This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Douglas B. Clark, Frank Ramirez-Marin, Amanda Villagomez, Daniel Paquette, Wendy Lynn Sparrow, Mirose Paia, Stephanie Touchman, Gwyn Lewis, Rebecca Paulson Stone, and Sarah Newcomer.
(2012). Effectiveness of a Heritage Educational Program for the Acquisition of Oral and Written French and Tahitian in French Polynesia, Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies. The research examines the effects of a bilingual pedagogical program (French/Tahitian) on the acquisition of oral and written French as well as the Tahitian language itself in primary schools in French Polynesia. 125 children divided into an experimental group (partially schooled in Tahitian for 300 min per week) and a control group (schooled in French) were followed from the second year of kindergarten to Grade 1 and tested on Tahitian and French language competence. The results show that the program appears to have a positive impact on Tahitian proficiency, without any negative effect on learning of French (oral and reading). [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Grade 1
(2012). A Case Study of the Effectiveness of the Mexican INEA (National Institute for the Education of Adults) Program Trapped between Text and Technology, ProQuest LLC. The level of success of the Mexican INEA (National Institute for the Education of Adults) academic program implemented in the U.S. has never been examined. INEA developed five goals for its students in the U.S. that supplement the general goals that the program has for all its students in Mexico. The 5 supplementary goals are to provide access to a basic education which will improve the quality of the students' lives, to improve their employment opportunity, to advance their proficiency of Spanish in order to assist them in learning English, to increase their involvement in their children's education and to stimulate self-esteem and pride in the Mexican culture. This single case study assessed, through the perspectives of its students, the extent to which INEA met these goals at its Palomar College Plaza Comunitaria. Assessment of goal success was a stated objective of INEA. Data were collected through responses to student interviews in which the participants offered perspectives to ten questions relating to INEA's supplementary goals, their level of success and their relationship to the students' personal goals. The INEA program in the U.S. is taught in entirely in Spanish with the aim of providing the means for Spanish-speaking adults to receive a Mexican diploma at the primary and secondary academic levels. Mexico provides the curriculum and instruction in Spanish, and entities in the U.S. provide the venues. From the responses of the participants, the researcher coded the data into categorical concepts and developed grounded theories as propositions to explain the relationship between the levels of success regarding INEA's program goals and the students' motivations for involvement in the program. The conceptual hypotheses developed from the data indicated a limited level of success at meeting the students' educational needs. INEA's curriculum, although well-developed, suffers from logistical hindrances, of which some are self-created, and others that are the result of INEA's lack of understanding of its students' personal motivations for participating in the program. The grounded theories offer propositions for INEA to consider as a means for program improvement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Adult Education, Program Implementation, Bilingual Education, Native Language
(2012). Culture/Religion and Identity: Social Justice versus Recognition, Religious Education. Recognition is the main word attached to multicultural perspectives. The multicultural call for recognition, the one calling for the recognition of cultural minorities and identities, the one now voiced by liberal states all over and also in Israel was a more difficult one. It took the author some time to realize that calling for the recognition of minorities culture/religion and identity was the best way to sustain on the one hand structural asymmetries while adopting the racist discourse of old which attaches to individuals and groups, by virtue of their circumstances of birth or early socialization, the differences that explain their present frail realities. The author's work on peace pedagogies at a variety of integrated, Palestinian and Jewish, educational settings in Israel has strengthened his thought that emancipatory perspectives and social justice could not be served well by recognition ideologies. The more he has looked into the details of the everyday realities of the educational work in these sites, the more it becomes apparent that recognized cultures/religions and identities might not serve well the main stakeholders of these fascinating educational institutions. In this article, the author argues that education is in urgent need of reviewing its paradigmatic foundations while problematizing the political structures that sustain the conflicts it tries to overcome. He stresses the need to seriously research children's subculture and the ways in which they organize the world through more flexible identity categories than the ones dictated by present national paradigms. [More] Descriptors: Social Justice, Jews, Multicultural Education, Religious Education
(2012). The Views of Nigerian Teachers in Public and Private Primary Schools on the Teaching of Early Literacy in English, Literacy. Drawing on the bilingual policies and biliteracy programmes of African nations, this paper discusses the context of literacy education in Nigeria and examines Nigerian early literacy teachers' attitudes to teaching literacy and literacy teaching practices as informed by the National Policy on Education, Primary English Language Curriculum and the teaching-learning milieu. The paper also reports the findings of a survey in which respondents to a questionnaire expressed their views and understanding of the primary English curriculum and their own relations and experiences with it, as well as their own competencies and self-concept as literacy teachers. Results indicated the need to train Nigerian teachers to adopt a much wider perspective in literacy, which recognises the opportunities for developing the interrelated strands of literacy. Governments should also consider practising teachers' professional identities and growth in decision-making and curriculum development. This will enhance their understanding of ideologies in policy and practice. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Emergent Literacy, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes
(2012). Standing Our Sacred Ground: One School Community's Struggle to Negotiate Restrictive Language Policy, ProQuest LLC. This is a qualitative case study using ethnographic methods of how one school community has been able to negotiate Arizona's restrictive English only language policies. Drawing from classroom and school-wide observations, extensive interviews, and document collection, this case study explores three key questions in relation to this school's negotiation process: 1) What characterizes the curriculum for English learners (ELs) and bilingual students at the case study school? 2) How do key actors, processes, and cultural practices at the case study school support the negotiation of Proposition 203 and House Bill 2064? and 3) What are the perspectives of key school community stakeholders in relation to the curriculum supporting bilingualism and the policy negotiation process? Findings show that by sharing certain key beliefs and practices, the school community has been able to work together, at times through struggle and perseverance, to negotiate for what they believe to be most important in school. They do so by sharing such key beliefs as the importance of seeing the whole child and teaching in ways that are real and meaningful. They also negotiate by engaging in a set of shared practices, which include: the use of Spanish campus-wide both for instruction and for the life and operation of the school, the cultivation of relationships amongst all school community members, and key curricular practices. These practices include providing a variety of learning experiences, especially those based upon the Arts, as well as a curriculum that focuses on providing opportunities to examine real world issues in an integrated and in-depth manner, to learn by integrating students' language, families, and experiences into the curriculum, and has a final goal of creating students who are critical thinkers, self-advocates, and agents within their own lives. All of these beliefs and practices contribute to a strong sense of community. It is this sense of community and the shared beliefs and practices, along with the increased agency this interconnectedness creates for all stakeholders, which has facilitated the successful use of parent waivers. These parent waivers have enabled parents to continue choosing alternative language education programs to those mandated by the state, namely integrated content and English instruction within the mainstream K-4 classroom and the Spanish/English dual language program option at the 5-8 grade levels. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Ethnography, English Instruction
(2012). Training Teachers to Evaluate Emerging Bilingual Students' Biliterate Writing, Language and Education. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore and identify issues related to training teachers to use a bilingual writing rubric designed to examine the biliterate writing of emerging bilingual students who are participating in a biliteracy model. Findings indicate the need to provide clarifications on the rubric rating criteria and the need to pay attention to the differences between Spanish and English rhetoric, as teachers had lower levels of consensus when they rated Spanish content. This finding also indicates a need to revise the rubric itself. High levels of consensus were reached when teachers rated spelling and structural elements in both languages. When conducting an analysis of students' Spanish and English writing, teachers noted students' ability to transfer writing abilities across languages. This study is significant to the advancement of this biliteracy model and to the education of emerging bilingual students. It is also important to develop a shared vision of what it means to be bilingual and to understand how biliteracy develops using a holistic lens. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Writing Ability, English (Second Language), Bilingual Education
(2012). Translanguaging: Developing Its Conceptualisation and Contextualisation, Educational Research and Evaluation. Following from Lewis, Jones, and Baker (this issue), this article analyses the relationship between the new concept of "translanguaging" particularly in the classroom context and more historic terms such as code-switching and translation, indicating differences in (socio)linguistic and ideological understandings as well as in classroom processes. The article considers the pedagogic nature of translanguaging in terms of language proficiency of children, developmental use in emergent bilinguals, variations in input and output, relationship to the subject/discipline curriculum, deepening learning through language development, cognitive development, and content understanding, and the role of children, including Deaf children, and in the use of translanguaging in educational activity. The conceptualisation of translanguaging is also shown to be ideological. [More] Descriptors: Code Switching (Language), Translation, Bilingualism, Bilingual Education
(2012). Bilingual Language Supports in Online Science Inquiry Environments, Computers & Education. Research over the past fifteen years has investigated and developed online science inquiry environments to support students engaging in authentic scientific inquiry practices. This research has focused on developing activity structures and tools to scaffold students in engaging in different aspects of these practices, but relatively little of this research has explored linguistic supports for language minority students studying science in their non-native language. These students are simultaneously learning science and the surrounding academic language in their second language. This study investigates the potential value of providing 8th grade Spanish-speaking English language learners access to content and supports in both English and Spanish as opposed to an English-only format in an online science inquiry environment. Learning outcomes are compared between the two conditions on an immediate post-test in English, a delayed post-test in English, a delayed post-test in Spanish, and a written essay in English in the form of a letter to the governor. The outcomes suggest significant benefits for providing ELL students with access to content and supports in both English and Spanish as opposed to the English-only format. The findings of this study carry important policy implications in light of the growing English-only political movements in the United States and similar political movements in other countries. [More] Descriptors: Language Minorities, Academic Discourse, Second Language Learning, Grade 8
(2012). Factors Affecting the Identification of Hispanic English Language Learners in Special Education, ProQuest LLC. This qualitative phenomenological study revealed factors affecting the overrepresentation of Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) in special education. An analysis of the lived experiences of school professionals indicate multiple causes that determine students to be disabled often in violation of state and federal guidelines. Child study team (CST) members from an urban northeast district with a large ELL population responded to open-ended questions. From this group, 14 participated in semi-structured interviews to determine the role their efficacy beliefs exert during assessment of linguistically diverse students from preschool to 12th grade. Additionally, interviews with four teachers involved in an exploratory dual language preschool program within the same district compared and contrasted their experiences both before and after the availability of this program option. The control group classes (n [approximate] 30) were made up of English speaking, Spanish speaking, and Spanish/English speaking children at the 3-year-old age level. The other English language learner preschoolers were all randomly assigned to general classes. Interviews with staff involved in the pilot program determined that children in the program for a year were all viewed as successful, as measured by the Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R) and teacher reported beliefs'. There were 23 (13.6%) randomized students in the general education program that appeared unsuccessful or viewed as having a potential disability as reported ESI-R scores one year later. The prominent themes that were illuminated from the data analysis indicated that many forces may work in tandem to contribute to disproportionality. These themes included issues concerning second language acquisition such as time to learn, facilitation of second language through use of first language, and need for bilingual staff. Additionally, the special education identification process, bias in testing, and lack of cultural competency by the staff was also cited. Participants expressed the benefits of bilingualism, endorsing thoughtful bilingual/dual language programs, and the need for greater collaboration in special education decisions concerning ELL students. School professionals supported more preservice training and ongoing inservice professional development on this topic. Recommendations for future research include exploring the underidentification of English language learners and conversely, limited placement of ELLs into gifted programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: English Language Learners, Hispanic American Students, Special Education, Qualitative Research
(2012). A Professional Development Program for the Mother Tongue-Based Teacher: Addressing Teacher Knowledge and Attitudes about MTBMLE, ProQuest LLC. This study investigates teacher attitudes about language and education. The purpose of the study is to help program designers develop professional development efforts that successfully address some of the major identified challenges teachers face when transitioning into Mother Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTBMLE), including negative attitudes. It also suggests protocols and issues that trainers should consider when designing professional development for MTBMLE teachers. The research question guiding this study is: (1) Do teachers' attitudes towards and knowledge about mother tongue-based instruction change after they participate in professional development that is consistent with good professional development practice? (a) What were teachers' knowledge and attitudes about MTBMLE before the professional development program? (b) Did teachers' knowledge and attitudes change after participating in the professional development program? (c) Why did teachers hold particular attitudes towards MTBMLE prior to professional development and what factors influenced their change? I conducted this research during a three-month MTBMLE professional development program with a group of indigenous first grade teachers and their school principals in Save the Children's outreach areas in rural Mindanao in the Philippines. I used a "Q" sort methodology for initial interviews conducted with a subset of five first grade teachers followed by a second interview after the professional development program. The interview data showed that teachers came into the trainings with two distinct viewpoints; mother tongue supporters and one mother tongue resister. After the professional development program, however, teachers were all more positive about using the mother tongue as the language of instruction. Interviews revealed that teachers were more positive and confident in teaching the mother tongue when they had the opportunity to: (1) spend time learning about their own language, (2) create mother tongue teaching and learning materials, and (3) reflect on their early learning experiences and experience what it is like to learn in a language that is not familiar. This paper will discuss the research findings in depth and will provide a clearer picture of how to train and support teachers who are transitioning into MTBMLE. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Bilingual Education, Teacher Attitudes, Faculty Development
(2012). The Third-Grade Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System and the Third-Grade Spanish Reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, ProQuest LLC. The first purpose of this study was to examine the level of interdependence and reciprocity of the first and second language in students who were identified as limited English speakers and whose first language was Spanish. The second purpose was to identify the passing and commended rates of students within the specific bilingual programs that were reported to the Texas Education Agency. A quantitative, nonexperimental research design was used for this study. A descriptive, longitudinal research method was chosen as the study encompassed a three-year period of data. The participants for this study were bilingual students enrolled in Texas public schools who took both the third-grade standard version Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS-K) in Spanish. The participants must have participated in all four components of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Pearson's chi-square test was utilized to examine the relationship between Spanish TAKS-K achievement, English language proficiency, and the performance within the individual bilingual programs. The three years of data revealed that students with the TELPAS composite rating of beginner reported the lowest percentage that met the passing standard, followed by "intermediate" proficiency level. "Advanced" and "advanced high's" passing rates were higher than 90%. A similar pattern was observed among the TELPAS proficiency levels and percent commended on the Spanish TAKS-K. The findings concurred with Krashen and Cummins' theories of interdependence between first and second language. The bilingual programs investigated were (a) Transitional Bilingual/Early Exit; (b) Transitional Bilingual/Late Exit; (c) Dual Immersion/Two-Way; and (d) Dual Immersion/ One-Way. The Dual Language Immersion/One-Way program reported the largest membership and the highest percentage of meeting the passing standard or achieving commended performance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Limited English Speaking, English (Second Language), Spanish Speaking, Bilingual Education
(2012). A Program Evaluation of the Developmental Bilingual Program at an Elementary School in North Carolina, ProQuest LLC. Immigration has resulted in an increase in the number of English Language Learners present in schools across the United States. The language barrier and lack of teacher preparation for handling the learning differences of these students have resulted in low reading achievement levels in elementary schools, further promoting the chances that these students will eventually become high school drop-outs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of methodologies in a developmental bilingual program in increasing reading mastery levels in English for Spanish-speaking students in the primary grades. For the study, the researcher compared and analyzed a sampling of reading achievement data scores, issued teacher questionnaires, and conducted student interviews on students included in the developmental bilingual program at one school in North Carolina. These methods provided teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of the program, along with student reading mastery levels. The information obtained from the study was used to aid district leaders and directors of curriculum in a county in North Carolina determine if the program offered enough benefits to the student populations within the school district for it to be continued and expanded. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Interviews, Student Attitudes, English Language Learners
(2012). The Fluidez en La Lectura Oral (FLO) Portion of the Indicadores Dinamicos De Exito en La Lectura (IDEL) and the English Language Portion of the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT): A Correlational Study of Second and Third Grade English Language Learners, ProQuest LLC. This study examined the relationship between Spanish oral reading fluency (ORF) at the end of second grade and students' performance on the third grade ISAT reading test. The major research question guiding this study was: What is the direction and strength of the relationship between performance on the 2nd grade IDEL FLO, a Spanish language ORF assessment, for students enrolled in County School District's Bilingual Spanish program and their third grade English-based ISAT reading scores? Cummins' Developmental Interdependence theory served as the framework for the study. This theory suggests that proficiency in a second language is dependent upon a well-developed first language (Zelasko, 2003). Although there have been numerous studies that demonstrated a strong relationship between English oral reading fluency assessments and performance on English high-stakes reading tests, there are very few research projects that have attempted to correlate Spanish ORF and performance on English reading tests. The results of the study determined the Pearson correlation coefficient between the second grade IDEL FLO and third grade ISAT reading. In addition, the relationship between the two exams was further investigated via a linear regression model. Several suggestions for program implementation and instructional practices were developed via this study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Reading Fluency, Oral Reading, Achievement Tests, Correlation
(2012). Exploring Constructivist Social Learning Practices in Aiding Russian-Speaking Teachers to Learn Estonian: An Action Research Approach, Educational Action Research. Based on appreciative inquiry and threshold concepts from an intercultural learning perspective, the article makes insights into the constructivist social learning practice of Estonian language learning amongst Russian-speaking teachers in Estonia. The application of educational action research methodology, more specifically that of Bridget Somekh's eight methodological principles of inclusive action research, demonstrates the ways in which Estonian language learning in mentoring dyads can better empower foreign-speaking teachers' agency compared with traditional language classes. [More] Descriptors: Action Research, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Socialization
(2012). Teacher Identity in a Multicultural Rural School: Lessons Learned at Vista Charter, Journal of Research in Rural Education. In this paper, we describe a 30-month qualitative exploration of diverse teachers' identities in a high-poverty, bilingual, K-8 public charter school in rural eastern Oregon. First, we use the perspectives of saberes docentes and a situated view of teacher development to document the life histories of monolingual and bilingual teachers at Vista Charter. Next, we identify five core beliefs shared by Vista teachers, and we attempt to trace the links between representative teachers' biographies, beliefs, and their views of themselves as teachers. We examine the role of the school context on teachers' practice and on their constructions of identity in a multicultural rural school. We conclude our paper with some implications for school leaders and teacher educators who support and prepare teachers for work in increasingly diverse rural schools. [More] Descriptors: Rural Schools, Charter Schools, Educational Change, Biographies