This dissertation documents the work of two teacher collaborators who brought a focus on linguistic and cultural diversity into their literacy teaching even while teaching in English medium schools. The research was carried out during eighteen months utilizing collaborative case study methodology in conjunction with two teachers in highly multilingual and multicultural public elementary schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This study explores the pedagogical possibilities that are made available by teaching for transfer and highlights the resource that students’ linguistic diversity can be even when the instructional setting is monolingual. The dual language literacy pedagogies of the two teachers provide the basis for an analysis of the paths for knowledge construction and identity development that were made available for students through this work. I examine the role that teacher identity and societal influences play in enabling or constraining a redefinition of literacy for the increasingly globalized context of schools. The image of the child, of literacy and of bilingualism projected by the work of the two participating teachers shape the analysis of their identity and role definition as educators. By examining teaching practices that integrate students’ linguistic and cultural identities into the fabric of the literacy curriculum several themes are considered: (a) the role of teacher identity and choice in creating learning contexts that draw on students’ interests and prior knowledge, (b) the link between student engagement and a classroom ecology that values students’ identities and, (c) the different types of knowledge that are generated in the process of participating in the dual language literacy work. Results suggest that students were able to utilize their first language skills in the service of learning English. They also experienced a renewed motivation to extend their first language skills into the sphere of literacy as a result of its affirmation within the classroom. In the case of both first and second language development, students’ ability to engage cognitively and affectively in their literacy work was heightened by virtue of the integration of their language and culture into the curriculum.

<p> There were dual purposes of this exploratory, case study. The first purpose was to investigate and describe the teaching strategies of six Head Start teachers within one program in Oregon whose dual language learners had shown gains of at least three levels in receptive and expressive English language development, as determined by their assessment ratings in Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System. The second purpose was to identify what, if any, professional development strategies and resources have been beneficial to those teachers in promoting English language development for children who are dual language learners. </p><p> This qualitative study utilized three data collection methods: interviews, observations and review of artifacts. The one-on-one interviews with the purposive sample of teachers occurred during the first phase. The interview questions were designed to learn about teaching strategies utilized by Head Start teachers to promote English language development for children who are dual language learners as well as teachers' relevant professional development resources and opportunities. During the second phase of the study, the <i>Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition</i> (CASEBA) instrument was used to conduct classroom observations in each of the six teachers' classrooms. Furthermore, a review of relevant artifacts was conducted during the observations. </p><p> Seven conclusions emerged from the study. First, home language support in the classrooms contributed to English language development. Second, teachers' use of pictures, gestures and other visual cues promoted children's comprehension of English. Third, culturally responsive curriculum was not necessary for promoting enhanced language outcomes. Fourth, a supportive social/emotional environment in the classroom contributed to progress in expressive language development. Next, singing songs with gestures and high quality teachers' talk in English also contributed to expressive language development. Lastly, professional development, formal and informal, is beneficial and needed for preschool teachers. </p><p> Five recommendations emerged from the study. Policy recommendations are for college teacher preparation programs to require coursework pertaining to dual language learning and for programs to actively recruit bilingual teachers. Practice recommendations are for programs to implement a Planned Language Approach, set up peer mentoring and training opportunities, and for teachers to plan individual and small group read alouds. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between acculturation and Arabic language skills in Arab American youth in a community center setting. Seventy Arabic speaking students at the age of 13 through 17 in a Midwestern state were selected on a non-random sampling basis to participate in this study. Three main measures were used to collect data: (1) Student Demographic Survey, (2) student acculturation scale and (3) the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE Exam).</p><p> Descriptive analyses were used to summarize, classify and simplify the data collected from the two surveys. Inferential analyses, on the other hand, were used to investigate two research hypotheses of this study. Two statistical tests were used: Pearson product moment correlations were used to determine if the level of acculturation was related to the students' language proficiency in Arabic. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine if acculturation could be used to predict Arabic proficiency after controlling for age, gender, years of school in the United States and years of formal education in Arabic. The demographic variables were entered first in the multiple linear regression analysis to remove their effects on Arabic language proficiency. There were non-significant relationships between the variables. Explanations were provided regarding why the research hypotheses were not supported. Potential future research is also examined.</p>

The aim with this study is to find out the role of literature in language education. More specifically, this essay focuses on discovering how literature can be used to learn and acquire the English language. The study will show how reading literature can benefit students’ proficiency. The paper is based on two parts. The first part is an interview section where four English teachers have been interviewed in order to learn what teachers’ thoughts are on the role of literature in the courses in English. The teachers that have taken part in the study work at the same school in a smaller municipality. The second part of the study examines the availability of literary material in three current ELT coursebooks that the interviewees use in their teaching. This was done by a page-by-page analysis of the coursebooks.  The results of the interviews suggest that through reading literature students can acquire skills such as expanded vocabulary and proficiency. Moreover, the study shows that the coursebooks available to the teachers fail to provide enough reading material, nonfictional or fictional, to develop the proficiency the authors of the coursebooks claim students will acquire by using their coursebooks. / Denna studie ämnar undersöka litteraturens roll i språkundervisningen. Mer specifikt fokuserar studien på att undersöka hur litteratur kan vara ett verktyg för att lära sig engelska. Studien ämnar visa hur läsning kan främja elevers språkliga förmåga. Uppsatsen är uppdelad i två delar. Första delen fokuserar på resultaten av intervjuer med fyra engelsklärare som ger sina åsikter om litteraturens roll i engelskundervisningen. Lärarna som har deltagit i studien jobbar på samma skola i ett mindre samhälle. Den andra delen studerar det litterära materialet i tre läroböcker som lärarna använder i sin undervisning. Detta gjordes genom att analysera läromedlen sida för sida. Resultaten antyder att elever genom att läsa litteratur kan utveckla ett flertal förmågor, bland annat få ett större ordförråd och utveckla sin språkliga förmåga. Studien antyder också att läromedlen som lärarna använder sig av inte lyckas att förse lärarna med tillräckligt många litterära texter för att eleverna ska kunna utveckla sin språkliga förmåga till den grad läromedelsförfattarna påstår att de kan genom att använda deras läromedel.

<p>Instructors of English as Second Language (ESL) at a private community college had raised concerns regarding Hispanic ESL students not developing sufficient English proficiency. The purpose of this single exploratory case study was to explore the phenomenon brought forward by ESL instructors and share the results with the ESL program and the college. The conceptual framework for this qualitative study was based on the classroom learning motivation theory suggesting that the environment in which a student is learning a new language also plays a major role in second language learning. Data collection was conducted through 3 ESL classroom observations and interviews with 15 community college students. A focus group with 7 different students was used to understand Hispanic ESL students? perspectives about their experience in the college-wide ESL program and issues students face in the ESL program. Data analysis consisted of thematic content analysis, constant comparison, and concurrent data collection and analysis until concept saturation occurred. The findings were that Hispanic ESL students were satisfied with the ESL program. Data triangulation formed 4 themes: students would like to use technology in the classroom, more instances for in-class conversation, to be corrected when they mispronounce a word, and have instructors who spoke Spanish. The recommendations include the creation of a policy to institutionalize professional development to help ESL teachers become aware of the issues that Hispanic ESL students face in the classroom in order to help students achieve English proficiency. This case study served as an example for other institutions to take the initiative learn how Hispanic ESL students perceive ESL instruction and filled the gap in research regarding Hispanic ESL students? perception of ESL programs.

anglicky: Title of the thesis: Primary education of foreign languages in France and primary education of french in the Czech Republic Keywords: foreign language, french, primary school, education, class-books Abstract: The drift of my thesis is to appreciate how to educate foreign languges in France and the education of french in the Czech Republic at primary school. The informations for the first part of my thesis I have found in France or with the help of French institut of Prague or with internet. I had some problems with the second part, the education of french in our country, there are not so much informations of this dilemma. I wanted to summarise the informations of the education of french, because there is no document about this question, so it was my another butt of my thesis. I have also targot the practically respect, for example the book reviews or questionaries for children. My thesis gave me the enriching of the sphere, whitch is very important for me. There are two parts of my work- the first about the french education of foreign languages at primary school and the second about the czech education of french at primary school. Chapters and sub-chapters go into the profundity od the problem.

Faculty of Humanities School of Education 0201596p m.hendricks@ru.ac.za / This thesis analyses the classroom writing of learners in their additional languages at four differently resourced schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The choice of languages on offer at schools and the medium of instruction seldom meet current language education policy requirements of additive bilingualism needed to support children’s home language and general cognitive growth. The central question of my study concerns how school writing practices contribute to the development of learners’ writing ability. The data collected and analysed in order to investigate this were all the regular classroom writing of Grade 7 children in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa, where these were additional languages, not the children’s home language. My findings were that there is no check by the Education Department on whether schools meet the official national curriculum policy requirements with regard to the amount of curriculum time allocated to language. Also, that there is a mismatch between the languages on offer at schools and the home languages of learners, and teachers, which is not monitored. My key findings with regard to writing were that there are significant differences and inequalities in the amounts that learners write at these schools across Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa. Decontextualised grammar tasks predominate in what learners write in all three languages at all four schools. Children write relatively few extended texts, and these are mainly personal expressive texts which are unlikely to develop their ability to write abstract, context-reduced genres. Teachers’ neglect of impersonal formal and factual genres at all four schools makes it difficult for learners to experience the benefits of writing these genres – that these genres set the basis for the development of abstract cognitivelydemanding language proficiency and disciplinary knowledge. In the case of English, which is the commonest medium of instruction even though it is the home language of less than 10% of the population, this shortcoming is especially serious.

This degree project focuses on the English classroom in the Swedish language introduction program, more specifically on the use of translanguaging as a teaching tool for newly arrived students. This thesis is an attempt to better understand the classroom dynamics in the program during English lessons by answering the following questions: What are the challenges of teaching English in the language introduction program in Sweden? What do teachers think about translanguaging as a teaching tool in the language introduction classes? Is using it taking advantage of pre-existing knowledge? The research was conducted with three teachers from one school in central Stockholm, all coming from different socio-cultural backgrounds and having varying degrees of experience as teachers. The data was gathered through classroom observations and interviews, which allowed for triangulation, thus offering a better understanding and a deeper view of their teaching practices. Three lessons were observed, one with each teacher. These observations were conducted prior to the interviews, to facilitate the comparison between the teaching styles of each teacher. Doing so allowed for more exhaustive and informative interviews. Although the qualitative nature of the data does not allow for the results to be generalizable, triangulation does give the results legitimacy and transferability. The results of this research will be beneficial in understanding how to tackle a multilingual environment, given that that is the direction in which Sweden is heading.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans une dynamique et une perspective plurielles car elle interroge essentiellement les sciences du langage, les sciences de l'éducation, mais emprunte également à l'économie de l'éducation, la sociologie de l'éducation, et la docimologie. Le point de départ de ce travail s'enracine dans notre questionnement permanent sur les faiblesses des systèmes éducatifs d'Afrique subsaharienne. Le cœur de notre travail interroge le bilinguisme officiel français-anglais à l'Éducation de base et les raisons pour lesquels le Cameroun ne parvient pas à atteindre ce bilinguisme scolaire. L'analyse à visée évaluative de la politique linguistique éducative montre in fine que le bilinguisme officiel au Cameroun est un bilinguisme de façade et les raisons essentielles de ce constat sont identifiées.Sur le plan méthodologique, les observables relèvent de techniques qualitatives courantes en sciences humaines (enquêtes de terrain fondées sur des entretiens semi-directifs, observations de classes, méta-analyses) et de techniques quantitatives issues principalement du domaine de l'économie de l'éducation.La perspective retenue dans la formulation des recommandations relève d'une approche aussi systémique que le permettait le cadre de notre étude et d'une tentative de pont entre le Nord et le Sud. Cette démarche nous a notamment conduit à nous appuyer, en particulier, sur les travaux sur le plurilinguisme du Conseil de l'Europe. Certes le terrain de recherche qui est le nôtre, l'Afrique subsaharienne francophone, est totalement différent du contexte européen, en apparence. Mais des points de convergence existent et il est certainement possible de dégager matière à réflexion de ces recherches axées uniquement sur l'Europe. S'il ne s'agit pas de plaquer les résultats obtenus dans ces recherches sur un terrain aussi différent que le Cameroun, il nous a semblé cependant qu'une contextualisation pourrait permettre, dans une perspective de mutualisation des bonnes pratiques, des évolutions intéressantes du bilinguisme scolaire au Cameroun.L'originalité de ce travail repose sur la thématique choisie, une contribution à l'analyse de la politique linguistique éducative dans une perspective évaluative, et sur l'introduction de méthodes issues du monde des consultants en éducation pour l'examen de cette politique. / This thesis is part of a dynamic and pluralistic perspective because it essentially asks the language sciences, science education, but also borrows from the economics of education, sociology of education, and docimology. The starting point of this work is rooted in our constant questioning about the weaknesses of sub-Saharan Africa education systems. The heart of our work questions the official French -English bilingualism in basic education and the reasons for which the Cameroon fails to reach this school bilingualism. The analysis referred to evaluative language education policy ultimately shows that official bilingualism in Cameroon is a bilingual facade and the main reasons for this situation are identified.On the methodological level, observable within current qualitative techniques in the social sciences (field surveys based on semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, meta-analyzes) and quantitative techniques mainly from the field of economics of education.The perspective adopted in the formulation of recommendations is part of a systemic approach also permitted the scope of this study and an attempt to bridge between North and South. This approach has led us to support us including, in particular, the work on multilingualism of the Council of Europe. While the field of research that is ours, Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa is totally different from the European context, apparently. But the points of convergence exist and it is certainly possible to identify to think of this research focused only on Europe. If it is not to flatten the results obtained in this research one as different as Cameroon ground, it seemed, however, that contextualization could afford, with a view to sharing best practices, interesting developments bilingual school in Cameroon.The originality of this work is based on the chosen theme, a contribution to the analysis of language education policy in an evaluative perspective, and the introduction of methods from the worlds of education consultants for review of this policy.

<p> Over the last decade, many Christian high schools in the United States have been adapting to an exponential increase of Chinese international students. Chinese families have shown increased interest and ability to send their teenage students to American high schools. Public high schools can only host an international student for a year, but private high schools can enroll the students multiple years. There have been few educational research studies for private high schools to refer to if they wanted to read research that would directly aid them in creating supports for their increasing amount of Chinese international students. This study&rsquo;s purpose was to explore what school supports Chinese international secondary students attending Christian high schools in the United States perceived to be effective. Three Christian high schools in California participated, with a total of 23 Chinese international students completing a questionnaire in which they rated existing schools supports and answered open-ended questions. The students showed overall satisfaction with existing schools supports, while also having many ideas for improvement. The students rated the following supports most highly: opportunities to be in service projects, the performing arts, the opportunity to learn about the Bible in club meetings and camps, teachers providing help for international students, and connection with international student alumni. Students voiced that they strongly desired help building stronger connections with local students, more academic support, and more culturally appropriate food.</p><p>