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No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

The data used in this study were secondary, kindergarten data from a longitudinal, five-year, federal experimental research project: English and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) (R305P030032). The overall goal of ELLA was to examine the impacts of two different programs (Bilingual and Structured English Immersion) on the performance of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in grades K to 3. My first research question was to determine to what extent a curriculumbased measure could be developed and validated to measure oral proficiency and vocabulary knowledge among ELLs who are participating in a controlled oral language development intervention. In addressing validity the scores of the S4 were compared with the scores of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery - Revised (WLPB-R) and the IOWA Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) language and vocabulary subtests. The correlations were .283 to .445 and they were statistically significant (p<.01). The S4 underwent several iterations. With each iteration intrarater reliability improved (Kappa .817 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .330 to 1.00). Interrater reliability also improved (Kappa .431 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .616 to 1.00). The second research question was to determine to what extent teachers could use the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) for the STELLA vocabulary fluency measure with minimal training to accurately assess students' vocabulary knowledge and oral proficiency. The teachers' Kappas ranged from .786 to 1.00 and Cramer's V from .822 to 1.00. On average they were able to score a given student measure in under 22 minutes. The third research question was to determine to what extent the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) differentiates the level of knowledge regarding expressive vocabulary and oral proficiency of kindergarten students under two different program placements: enhanced Traditional Bilingual Education and the enhanced Structured English Immersion Program in comparison to the WLPB-R (language and vocabulary subtests). The S4 was able to distinguish between the control and experimental groups (unlike the other subtests); but was not able to distinguish program type (bilingual and structured English immersion).

This paper studies how proficiency in host countries’ official languages affects immigrants’ earnings in destination countries. An earnings gap is found between Canadian-born and immigrant workers in Canadian labor market. Taking advantage of rich information about language use from the Ethnic Diversity Survey, language spoken at work, home, EDS interview, with friends, spouses and children are included in an attempt to reduce the earnings gap. Among all languages examined, individuals who speak English have the highest earnings in each context. Results also show that language spoken at home has the greatest effects on immigrants’ earnings in Canada as the gap is eliminated when home languages are controlled in the model. Immigrants who speak English at home benefit from extra practice with families, which helps them become more fluent faster. Potential policy implication implies both timely and monetary investment in language training is useful for helping immigrants settle down in Canada. / N/A

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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This qualitative study explores the cognitive processes of 10 6th-grade students of varying Spanish and English proficiencies while writing persuasive letters in both languages. The participants who were purposefully selected included: three high Spanish/high English proficient students (high performers), three high English/low Spanish proficient students (high/low performers), two low Spanish/low English proficient students (low performers), and two monolingual English speakers. The following research question was posed: How do sixth-grade students of varying Spanish and English proficiencies engage in the writing process while composing persuasive letters in both languages? In particular, (a) How do students engage in the cognitive processes of writing in L1 and L2, and do the processes vary by language and/or ability? (b) Are there patterns across participants' writing behaviors in L1 and L2 that indicate cross-linguistic transfer? If so, do the patterns vary by language or writing proficiency? (c) Do bilingual students differ from monolinguals in their use of strategies and resources? The researcher audio-taped and video-taped participants thinking aloud as they responded to persuasive letter prompts in both Spanish and English (monolinguals responded to two English prompts). Recall protocols and student interviews were also collected. All data were transcribed. Data were analyzed in three phrases. First, think aloud sessions were coded for three general writing processes: composing, reading, and selecting. Second, recall protocols were coded for specific behaviors within each general process (e.g. attending to text generation, reading the text produced, considering or changing an idea). Finally, interviews and recall protocols were analyzed for student strategy, bilingual strategy, and resource use as well as general strategy and bilingual strategy awareness. Findings suggest: (1) The writing process did not vary for bilingual and monolingual writers across languages; (2) Low performers focused attention almost exclusively on idea generation without attention to topical importance; (3) For high/low performers' knowledge of discourse features in L1 appeared to mediate writing in the weaker language; (4) Topically important ideas articulated in L1 during the selection process were abandoned if students did not have the vocabulary to express the idea in L2; (5) High performers seemed to intentionally separate their language resources while writing. / 2031-01-02

The aim of this study was to examine the current proficiency strengths and weaknesses of practicing K-12 non-native WL teachers in the states of Utah and Oklahoma. Data were gathered through a survey and the OPIc diagnostic grid. The results revealed what features of Function, Accuracy, Content, and Text Type were strengths and weaknesses for OPIc ratings Intermediate High, Advanced Low, Advanced Mid, and Advanced High. The self-reported OPI scores compared to the OPIc scores found an encouraging rate of TL maintenance and improvement. The language maintenance activities reported by the participants revealed the frequency with which they engage in those activities.

Narrative measures derived from English and Russian tell and retell narrative language samples of 20 L1-Russian, L2-English bilingual adults were correlated with their overall, speaking and verbal proficiency self-ratings to verify the validity of the selfrating scale for both languages. In English, measures of fluency, productivity and grammaticality were moderately correlated with speaking proficiency self-ratings. Strength of correlations with tell versus retell narratives varied by category of narrative measure. For Russian, correlations were not significant due to ceiling effects in proficiency. The effects of modifications to narrative measures were considered, showing that correlations with temporal fluency and productivity increased as mazes and fillers were excluded, while correlations with grammaticality increased as article omission errors were excluded. Sources of variation in self-ratings and narrative measures are described, and recommendations are presented for an alternative narrative elicitation method. / text