Researchers in schools have had differing interpretations of effective implementation of response to intervention (RTI) models that have resulted in educators' confusion and misperceptions of the programs, especially with elementary English language learner (ELL) students. The purpose of this case study of 4 schools in an urban school district in the midwest was to explore how teachers used experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based instructional strategies in their classes to meet the needs of ELLs. Additionally, the RTI team process was explored to discover what experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based indicators they considered during the RTI decision making process regarding ELLs referred for Tier 2 intervention in reading. Two conceptual frameworks, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and World-Class Design and Assessment RTI2 protocol, operationalized the topic and guided the study. Results were derived from individual semistructured interviews with district instructional coaches and review of referral and recommendation documentation. Data were coded and a thematic analysis was conducted. Findings included the themes of misalignment of Tier 1 core instruction and Tier 2 intervention, inadequate teacher preparation, and limited differentiated support services. A professional learning project for teachers in the district was created based on the findings of this case study. The social change implications for results of the study and the project may be increased capacity building for teachers in inclusive classrooms and a precise and consistent understanding of the RTI model by all stakeholders. The study makes an original contribution to research on RTI implementation with ELLs at the local level and the results can be of value to other districts serving similar populations.

The 2010 census indicated that African Americans constitute just over 13% of the United States population, but accounts for over 40% of the prison population (U.S. Department of Justice, 2013). African-Americans are imprisoned at a ratio of 5:1 times of their White counterparts (Simon, 2016). This massive incarceration has resulted in a higher incidence of mental health issues (Justice, 2014), of not just the incarcerated individuals, but also immediate family members. Studies have shown that children of incarcerated parents are at increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, cognitive delays and difficulties in school (Shafer, 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences of family members of incarcerated African American males, facing mental illnesses. The study will utilize Intersectionality and the Critical Race Theory as the theoretical frameworks, and will employ a phenomenological qualitative approach. Purposive sampling technique will be used to select participants in Northwest Arkansas.

Insufficient research training contributes to the current shortage of researchers in the field of speech-language pathology, but also to the dearth of multicultural and multilingual (MCML) research. There is limited information regarding how MCML issues are addressed in Research Methods courses in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). One of the ways in which this problem can be addressed is to include MCML issues into CSD research methods courses. A survey, “Integration of MCML Issues in Research Coursework” was developed based on an in-depth literature review. The aim of the survey was to gain information from instructors by examining the extent to which MCML issues are included in their CSD research methods courses. A total of 56 instructors responded to the survey. In the survey, 41.03% respondents indicated that it was very important to include MCML issues but only 28.21% included this topic in their course objectives. Time constraints, curricula overload, and specific courses on MCML were most cited as reasons for not including MCML. 44.44% used Research Ethics and 27.78% used EBP as strategies to infuse MCML into courses. 61.11% had further interest in the topic. By addressing MCML issues and culturally responsive research in CSD research methods classes, it is hypothesized that future speech-language pathologists will be better equipped not only to provide evidence-based services to the diverse populations they serve, but also be better prepared to conduct research on these diverse populations.

Syftet med rapporten är att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares arbetssätt för utveckling av flerspråkiga barns ordförråd i det svenska språket. Det finns många flerspråkiga förskolebarn som är i behov av att utveckla ordförrådet för att kunna kommunicera. Förskollärare har observerats under högläsning med ett flerspråkigt barn och blivit intervjuade om deras arbetssätt därefter. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt från en kategorisering av lärandet som kontextuellt, analytiskt och förankrat. Det analytiska arbetssättet var mest förekommande bland förskollärarna. Förskollärarna berättar att de inte arbetar med att göra barn fonologiskt medvetna inom det förankrade arbetssättet. De säger att de arbetar mest med det kontextuella arbetssättet som innebär att göra kopplingar mellan böckernas innehåll och barnens erfarenheter. I observationerna används det kontextuella arbetssättet minst och desto mer av det förankrade arbetssättet. Det tyder på att förskollärarna inte är medvetna om de olika arbetssättens innebörd eftersom intervjuerna och observationerna ger skilda resultat. En slutsats är att förskollärare behöver bli mer medvetna om arbetssättens innebörd eftersom de är viktiga för barnens utveckling av ordförråd.

One way to improve dependency parsing scores for low-resource languages is to make use of existing resources from other closely related or otherwise similar languages. In this paper, we look at eleven Uralic target languages (Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Karelian, Livvi, Komi Zyrian, Komi Permyak, Moksha, Erzya, North Sámi, and Skolt Sámi) with treebanks of varying sizes and select transfer languages based on geographical, genealogical, and syntactic distances. We focus primarily on the performance of parser models trained on various combinations of geographically proximate and genealogically related transfer languages, in target-trained, zero-shot, and cross-lingual configurations. We find that models trained on combinations of geographically proximate and genealogically related transfer languages reach the highest LAS in most zero-shot models, while our highest-performing cross-lingual models were trained on genealogically related languages. We also find that cross-lingual models outperform zero-shot transfer models. We then select syntactically similar transfer languages for three target languages, and find a slight improvement in the case of Hungarian. We discuss the results and conclude with suggestions for possible future work.

付記する学位プログラム名: デザイン学大学院連携プログラム / 京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第22579号 / 情博第716号 / 新制||情||123(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 緒方 広明, 特定准教授 LIN Donghui, 教授 河原 達也, 教授 石田 亨(京都大学 名誉教授) / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM

The motivation for this thesis stems from my own personal decade long struggle learning Mandarin Chinese. The inherent difficulty of mastering this intricate language too often will leave students feeling bewildered, confused, frustrated, and even hopeless. Having walked down this path myself, I was inspired me to investigate how the Chinese language educational landscape could be improved. What are its shortcomings? What are its strengths? How can the journeys of future Chinese language learners be made easier? The research investigates the ongoing discussion of native and non-native speaking teachers. Teacher surveys, student surveys, student classwork, and classroom observations are utilized to glean up close and firsthand insight into the advantages and disadvantages of a native Chinese speaking teacher versus a native English speaking teacher. The research involves native and non-native speaking Chinese language teachers in an effort to elicit organic, accurate data about teachers’ classroom habits. The results of the experiments are not intended to “reveal the better teacher” among native and non-native speakers, rather they aim to contribute to an important discourse on the roles a native tongue plays in a foreign language classroom; a discourse that is still in its infancy. This contribution could be used by those who employ, evaluate, and administer Chinese language teachers and programs, and in turn improve the quality of Mandarin Chinese academic programs.

In this study, an experiment was conducted to compare the three teaching methods: the inferring word-meaning method, the morpheme-based teaching method, and the word-based teaching method. The results showed that students taught by the inferring word-meaning method outperformed both the students taught by the morpheme-based method and the word-based method in terms of word retention. The possible reason is that the inferring word-meaning section enabled students to pay attention to and spend more time on each word. On the other hand, the disadvantage of the inferring word-meaning method is that it might not be an efficient way to teach a large amount of new vocabulary because it requires sufficient time for students to get involved with the context and the discussion of guessing words. Another drawback is that textbooks are seldom designed for the purpose of inferring word-meaning from context, which means that the teacher has to spend a substantial amount of time editing the dialogues or reading material from the textbook in order to give students more information to help them guess the meaning of each target word. For the morpheme-based teaching method and the word-based teaching method, there were no statistically significant differences observed. Students from both test groups achieved the same percentage of word retention.

The role of technology in education has expanded to a near universal reality. In foreign languages the field of Technology-enhanced Language Learning, has long sought to effectively implement instruction with these tools, and often to great success, often through the guise of Computer-assisted Language Learning. However, most studies investigating the student perception of class structures incorporating technology are based on what instructors have implemented. Students, the counterparts of instructors, often own more than one technological tool and will often employ these tools in their studies. For learners of foreign languages, certain aspects of technology are selected for various tasks based on personal beliefs on how effective these modes of technology may be. This study seeks to discover which technologies students of Japanese select, how they employ those tools and if it makes them feel more confident in their studies. This study also seeks to answer how much technology students wish their instructors would use and hopefully inspire foreign language instructors to adopt technology in a way that aligns with student preference.

It is important for elementary teachers to provide quality mathematics instruction for English Learner (EL) students to close achievement gaps. Elementary mathematics teachers in the Keystone School District were struggling to implement instructional practices for EL students in mathematics as evidenced by communications with teachers, administrators, and documents from the state-required action plan. The purpose of this study was to explore the instructional practices and the challenges encountered by teachers related to providing mathematics instruction for ELs. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model served as the conceptual framework. The research questions focused on the instructional practices that teachers were implementing related to building background knowledge, student interactions, application, and teacher challenges. This study used a qualitative case study design with data being collected through interviews and observations of 8 teachers in 1st through 5th grades. Data analysis was conducted by coding and thematic analysis. The results showed a gap in practice related to supporting ELs during mathematics interactions and measures of accountability. Teachers reported challenges related to the lack of accurate assessments and appropriate instructional resources for ELs in mathematics. Based on the findings of this project study, a professional development program was developed to provide teachers with the knowledge, skills, and resources to support EL students in mathematics. This study has implications for positive social change by preparing teachers to provide effective mathematics instruction for EL students through the professional development program as well as informing future district decisions related to EL students in mathematics.