This thesis examines the role of interpretation in legal encounter in Lexington, Kentucky. Through an analysis of legal and interpretation practices, this study seeks to ascertain how these practices may affect non-native or low-proficiency English speakers’ (LLPs) experiences with both federal and local laws and legal spaces. This place-based study involves in-depth qualitative research. Using the methodological framework of feminist geo-jurisprudence, this research contributes to our understanding of 1) the limits of the publicity of legal space and, more specifically, the ways in which language barriers can prevent legal inclusion; 2) local strategies and tactics for dealing with the challenges to meaningful access before the law in terms of language as outlined by Title IV of the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act; 3) the broader implications of language access for immigrants and non-citizens at the intersection of legal discourse and society (discursive legal space). Furthermore, this research addresses the absence and presence of hospitality (Derrida, 2005) from this site of citizenship negotiation, and it addresses the ethics of hospitality behind the work that attempts to resist legal closure and to enforce laws that protect, rather than persecute, those facing language barriers.

No description available.

Due to the difference in cultures and languages, language minority students, who are mostly immigrant students, are confronted with more demands than are mainstream students (Ogden, Sorlie, & Hagen, 2007). Further, when they are limited in English proficiency (LEP), they tend to perform at lower levels in school and to be at risk of school failure. Based on the previous studies that addressed the importance of students' social skills for school success, this study examined the social development of the language minority immigrant students from kindergarten to fifth grade and investigated the longitudinal effect of their social skills on their academic performance in comparison with the English-speaking mainstream students. Using a nationally representative database, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), this study first investigated the concurrent association between social skills and the academic achievement of fifth-grade students, and the profiles of their social skills during the first six years of schooling to identify the relative importance of various aspects of social skills that are related to academic performance. Next, the language minority student group, which was further divided based on their LEP status at kindergarten, was examined and compared with the mainstream student group with respect to their development patterns and levels of social skills from kindergarten to fifth grade. As a final step, the longitudinal effect of students' social skills on their reading and math performance was estimated and tested using the two-level hierarchical growth model. The result identified approaches to learning as the most important aspect of social skills related to academic achievement. Language minority immigrant students from families living in poverty displayed extremely unstable development in all aspects of social skills, including their approaches to learning. In addition, the longitudinal effect of the social skills on reading and math performance was significant for all students but larger for the students in poverty regardless of the language minority status. The positive effect of improved social skills was the largest for the group of students who displayed the most unstable social development, which were the language minority immigrant students who did not show LEP at kindergarten and who were living in poverty. This result suggests the needs of students living in poverty, especially language minority students, for relevant supports and intervention. / Ph. D.

This study aims at answering questions pertaining to the performance of bilingual Arab-American students on solving word problems written in their home and school languages: (1) Does the language in which a word problem is stated have an effect on the performance of the bilingual Arab-American students?; (2) Do Arab-American students with higher levels of Arabic proficiency perform better in either or both versions of the word problems?; and (3) What are some common differences and similarities in the problem solving processes of Arab-American students as they solve problems in English or Arabic? The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze these questions. A total of 173 students from a full-time Islamic school participated in this study: 56 students in fifth grade, 56 students in sixth grade, and 61 students in seventh grade. All students were asked to solve two sets of ten word problems each. The students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Results showed that Arab-American students performed significantly better in the English version of the word problems. Arab-American students with higher levels of Arabic proficiency performed better in the Arabic version of the word problems. Students' standardized scores on mathematics problem solving was a significant factor in explaining variances in student performance on both language versions of both sets of word problems. While students' standardized scores on reading comprehension was a significant factor in predicting the students' performance on the English version of the word problems, students' final average in the Arabic subject was a significant factor in predicting students' performance on the Arabic version of the word problems. Differences and similarities emerged in the problem solving processes of Arab-American students solving the word problems in either English or Arabic. Some students found statements involving double comparisons, problems with hidden information, and problems that required multi-step solutions or thinking backwards to be problematic in both language versions of the problems. Difficult vocabulary was especially problematic for students when solving the Arabic version of the word problems.

abstract: Public schools across the country are increasingly dealing with children who enter schools speaking a language other than English and Arizona is not the exception. As a result, schools across the country have to adequately ensure this populations’ academic achievement, which is directly impacted by English proficiency and ELLs (English Language Learners) program placement. However, restrictive language policies such as Proposition 203, the four-hour English Language Development (ELD) block, and the exclusion of ELLs from Dual Language Programs (DLPs) in Arizona are not effectively preparing linguistic minority and ethnic student populations for academic achievement and competitiveness in a global economy. For the first part of the analysis, the author examined bilingual education and DLPs policies, access, and practices impacting Latina/o communities by utilizing a case study methodology framework to present the phenomenon of DLPs in a state that by law only supports English only education. The author discussed the case study research design to answer the research questions: (1) Which public k-12 schools are implementing Dual Language Programs (DLPs) in the state of AZ? (2) What are the DLPs’ characteristics? (3) Where are the schools located? (4) What are the stakeholder participants’ perceptions of DLPs and the context in which these DLPs navigate? The author also describe the context of the study, the participants, data, and the data collection process, as well as the analytical techniques she used to make sense of the data and draw findings. The findings suggest that bilingual education programs in the form of DLPs are being implemented in the state of Arizona despite the English only law of Proposition 203, English for the Children. The growing demand for DLPs is increasing the implementation of such programs, however, language minority students that are classified as ELL are excluded from being part of such programs. Moreover, the findings of the study suggest that although bilingual education is being implemented in Arizona through DLPs, language minority education policy is being negatively influenced by Interest Convergence tenets and Racist Nativist ideology in which the interest of the dominant culture are further advanced to the detriment of minority groups’ interest. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2016

A majority of students at the local University College of Science and Education (UCSE, pseudonym) in Jamaica do not have the conceptual understanding of mathematical principles to function in a competitive and highly globalized marketplace. In 2013 and 2014, 88% and 92% of freshmen education students scored at the lowest 2 levels on the Mathematics Diagnostic Test (MDT). The instructional language at UCSE is Standard English (SE) whereas most students speak Jamaican dialect (JD). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that the language of instruction has on student achievement in math as measured by the MDT. Guided by Vygotsky's social development theory, the research questions focused on comparing MDT change scores between students who were taught using JD and those using SE as the instructional language. The quasi-experimental design used ex post facto data including pretest and posttest MDT scores from 40 freshmen of whom 20 were instructed in JD and 20 in SE. The results of an independent sample t test showed that the difference in the MDT change score was significant. The JD students had a higher improvement score. Consequently, it is recommended that math instructors use JD to instruct freshmen education students whose native language is JD. A professional development session for math teachers was created that demonstrates how to teach in JD while simultaneously scaffolding the instruction in a way that students can learn SE and be prepared for the following year at UCSE. If students understand the math concepts in their freshman year, they are more likely to continue their college education and to become productive members of Jamaica's economy which is dependent on employees that are proficient in math.

In vielen Staaten unterscheidet sich die Leistung von Schülern mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund. Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund sprechen eine Minderheitensprache sowie die Zielsprache des Wohnlandes, das führt zu einem gewissen Grad der Zweisprachigkeit. Die Zweisprachigkeit ist mit Entwicklungsmustern verbunden, die das Fremdsprachenlernen der bilingualen Schüler positiv beeinflussen können. Diese Dissertation untersucht die Beziehung zwischen Zweisprachigkeit und Fremdsprachenlernen. Die erste Studie untersuchte die Wirkung der Zweisprachigkeit von Schülern mit Migrationshintergrund auf das Erlernen von Englisch als Fremdsprache. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen positiven Trend zwischen Zweisprachigkeit und Lernerfolg. Dieser Trend unterschied sich deutlich zwischen Gruppen verschiedener Heimatsprachen mit den Kenntnissen der Unterrichtssprache als stärksten Prädiktor. Die zweite Studie betrachtete die Wirkung von Zweisprachigkeit auf die Leistung in Englisch als Fremdsprache von der Grundschule bis zur weiterführenden Schule. Die Analysen zeigen, dass, ein wesentlicher Vorteil der Zweisprachigkeit in der Grundschule vorliegt, dieser aber in der Sekundarstufe I verschwindet. Dies führt zu unterschiedlichem Leistungszuwachs von zweisprachigen und einsprachigen Schülern. Die dritte Studie untersuchte die Wirkung der Zweisprachigkeit auf das Erlernen von Englisch als Fremdsprache unter Berücksichtigung der Auswirkungen von Methode und Abfolge des Erlernens der Zweitsprache sowie des Sprachgebrauchs. Die Ergebnisse zeigen Leistungsvorsprünge in der Drittsprache für Zweisprachige, die in ihrer Minderheitensprache unterrichtet werden, beide Sprachen simultan erwerben und häufiger zwischen beiden Sprachen wechseln. Diese Dissertation gibt weitere Hinweise darauf, dass unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen Zweisprachige mit Migrationshintergrund im Vergleich zu einsprachigen Schülern Vorteile im Fremdsprachenlernen haben, obwohl sich dieser Befund im Laufe der Zeit verändert. / There is a large achievement gap between students with immigrant background and their peers. Many students with immigrant backgrounds speak a minority language at home as well as the majority language of the larger society, resulting in some level of bilingualism. Bilingualism is associated with unique patterns of development that may affect their foreign language learning (FLL) in positive ways. This thesis explores the relationship between bilingualism and FLL, focusing on factors that affect this relationship. The first study investigates the effect of immigrant bilingualism on English FLL, examining confounding background variables and the effect of instructional language proficiency. The results showed a general positive trend between bilingualism and FLL. This positive trend differed between bilingual groups with different home languages with the strongest predictor for FLL being instructional language proficiency. This second study considers the effect of bilingualism on the FLL from elementary to secondary school. Although a significant advantage of bilingualism is found in elementary school, it disappeared as students proceed into secondary school, yielding differential gains for the language minority and monolingual groups. The level of exposure to the minority language played an important role for the FLL development. The third study examines the effect of bilingualism on FLL, considering the impact of manner and age of bilingual acquisition as well as language use practices. The results showed higher FLL for bilinguals who received formal instruction in their minority language, had acquired both languages simultaneously, and switched more often between their two languages, when compared to their other bilingual and monolingual peers. The findings of this thesis add to the evidence that under certain conditions, some bilinguals from immigrant communities have advantages in FLL compared to their monolingual peers although this pattern does change over time.

The diploma thesis deals with Russian language periodic press in the Czech Republic from 1990 to 2016. Based on a quantitative document analysis, the thesis describes changes in number of periodicals, identifies three types of publishers and details the biggest publishing companies. Readers and functions of Russian language periodic press are defined with the help of in-depth interviews with media producers. The thesis is supplemented by a list of Russian language titles published in the Czech Republic in 2018. It also contains a description of producers of this minority language media and their working conditions. The thesis concludes that there is a declining tendency in number of Russian language titles published in the Czech Republic. The age of readers of this type of minority media varies. The audience speak and read in Russian and it is also comfortable for them to read in this language. These printed periodicals provide their readers with civic and cultural explanation and with apolitical information with so called Czech element. These functions enable their readers assimilation into the major society.

The growing population of English language learners (ELLs) in an urban school district in the southwest United States has maintained low achievement scores in the K-5 grades. Students who do not attain reading proficiency at least by the end of 3rd grade are at risk of continued academic failure through high school. Research shows that teachers' knowledge and preparedness to teach reading has an influence on student performance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the readiness of mainstream classroom teachers to teach reading to ELLs. Guided by the sociocultural frameworks of Bruner and Vygotsky, this study explored teachers' perceptions about the adequacy of instructional resources they receive to improve reading instruction. A sample of 12 purposefully selected teachers from 10 different school districts, with at least 3 years of experience teaching ELLs, shared their responses via semistructured interviews. Data sorted through inductive and axial coding showed teachers expressed an inadequacy in preparing to teach ELLs and depended on their experience with ELLs to provide specific teaching strategies in a risk-free environment that would promote positive student outcomes. The participants' responses helped design a professional development initiative to address the need for more training specific for reading teachers of ELLs. Implications for positive social change include providing more training in reading instruction for teachers of ELLs that can result in increased ELL student reading achievement and greater academic success through high school.

Ancrée dans les méthodes de la sociolinguistique critique, cette thèse fait état des questions de légitimité, d’inclusion et d’exclusion, d’ancrage et de mobilité au sein de la collectivité francophone de la province du Manitoba, une minorité linguistique de langue officielle au Canada. Par l’entremise d’un travail de terrain ethnographique et d’entretiens semi-dirigées, cette étude cherche à sonder les questions de la redéfinition de la francité manitobaine, la reproduction des frontières de différenciation du groupe depuis les années 1960. Cette thèse se penche également sur la formation d’une élite en émergence au Manitoba français durant les années 1960 et le phénomène de migration et de mobilité d’une partie de ce groupe. En posant d’emblée une question importante, ‘Qui décide pour qui’, cette thèse se propose de naviguer à travers les questions légitimité sociale, linguistique et identitaire au Manitoba depuis les années 1960. / This research discusses the legitimizing forces that comprise what it means to be francophone in French speaking parts of Manitoba, an official language minority group in Canada. The researcher has through the lens of critical sociolinguistic analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, used participant observation, open ended interviews and discourse analysis to uncover themes of legitimacy, belonging and elite-building in 1960s Franco-Manitoba and how these themes resonate today. The research attempts to answer the conundrum, “who decides for whom” in matters of the right to francophone recognition. The current issues of migration and the dynamic tension between anchoring of the perceived centre and an ever-shifting periphery of linguistic and “ethnic” boundaries underscore the research.