knowledge of and interest in religious topics. What has been largely neglected however, is the inseparable tie between biblical themes and social implications in Buchner's works. By providing an in-depth look into Buchner's protestant religious education in Darmstadt from 1821-1831, the dissertation sheds new light on this aspect of Buchner's writings. Born into a protestant but not zealously religious middle-class family, Georg Buchner received his first formal religious education through protestant textbooks used in Religion classes in elementary school (Zarnack, Salzmann, Kohlrausch, Snell; 1821-1825). These textbooks focussed on the figure of Jesus, his compassion with and assistance to the poor and rejection of the rich (Kohlrausch's "Anleitungen"). Readings in German class supported this depiction by providing the students with readings that show the rich as predominantly exploitative and heartless monsters deserving punishment. In high school (1825-1831), Heinrich Palmer, Buchner's Religion teacher from 1827-1831, shifted the focus to a thorough knowledge of the Bible and to protestant heroism. Basing his classes on texts by Ziegenbein and Niemeyer, Palmer promulgated their views further in his weekly addresses from the pulpit. Traces of these teachings are evident in Buchner's high school writings. They also show Heinrich Palmer and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing as sources from whom Buchner enjoyed borrowing. As further evidence from minutes, diary entries, and court depositions (1832 to 1837) made by Buchner's predominantly protestant friends in Strassburg, Giessen, and Darmstadt shows, Buchner seems to have adopted the teachings from his elementary and high school years by placing the social gap between the rich and the poor at the heart of his belief that a social "reformation" could only be brought about through religion and the use of the Bible. While religious topics were also read and discussed in the context of other subjects, socio-religious thought and protestant heroism were at the heart of religious instruction and echo most loudly from Buchner's high school writings, from his political pamphlet Der Hessische Landbote (1834) and from the mission statement of the Gesellschaft der Menschenrechte. In view of these findings, Buchner's plays and the novella fragment Lenz are richly deserving of analysis in future studies.