Department: Education : Literacy ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
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1.
Amaro-Jimenez, Carla.
Latino Children’s English as a Second Language and Subject-Matter Appropriation through Technology-Mediated Activities: A Cultural Historical Activity Theory Perspective.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2008, University of Cincinnati
► In this study I investigated the ways in which the implementation of…
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▼ In this study I investigated the ways in which the implementation of Technology-Mediated Activities (TMA) provided third grade Latino children with opportunities to appropriate the second language (L2) skills and subject-matter knowledge that they need to attain before the fourth grade slump. In this study I also documented the ways in which the TMA implemented provided affordances and constraints to not only the Latino children but also to their English as a Second Language (ESL) and content area teachers. Furthermore, in this study I investigated the impact that the implementation of such TMA had on the Latino children's academic achievement. The participants in this study were 21 third grade Latino children and six teachers (four content area teachers and two ESL teachers) from three public schools (two urban schools and one suburban school) in the Midwest U.S. To achieve the research purpose, I used Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a macro-theoretical framework, supplemented with a Concurrent Triangulation Mixed-Method design for data collection and analyses. Data collection techniques included observations, think-aloud protocols, and summative evaluation data, among others. Findings indicate that the utilization of various kinds of TMA gave Latino children opportunities to appropriate the target content (i.e., L2 and subject-matter knowledge) when they were deliberately making connections between the new knowledge they were learning in the classroom and a vast array of prior and present experiences. Findings also revealed that the affordances and constraints from enacting TMA were dependent on the kind of instructional approach that was used to meet the needs of these Latino learners, on who the agent was, and on where the agent was positioned in the larger context. The impact that enacting the TMA had on the Latino children participants included co-constructing knowledge with more and less knowledgeable others, using the L2 as a semiotic tool to explain their thinking, and activating the children's zone of proximal development, among others. Findings also suggest that certain kinds of TMA could be used for forecasting the Latino children's performance on achievement tests. Based on these and other findings, implications for theory, research and practice are provided.
Advisors/Committee Members: Beckett, Gulbahar.
Subjects: Education; Elementary education; Language; Linguistics; Mathematics education; Reading instruction; Teaching; Technology
Keywords: latino children; academic achievement; technology; cultural historical activity theory perspective; mixed method research; ESL; content area
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2.
ARMSTRONG, SONYA L.
BEGINNING THE LITERACY TRANSITION: POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS' CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF ACADEMIC WRITING IN DEVELOPMENTAL LITERACY CONTEXTS.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2007, University of Cincinnati
► Most beginning college students experience some difficulty while trying to make the…
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▼ Most beginning college students experience some difficulty while trying to make the transition to the expectations of college-level writing. While much research has investigated the outcomes of this transition, not much research considers students' conceptual starting points. Also, very little writing research on this topic has been found that focuses exclusively on a growing population of first-year students—those enrolled in developmental college literacy courses. This dissertation outlines a study that was designed to generate knowledge about first-year college students' conceptualizations of academic writing and whether and how those conceptualizations changed over the course of their initial college literacy experience in a developmental reading and writing class. Data sources included sequenced semi-structured interviews, observations of classroom peer-group work, and participants' required course writing assignments. Data gathered from these sources included participants' elicited and spontaneously generated metaphors for and about academic writing. Data analysis included a non-metaphorical phase, which examined participants’ language through open coding without the lens of metaphor. Another phase of analysis focused exclusively on participants' metaphorical linguistic expressions and their implied conceptual metaphors. During the final phase of analysis, the results of the prior phases of data analysis were compared and synthesized in order to interpret conceptualizations based on participants' language. Analysis of these data confirmed conceptual diversity within the target population, as well as varying degrees of conceptual change during their introductory literacy coursework. The participants in this study demonstrated that they had personal models or theories of academic writing, of literacy, and of literacy-learning near the beginning of their reading and writing course. These participants' understandings of academic writing, and the degree to which these understandings evolved throughout the study, seemed to affect their perceived and actual development as writers in their reading and writing class.
Advisors/Committee Members: Paulson, Dr. Eric J.
Subjects: Education, Higher
Keywords: postsecondary developmental literacy, metaphor analysis, student conceptualizations, academic writing, developmental reading and writing courses, college students
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3.
AUFDERHAAR, CAROLYN RACHEL.
THE INFLUENCE OF USING DISCOURSE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES ON THE FILTERED SPEECH OF AUTHENTIC AUDIO TEXT TO IMPROVE PRONUNCIATION.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2004, University of Cincinnati
► This study reports quantitative and qualitative approaches to 1) explore the influence…
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▼ This study reports quantitative and qualitative approaches to 1) explore the influence of authentic audio literature, presented in filtered and intact speech, on evaluators’ rating of participants’ pronunciation and fluency within oral reading and conversational samples; 2) investigate the influence of participant exposure to and analysis of authentic audio literature, presented in filtered and intact speech, on the ratio of unstressed to stressed vowel length of participants’ speech within oral reading samples; 3) determine whether physical measurements correlate with subjective ratings, and 4) explore participants’ views of how this training influenced their pronunciation and fluency. Eight nonnative English speaking graduate students met with the researcher in groups of one to three for twelve 75 minutes sessions over an eight week period. Participants were given audio CDs containing authentic poetry, radio plays and interviews. Prosodic units were cut onto separate tracks, presented first with phonemic information removed via speech filtering, followed by intact aural text. Participants engaged in home listening for analysis of suprasegmental features as part of assigned audiojournals, and performed selections in class. Subjective ratings of the pronunciation and fluency of nonnative oral reading before and after treatment, and of native oral reading, suggest a positive influence. Nativeness ratings showed a non-significant increase, possibly due to the simplicity of determining native or nonnative status. Subjective ratings of conversational samples failed to suggest a positive influence; however, there was a wide disparity in scores. Combining each participant’s conversational and oral reading ratings revealed a significant increase, suggesting a positive influence. Physical measure of vowel length of oral reading served as triangulation with subjective ratings. A significant decrease in the ratio of unstressed to stressed vowels in post- versus pre-test conditions suggests a positive influence, particularly regarding stress. A lack of significant difference between nonnative post-test ratios and native ratios suggests that nonnative speakers were approaching nativeness, supporting possible effectiveness of treatment. Interview data regarding impressions of improvement concurred, overall, with a portion of the quantitative data. These findings point to the importance of developing instructional techniques that help learners identify and internalize features of pronunciation to enhance communicative success.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary S.
Keywords: Pronunciation; Phonology; English language; Second Language Acquisition; Discourse Analysis
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4.
BAUER, LISABETH SCHUMACHER.
K-12 TEACHERS AND THEIR CHOICE TO SERVE DIVERSE POPULATIONS.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2003, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation research was conducted to identify factors in the lives of…
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▼ This dissertation research was conducted to identify factors in the lives of K-12 English as Second Language (ESL) teachers that effected their choices to serve diverse learners and populations. Key areas of focus included (a) identifying motivations for teachers to enter the field, (b) identifying practical circumstances that allowed the teachers to work in the field, (c) identifying challenges to teachers once they entered the field, and (d) identifying reasons why teachers might leave the field. The research was conducted on the Internet. A majority of respondents fit the demographic profiles of K-12 teachers overall, white, lifelong residents of the United States with Western European backgrounds (Nieto, 2002; Seidel and Friend, 2002; Taylor and Sobel, 2001). However, unlike the demographic of the larger group, ESL teachers sought the opportunity to serve students different from themselves. Findings suggest that providing pre-service and practicing teachers experiences in which they interact with diverse populations or experience being part of marginalized populations can positively impact their motivation to serve students different than themselves. Further, they suggest that when teachers are adequately prepared, the intrinsic rewards of serving student populations to whom they have committed themselves can be enough to keep them in difficult teaching situations. Finally, methods to address the dichotomy between teachers who choose to serve diverse populations despite adverse working conditions and teachers who are driven from the field because of them need to be investigated.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary.
Keywords: ESL teachers; multicultural education; TESOL; K-12; teacher education
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5.
BENDER-SLACK, DELANE ANN.
TEACHING TEXTS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: ENGLISH TEACHERS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2007, University of Cincinnati
► Given that schools are an elemental force in the lives of adolescents,…
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▼ Given that schools are an elemental force in the lives of adolescents, ELA classrooms might provide opportunities for students to engage in relevant literacy practices. Teaching for social justice is one way to provide authentic literacy practices that meet the current needs of adolescents. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how secondary English Language Arts (ELA) educators understood teaching for social justice as it related to the texts they chose for students to consume and produce. The literature review hinges on the argument that teaching for social justice is complex, and the understanding and implementation of it is individualized by educators based on their understandings. Precisely 22 secondary literacy educators were interviewed using a three-tier process with regard to how they defined social justice, the purpose of teaching for social justice, and texts they utilized as tools to do so. Three kinds of qualitative data were collected: in-depth, open-ended interviews, classroom texts, and written documents. I found considerable dependency on reader response in the classroom; central to that were students’ affective responses with particular teacher concern for safety and comfort. Participants frequently had to negotiate a variety of institutional obligations such as administrative and school policies and standardized tests. There was a pervasive pattern of fear with regard to institutional obligations and frequent compliance and self-monitoring. Canonical texts were most commonly used with little critical reading of the canon itself. The genres most frequently chosen for students to consume were nonfiction articles and narratives. Students were most often required to produce class discussions. Few enter literacy courses with an inclination to problematize, question cultural assumptions and ideologies, or examine feelings of boredom or shame (Greene, 1998). I argue that to meet the needs of adolescents, get students engaged in texts, and create critical thinkers, this problematizing and questioning must be done by teachers and teacher educators. This can be achieved by maintaining a vibrant and collective dialogue. ELA teachers and teacher educators might differentiate between the study of literature and an active literacy, teaching for social justice as a means of doing so.
Advisors/Committee Members: Johnson, Holly.
Keywords: Teaching for Social Justice; Literature; Adolescent Literacy; Texts; Teacher Beliefs
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6.
BERMAN, PEIYAN M.
EFFECT OF SOCIAL INTERACTION OF L2 WRITING PERFORMANCE OF AMERICAN AND CHINESE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2005, University of Cincinnati
► The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of…
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▼ The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of social interactive writing (SIW) with native speakers (NS) pals of the target language on second language (L2) writing performance for secondary school beginning L2 learners. Other goals included investigating the strategy use, cultural learning and affective states of secondary school L2 learners during the SIW. The SIW in this study was via electronically scanned hand-written exchange letters attached to e-mail between American and Chinese pen-pals. A total of 79 participants were involved in this study for over a four-month period, where the 37 American participants (grades 7 to 11) were divided into two comparable groups (SIW and worksheet-writing) and tested for two-month writing improvement. The ANCOVA results indicated that the SIW group writing mean scores were marginally significantly greater (F = 3.52, p=.07) than those of the worksheet-writing group and the effect size of the writing improvement of the SIW group was medium to large (ç2 = .105). Other findings of this study derived from participants’ surveys, interviews, exchange letters and teachers’ notes triangulated the statistical results and further revealed that participants used their first language (L1), memory tools, and dictionaries as common strategies to help L2 writing; that L2 learners somewhat benefited in cultural learning and social skills development through SIW; and that SIW improved participants’ level of interest, motivation in learning an L2. Thus, the proposed two-way SIW model supports the notion of sociolinguistics that L2 educators consider facilitating L2 acquisition in real social contexts as they construct classroom environments. The technique of using e-mail with a scanned hand-written letter attachment is also recommended for L2 classrooms, especially for beginning learners.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gonzalez, Dr. Virginia.
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7.
CAMPBELL, LISA MULFORD.
BEYOND FRAGMENTATION: AN INVESTIGATION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY LITERACY EDUCATION.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2006, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation is comprised of a series of scholarly papers submitted in…
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▼ This dissertation is comprised of a series of scholarly papers submitted in an alternative format. All four chapters represent separate, but related, studies embedded in the context of a state-wide professional development project: The CORE Literacy Specialist project 2000: A State of Ohio Professional Development Collaboration. The first chapter presents a synthesis of what three committed teachers learned throughout participation in the CORE project. The findings presented in the study provide evidence as to what the teachers did in their own classrooms and in the professional development sessions as a result of their new learning. Chapter Two is a single participant case study was designed to examine the usefulness of the Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI) as a tool for scaffolding teacher learning. The TLI (Rosemary and Roskos, 2001) calls for literacy specialists to engage a teacher(s) in a diagnostic process of self-examination. The findings from this study capture the impact of the TLI, as a framework for assisted performance, in a school-based professional development model. Chapter Three was designed to build on chapter two, the initial TLI study. In addition to involving more teachers, this study differs from the first in its specific focus on the application of the scaffolding features in the activity setting of the literacy specialist/teacher meetings and on coaching as assisted performance. The final chapter was designed to examine the knowledge and skills sustained by three primary teachers in their urban classrooms two years after participating in the CORE Literacy Specialist project. This qualitative study (Glasser and Strauss, 1967) also addressed the factors that hindered and/or supported sustained implementation efforts according to these three teachers’ report.
Advisors/Committee Members: Freppon, Dr. Penny.
Keywords: Professional Development; staff development; teacher training; literacy education; coaching
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8.
Clarke, Lane W.
Conversations Beyond the Text: The Influence of Gender and Social Class and Gender on Literature Circle Dimensions.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2005, University of Cincinnati
► In this longitudinal qualitative study, I relied upon Critical Discourse Analysis to…
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▼ In this longitudinal qualitative study, I relied upon Critical Discourse Analysis to uncover the multiple layers of influence upon Literature Circle discussions in order to see beyond the surface these conversations. By using this analytical lens I was able to explore the social and cultural practices upon which these discussions were created and sustained. The three guiding questions that shaped this research were: how do gender and social class influence the way students interact in Literature Circles, is there a change over time in the way students discuss in these Literature Circles, and how can a teacher use this knowledge about the influences upon student discussion to create meaningful literacy experiences? In my first year’s research, I compared fourth grader’s Literature Circle discussions in two diverse socioeconomic cultures in order to answer the question – does class matter? Through my analysis I found that yes – social class did influence the way that these students discussed books in their groups as students differed in the way that they built interpretive communities, engaged in on-task discussions, and participated in gender equitable power sharing. I then stayed in the working-class setting for a second year, not only to further investigate the intersection of gender with social class in this context, but also to answer how these influences manifested themselves over time. Through a second year, I found that gender and social class were still powerful influences upon student discussions, but not in the way that I had anticipated after completing my first year’s study. When I followed these students in fourth grade, I found that the boys engaged in many more dominating discursive practices that essentially marginalized the girls in this setting. However, when I followed the same group of students up to fifth grade, these gendered interactional patterns shifted. Finally, I used the knowledge gained from this two-year exploration to make suggestions as to how teachers can rethink classroom practices to create more meaningful instruction.
Advisors/Committee Members: Hicks, Dr. Deborah.
Keywords: Literacy; Gender; Social Class; Classroom Discussion
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9.
Davis, Hope Smith.
Student and Teacher Conceptualizations of Reading: A Metaphor Analysis Study of Scripted Reading Interventions in Secondary Classrooms.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2009, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation is an analysis of student and teacher conceptualizations of reading…
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▼ This dissertation is an analysis of student and teacher conceptualizations of reading and learning in two separate scripted reading intervention environments, as implemented in a combined junior/senior high school in the Midwest. The youngest participants (grades 7-9), with reading levels four to six years below grade level, as defined through standardized tests, were enrolled in the Corrective Reading (SRA/McGraw-Hill) program. The older participants (grades 9-12), who were assessed as readers between one and six years below grade level, participated in Rewards Plus (Sopris West). Using an ethnographic approach for data collection, the study employed metaphor analysis procedures to explore the linguistic and conceptual metaphors surrounding reading and reading instruction in the scripted environments. Data were gathered through 25 days of classroom observations, individual guided interviews with 15 students and 4 teachers, and 4 focus-group sessions with students participating in the scripted reading intervention programs, over a period of four months. Findings show that students enrolled in the Corrective Reading classes spent their class sessions working on basic decoding skills, with little focus on comprehension activities. Students and teachers in the Corrective Reading classes believed student reading skills improved as a result of the program, though there was little assessment data to support this. Additionally for some of the students, this perception of improvement in reading was limited to activities within the scripted class environment, and rarely did the instructional strategies transfer into other academic settings. Students in the Corrective Reading classes also held conceptualizations of reading that were generally reflective of the instructional methods used in the class. When asked to describe reading, students often referred to specific phonics and decoding skills or the value placed on listening in the class. Students enrolled in the Rewards Plus program, a content-area-based program including decoding, comprehension and fluency activities, were less inclined to attribute reading improvement to the scripted intervention, often complaining about the repetitive nature of the program itself, and the perception that the instructional-level of the class was too low for them. Additionally, the students expressed confusion over the emphasis on content –area concepts and strategies provided by Rewards Plus, indicating that the content of the lessons themselves did not seem to appropriately fit in a Language Arts curriculum. While students in both classes had difficulty describing and defining models for reading, the students in the Rewards Plus classes held a broader range of conceptualizations for reading that ranged from skills- to process-based descriptions. For them, reading represented access into adulthood and job opportunities. Rarely did any of the students describe reading from an epistemic or pleasurable perspective. This is in direct contrast to data from the teachers, who conceptualized reading for themselves as a knowledge-building, transactional and enjoyable activity. Instructional practices in both classes reflected the skill-based conceptualizations held by the teachers for student reading needs.
Advisors/Committee Members: Paulson, Eric.
Subjects: Education; Language arts; Literacy; Reading instruction; Special education; Teaching
Keywords: scripted reading; metaphor analysis; corrective reading; rewards plus; secondary; reading intervention; reading conceptualizations; reading; high school; middle school; qualitative research; ethnography
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10.
DUFFIELD, EBRU DIRSEL.
INFLUENCE OF CONTEXT IN NONNATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHER'S IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► The present case study investigated the process of transformation in 5 nonnative…
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▼ The present case study investigated the process of transformation in 5 nonnative English-speaking teachers’ (NNETs’) perceptions regarding their identity and self. The purpose of the study was to better understand and describe NNETs’ perceptions of who they were and who they became as a result of their sojourn and/or pursuing further education in a L2 educational and cultural setting (i.e., the U.S.). The results indicated that: 1) There was a multiple array of perceptions regarding self in NNETs’ identity (re)construction; 2) NNETs’ perceptions regarding self and value orientations changed over time; 3) NNETs discovered the “hidden” culture (Hall, 1976) in themselves while exploring L2 culture; 4) NNETs underwent adaptation difficulties; and, 5) NNETs developed survival strategies to cope with these difficulties.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary S.
Keywords: nonnative English-speaking teachers; teacher identity; identity transformation; teacher perceptions; nonnative teacher identity
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11.
FENG, SHOUDONG.
STRATEGY USE IN UNEQUAL ENCOUNTERS: PRAGMATIC COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF CHINESE ESL LEARNERS.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2001, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation aims to identify the pragmatic communication strategies of Chinese ESL…
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▼ This dissertation aims to identify the pragmatic communication strategies of Chinese ESL learners in two academic settings, namely, the ESL classroom and the ESL tutorial session. The concept of pragmatic communication strategies originates from the well-researched construct of second language learners' communication strategy, which has long been understood as strategies that address primarily problems and difficulties associated with the use of vocabulary. However, the essential purpose of this study is not how ESL learners solve their linguistic problems but how they negotiate their relationships with native speakers of English with their second languages. This study was a qualitative research effort that involved observation, interviews and questionnaire. Data were collected mainly in an ESL classroom and a language learning center where tutorials are conducted. In both settings there are unequal relationships between the two parties engaged in interaction. In the classroom context, the instructor decided the agenda, materials, topics, methods of teaching, turn of speaking, and finally and probably most importantly the grades. In the tutorial session, the tutors, although not having the same amount of power over the students as the instructor, had good command of the language used in the context, and consequentially represented the dominant values, determined the topics, and determined a variety of other discourse-related issues. Critical discourse analysis was applied to the data. This is a discourse approach that is based on the recognition of the influence of power relations in society on the production of discourse and text. It deals with such issues as class, status, gender, race, hegemony, dictatorship, nationalism, sexism, media control and organizational discourse. The ultimate goal of this theory is to help people become aware of the use of language to exercise power and in many instances victimize the powerless individuals. The findings of this study suggest that these ESL learners adopted various kinds of pragmatic strategies in negotiating their relationship with the instructor and tutors. Facing the powerful party in each context, they choose to (or have to?) adopt certain strategies in order to accomplish their communicative goals, be they long term or short term goals. Clearly the context had an impact on the strategies they used, as some could be found only in one setting while others only in another setting. It is not clear if these participants also adopt the same strategies in their own language and culture, in other words, the influence of the second language on the choice of pragmatic communication strategies needs to be further determined in future studies.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary.
Keywords: communication strategies; ESL; Chinese students; power; language
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12.
Gann, Rosalind Raymond.
We’re Not Here: Linguistic Assimilation Between AAVE and WAVE Speakers in an Urban Middle School.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► The purpose of this study was to learn if urban middle school…
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▼ The purpose of this study was to learn if urban middle school teenagers who spoke WAVE (White American Varieties of English) in a predominantly African American school, accommodated or "picked up" features of the AAVE (African American Vernacular English) spoken by most of their classmates. Five WAVE students were interviewed in a monoethnic condition and also in a multiethnic condition where they spoke with AAVE peers. Tape-recorded interviews were analyzed for the presence of speech markers characteristic of AAVE. The incidence of these markers in the AAVE students was compared to that of the WAVE students in both the monoethnic and multiethnic conditions. The study found that all WAVE speakers showed some level of AAVE maker occurrence, even in their unaccommodated speech. A t-test did not show an overall significant difference in occurrence of AAVE markers for WAVE speakers under the monoethnic and multiethnic conditions. However there was a significant chi-square value for three of the five WAVE speakers. It was therefore possible to reject the null hypotheses, that there would be few or no AAVE markers in the unaccommodated speech of WAVE students, and that there would be no significant difference between WAVE speakers in the monoethnic and multiethnic conditions. This study includes contextual data that described the conditions at the school where the study was conducted. Samples of student speech are included. There is discussion of why linguistic accommodation may have occurred. The data showed that linguistic accommodation between AAVE and WAVE students, often described in teacher lore, is an actual occurrence.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laine, Dr. Chester.
Keywords: we're; not; here
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13.
GERDES, CARLA MAGDALENA.
SITUATED AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING WITHIN THE ADULT ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE VOCATIONAL CLASSROOM - FUTURE IMPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAM DESIGN SPECIFIC TO THE WORKPLACE.
Degree: MEd, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► The demand for qualified English speaking associates within the US service and…
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▼ The demand for qualified English speaking associates within the US service and hospitality sectors continues to grow on an annual basis. Reports published by the US Department of Labor reveal that the demand for qualified English speaking associates within these US employment sectors will remain abundant through 2010. A major concern raised by management staffs in both the professional and vocational workforce report that tension and mistrust between native and non-native English speaking associates often becomes an issue within the workplace. Furthermore, the frustration and tension that exists between non-English speaking associates and English speaking customers, co-workers, and supervisors directly impacts company profits, customer service, business operations, and overall employee satisfaction. Management staffs are looking for creative ways to deliver effective vocational English language training programs that will address the ongoing educational needs of all associates - native and non-native English speakers. This qualitative study determined how cooperative workplace-specific classroom exercises enhanced the second language acquisition process for limited English proficient (LEP) restaurant workers. Furthermore, this study provided insight on how the inclusion of native English speaking co-workers in the classroom assisted the LEP workers in building linguistic communities of practice within their respective workstations. Suggestions for implementing future vocational English language courses within the workplace are provided. Additionally, the challenges and successes of implementing the study and organizing the vocational English class are also discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wilberschied, Dr. Lee F.
Subjects: Education, Teacher Training
Keywords: cooperative language; vocational english language instruction; situated learning; adult education; limited english proficient
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14.
GERINGER, JUDY.
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
Degree: MEd, Education : Literacy, 2005, University of Cincinnati
► In view of the achievement gap that low socioeconomic status English Language…
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▼ In view of the achievement gap that low socioeconomic status English Language Learners (ELLs) experience in their education, when compared with the academic achievement of native English speakers, finding patterns of immigrants from an earlier era that have reoccurred among modern-day ELLs could provide implications for preventing academic failure and withdrawal from school. Through a historical and qualitative research design, the influence of family demographics, school factors, and mediating factors on ELL academic achievement is discussed. A collective case study involved analysis of autobiographies, supported by evidence from the additional primary sources of Current Population Reports 2000, newspapers, periodicals, and photographs. Through content analysis, the secondary source of historians’ interpretations provided further support for patterns that emerged in the autobiographies. Examining the educational experience of Southern and Eastern European immigrants from 1894-1926, as paralleled by modern-day ELLs from 1960-1988, indicated that the family demographics of gender expectations and socioeconomic status may significantly contribute to academic achievement for some ELLs while mediating factors significantly influence academic achievement for the majority of ELLs. These findings suggest an integrative model for a multidisciplinary approach to bilingual education based on research from the fields of developmental psychology, educational anthropology, and educational psychology.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gonzalez, Virginia.
Keywords: Historical Perspective: English Language Learners; English Language Learners; Academic achievement in English Language Learners
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15.
Hamilton, Bennyce E.
The Reflexive Journey: One Teacher’s path to self in the Footsteps of Her Students.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2008, University of Cincinnati
► A teacher’s lived experiences are important in shaping her subsequent practices in…
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▼ A teacher’s lived experiences are important in shaping her subsequent practices in the classroom. Teachers must look at the connections between those experiences, their identities, and classroom practice. The foundation for my research is built on history’s record of education’s effects on Black people. My own identities, the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy, my efforts to attain classroom praxis, and an autoethnographic account of my lived experiences and how they have shaped my pedagogy, lend structure to both the project and this narrative. This research offers a critical reflection from a Black feminist perspective as a prelude to creating a classroom where students are taught using culturally relevant pedagogical strategies.By incorporating each of these elements, I have been able to identify myself as a woman, a feminist, and a scholar. Within this frame, I am free to explore, to learn, and to grow with the students in my care. Together, we are able to learn from one another (as advocated by culturally relevant pedagogy) and to examine ourselves and our experiences critically (as advocated by Black Feminist Theory). Additionally, this offers me both an opportunity and an incentive to examine myself – my identities, my classroom praxis, and the confluence of those present elements with my lived experiences in what is termed Reflexive Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (RCRP): truly, it offers me an opportunity to achieve a better teaching identity and a better self.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laine, Chester.
Subjects: Education; Literacy
Keywords: lived experiences; Black Feminist Thought; Culturally Relevant Pedagogy; Reflexive Culturally Relevant Pedagogy; participatory research
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16.
Hartman, Bahar.
Students' perceptions of factors affecting L2 writing: Japanese women's cultural and identity issues.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2003, University of Cincinnati
► The present case study investigated students' perceptions of factors affecting their acquisition…
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▼ The present case study investigated students' perceptions of factors affecting their acquisition of a second language. The purpose of the study was to better understand Japanese women's cultural and identity issues in second language writing opportunities and how such issues may impact the student as a second language writer. The results indicated that: 1) the students experienced identity and cultural conflicts. The first language identity is threatened, the new second language identity feels strange, and issues of group identity and individual identity exist; 2) as second language writers, the students experienced problems in conflicts with protecting the first language self; 3) the students experienced conflicts between language one and language two's (English) cultural writing norms; 4) certain classroom tasks presented conflicts to the English as a second language student and educators in the field need to be aware of the nature of the conflicts students face.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary S.
Keywords: cultural issues in learning second language; identity issues in learning second language; second language writing; factors affecting second language writing
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17.
HENRY-VEGA, GRANDFIELD.
EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE PROCESSING STYLES AND THE PROCESSING STRATEGIES OF 2 SECOND LANGUAGE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHEN READING TEXTS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2004, University of Cincinnati
► This qualitative study explored the processing styles and the processing strategies of…
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▼ This qualitative study explored the processing styles and the processing strategies of 2 second language graduate learners when reading academic texts. This investigation involved 3 research questions: (a) What processing strategies do the 2 informants use to cope with the demands of their academic reading tasks? (b) What are the processing style characteristics of these informants? And (c) What are characteristics of these informants’ processing strategies in light of (i) Riding and Rayner’s (1998) cognitive style model, (ii) of Oxford’s (1990) learning strategy model, and (iii) of Sinatra and Annacone’s (1979) processing levels? The participants in this study were 1 female graduate student from Asia and 1 male graduate student from Latin America. These participants also differed in age, in educational background, and in second language experience. The methods of data collection involved the use of semi-structured interviews, think-aloud protocols, recorded journals, documents, and surveys. The surveys included the Cognitive Style Analysis (Riding, 1991, 1998), the Information Processing Index (Riding, 2000), the Perceptual Learning Preference Survey (Kinsella, 1993), and the Style Analysis Survey (Oxford, 1993). There were 11 findings. Some of these findings reveal (a) that it is difficult to make a clear distinction between these informants’ preferred processing styles and their schooled processing styles; (b) that these informants employ reading strategies mostly associated (i) with cognitive processing, (ii) verbal processing, (iii) analytic processing, and (iv) with either higher-order processing or lower-order processing; and (c) that these informants’ processing styles (as) acquired or developed in their home cultures may relate to or conflict with the processing styles required in academic discourse communities of the host culture. Research, theoretical, and pedagogical implications were also discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary.
Keywords: second language reading, cognitive styles, reading strategies, literacy, reading
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18.
Kellner, Deborah Y.
Creating a Mosaic Within Time and Space: The Role of Trauma in Indentity, Literacy and Life.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2007, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation presents a qualitative, ethnographic, life history study of the link…
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▼ This dissertation presents a qualitative, ethnographic, life history study of the link between trauma exposure and literacy habits of one female college developmental student. It is an investigation of the correlation between trauma-related symptoms, identity, literacy habits, and performance in all aspects of life. Furthermore, it is an analysis of the relationship of coping with trauma exposure to coping with schooling. In terms of trauma, this single case presents multiple and repetitive exposure to trauma and suggests that traumatic experiences emerge as part of a victim’s identity. Victimization is so overwhelming that the individual describes herself in the trauma experience rather than in some other way. Her symptoms closely align with the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and her trauma exposure results in massive chaos during her schooling years. In terms of literacy, this data suggests that this individual’s external literacy skills, her reading and writing, as well as her internal literacy skills, her interpretation of her world and her life, have a strong affiliation with trauma. Both her reading and writing skills are integral to her dealing with her trauma and to her healing. Not only do they bring stability, they also give her restorative power. This research confirms that trauma affects cognitive development and alters the way information is processed. It also influences performance as a literate being, and behavior, both inside and outside of school. Thus, this data suggests that the four components of trauma, identity, literacy, and life are significantly intertwined, as indelible and unalterable experiences are often invisible to others.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laine, Dr. Chester.
Keywords: developmental education; developmental students; trauma; literacy; identity
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19.
KORTE, MATTHEW.
Corpus Methods in Interlanguage Analysis.
Degree: MEd, Education : Literacy, 2008, University of Cincinnati
► In the study of second language acquisition, interlanguage is taken to be…
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▼ In the study of second language acquisition, interlanguage is taken to be a learner's internally coherent and systematic approximation of a target language. Where error analysis can reveal outright error in learner production, it cannot capture formally correct but pragmatically or semantically deviant usage. It is known, for example, that learners may use avoidance strategies or manifest correct but non-native sounding usage due to first language transfer effects. Corpus-analytic approaches to interlanguage are uniquely suited to capture these deviant forms of learner usage, by comparing frequencies of occurrence between learner and native speaker corpora. This paper investigates a number of parameters on which such comparison can be made, including univariate and multivariate statistical measures. These statistical corpus techniques in language analysis are closely aligned with cognitive and pattern grammar approaches.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Mary.
Subjects: Educational software; Educational theory; Linguistics; Literacy
Keywords: interlanguage; corpus linguistics; second language acquisition
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20.
LOBO, JOSE I.
REDEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN AN ORAL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TEST: CONVERSATIONAL AND CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSES PERSPECTIVES.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► This qualitative study investigates communication issues in English as a second/foreign language…
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▼ This qualitative study investigates communication issues in English as a second/foreign language using discourse analysis as a theoretical and methodological tool. This study investigated how three Hispanic international graduate assistants used their communicative competence with four evaluators in a performance test at a university in the American Midwest. Furthermore, this study explored the nature of communicative competence using conversational and critical discourse analyses. Conversational analysis of the discourse patterns of the three Hispanic international students revealed that their performance of conversational competence is observed when they make eye-contact, limit their participation to answering what is asked of them, use clarification questions, introduce themselves to their audiences, talk about class objectives, class requirements, textbooks and grading policy, among other possibilities. Critical discourse analysis of the data showed that the three test-takers embedded in their conversational frames issues related to social class, national and cultural origin, teacher talk, language of control, among other possibilities. From a sociolinguistic perspective, the data showed that the female and the male participants used language differently. Women tried to connect with their audiences all the time whereas the male participant always remained detached from his audience creating a status difference between him and his audience. This qualitative study suggests that conversational competence and the language of power typical of American academic interviews be included in the current conceptualization of communicative competence. Both of these subcategories were observed repeatedly in the discourse of the participants in this study. Pedagogical, assessment, and research implications are included.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary.
Keywords: communicative competence; discourse analysis; proficiency test; conversational and critical discourse analysis
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21.
Menz, William Thomas.
Effectiveness Of Ohio Teacher Education Programs For Meeting The Educational Needs Of English Language Learners.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2009, University of Cincinnati
► This is a survey study of four Ohio pre-service teacher preparation programs…
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▼ This is a survey study of four Ohio pre-service teacher preparation programs to determine how they are meeting higher education (NCATE) and content area (TESOL) standards. This descriptive study uses online surveys and interviews, focus group members, and online program examinations and evaluations as data collection instruments with a purposeful sampling design. Findings show the critical need for improving pre- and in-service teacher preparation programs by including field practice with English Language Learners (ELL) and development of knowledge in second language issues. The implications are that pre-service teachers can be trained to meet the educational needs of ELL students. The implications are simple: Curriculum is the key. An infusion of courses and field experiences will make this happen.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gonzalez, Virginia.
Subjects: Teacher education
Keywords: English Language Learners; Teacher Education; NCATE; TESOL; survey
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22.
MILES, CHRISTOPHER JOHN.
PAPA MAMADOU: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY AND POWER IN THE WORKPLACE.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation explores the relationship between second language acquisition, power, and identity…
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▼ This dissertation explores the relationship between second language acquisition, power, and identity in a workplace environment from a poststructural perspective. It involves a single case study of a French born male of Senegalese descent working in a factory context. The investigation sheds light on how the immigrant participant utilizes a variety of strategies to create a unique second language identity that is intricately linked to concepts of power which contribute to his success in the workplace. The participant in the study creates and maintains a variety of social identities that are linked to the linguistic contexts in which he interacts. Furthermore, his multicultural identity serves as a link to both the nonnative English speaking employees and the native speakers.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benedetti, Dr. Mary.
Keywords: identity; power; ESP; sociology; teaching
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23.
MILLER, ANGELA MARIA.
"GETTING IT RIGHT" AND "KEEPING IT REAL": USING NARRATIVE SOUNDTRACKS AS A TRANSMEDIATORY ACTIVITY IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2007, University of Cincinnati
► There are many learners who find it difficult to navigate in strictly…
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▼ There are many learners who find it difficult to navigate in strictly verbocentric classrooms where reading and writing are the central, and sometimes only, means by which students can explore and construct meaning, as well as express their understanding of literary texts. This qualitative study focused on two English classrooms in a secondary school where students were encouraged to utilize alternative response activities in order to make connections to literary texts. One class consisted of advanced placement eleventh grade students; the other class included eleventh and twelfth grade students who had been identified as “struggling” readers, based on their inability to pass the State Graduation Test. The study’s purpose was to establish and compare the types of connections the two classes of secondary students made with literary texts when they were asked to create a musical soundtrack and accompanying narrative for an assigned literary text. It also investigated how other alternative reader response activities (e.g., drawing visual texts, creating dramatizations) were received by the students as part of the ongoing curricular conversations in the classrooms. The data were collected, organized, and analyzed using a case study approach to qualitative research. The data included a teacher interview, individual student and focus group interviews, observational field notes, and student artifacts. The main objective of the analyses was to assemble comprehensive, organized, and thorough accounts of each class. Data from the interviews and observational field notes were initially analyzed using analytic induction (Bogdan and Biklen, 2003; Strauss and Corbin, 1990). The data gathered from the students’ musical response activities were analyzed based on categories that emerged through open coding (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) during a pilot study. All data were later analyzed deductively in order to consider and confirm the patterns and themes that resulted from the first two phases of data analysis. Findings suggested there were significant differences between the advanced placement class and the State Graduation Test recovery class. First, the curricular organization of the two classes differed. While the advanced placement class had five consistent classroom episodes, these were flexible and included a variety of alternative response activities. The State Graduation Test recovery class, however, had only four classroom episodes that were more rigid in both content and timing, allowing only limited opportunities for the implementation of response activities. As a result of the differences in the planned and enacted curriculum for both classes, the students’ understandings of the received curriculum, including the response activity, were also dissimilar. The advanced placement students were primarily interested in creating a soundtrack product that reflected a literary analysis of the text consistent with the types of curricular conversations that occurred in the classroom. The State Graduation Test recovery students, however, were more concerned with the collaborative process, resulting in soundtracks that included more personal responses and aesthetic commentary on both the text and the music.
Advisors/Committee Members: Burroughs, Dr. Robert S.
Subjects: Education, Reading
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24.
MORRIS ROBERTS, ELAINE.
WHOSE BOOKS GET PUBLISHED?: INDIVIDUAL AGENCY AND THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2006, University of Cincinnati
► Many studies have examined the business of children’s literature from an academic…
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▼ Many studies have examined the business of children’s literature from an academic perspective. While the academic literature provides one view of the business aspects surrounding the production of children’s books, it often fails to include the perspective of the individuals working in the industry, and espouses the view that people working within the corporate structure are unable to assert their individual agency as it relates to the publishing process. This qualitative study addresses the notion that when situated within an academic Discourse (Gee 1996), the individual voices of those working in the business of children’s publishing are silenced. Gee’s (1996) notion of Discourse as a way in which we identify ourselves with distinct groups through “particular social roles that others will recognize” (p. 128), and how Discourses establish perspective and social position is foundational in this work. With his ideas in mind, 32 interviews were conducted over a one-year period with authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, and agents currently working in the field of children’s publishing to establish their interpretations of the business Discourse surrounding children’s publishing. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a within-case approach that eventually gave way to cross case analysis, which yielded themes regarding individual roles within the publishing process; balancing financial responsibility with literary quality; balancing the multiple audiences for children’s books; and personal connections to the creative process. When the themes were investigated and compared to one another, individual agency became an overarching theme. Aiming to offer a unique look inside the business of children’s publishing, this dissertation offers findings replete with the personal experiences, insights, beliefs, values, and ideas of people functioning within the business Discourse; the data allow the participants to clarify how their individual agency plays a role in the business of children’s publishing. This project challenges and extends the current research and writing regarding the business of children’s publishing from an academic perspective that excludes the business Discourse. In concurrence with Taxel (2002), this project demonstrates a joining of the two usually separate Discourses will offer a more complete picture of business of children’s publishing.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laine, Dr. Chester.
Keywords: Children's literature; Children's publishing; Publishing industry; Individual agency; Discourse
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25.
Nam, Miyoung.
Second Language Writing Socialization: Korean Graduate Students' Use of Resources in the U.S. Academic Context.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2008, University of Cincinnati
► Most L2 writing studies with Korean ESL or EFL students to date…
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▼ Most L2 writing studies with Korean ESL or EFL students to date have been limited to processes and products of specific genres, and research called for more attention to the practices and activities in which students interact within a broader sociocultural context. The present study investigated nine Korean graduate students' L2 writing socialization experience at a mid-western U.S. university and explored the problems that they encountered during their L2 writing socialization process. The study also examined the roles that the resources played and scrutinized the assistance that ESL writing courses, a writing center, and academic research courses in particular provided for Korean L2 graduate students in socializing into their new academic culture. The findings indicate that the students in this study attempted to socialize into their L2 academic discourse through many different venues such as ESL writing courses, writing center tutorials, discipline-specific academic courses, and interactions with peers. However, they were not active users of those resources and their overall resource utilization was limited. It was found that the participants' lack of L2 proficiency inhibited them from active use of the resources and further posed challenges in articulating their needs for more than basic services to the resource providers. The study points to a need to develop a university-wide support network to assist L2 students' smoother transition into their new academic community. It also suggests that employing different and additional theoretical perspectives may bring about different but more comprehensive results. More suggestions for future research and implications for pedagogy are provided.
Advisors/Committee Members: Beckett, Gulbahar.
Subjects: Education; Higher education; Language; Literacy
Keywords: Language socialization; L2 writing; resources; Korean
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26.
PING, MARY CATHERINE.
SUPPORTING THE DISCOURSE: FIRST GRADERS COMMUNICATE MATHEMATICS.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2001, University of Cincinnati
► This study provides a rich narrative and a purposeful discussion and analysis…
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▼ This study provides a rich narrative and a purposeful discussion and analysis of one group of first grade students' mathematics Discourse. It investigates the vocabulary they use, the importance they give to mathematical dialogue, and the broad discourse field in which they participate. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989, 1991, 2000) suggests that discourse in mathematics promotes, solidifies, and expands concept development. This research focuses on the voice of the students and their perspectives, coupled with research observations. The children discuss the language they use, demonstrate the social elements of the mathematics community in the classroom, and model their communication skills. Broad ranges of Discourse are evidenced as children intertwine beliefs and values with mathematical dialogue and social considerations. While many theorists speculate on what "should be" happening in classrooms, this study looks at what is actually happening in one classroom. If discourse is to become an active part of learning in the mathematics classroom, realistic expectations for language development and use create a base line for growth. Through description and analysis, this study seeks to provide a window into the reality of Discourse in mathematics. It sheds light on the kinds of mathematical identity that is represented in dialogue, and the impact of individual's attitudes, values, and behaviors in the social and academic context. It recognizes multi-layered elements in curriculum choices; the impact of classroom culture; the value of student motivation. It confirms that students do think mathematical language is an indicator of competence and social status, is probably an important tool for learning, and is an indicator of identity. Finally, the data illuminate the influence of teachers on young children, and the power of their abilities and attitudes toward communication and learning as they model and teach mathematical language in the classroom.
Advisors/Committee Members: Amspaugh-Corson, Dr. Linda.
Subjects: Mathematics
Keywords: mathematics discourse; literacy/mathematics; discourse/mathematics; NCTM/discourse
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27.
Schwartz, Tammy Ann.
“Write Me”: A Participatory Action Research Project with Urban Appalachian Girls.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2002, University of Cincinnati
► By combining theory and practice, this dissertation chronicles the story of a…
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▼ By combining theory and practice, this dissertation chronicles the story of a participatory action research (PAR) project that the author conducted in collaboration with eleven urban Appalachian girls. Rooted in the work of Freire (1970), PAR engages local people in a process of identifying and investigating local issues, or "thematic concerns" (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1988), to enact change for emancipatory purposes. In this PAR project, the girls identified girl-writing practices, i.e. writing letters, as a thematic concern for investigation. After dialoguing about writing and related issues, the girls conducted their investigation by interviewing their sisters, mothers, and female friends and cousins. Themes of place, identity, class and writing emerged from subsequent analysis and dialogues. These dialogues, in turn, led to action as the girls began to confront class-specific stereotypes connected to place. To expand on these themes and issues, the author weaves her own history as an urban Appalachian girl into the story of this project. Drawing on the fields of literacy, language, and geography, the author utilizes the girls' stories, her own story and the story of this PAR project as she reflects on issues of place, identity, class and writing.
Advisors/Committee Members: Hicks, Dr. Deborah.
Subjects: Education, Language and Literature
Keywords: writing; participatory action research; adolescent girls; identity; Urban Appalachian
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28.
SELLERS, DEANNA LYNN.
COACHING EXPERIENCE: INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHANGE.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2006, University of Cincinnati
► This body of work includes four individual research studies situated in the…
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▼ This body of work includes four individual research studies situated in the Core Literacy Specialist Project centered around the professional development activity entitled coaching. Each individual study will be included below: A Comparative Analysis of Four Coaching Models This comparative analysis focuses on the similarities in and distinctions between four coaching models including Peer Coaching, Cognitive Coaching, Coaching in the Literacy Collaborative and Coaching in the Core Literacy Specialist Project. The review provides administrators with the information needed to make an informed choice when choosing a coaching model. The analysis presents information on the structural framework of each coaching model and the role of “knowledgeable” others. Teacher’s Talk Communication and Collaboration: A Key to Effective Teacher Instruction This qualitative study focuses on the Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI) and one teacher’s experience with the TLI. The TLI is a transcript analysis tool that provides a structure for a literacy specialist and a classroom teacher to use as a means to help the teacher self-evaluate and deepen her diagnostic teaching. Voices from the Classroom: The Teacher’s Perspective of A Literacy Coaching Experience This qualitative research study presents the views and perceptions of four teachers who participated in a coaching experience. Through teachers’ interviews, the study provides the teachers’ reasons for willing volunteering to participate in a coaching activity. Readers develop a better understanding of how a literacy specialist assists a classroom teacher as they reshape their instructional approach. A Coaching Experience: A Supportive Process for Change The final study focuses on a coaching experience with a literacy specialist and an experienced teacher. Through the coaching conversation we deepen our understanding of how the ELLCO tool and the Close-up of Teaching assist the coach-teacher dyad as they strengthen and refine the teacher’s instruction. The ELLCO tool helps the dyad identify elements of instructional need and the Close-up for Teaching takes a critical look at teaching behaviors.
Advisors/Committee Members: Freppon, Dr. Penny.
Subjects: Education, Teacher Training
Keywords: coaching; Professional Development; Teacher Learning
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29.
Sherry, Tammie.
Teaching Concepts About Print to English Language Learners and Native Speakers using Interactive Writing in a Kindergarten Classroom.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► This study examined the instructional approach of interactive writing with emergent kindergarten…
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▼ This study examined the instructional approach of interactive writing with emergent kindergarten writers in a classroom where half of the students were identified as English language learners. The purpose of the study was to examine the teaching of concepts of print during interactive writing and the students’ use of those concepts in journal writing in order to contribute to the limited body of literature on English language learners’ literacy learning at a kindergarten level, as well as emergent writers who are considered Native speakers. Three questions guided the qualitative research and the methodology of the study, which made use of several methods of data collection. The guiding questions for the study examined the ways in which the teacher used interactive writing as a way to explicitly and strategically teach early writers important concepts about print. In addition, individual student journal writings were examined for ways that the students were, or were not, applying those concepts about print in their journal work and compared across the two groups. This study will further knowledge in the field of children’s writing by presenting teachers and teacher educators with the potential implications for interactive writing as an early writing instructional approach that can be used with students who are English language learners as well as Native speakers.
Advisors/Committee Members: Williams, Cheri.
Subjects: Elementary education
Keywords: interactive writing; English language learners
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30.
Simeonova, Marieta Angelova.
Language Socialization at Work: Bulgarian Healthcare Professionals in the Midwestern United States.
Degree: EdD, Education : Literacy, 2007, University of Cincinnati
► Addressing the issues of language socialization and identity reconstruction of foreign healthcare…
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▼ Addressing the issues of language socialization and identity reconstruction of foreign healthcare professionals (FHPs) at work is of paramount importance for the quality of healthcare in the U.S. today. In 2005, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) statistics indicated that 23.3% of the total U.S. physician population consisted of foreign professionals trained in 127 different countries. Despite this sizeable percentage and the diversity of foreign healthcare professionals who currently work in the U.S., the challenges in the process of their language socialization and identity reconstruction at work have not received an adequate attention in the research literature. This 24-month qualitative study focuses on the language socialization and identity reconstruction of four Bulgarian healthcare professionals (BHPs) in two healthcare institutions and one medical university in a large Midwestern city. Qualitative methodology, used in this study, included an analysis of the three healthcare institutions’ websites and work-related documents, semi-structured interviews with the four focal and the eleven non-focal participants (family members, colleagues, HR officials, trainers, advisors, and supervisors), and a focus group discussion. Findings revealed that the BHPs acquired functional proficiency in the written and oral interactions at work through formal and informal support, but still experienced frustrations due to unfamiliarity and differences with tacit socio-cultural rules and demands specific to the U.S. workplace context. Findings suggested that BHPs had to be computer literate and proactive in their search for help at work to succeed in the U.S. workplace. On the other hand, HR officials, trainers, and supervisors in U.S. healthcare institutions should be aware that FHPs need a continuous support system in order to adapt successfully to the language and culture at work and be able to cater to the U.S. healthcare institutions’ needs. The findings of this study can inform and facilitate HR officials, trainers, advisors, and supervisors’ efforts in providing a culturally responsive training for newly employed FHPs in the U.S. healthcare system.
Advisors/Committee Members: Beckett, Dr. Gulbahar H.
Keywords: language socialization; work; identity reconstruction; Bulgarian healthcare professionals; United States
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