<p> This explanatory mixed method research study investigates instructor and student perceptions regarding the factors that enhance or inhibit the self-directedness of American Sign Language (ASL) I students enrolled in institutions of higher education. This methodology was employed to learn from interviews with 10 participants, both students and instructors, as well as 20 students who participated in the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) aka the Learning Preference Assessment (LPA) developed by Lucy Guglielmino (1978). The SDLRS survey answered the first research question. As it is shown in research, the interviews clarified the numbers with the personal narratives to support the development of the conclusion of the study. The data collected were videotaped and transcribed by the researcher. A total of three themes emerged from this study to answer the six research questions. The goal of this explanatory mixed method study was to gain more knowledge of what the students in the introductory ASL class perceive their self-direction to be and to identify what works for them in regards to learning strategies. Findings from this study could provide deeper understanding and a rich source of information for the future ASL instructors to help reduce frustration among ASL students. </p>

<p>Large numbers of novice programmers have been failing postsecondary introductory computer science programming (CS1) courses for nearly four decades. Student learning is much worse in secondary programming courses of similar or even lesser rigor. This has critical implications for efforts to reclassify Computer Science (CS) as a core secondary subject. State departments of education have little incentive to do so until it can be demonstrated that most grade-level students will not only pass such classes, but will be well-prepared to succeed in subsequent vertically aligned coursework. </p><p> One rarely considered cause for such massive failure is insufficient pedagogic attention to teaching a programming language (PL) as a language, per se. Students who struggle with acquiring proficiency in using a PL can be likened to students who flounder in a French class due to a poor grasp of the language's syntactic or semantic features. Though natural languages (NL) and PLs differ in many key respects, a recently reported (2014) fMRI study has demonstrated that comprehension of computer programs primarily utilizes regions of the brain involved in language processing, not math. The implications for CS pedagogy are that, if PLs are learned in ways fundamentally similar to how second languages (L2) are acquired, foreign language pedagogies (FLP) and second language acquisition (SLA) theories can be key sources for informing the crafting of effective PL teaching strategies. </p><p> In this regard, key features of contemporary L2 pedagogies relevant to effective PL instruction&mdash;reflecting the late 20^th-century shift in emphasis from cognitive learning that stressed grammatical knowledge, to one that facilitates communication and practical uses of the language&mdash;are: (1) repetitive and comprehensible input in a variety of contexts, and (2) motivated, meaningful communication and interaction. </p><p> Informed by these principles, four language-based strategies adapted for PL instruction are described, the first to help students acquire syntax and three others for learning semantics: (a) memorization; (b) setting components in relief; (c) transformations; and (d) ongoing exposure. </p><p> Anecdotal observations in my classroom have long indicated that memorization of small programs and program fragments can immediately and drastically reduce the occurrence of syntax errors among novice pre-AP Java programming students. A modest first experiment attempting to confirm the effect was statistically unconvincing: for students most likely to struggle, the Pearson coefficient of &minus;0.474 (p &lt; 0.064) suggested a low-modest inverse correlation. A follow-up study will be better designed. Still, a possible explanation for the anecdotal phenomenon is that the repetition required for proficient memorization activates the same subconscious language acquisition processes that construct NL grammars when learners are exposed to language data. </p><p> Dismal retention rates subsequent to the introductory programming course have historically also been a persistent problem. One key factor impacting attrition is a student's intrinsic motivation, which is shaped both by interest in, and self-efficacy with regards to, the subject matter. Interest involves not just CS concepts, but also context, the domains used to illustrate how one can apply those concepts. One way to tap into a wide range of student interests is to demonstrate the capacity of CS to explore, model, simulate and solve non-trivial problems in domains across the academic spectrum, fields that students already value and whose basic concepts they already understand. </p><p> An original University of California "G" elective (UCOP "a-g" approved) pre-AP programming course along these principles is described. In this graphics-based Processing course, students are guided through the process of writing and studying small dynamic art programs, progressing to mid-size graphics programs that model or simulate real-world problems and phenomena in geography, biology, political science and astronomy. The contextualized course content combined with the language-specific strategies outlined above address both interest and self-efficacy. Although anecdotally these appear to have a positive effect on student understanding and retention, studies need to be done on a larger scale to validate these outcomes. </p><p> Finally, a critique is offered of the movement to replace rigorous secondary <i> programming</i> instruction with survey courses&mdash;particularly <i> Exploring Computer Science</i> and <i>APCS Principles</i>&mdash;under the guise of "democratizing" secondary CS education or to address the severe and persistent demographic disparities. This group of educators has promulgated a nonsensical fiction that programming is simply one of many subdisciplines of the field, rather than the core skill needed to understand all other CS topics in any deep and meaningful way. These courses present a facade of mitigating demographic disparities, but leave participants no better prepared for subsequent CS study. </p>

For at least a century, applied linguists have been researching and developing an ever evolving concept of how to approach and teach culture in the foreign language (FL) classroom. Frequently, we find researchers stating why culture should be taught, offering their own definitions of culture, and suggesting methods for practical implementation. A common goal in this process has been finding a cohesive definition of culture that would unite the field in the implementation of methods that would naturally follow. While great strides have been made in the development of theories, definitions, and suggested methods, there exists a lag between researchers’ discoveries and the application of the concept in teachers’ lessons. This paper will briefly review the history of culture research in the FL field, offer analysis of potential reasons for the lag in implementation, and conclude with an overview of challenges in the practical field. / text

This is a longitudinal study that examines children's perspectives on the development of biliteracy. The theories of children as they learn through two languages reflect a crucial source of knowledge that has received little attention in the research. This study is concerned with the ways in which children learn to read and write in two languages for academic and social purposes as they encounter discourse laden with ideological contradictions.Using a case study design, the study draws on theoretical frameworks from the fields of language socialization, biliteracy, dual language education, and middle school literacy. By showing that children hold sophisticated notions of biliteracy, transforming the ways that language, oral and written become defined and perceived, the research presented here demonstrates that biliteracy is a complex phenomenon that includes meaning-making in two languages and cultures.The study triangulates ethnographic data from interviews with students, families and teachers, participant observation in classrooms, literacy instruction, other school domains, and document and archival analysis. These data indicate that there are multiple paths to biliteracy and that home and school literacy practices can mediate the effects of low income status on literacy development. Additional findings indicate that curriculum and instruction that consistently support minority language literacy promote the development of additive biliteracy in both language majority and language minority students.

No description available.

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of state standardized testing English Language Learners are required to participate in as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Although policymakers continue to debate the minutia of the academic accountability for English Language Learners, the over-arching question of test validity has continued to be ignored. Current federal requirements identify participation in state standardized testing of all English Language Learners who have been in country more than one academic year. Data collected for analysis included English Language Learners&rsquo; level of English proficiency, and state standardized testing scores in reading, English language arts, and mathematics. The goal was to determine, using quantitative data, correlations between these variables. The study concludes by highlighting factors to be considered that influence accountability policy at the state and federal level and by making suggestions for future research in the area of assessing English Language Learners for the purpose of increased accuracy for accountability in academic growth and performance.</p><p> Through the use of ex-post-facto data, the results of the study identified three findings. The first finding identified that there is a correlation between ELL students&rsquo; English language proficiency level and performance on state standardized testing in the areas of reading, English language arts, and mathematics. The second finding in the study, using the Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA) to identify student English proficiency levels, recognized that there is a threshold between WELPA levels and the ELL students who are passing state standardized tests. The third finding recognized that there was no significant distinction in state standardized testing between the number of reading/English language arts tests and mathematics tests.</p>

<p> This research consists of three case studies conducted within American Jewish day schools (JDSs). Addressing some of the issues pointed to by past researchers, this investigation focuses on the following discrete areas of Hebrew language (HL) programs: the stated visions for Hebrew language learning as noted in the mission statements and other documents of the schools and as articulated by teachers and administrators, the methodologies employed by Hebrew and Jewish Studies educators within these institutions, and the assessment practices employed by these schools and educators to determine whether the expressed goals of these programs are being met. By exploring the missions, methods, and assessment processes within these Hebrew language programs, and contrasting these aspects of the schools, we come to a better understanding of the inner workings of these programs and the issues that may be addressed in practice and future research. The following questions guided this mixed-methods study: (1) Within each JDS, what are the goals, according to the mission statement, teachers and administrators, for receptive and productive oral proficiency and literacy in HL? (2) Within each JDS, what are the instructional methodologies employed by teachers in HL and Jewish Studies? (3) Within each JDS, what formal and informal assessments, including teacher perceptions, are currently used for student placement, ongoing and recursive assessment, and outcome assessment? Findings indicate that each of these schools has articulated its missions and program goals to incorporate the development of some kind of Hebrew proficiency and Jewish identity among students. However, confusion was identified within each institution regarding planning methodological approaches and employing systematic and meaningful evaluations of student progress, both of which are found to be interwoven with the desired development of Hebrew language, Jewish identity and a Zionist orientation. In order to successfully achieve their goals and missions, clearer articulation, more consistent and research-based methodological choices, along with consistent and meaningful assessments are required.</p>

<p>Military adult learners enrolled in intensive language courses such as the Arabic Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center may need to utilize specific learning strategies in order to reach high proficiency language achievement. These strategies are established in the literature as contributors to high language proficiency achievement. The problem addressed in this study was that the desired high proficiency levels defined as 2+/2+/2 on the Defense Language Proficiency Test remains unrealized. In order to understand how to help students excel in foreign language learning, this study compared self-regulated learning scores of students who met the proficiency goal of 2+/2+/2 to those who did not. The 2+/2+/2 are the scores of the listening, reading and speaking measured by Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. The Motivated Strategies for Leering questionnaire was used to compare the self-regulated learning strategies of the high and the low language proficiency achievers. Interviews of the Arabic learners to understand what self-regulated learning strategies these learners used and how they developed their self-regulated learning strategies were necessary to determine what the high achievers did and what the low achievers did not do so that this information can be used to improve the way that the foreign language learners are taught. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS and Interviews were analyzed following the Powell and Renner&rsquo;s (2003) five steps of data analyses. The results of this mixed-methods study showed that using more self-regulated learning strategies increased the students&rsquo; language proficiency levels and also revealed how the students developed and used these strategies to increase Arabic language proficiency levels. </p>

acase@tulane.edu / 1 / Sarah Mellman

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 77-78). Also available in print.