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5,414 Matching Results
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The Effect of Using Class Discussion as a Pre-Writing Activity in Teaching Composition to ESL Students
This study examines the effect of class discussion as a pre-writing activity on actual writing performance. The experiment was conducted with all the Level 3 and Level 4 students enrolled in the Intensive English Language Institute of North Texas State University in the Spring, 1986 semester. Cochrans C test was performed to test significant differences between groups at the beginning of this test. Multivariate analysis of variance tests were used to determine the treatment effect between and within groups, and a matched t-test was also utilized to analyze the difference within tests. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between the discussion activity score and the actual writing score. Analysis of covariance tests were used to determine which variance of discussion activities had greater effect on the actual writing score.
Date:
December 1986
Creator:
Bang, Hwa-Ja Park
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Exploring Uses of Automated Essay Scoring for ESL: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice
Manually grading essays and providing comprehensive feedback pose significant challenges for writing instructors, requiring subjective assessments of various writing elements. Automated essay scoring (AES) systems have emerged as a potential solution, offering improved grading consistency and time efficiency, along with insightful analytics. However, the use of AES in English as a Second Language (ESL) remains rare. This dissertation aims to explore the implementation of AES in ESL education to enhance teaching and learning. The dissertation presents a study involving ESL teachers who learned to use a specific AES system called LightSide, a free and open text mining tool, to enhance writing instruction. The study involved observations, interviews, and a workshop where teachers learned to build their own AES using LightSide. The study aimed to address questions related to teacher interest in using AES, challenges faced by teachers, and the influence of the workshop on teachers' perceptions of AES. By exploring the use of AES in ESL education, this research provides valuable insights to inform the integration of technology and enhance the teaching and learning of writing skills for English language learners.
Date:
July 2023
Creator:
Tesh, Geneva Marie
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Impact of Teacher Perception of Cultural Competence on the Instructional Decision Making of English As Second Language (ESL) Students
Recent research suggests that culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices have the potential to increase student educational outcomes, as well as to reduce unnecessary or inappropriate placement referrals. Examination of the core components in CRT, teacher efficacy and cultural competence, is proposed to be a critical step to reduce unwarranted referrals of culturally and linguistically diverse students. However, there is limited empirical support for the relationship between CRT and instructional referrals, and even among existing studies there is inconsistency regarding the relation of these constructs. The purpose of this study is to examine teacher factors (i.e., teacher role, degree earned, years of teaching, ESL certification held, language proficiency and ethnicity) as a predictor of teacher competence, and the role these factors play in teachers’ referral decision making. To investigate these relationships, a national sample of elementary teachers (N = 258) completed a survey addressing their background, profession endorsements, sense of teaching efficiency, and the instructional decisions they would make in the scenarios presented. The results of this study revealed that teacher role (i.e., general, ESL or special educator) and ESL certification were important predictors of teacher competency. A statistically significant mean difference in teacher competency was found between teachers with and …
Date:
May 2014
Creator:
Lim, Okyoung
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International ESL Students' Experiences with and Perceptions of Utilizing Mobile Technologies for English Learning
The purpose of this research was to examine ESL (English as a second language) students' current use of their mobile phones for English skill building activities outside of class in a U.S. school setting. In addition, this research reported on students' perceptions of the potential benefits of using smartphones in class for English learning. Also learners' current English related activities using mobile devices and time duration of using different phone features were studied. The literature review included smartphones, computer education, mobile learning, mobile assisted language learning (MALL), computer assisted language learning (CALL), theories of second language learning, second language learner attributes and the use of smartphones outside the classroom. An electronic survey was used to collect the quantitative data which were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The results concluded that students used mobile applications on a daily basis to read and write email, read books and news, check a dictionary, talk, text and video chat. Students used mobile phones outside of class to improve the English skills listed in the survey and the same participants perceived the potential benefits of using smartphones in class for the same English skills. Among the English skills, vocabulary exercises, finding example sentences of …
Date:
December 2017
Creator:
Zhu, Shanyuan
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Speaking up! Adult ESL students' perceptions of native and non-native English speaking teachers.
Research to date on the native versus non-native English speaker teacher (NEST versus non-NEST) debate has primarily focused on teacher self-perception and performance. A neglected, but essential, viewpoint on this issue comes from English as a second language (ESL) students themselves. This study investigated preferences of adults, specifically immigrant and refugee learners, for NESTs or non-NESTs. A 34-item, 5-point Likert attitudinal survey was given to 102 students (52 immigrants, 50 refugees) enrolled in ESL programs in a large metropolitan area in Texas . After responding to the survey, 32 students volunteered for group interviews to further explain their preferences. Results indicated that adult ESL students have a general preference for NESTs over non-NESTs, but have stronger preferences for NESTs in teaching specific skill areas such as pronunciation and writing. There was not a significant difference between immigrants' and refugees' general preferences for NESTs over non-NESTs based on immigration status.
Date:
December 2004
Creator:
Torres, Julie West
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Cross-Pollinating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Systemic Functional Linguistics in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms
This exploratory case study research was conducted with a view to exploring how teachers teaching emergent bilingual students in ESL programs can enact the principles of culturally sustaining systematic functional linguistics (CS SFL), such as critical centering, historicizing, curricularizing, teaching and learning cycle (TLC), and semantic waving in their classrooms. Two middle school teachers participated in the study and used CS SFL principles to teach their emergent bilingual students. I gathered data for the study through non-participatory observations, semi-structured interviews, informal talks with the teachers, usually right after their classes, and artifacts from teachers and students. The thematic analysis of the data demonstrated that teachers could recognize their students' ways of knowing and being by (a) translanguaging between English and Spanish seamlessly in their classrooms; (b) centering their students' lifeways, prior knowledge, and lived experiences by making them the parts of their curricula; (c) using TLC for creating dialogic interactions between teachers and students and among students; (d) positioning their students through strength perspectives; and (e) using multimodal and multi-semiotic means of communication so that their students can understand their content area knowledge and express their ideas even if their English language is emerging. The teachers faced tensions about whether …
Date:
December 2023
Creator:
Rana, Lal Bahadur
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Walking in My Students' Shoes: An ESL Teacher Brings Theory to Life in Order to Transform Her Classroom
This article discusses how a teacher's second language learning experience may impact beliefs about teaching english language learner students.
Date:
2010
Creator:
Stewart, Mary Amanda
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
English Learner Instructional Programs in Texas Charter Schools: Perspectives of Instructional Leaders in Their Selection of Bilingual/ESL Programs
There are 184 active charter school districts in Texas, which use public tax dollars like traditional school districts, providing educational opportunities to over 350,000 Texas students. Charter schools accept state and federal funds and often operate with less oversight than their neighboring local public schools, yet they have the autonomy to accomplish the mission(s) set forth by the charter school operator. Although there have been numerous studies looking at the effectiveness of charter schools in terms of student achievement, very little research has been on the programs that charter schools implement to address the needs of their English learner populations. This study examined charter school leaders' perceptions in the selection of the EL instructional programs that are offered to their English Learners. Interviews of district bilingual/ESL directors of Texas charter schools, or their equivalents, were conducted. Using a constructivist grounded theory design, this study explored the factors and decisions of instructional leaders in implementing a particular second language program, with special attention to the ideologies informing these decisions. Themes emerged from the data and were be explored. The findings of this study are vital in helping other charter school operators better understand the challenges and potential pitfalls faced by current …
Date:
December 2021
Creator:
Navarrete, Jesús Leopoldo
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Selective Versus Wholesale Error Correction of Grammar and Usage in the Papers of Adult Intermediate Level ESL Writing Students
Over 13-weeks a control group (n=7) had all errors corrected, while an experimental group (n=9) had only article and sentence construction (run-on sentences, fragments, comma splices) errors corrected. Separating the two types of errors is essential, since the latter (representing grammar) are subject to theories of acquisition and the former (representing usage) are not. One-way analyses of variance ran on pretest versus posttest found no significant difference in either groups' article errors; however, the experimental group had significantly fewer sentence construction errors, implying that teachers should be sensitive to both the correction technique and error type; researchers should not combine the two error types in gathering data.
Date:
August 1990
Creator:
Whitus, Jerry D. (Jerry Dean)
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
NNS Use of Adverbs in Academic Writing
Recent studies have begun to redefine the idea of accuracy in second language acquisition to include not only grammatical correctness, but also native-like selection. This is an exploratory study aimed at identifying areas of nonnative-like selection of adverbs, such as sentence position, semantic category preferences, frequency of use and breadth of word choice. Using corpus-linguistic methods it compares the writing of nonnative English speakers at an intermediate and advanced level to both American college students’ writing and published academic writing. It also conducts in-depth case studies of three of the most commonly used adverbs. It finds that while advanced students are grammatically accurate, there are still several ways in which their use of adverbs differs from that of native speakers.
Date:
August 2011
Creator:
Heidler, Linda E.
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
A Fresh Perspectives: Newbies Implementing the SIOP Model
Presentation sharing a program to support English language learners in mathematics and science by training in-service and pre-service teachers using the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) model. It was presented at the TexTESOL conference in 2017.
Date:
2017
Creator:
Boyd, Rossana R.; Watson, Cindy; Jaballa, Alysha & de la Garza, Jennifer
Object Type:
Presentation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Enjoying Vocabulary
Paper discusses study seeking to determine whether deliberate and consistent vocabulary practice and exposure through interactive games and intentional dialogue increase the oral story-retelling skills in English in low reading-level bilingual students.
Date:
2014
Creator:
Soto-Vazquez, Adriana
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Teaching linguistic mimicry to improve second language pronunciation.
This thesis tests the hypothesis that a whole language approach to ESL (English As A Second Language) pronunciation with emphasis on suprasegementals through the use of linguistic mimicry is more effective than a focus on segmentals in improving native speakers perceptions of accent and comprehensibility of ESL students' pronunciation of English. The thesis is organized into seven chapters. Chapter 2 is a discussion of the factors that affect the degree of foreign accent in second language acquisition. Chapter 3 gives a background on current ESL pedagogy followed by a description of the linguistic mimicry approach used in this research in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 and 6 are discussion of Materials and Methods and Conclusions and Implications.
Date:
May 2003
Creator:
Yates, Karen
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Sheltered Instruction: A Case Study of Three High School English Teachers' Experiences with the SIOP Model
The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of secondary teachers' implementation of the sheltered instruction operational protocol (SIOP) model and its effect on Hispanic English language learners' (ELL) English language proficiency and academic achievement. In addition, this study sought to determine whether teachers perceive the SIOP model as an effective tool for instruction of high school ELL students to increase English language content and English language proficiency. This study employed qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Data were collected from four sources: Hispanic ELLs' English language proficiency scores, students' English Language Arts scores, an oral interview with participating teachers and teacher observations. Each teacher was observed at four points during the school year with the SIOP instrument. Quantitative data on student achievement were collected employing a pre-experimental, one-group pretest-post-test design. Qualitative data were collected using a time-series design. Findings revealed that on the two student assessment measures there were increases in English proficiency and English language arts achievement among the Hispanic ELLs. On the assessment of English language proficiency, the students of the teacher with the highest level of SIOP implementation made the highest gains; the students of the teacher with the second highest SIOP implementation level made …
Date:
May 2011
Creator:
Bertram, Rodney L.
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Perceptions of preparedness and practices: A survey of teachers of English language learners.
Mainstream teachers who obtained their English as a second language (ESL) certification by exam only are faced with increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in their classrooms. Decreasing standards for teacher ESL certification and increasing accountability for ELLs has made teachers' role in effectively increasing the language and academic skills of ELLs an area of major concern. This study used a survey and focus group interviews to obtain information regarding ESL-certified fourth- and fifth-grade teachers' perceived preparedness, practices and resources needs related to meeting the academic and language needs of ELLs in general education classrooms. The results indicated that teachers reported differences in their perceived preparedness based on years teaching experience, years of ESL certification, professional development hours, and university ESL courses, but not on certification route. The results also showed that teachers reported differences in their sheltered instruction practices based on the percentage of ELLs, but not on grade, instructional design, or preparedness. The correlation analysis revealed there is a positive correlation between preparedness and sheltered practices. The study revealed that while teachers are using strategies that make content lessons accessible and comprehensible to ELLs, they are often not specifically addressing the academic language development of their students. …
Date:
December 2007
Creator:
Matson, Jill Lynn
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Nurturing Life-Long Language Learners
This article discusses nurturing life-long language learners.
Date:
2012
Creator:
Rodriguez, Cynthia; Araujo, Juan; Narayan, Ratna; Shappeck, Marco & Moss, Glenda
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
An Anatomy of China's Energy Insecurity and Its Strategies
China’s energy insecurity largely originates from its constrained availability, questionable reliability, and uncertain affordability of its oil supplies. The country’s fast industrialization and urbanization, together with demand for infrastructure and increasing popularity of automobiles, requires a lot of energy, but it consumes energy both intensively and inefficiently, threatening the environmental well-being of China and its neighbors. China’s risk aversion and poor energy policy making system further magnifies its perceptions of the low availability, reliability and affordability of oil imports, which further compounds its sense of energy insecurity. Distrustful of the market, and suspicious of other major energy players in the international market, the Chinese leadership relies on the state-centered approach, or economic nationalism, rather than a market approach to enhance its energy security. However, the country lacks not only an energy policy making system that can make and implement sound energy policies but also an energy market that relies on market prices to allocate energy resources efficiently. As a result of this domestic failure, China has pushed its national flagship companies to undertake a global scavenger hunt for energy while muddling along a messy road of energy reform at home. Setbacks in acquiring new sources of oil have validated the …
Date:
December 6, 2005
Creator:
Kong, Bo
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Teachers Institute Handbook, Edgewood Bilingual Education: Summer 1969
Teaching handbook for Edgewood bilingual education, including class schedules, course objectives and syllabi, and curriculum vitae.
Date:
July 11, 1969
Creator:
St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.)
Object Type:
Report
System:
The Portal to Texas History
An Exploration of Elementary L2 Learners' Use of Metacognitive Strategies
This multiple case study examined the experiences of elementary L2 learners who received instruction in either reciprocal teaching or the think aloud strategy (TAS), and identified patterns of use that emerged from participants' employment of the strategies. The three L2 participants took a pre- test and a posttest, were recorded using the strategies, and responded to interview questions about the strategies. Using qualitative data analysis techniques, four themes emerged from analysis of the data, including; talking like a teacher, I know what I know, established strategies, and declines to use the steps in the strategy. Implications from these findings suggest that the discussion facilitated by reciprocal teaching assists elementary L2 participants in better understanding the text and also supports their language acquisition, whereas TAS does not facilitate discussion. Further, even though reciprocal teaching promotes discussion, teacher assistance during discussion is necessary. Finally, it is essential that teachers are mindful of students' understandings of topics and the difficulty of texts used when students are learning the strategies.
Date:
December 2018
Creator:
McNeel, Michele E.
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Language Behaviors and Social Strategies of English as Second Language and English as Primary Language Preschool Children During Computer Assisted Instruction Experiences
This study describes the language behaviors and social strategies of English as Second Language (ESL) and English as Primary Language (EPL) pre-kindergarten students during cooperative Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) experiences. Thirty-three pre-kindergarten subjects ages four to five years, were videotaped at two personal computers during self-selected center time. The sources of data for this descriptive study were a parent computer survey, videotapes, a subject interview derived from the Young Children's Computer Inventory, and written records.
Date:
August 1993
Creator:
Emerson, Stacia B. (Stacia Brewster)
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Interaction of Cognitive Learning Style and Achievement of Selected Students of English as a Second Language
The purposes of this study were (1) to determine if the culture of the student's first language was a significant variable in field-dependent-independent cognitive learning style, and (2) if a student's second language achievement has a significant relationship to variables of grade level, sex, time in an English as a second language (ESL) program, second language proficiency level or cognitive learning style. It was hypothesized that (1) there are significant positive correlations between field-independence and the variables of achievement, proficiency level, and grade level, (2) there are significant positive correlations between second language achievement and proficiency level, grade level and time in an ESL program, (3) there are no significant differences in field-dependence between the sexes or the four cultures of Laotian, Spanish, Tongan, and Vietnamese, and (4) there is no significant difference in the mean achievement score between the sexes.
Date:
August 1985
Creator:
Ballard, Lynda Dyer
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Academic Reading Online: Digital Reading Strategies of Graduate-level English Language Learners
English language learners (ELLs) face many linguistic and cultural challenges in their attempts to succeed academically. They encounter complex academic text, which is increasingly presented online. Although some research has addressed the challenges that university-level ELLs face when reading online texts, almost all of this prior work has focused on undergraduates. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the reading strategies employed by graduate-level ELLs when reading an academic English text online. Participating in the study were four foreign-born doctoral students from different first-language backgrounds—Arabic, Korean, Urdu, and Vietnamese—and the focus was on commonalities as well as differences among them. All four were enrolled in the same doctoral-level course, which included the reading of a specific online academic article as a course requirement. When reading this text individually, each student participated in a think-aloud procedure, followed by post-reading and discourse-based interviews. Analyses included unitizing data from the think-aloud protocols, coding units for strategies employed, and considering related interview commentary and classroom contributions. In their reading, these students made major use of problem-solving strategies, especially reading segments aloud and questioning. They also employed evaluative strategies as well as metacognitive strategies, which included affirming their understanding or indicating lack of …
Date:
May 2015
Creator:
Knezek, Lois Ann
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
An Examination Of Three Texas High Schools' Restructuring Strategies That Resulted In An Academically Acceptable Rating
This study examined three high schools in a large urban school district in Texas that achieved an academically acceptable rating after being sanctioned to reconstitute by state agencies. Texas state accountability standards are a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2011 (NCLB). Texas state law requires schools to design a reconstitution plan after the second year of receiving an academically unacceptable school rating for failing to meet the required standards on state assessments, dropout rates, and graduation rates. The plan must be implemented by the third year. A mixed methods approach was used to uncover the strategies that were successful during the restructuring initiative. Data was obtained from three sources: interviews, document analysis and surveys. Interviews were conducted with district administrators, campus based administrators and teachers of the three high schools. A sample of core content teachers were surveyed using questions from the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success. Results revealed that each school chose to engage in a major form of restructuring that included the formation of a themed based magnet school. A team approach was used to devise, implement, and monitor the reconstitution plan. Common strategies unveiled in the study included …
Date:
December 2011
Creator:
Massey Fields, Chamara
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Verification of the Test of Affixes in Syntactic Structures: A Study of Derivational Morphology as a Language Correlate for College-Level Reading Proficiency
A lack of research in adult literacy for both native speakers and speakers of English as a second language led to the development of the Test of Affixes in Syntactic Structures (TASS) for use in a pilot study (Dogger, January 1978) in which knowledge of derivational morphology was tested to determine its possible relationship with reading for English as a second language students. Test construction was followed by a thorough verification procedure which is the purpose of this study. In September 1978 the following measures of test strength were established: construct validity, content validity, item difficulty, item discrimination, internal consistency, rational equivalence, and concurrent validity. The degree of relationship between reading proficiency, as demonstrated by subject performance on the Iowa Silent Reading Test, Level III (ISRT,III), and knowledge of derivational affixes, as demonstrated by subject performance on TASS, was also established. Results show that successful performance on the ISRT, III includes reading strategies beyond those required for successful performance on TASS. In other words, mastery of language structures as represented by English orthography is necessary but not sufficient for college-level reading proficiency.
Date:
August 1979
Creator:
Dogger, Barbara T.
Object Type:
Thesis or Dissertation
System:
The UNT Digital Library