Educators are attempting to eliminate the disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education through initiatives such as Response to Intervention (RtI). Prior to the implementation of such initiatives, existing research relevant to this population must be critically reviewed and expanded. A synthesis of the available literature can provide significant insight into the type of data necessary to make informed decisions involving English language learners (ELL) at Tier I of an RtI model. In forming the theoretical foundation for this research, cognitive deficits associated with language-based disabilities and principles of cognitive load theory were examined. The study is an investigation of the following research question: Is the effectiveness of the bilingual English as a Second Language (ESL) model significantly altered under certain conditions? The research question was addressed through testing moderator effects using hierarchical linear regression. Initial English proficiency and initial Spanish proficiency were examined as moderating variables of the relationship between ESL model type and Kindergarten academic achievement. Academic achievement was defined as student learning growth on the Florida Assessment for Reading Instruction (FAIR) and student outcome scores on the Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) Listening/Speaking and Reading constructs. Results supported: a) the relationship between initial English proficiency and FAIR growth, CELLA Listening/Speaking, and CELLA Reading, b) the relationship between initial Spanish proficiency and FAIR growth and CELLA Listening/Speaking, c) the relationship between type of ESL model and FAIR growth, CELLA Listening/Speaking, and CELLA iii Reading, d) the additional effect of the interaction of initial Spanish language proficiency with ESL model type to alter FAIR learning growth over time, and e) the additional effect of the interaction of initial English language proficiency with ESL model type to alter CELLA Listening/Speaking scores. Overall, this research supports the hypothesis that initial language proficiency can significantly alter the effectiveness of a bilingual ESL model. Recommendations for future research in this area include longitudinal studies using a similar hierarchical regression design with moderators in order to contextualize positive student outcomes.

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Работа посвящена выявлению влияния уровня владения иностранным языком и уровня языковой тревожности на преодоление языкового барьера. Объектом исследования является языковой барьер, предметом – установление корреляции между уровнем владения иностранным языком, языковой тревожностью и преодолением языкового барьера. Цель диссертационного исследования состоит в теоретическом и экспериментальном выявлении закономерностей влияния уровня владения иностранным языком и языковой тревожности на способность преодоления языкового барьера у студентов первого курса департамента лингвистики УрФУ через обращение к индивиду, т. е. в условиях психолингвистического эксперимента. Материалом для исследования послужили данные психолингвистического эксперимента, в котором приняли участие 30 обучающихся профильного языкового департамента Уральского федерального университета. Анализ результатов исследования показал прямую взаимосвязь между уровнем владения иностранным языком и языковой тревожностью среди студентов первого курса департамента лингвистики УрФУ. А именно, чем ниже уровень владения иностранным языком, тем выше уровень языковой тревожности. Помимо этого, в рамках проведенного эксперимента удалось доказать, что группа, обладающая более высокими навыками владения иностранным языком, более способна к преодолению языкового барьера. / The study investigates the influence of foreign language proficiency and language anxiety on overcoming the language barrier. The object of the research is the language barrier. The subject of the study is the establishment of a correlation between foreign language proficiency, language anxiety, and overcoming the language barrier. The objective of the research is to theoretically and experimentally identify the patterns of influence of foreign language proficiency and language anxiety on the ability to overcome the language barrier among first-year students of the Linguistics Department at Ural Federal University by addressing the individual, that is, in the context of a psycholinguistic experiment. The research material consists of the data derived from a psycholinguistic experiment involving 30 students from the language department at Ural Federal University. The analysis of the research findings shows a direct correlation between foreign language proficiency and language anxiety among first-year students of the Linguistics Department at Ural Federal University. Specifically, the lower the level of foreign language proficiency, the higher the level of language anxiety. Additionally, the experiment demonstrates that the group with higher foreign language proficiency is more capable of overcoming the language barrier.

There has been growing concern in the higher education sector in South Africa about the high number of students with low academic literacy (AL) levels who are gaining entry into the sector. This influx necessitated the introduction of academic literacy interventions which are aimed at supporting these students in meeting the academic literacy requirements of university education. As a result, the tertiary sector has seen a growing number of AL interventions, each catering for a different context. However, the available literature reports very little substantial evidence on the impact/effectiveness of such interventions regarding the purpose for which they have been designed. The Vaal Triangle Campus (VTC) of the North-West University has also found that the majority of first year students who register at this Campus in order to attain a tertiary qualification, show inadequate levels of academic literacy in English. However, the academic literacy intervention that is currently used at this campus has never been formally assessed for its effectiveness in improving students’ academic literacy levels. The purpose of the current study was therefore to investigate the impact of the academic literacy intervention on students’ academic literacy levels. This intervention, which consists of two complementary semester modules, is offered over a one-year period to new first year students. As a first step, a comprehensive literature survey was conducted on important changes that took place in the tertiary education sector after 1994. The reason for this enquiry is based on the fact that many of these changes, such as the ‘massification’ of tertiary education, had far-reaching consequences for the tertiary sector in terms of more underprepared students who gained access to university education. Furthermore, available literature on the types of academic literacy interventions in South Africa, as well as specific sources on the reported impact of such interventions, were critiqued. The empirical part of the study made use of both a qualitative and quantitative research paradigm in order to investigate the impact of the AL intervention at the VTC. A highly reliable academic literacy test (the TALL – Test of Academic Literacy Levels) was used to determine whether students showed any significant improvement in their levels of academic literacy as a result of the intervention. This study reports positive findings in this regard. The investigation further gathered opinion-based data through the administration of three questionnaires aimed at determining student and lecturer perceptions of the impact of the intervention. The main findings of the two student questionnaires (one administered for each AL module) show that students generally see the value in attending the academic literacy modules because they feel that they derive benefit from them. The findings of the lecturer survey indicate that although mainstream lecturers are acutely aware of the low academic literacy levels of their students, they do not see the impact of the intervention on improving such levels. They are further not very knowledgeable about what the focus of the intervention entails. The main conclusion of this study is, in brief, that the academic literacy intervention has a definite effect on the improvement of students’ academic literacy levels. However, no conclusive data was found to support the idea that the improvement was due only to the influence of the intervention. / MA (Applied Language Studies), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

There has been growing concern in the higher education sector in South Africa about the high number of students with low academic literacy (AL) levels who are gaining entry into the sector. This influx necessitated the introduction of academic literacy interventions which are aimed at supporting these students in meeting the academic literacy requirements of university education. As a result, the tertiary sector has seen a growing number of AL interventions, each catering for a different context. However, the available literature reports very little substantial evidence on the impact/effectiveness of such interventions regarding the purpose for which they have been designed. The Vaal Triangle Campus (VTC) of the North-West University has also found that the majority of first year students who register at this Campus in order to attain a tertiary qualification, show inadequate levels of academic literacy in English. However, the academic literacy intervention that is currently used at this campus has never been formally assessed for its effectiveness in improving students’ academic literacy levels. The purpose of the current study was therefore to investigate the impact of the academic literacy intervention on students’ academic literacy levels. This intervention, which consists of two complementary semester modules, is offered over a one-year period to new first year students. As a first step, a comprehensive literature survey was conducted on important changes that took place in the tertiary education sector after 1994. The reason for this enquiry is based on the fact that many of these changes, such as the ‘massification’ of tertiary education, had far-reaching consequences for the tertiary sector in terms of more underprepared students who gained access to university education. Furthermore, available literature on the types of academic literacy interventions in South Africa, as well as specific sources on the reported impact of such interventions, were critiqued. The empirical part of the study made use of both a qualitative and quantitative research paradigm in order to investigate the impact of the AL intervention at the VTC. A highly reliable academic literacy test (the TALL – Test of Academic Literacy Levels) was used to determine whether students showed any significant improvement in their levels of academic literacy as a result of the intervention. This study reports positive findings in this regard. The investigation further gathered opinion-based data through the administration of three questionnaires aimed at determining student and lecturer perceptions of the impact of the intervention. The main findings of the two student questionnaires (one administered for each AL module) show that students generally see the value in attending the academic literacy modules because they feel that they derive benefit from them. The findings of the lecturer survey indicate that although mainstream lecturers are acutely aware of the low academic literacy levels of their students, they do not see the impact of the intervention on improving such levels. They are further not very knowledgeable about what the focus of the intervention entails. The main conclusion of this study is, in brief, that the academic literacy intervention has a definite effect on the improvement of students’ academic literacy levels. However, no conclusive data was found to support the idea that the improvement was due only to the influence of the intervention. / MA (Applied Language Studies), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

This thesis employed an integrated approach and investigated intra- and inter-individual differences relevant for normally hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) adults in native (Swedish) and non-native (English) languages in adverse listening conditions. The integrated approach encompassed the role of cognition as a focal point of interest as well as perceptualauditory and linguistic factors. Paper I examined the extent to which proficiency in a non-native language influenced native and non-native speech perception performance for NH listeners in noise maskers compared to native and non-native speech maskers. Working memory capacity in native and non-native languages and non-verbal intelligence were also assessed. The design of paper II was identical to that of paper I, however the participants in paper II had a hearingimpairment. The purpose of paper III was to assess how NH and HI listeners subjectively evaluated the perceived disturbance from the speech- and noise maskers in the native and nonnative languages. Paper IV examined how well native and non-native stories that were presented unmasked and masked with native and non-native speech were recalled by NH listeners. Paper IV further investigated the role of working memory capacity in the episodic long-term memory of story contents as well as proficiency in native and non-native languages. The results showed that generally, the speech maskers affected performance and perceived disturbance more than the noise maskers did. Regarding the non-native target language, interference from speech maskers in the dominant native language is taxing for speech perception performance, perceived disturbance and memory processes. However, large inter- individual variability between the listeners was observed. Part of this variability relates to non-native language proficiency. Perceptual and cognitive effort may hinder efficient long-term memory encoding, even when stimuli are appropriately identified at a perceptual level. A large working memory capacity (WMC) provides a better ability to suppress distractions and allocate processing resources to meet assigned objectives. The relatively large inter-individual differences in this thesis, require an individualized approach in clinical or educational settings when non-native persons or people with hearing impairment need to perceive and remember potentially vital information. Individua  differences in the very complex process of speech understanding and recall need to be further addressed by future studies. The relevance of cognitive factors and language proficiency provides opportunities for individuals who face difficulties to compensate using other abilities. / Avhandlingens övergripande syfte var att genom ett integrerat tillvägagångssätt undersöka mellan- och inom-individuella skillnader relevanta för normalhörande och hörselskadade vuxna i svenska och engelska språket under ogynnsamma lyssningsförhållanden. Med kognitiva faktorer i fokus, omfattade det integrerade tillvägagångssättet också perceptuella-auditiva och lingvistiska faktorer. Studie I undersökte i vilken utsträckning färdigheter i engelska inverkade på taluppfattning av ett modersmål och ett andra språk som var maskerat med brus jämfört med störande tal på svenska och engelska. Normalhörande vuxna deltog. Arbetsminneskapacitet på svenska och engelska liksom icke-verbal intelligens bedömdes också i studien. Designen i studie II var identisk med designen i studie I, förutom att personer med hörselnedsättning ingick som deltagare. Syftet med studie III var att bedöma hur normalhörande personer och personer med hörselnedsättning subjektivt utvärderade den upplevda störningen från tal- och brus på ett modersmål och ett andra språk. Studie IV undersökte hur väl normalhörande deltagare kom ihåg berättelser på svenska och engelska som presenterades omaskerade eller med störande tal på svenska eller engelska. Studie IV undersökte vidare  arbetsminneskapacitet och episodiskt långtidsminne av berättelsernas innehåll liksom också färdighet i svenska och engelska språket. Resultaten visade att generellt var maskeringseffekten större vid störande tal jämfört med andra bruskällor både vad avser taluppfattning såväl som upplevd störning. Vad det gäller det engelska språket som talsignal, är störning från det svenska modersmålet påfrestande för taluppfattning, upplevd störning såväl som för minnesprocesser. Dock har stor inter- och intra-individuell variation mellan deltagarna observerats. En del av denna variation avser engelska språkfärdigheter. Perceptuell och kognitiv påfrestning kan minska möjligheten till att säkra långsiktiga minnesprocesser även om ett stimuli var korrekt identifierat på en perceptuell nivå. En god arbetsminneskapacitet kan ge en bättre förmåga att undertrycka en distraktion och därmed fördela processresurserna för att nå de uppställda målen. De relativt stora inter-individuella skillnaderna i denna avhandling gör det angeläget med en individualiserad  tillämpning, kliniskt eller inom utbildningsmässiga områden när personer med hörselnedsättning eller personer med ett annat modersmål behöver uppfatta eller minnas potentiellt viktig information. De individuella skillnader som ligger bakom taluppfattning och minnesförmåga behöver utforskas vidare. Goda kognitiva förmågor och språkfärdigheter ger möjligheter för individer som möter svårigheter till att kompensera genom att använda dessa förmågor.