PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

In 2015, then-Higher Education Minister Rodolfo Alarcon said in response to many Cubans' inability to communicate in the international language, English fluency would be required by students as a university exit requirement (“Mastering English,” 2015). The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study was to understand the experiences of Cuban university English instructors, who encountered these curricular changes. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with six university instructors and emailed responses from another six. The participants included both current and former faculty members who left the teaching profession for more lucrative careers in private tutoring or tourism. Motivational Systems Theory (Ford, 1992), various aspects of social identity (Gray & Morton, 2018) and my own experience as an EFL instructor guided the study in understanding the instructors' social identity, motivation, and self-agency. The data were analyzed using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. The findings showed differing experiences among men and women and urban and rural instructors. Faculty expressed both positive and negative teaching experiences, and, as a result of some unfavorable experiences, some instructors left the field of teaching altogether and applied their talents to the growing tourism and private business sectors. In addition to understanding the experiences of the study's participants, the investigation also provides valuable insight into the evolution of English teaching in Cuban higher education, the consequences of educational borrowing and the complexity of conducting research within an authoritarian regime.

Committee: Martha Merrill (Advisor) Subjects: Bilingual Education; Caribbean Studies; Comparative; Education; Education History; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Theory; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language; Higher Education Administration; Latin American History; Latin American Studies; Linguistics; Modern Language; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Personality Psychology; School Administration; Teacher Education; Teaching; Technology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Cross-Cultural, International Education

As the student population in Minnesota continues to diversify, the school environment increasingly does not reflect student needs. In Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs, there is often an English as a New Language (ENL) track in which adults may participate. ABE students range from Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) to students with advanced degrees from their country of origin. The dearth and aging body of ENL ABE research concerning overarching student perceptions has led to the following research questions I examine in this study: 1) How do low level English as a New Language adult Latino immigrant students experience their own learning? 2) How do these participants teach others in the community and their family? I use a combination of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) (Kinloch, 2017) and Cultural Capital Theory (Bourdieu, 1986) as a framework to analyze the perceptions of participants. I collected data from nine individual interviews with Mexican and Ecuadorian low level ENL students enrolled in an urban ABE program in Minnesota. I coded the data to examine common themes from the interviews. The data suggests adult Latino low-level ENL learners use and exchange their capital to access linguistic capital for different outcomes including agency, assimilation and personal fulfillment. Participants reported they teach others while seeking an outcome of building linguistic capital for their children, gaining United States school-cultural capital, and/or agency. Mediating factors such as gender, psychological factors, seeking different capital influenced this exchange process for participants.

Committee: Bruce Collet Ph.D. (Advisor); Christy Galletta Horner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Timothy Murnen Ph.D (Committee Member); Megan Strom Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; English As A Second Language

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2018, Secondary Education

Based on the system theories approach, this case study investigated the collaboration process that took place among teachers working with newcomer English learners with disabilities. The significance of this study stems from the scarcity of literature on English learner newcomers with disabilities and the need for exploring collaboration among teachers and other professionals. The study utilizes Friend and Cook's (1990) ideologies about best practice in collaboration, which include trust, time, assessments, evaluation, and leadership. Qualitative data collection tools were used to examine aspects of collaboration at three different levels. These tools included classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with professionals. The study found that sustainability of effective teacher collaboration required a shared purpose and goal, open dialogue, a monitoring system, adequate resources, and frequent evaluations of student outcomes. The sense of unity of purpose was vital to creating positive interdependence among professionals. Triangulation ensured the trustworthiness of the data. Member checking and participant feedback were also employed to validate the findings. In the future, collaboration efforts will benefit from teachers receiving professional development to foster positive attitudes towards collaboration and to support appropriate use of time provided for collaboration.

Committee: Shernavaz Vakil Dr. (Advisor); Bridgie Ford Dr (Committee Member); Lynn Kline Dr. (Committee Member); Wei Zhang Dr. (Committee Member); Lynn Smolen Dr. (Other) Subjects: Bilingual Education; Early Childhood Education; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; English As A Second Language; Higher Education; Linguistics; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Pedagogy; Secondary Education; Special Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Curriculum and Instruction

This study employed pragmatic parallel mixed methods to determine the impact of TPD on early childhood teachers' pedagogical methodology and English acquisition by young children in South Korea. The data included observations from the TPD sessions and classrooms, interviews and lesson plans, as well as the pre- and post- test scores of the 42 participant children. The findings have provided valuable insights into (1) how the HIA TPD program could serve as a means of effective TPD, positive impact on the growth of teachers' English instructional practice, and young children's English learning, and (2) the benefits for children in the treatment group that was generally greater than the control group in the areas of VA, LS, and PA skills. Implications for further research on TPD and other supports for the integrated early childhood English education were discussed.

Committee: Holly Johnson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Gulbahar Beckett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Hye Pae Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Teaching and Learning

This research documents the use of a pedagogy called dramatic inquiry (Edmiston, 2011) and active, rehearsal room approaches to reading Shakespeare (Royal Shakespeare Company Toolkit, 2010) in one third grade classroom during the 2010-2011 school year. Simultaneously, this research describes reading events built around the skills-based models of reading instruction while it also documents the introduction of a new way of structuring reading events in the same classroom using multiple ways of knowing beyond verbal and abstract (e.g. dramatic play, somatic, kinesthetic, gestural, musical, etc.). The findings describe the key linkages between changes in reading instruction towards dramatic inquiry and the changes in ELLs access to academic literacy and expanded repertoires for meaning-making. Critical social cultural theories of literacy education (Lewis, Enciso, & Moje, 2007) and a performative view on social life (Goffman, 1959) and education (Alexander, Anderson, & Gallegos, 2005) informed this performance ethnography and case studies of ELLs. Multiple ethnographic data collection methods were used across the school year during both non-dramatic and dramatic practices including; field notes, researcher journal, video-coded data, student artifacts, ethnographically grounded assessments, focus groups, interviews and informal reflections with the teacher and focal students. Data analysis relied on grounded theory (Glaser & Straus, 1967) and was informed by a priori theories of drama, reading, and ELL literacy education. It employed data reduction methods through constant comparative charts, photo analysis of movement and embodied meaning, and visual data maps of related events and word knowledge. Non-dramatic reading practices (e.g. reading group, word study) created a classroom culture of comparing reading skills. These practices were characterized by performances of knowing with inauthentic reading tasks, transmission teaching models, individual displays of fluenc (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Edmiston (Advisor); Patricia Enciso (Advisor); Leslie Moore (Committee Member) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus)

Researchers in education have documented that teachers' sense of efficacy has strong impacts on various aspects of teaching and learning. Yet, in the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), inquiry into teachers' sense of efficacy is extremely scarce. Given its documented powerful impact on teaching practices and student learning, it is critical to pursue this line of inquiry into the field. The present study, by adopting the notion of teachers' sense of efficacy as the theoretical framework, has explored Korean elementary school teachers' confidence in teaching English. The study has also examined teachers' attitudes toward the English language and the current Korean elementary English education policy and practices, and teachers' English language proficiency, respectively. Furthermore, their English teaching efficacy has been examined in relation to the factors that are likely to influence their confidence in carrying out English teaching-related tasks: namely, the attitudes toward the English language, English proficiency (current and desired minimum levels, as well as the gap between the two levels), and teacher characteristics. An explanatory mixed methods design was employed in the present study and data were collected in the two phases. In the quantitative phase, 1,327 elementary school teachers working in five regions of South Korea responded to the survey. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 teachers and classroom observation in five teachers' English classes. Efficacy for oral English language use was found as an additional dimension of teacher efficacy in teaching English, indicating that in a foreign language context, oral target language use would be a significant dimension to be considered in examining teachers' self-efficacy in teaching the target language. Also, it was found that teachers' current level of English proficiency and EIL (English as an International Language) attitude to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Keiko Samimy PhD (Advisor); Alan Hirvela PhD (Committee Member); Anita Woolfolk Hoy PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, EDU Teaching and Learning

Given that minimal research has looked at doctoral level reading and considered the extent to which this is an intercultural experience for second language readers, this multiple case study explored the academic reading practices and perspectives of four international doctoral students from different first language backgrounds all studying in an Education program at a large research-intensive higher education institute in the midwestern United States.

Committee: Alan Hirvela (Advisor); George Newell (Advisor); Ian Wilkinson (Committee Member); Ulla Connor (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; English As A Second Language; Higher Education; Language; Literacy; Reading Instruction

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study explores how 5th grade EFL learners learn and use English in the primary EFL classroom in the complex sociocultural context of Korea. By exploring students' language learning and practices in their school setting triangulated with interviews about their out-of-school language as well as parents' perspective on English, the study highlights the interplay of in- and out-of-school language learning in EFL settings. This qualitative study consisted of semester-long persistent classrooms conducted along with audio-recordings of class sessions and interviews designed to target the complex realities of English education in this setting. Classroom observation focused on moment-to-moment teacher-student and student-student interactions as well as on the nature of language use by teachers and students, including the distribution of roles, rights, and duties closely examined using discourse analysis and triangulated with interviews. In addition, the macro-level values and beliefs prevalent in Korean English education were also examined. In this classroom, a Korean co-teacher (KT) and a native English-speaking co-teacher (NT) try to overcome their students' lack of exposure to the target language by providing meaningful contexts so that the students can learn and practice useful expressions with a variety of materials and modes of teaching and learning. The teachers' educational beliefs and interests thus influenced and constructed the students' language learning environment in the EFL classroom. For one semester, the students were socialized into new frames of teacher-controlled classroom routines through modelling, repetition, visual aids, and praise.In addition, this study reveals how the macro-level values and beliefs of Korean English education influences one local EFL classroom. The practice of teaching and learning in this local context has thus ecologically influenced by official themes promoted in the upper reaches of the national educational system. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leslie Moore (Advisor); Keiko Samimy (Committee Member); Francis Troyan (Committee Member) Subjects: Elementary Education; English As A Second Language

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

This study's purpose was to determine how well education colleges in Saudi Arabia prepare pre-service teachers to address 21st-century skills with their future students. The perceptions of college professors and pre-service teachers at several Saudi education colleges across the country were examined according to the methods of quantitative research and descriptive statistics. Data was obtained through a Likert scale survey consisting of 30 closed-ended questions regarding how well Saudi education colleges impart four 21st-century skills— computer literacy, research skills, critical thinking, soft skills—and two support programs—special education and English as a foreign language (EFL). The data was analyzed using pairwise t-test comparisons to discover which skills were most prioritized by professors and pre-service teachers. It was found that special education was perceived as requiring the most improvement, with EFL in second place and computer literacy in third place, followed by research skills. An extensive literature review was also conducted on the topic. Based on the findings, it is recommended that special education, EFL, computer literacy, and research skills receive the most focus during any future attempts to reform the Saudi education system, and that the input of Saudi pre-service teachers be consulted during any process of upgrading curriculum related to critical thinking, special education, research skills, and soft skills. Keywords 21st-century skills, Saudi Vision 2030, English as a foreign language (EFL), critical thinking, research skills, soft skills, computer literacy, special education, Saudi education system, teacher preparation programs, colleges of education in Saudi Arabia, perceptions of pre-service teachers, perceptions of college professors. .

Committee: Scott Courtney (Advisor) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, EDU Teaching and Learning

Career-technical education (CTE) is essential in training and educating young people in the United States and has purposefully served a distinct role from comprehensive schooling models. However, the conceptualizations of career-technical education in common perception and in academic research typically reinforce the academic-vocational divide, a pervasive binary that has been maintained throughout history and into today. There is limited empirical research that explores literacies in CTE without the confines of the academic-vocational divide or outside of deficit perspectives of the students in CTE. In this study, I seek to speak to these gaps and dispel the academic-vocational binary by (re)conceptualizing literacies in a career-technical program, pharmacy technician, and an academic course, English language arts. During the 2020-2021 school year, I conducted a multiple-case study with an ethnographic perspective at Northside Area Career Center, a career-technical high school on the outskirts of a major Midwestern city. With a frame of social and sociomaterial perspective of literacies, I drew on theory of figured worlds, including positioning, personhood, and social imagination in order to understand literacy events and practices as they were used and positioned within the pharmacy technician program and ELA class. I primarily constructed data as a participant-observer in these spaces as I collaborated with veteran teachers: the pharmacy technician teacher, Ms. Lark, and the ELA teacher, Ms. Sims. Data collected included fieldnotes, audio and video recorded classroom lessons and lab work, artifacts, and interviews with both teachers and students. I share findings from each case and a comparison across them, arguing that students in both classrooms were learning to be citizens in a democratic society through the teachers centering collaboration, valuing multiple perspectives, and enacting a range of figured worlds. In the ELA class, Ms. Sims established seminars (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Caroline T. Clark (Committee Chair); George Newell (Committee Member); Michiko Hikida (Committee Member); Edward Fletcher (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Theory; Language Arts; Literacy; Pedagogy; Secondary Education; Teaching; Vocational Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, EDU Teaching and Learning

With the sudden transition to emergency remote instruction during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the examination of how online platforms and multimedia tools supported STEM educators and students is relevant and even urgent. This study documents how educators, despite limited prior training, rapidly developed, designed, and orchestrated their online course and captures their and their students' perceptions as they adapted to the virtual setting. The dissertation adds to the nascent body of literature on continuing education disrupted by disasters and civil crises. After developing a valid and reliable instrument measuring the extent to which educators and students were supported and satisfied with the emergency remote STEM environment, a pilot and national survey study of two groups followed. STEM educators (n= 109) - university teacher educators, pre-service teachers (PSTs), K-12 teachers, and 6th to 12th grade students (n=41) responded to the national survey. Additionally, twelve educators and four students were interviewed. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of boundary crossing and self-regulation learning, the data revealed tensions students faced as they struggled to complete assignments and adjusted to the reduced social presence of peers and teachers. Eight percent of the national study students remained “bored” and “uninterested” (11%). Additionally, 25% of the students did not want to take an online course in the future. The following themes emerged from the student interviews: (1) the desire for more regular, required, live, interactive sessions (2) the inclusion of motivating activities and collaborative experiences, and (3) personalized feedback rather than completion grades. Interviews with pre-service teachers (PST) demonstrated how a strong university teacher preparation program acts as a boundary spanner for transforming the identity of a teacher candidate to a recent graduate, certified and experienced with a virtual teachin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Post (Advisor); Lin Ding (Committee Member); Theodore Chao (Committee Member); Mandy Smith (Committee Member) Subjects: English As A Second Language; Mathematics Education; Science Education; Special Education; Teacher Education; Teaching; Technology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Refugee population growth in the past two decades has caused Indiana to experience unprecedented growth in many of its cities and schools. This growth of the school age population has led to a higher demand on classroom teacher and English as a New Language (ENL) teachers to collaborate to make sure students are receiving what they need to succeed. This study examines this collaborative relationship between teachers and their administrators through a micropolitical lens focused on understanding the power dynamics that take place in collaborative efforts. The question asked in this study are: how do elementary classroom teachers work collaboratively with their English as a new language (ENL) teacher counterparts, how do administration play a role in this collaboration, and how has this collaboration informed how teachers understand their working relationships with each other? To answer this question, interviews were conducted with 12 participants from four elementary schools in a large urban school district in Northeast Indiana. I used Blase's (1987) framework for micropolitics in education along with Sneed et al.'s (2005) framework and model for power dynamics of collaboration between teachers with macro force impacts. The interviews were coded, and seven themes were found in the data. These codes highlighted the power structure within the three participant groups, showing that administrators hold the most power, followed by classroom teachers, and with the least power are ENL teachers. The study also showcases the collaborative actions that lead to a more cohesive working environment.

Committee: Christy Galletta-Horner Ph.D. (Advisor); Vibha Bhalla Ph.D (Committee Member); Christopher Frey Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; English As A Second Language

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

My dissertation study fills current gaps in scholarship by analyzing the feedback preferences of students enrolled in two sections of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) 1010: Academic Composition II courses at Bowling Green State University during the Fall 2015 semester and whether or not those preferences match the students' individual learning styles as measured by a learning style inventory. Additionally, the study examines how providing feedback in different modalities (audio, video, and written) impacts student comfort levels and their perceptions of the writing classroom. Finally, the study examines the impact each feedback modality had on the students' academic performance as measured by the grades students received on essay assignments when utilizing the differing feedback modalities throughout the semester. The learning style inventory and initial feedback preference survey were provided during week 1 of the semester, and a follow-up feedback preferences survey was given during week 15. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze, code, and categorize the students' survey responses. Through classroom observation, student surveys, and grade analyses, it was clear that despite showing a preference for written feedback at the onset of the semester, the majority of students identified as visual learners, preferred video feedback, and performed better academically when they received video feedback.

Committee: Lee Nickoson (Advisor); Neal Jesse (Other); Kristine Blair (Committee Member); Sheri Wells-Jensen (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Educational Technology; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language; Higher Education; Instructional Design; Language; Language Arts; Multilingual Education; Pedagogy; Rhetoric; Teacher Education; Teaching; Technology

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2015, English

This paper examines the use of young adult literature of and about the Middle East in the secondary English Language Arts classroom as a means to dispel stereotypes about the region and welcome multicultural themes and topics into literary discussion. The work is made up of five chapters, each of which address a different piece of literature of five sub-genres: fiction, memoir, poetry, short story, and graphic novel. The books of study are broken down and analyzed in each chapter, exploring potential strategies for studying the books, such as symbol analysis, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), and psychoanalytical theory, as well as offering potential teaching strategies for educators to use in the 7-12 classroom. The work is rounded out with 6 appendices made up of ready-to-use lesson plans, project ideas, and models paired with each of the five novels, provided for language arts teachers to utilize in their own classrooms when teaching about the Middle East and its literature.

Committee: Linda J. Rice Ph.D. (Advisor); Carey Snyder Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Language Arts; Literature; Middle Eastern Literature; Middle Eastern Studies; Secondary Education; Teaching

Master of Science and Education, University of Toledo, 2005, Educational Administration and Supervision

This study sought to determine the prevalence of teacher-centered or student-centered beliefs and practices based on grade taught and years of experience. The most prevalent concepts related to student-centeredness were individualization, collaboration, high expectations, and meaningfulness. The least prevalent concepts were in assessments, interpersonal relationships, and relevance of content. Teachers with less than six years of experience had slightly higher mean scores than those with more than six years, with no statistically significant difference between their mean performances. Teachers who taught grades 7 – 12 also had slightly higher mean scores than those who taught grades K – 6. There was no statistically significant difference between their mean performances. The findings shed light on both experienced and less experienced teachers. It also poses a different way of looking at teachers, no matter the grade level they teach. More research should be conducted, with the possibility of extending the sample regionally and nationally.

Committee: Caroline Roettger (Advisor) Subjects: Education, General

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2024, English

While some resources exist to support adult English language learning in Dayton, Ohio, many immigrants and asylum seekers are prevented from accessing language classes due to barriers of scheduling, transportation, and childcare. This prevents the city of Dayton from incorporating the skills and strengths of its members not fully integrated into the community. In this study, the researcher takes a holistic and assets-based approach to adult English Language Learning (ELL). A tutoring, classroom hybrid English program was implemented to support the large Hispanic/Latinx population at Immaculate Conception Church, in partnership with Brunner Literacy Center. To mitigate barriers of scheduling, transportation, and childcare, the program was scheduled immediately after the well-attended Spanish worship service each Sunday morning, while a children's program took place simultaneously. Attendance increased over the course of the program from about 20 to 30 learners weekly. Volunteers reported feeling supported and satisfied with their volunteer experiences. Learners reported positive relationships with their tutors and an increase in confidence in their ability to speak English.

Committee: Jennifer Haan (Advisor); Colleen Gallagher (Committee Member); Stacie Covington (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; English As A Second Language

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This timely study is an investigation of the English language learning experiences and related empowerment capabilities and deprivations of female rural migrant TVET students in two locales in Western China at macro, mezzo, and micro levels during the years of the great expansion of the TVET school system. This study adopted basic interpretive research using semistructured interviews and field observations. The capability approach provided the conceptual framework for designing interview questions and analysis. The macro level entailed the history of English language learning in China, English instructional policies, and access to language learning and resources. The mezzo level involved sociological influences relevant to rural migrant youth's studying of English: peer environment, family capital, English teachers, and teaching methods. The micro level encompassed individuals' voices and experiences of learning English, and their formulation of related constitutive and instrumental capabilities. Multilevel analysis revealed that for rural migrant youth, learning English presented a hurdle to further education and created a consistent educational attainment gap. It also reflected unequal access to opportunities and resources as well as the unequal distribution of power, privilege, and capital shaped by the residence control (hukou) system. English exams had become not only the bottleneck for migrant students' educational advancement but also delimited employment opportunities. The underfunded and underresourced rural school was a key creator of social inequality and rural deprivation. Recommendations include reformulating the national English education policy, allocating more resources to English learning, improving English teacher training in rural schools, and adapting TVET English curriculum to economic imperatives.

Committee: Vilma Seeberg (Advisor); Gumiko Monobe (Committee Member); Debra Clark (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; Education; Educational Sociology; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language; Gender Studies; Language; Sociology; Vocational Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Educational Studies

This dissertation had three main research goals. First, to examine the English vocabulary development from prekindergarten (pre-K) to third grade among Spanish-speaking dual language learners (DLLs) living in Arizona (U.S.). Second, to examine to what extent the linguistic environment of pre-K classrooms influenced the development of DLLs' English vocabulary. Finally, the last research goal was to investigate the moderator role of DLLs' bilingualism in the relationship between children's English vocabulary and the linguistic environment of pre-K classrooms. This study focused on proximal and distal aspects of the classroom linguistic environment, including the amount of Spanish use in interactions and the classroom climate quality. This study capitalized on the data collected by the Language and Reading Research Consortium (LARRC), a federally funded project that followed the development of DLLs' and non-DLLs' literacy-related skills from 2010 to 2015. The current study used the information associated with 285 DLLs, who attended 63 classrooms. Bayesian multilevel analysis for longitudinal data showed that DLLs' English vocabulary development was stable and discontinuous over time. That is, DLLs with a high English vocabulary knowledge in pre-K tended to have a high English vocabulary knowledge in third grade, but the rate of change of this development was not constant. The fastest growth in this development and the major individual differences were observed from pre-K to kindergarten, suggesting an important transition in DLLs' English vocabulary before the first grade. The heterogeneity of DLLs' Spanish proficiency and the amount of Spanish used at home in the pre-K year, two characteristics of their bilingualism, significantly predicted their English vocabulary development. Notably, the analyses revealed a non-linear association between DLLs' amount of Spanish spoken at home and their English vocabulary, and that the strength of this relationship changed over time (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Justice Dr. (Advisor); Ann O’Connell Dr. (Committee Member); Tzu-Jung Lin Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2022, Curriculum and Instruction

Literature in this field of English language learners (ELLs) in US public schools indicates that the needs of these adolescent ELLs are not being met due to a lack of language support and inaccessibility to content. This research examined the enactment of a curriculum with preservice teachers designed to address the specific needs of adolescent ELLs in content area classrooms and the implementation of components of the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model into their lesson planning and delivery. This study was conducted in an urban university in the Midwest within a single class for junior-level undergraduate content area preservice teacher candidates of adolescents. There were 31 voluntary participants who were preservice content-area teachers: art, n=2; English language arts, n=5; math, n=12; music, n=4; science, n=4; social studies, n=4. Coursework assignments were collected as data sources. Additional data collected included instructor notes/reflections on weekly class sessions. The research questions addressed the changes the preservice teachers showed in their knowledge of and capacity to explain and apply second language acquisition processes, a scaffolding model for ELLs called SIOP, and disciplinary-specific aspects of literacy in their content areas. Data analysis showed that there was evidence of improvement in their knowledge, ability to explain and apply, and integrate disciplinary literacy within the SIOP-related assignments including instructional planning. There were, however, different degrees of improvement in their acquisition of the key concepts amongst the preservice teachers individually and by content area. Mathematics majors demonstrated the greatest improvement, while social studies and music majors were less able to apply the ideas into their instructional planning. There would be value in future research to explore these differences to determine how key concepts might be more broadly acquired (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Susanna Hapgood (Advisor); Jenny Denyer (Committee Member); Revathy Kumar (Committee Member); Mark Templin (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; English As A Second Language; Literacy; Pedagogy; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Bachelor of Science in Education, Ashland University, 2021, Teacher Education

Many contemporary researchers and educators agree on the need to implement social-emotional learning (SEL) in modern public education to teach necessary life skills not usually covered in academic instruction. Typically SEL instruction has focused on primary-level students, but research shows that middle and high school students also benefit from SEL instruction in a very meaningful way during the critical period of development these students experience during adolescence. The field of English Language Arts in itself is a venue for straightforward SEL instruction. Many English Language Arts teachers are already implementing SEL into their curriculum, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The very nature of the field of literature and the study of it embodies SEL as readers vicariously observe and empathize with the experiences of fictional characters. This characteristic of the field creates a unique pathway to SEL instruction through the use of literature that allows for straightforward intercurricular implementation, requiring few changes to the existing curriculum. Included in this document is a curriculum guide for high school English Language Arts teachers to implement SEL into their existing academic curriculum, based on the Ohio Department of Education's new K-12 SEL Standards.

Committee: Hilary Donatini Dr. (Advisor); Terri Jewett Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Educational Theory; Language Arts