Search Results

open access

The Effect of Parent English Literacy Training on Student Achievement.

Description: When the Bush administration set out to revolutionize public education through the requirements commanded by No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), framers of the legislation chose language that appeared inclusive of all students in U.S. schools. The law demands that English language learners take the mandated exams early in their academic careers in the United States even though research indicates most will fail due to lack of time to acquire sufficient language proficiently to demonstrate … more
Date: December 2005
Creator: Clayton, Christina Dick
Partner: UNT Libraries

Teacher and Student Perceptions of Pop Culture in the English Classroom

Description: This qualitative case study explores teachers and students perceptions of pop culture and its use in secondary English classrooms. I used thematic analysis to identify key themes addressed by teachers and students concerning pop culture. Teachers and students were surveyed and from there purposive sampling was used to select five teachers and eight students. Participants took part in individual and focus group interviews regarding their perceptions of pop culture use in the classroom as well as… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Visco, William
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Perceptions of preparedness and practices: A survey of teachers of English language learners.

Description: 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 fo… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Matson, Jill Lynn
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Multimodal Design for Secondary English Language Arts: A Portraiture Study

Description: Employing the research approach known as portraiture, this study investigated the varying ways in which three secondary English language arts teachers at a visual and performing arts high school conceptualized and designed multimodal literacy learning. Also studied were the ways in which their students responded to these designs; and in keeping with portraiture, attention went to the changes in the researcher's own understandings. This multi-case study and cross-case analysis built on prior mul… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Price, Cecelia Joyce
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Rise of Postmethod Epistemology in the L2 English Teaching Field

Description: Citation analysis, which provides insights into the influence of particular scholarly work in a field of study, can also show epistemological "turns" through patterns of citations over time. This study explored the impact of postmethod epistemology on the shared knowledge of the English-as-a-second-language (L2) education community over a 26-year period. The approach consisted of tabulating and analyzing citations in 125 articles from two major journals, Teaching English to Speakers of Other La… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Alsuwat, Sami Eid
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Using Children's Literature with Adolescents in the English As a Foreign Language Classroom.

Description: This study provides quantitative and qualitative data about the effects of using children's literature with adolescents in a language classroom and the role of children's literature in students' second/foreign language development, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The study presents qualitative data about the role of children's literature in developing more positive attitudes toward reading in the second/foreign language and toward reading in general. With literatur… more
Date: December 2006
Creator: Belsky, Stella
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Investigation into the Use of a Facebook Group by Secondary English Teachers During a Pandemic

Description: This study focuses on a Facebook group utilized by secondary English teachers during the initial crisis period of COVID 19, defined as March 2020-June 2020. During this period, teacher participants used this Facebook group as a community of practice to re-envision pedagogy, using social media as a third space in which to have discussions with other teachers, either to seek help or to share resources. After a qualitative content analysis of 630 initial posts, 14,500 comments, and 13,539 reacti… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Flagg, Joy Evaline
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Implementation of Transition from Spanish Reading to English Reading Programs in Bilingual Classrooms

Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the actual implementation of the transition process as observed in bilingual classrooms, and in particular, to examine the critical components (policy, curricular, and instructional characteristics) of the Spanish-to-English reading transition policies implemented in bilingual education programs in elementary schools in the Denton Independent School District in Texas. Four research questions drove this study. To investigate these questions, a multidimen… more
Date: December 1994
Creator: Amaya, Jesús, 1956-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

English and Reading Teachers' Pedagogical Successes and Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Description: This qualitative descriptive case study examines the pedagogical teaching and instructional practices of fifth, sixth and eighth grade Texas public school English/reading teachers. This study shares the description of each teachers' English and Reading pedagogy, instructional practices, and their successes and/or challenges prior to and during the pandemic. The participants of the study were from two different school districts in Texas. The study utilized surveys and semi-structured interviews … more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Goodwin, LaTasha Lynee Brown
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Constructing Transformative Experiences Through Problem Posing in a High School English Research Project.

Description: This dissertation chronicles my search to engage high school English students in inquiry as part of a formal research process. The perspective of critical literacy theory is used to describe the four phases of the problem posing process in shaping student research and action. Grounded in Freire's approach and consistent with Dewey and others who advocate inquiry, action and relevance, Wink's process is built into the instructional plan described in this study. Because of the real-life context o… more
Date: May 2009
Creator: Revelle, Carol L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Language Planning and Policy on High School Long-term English Language Learners in a Selected North Texas Urban District

Description: Language policy reform movements have increased accountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of English language learners. The number of English language learners (ELLs) has grown significantly in the school population, yet the level of academic achievement for this population continues to lag. Language planning and policy provide critical decisions about how to measure what students know in all subjects. In 1999, the 76th Texas Legislature approve… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Piña-Hinojosa, Isabella
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Sheltered Instruction: A Case Study of Three High School English Teachers' Experiences with the SIOP Model

Description: 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. … more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Bertram, Rodney L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Teacher change: The effect of a professional development intervention on middle school mainstream teachers of English language learners.

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a professional development intervention conducted with mainstream middle school teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in a North Texas school district. Teacher change was examined in the context of this intervention. Three groups of teachers participated in this study. Group 1 (n= 4) consisted of teachers returning to the intervention for a second year. Group 2 (n= 12) consisted of teachers new to the intervention. Group 3 (n = 1… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Anderson, Elsa Maria
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Cross-Pollinating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Systemic Functional Linguistics in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms

Description: 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 g… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Rana, Lal Bahadur
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Case Study of an Urban Middle School

Description: This was a qualitative study that used the procedures of case study design while incorporating ethnographic techniques of interviewing and non-participant observation in classrooms with six selected students, six teachers, and eight interviews of selected administrators and staff members in one middle school in a large Texas urban school district. The purpose of this study was to understand the educational experiences and perceptions of selected immigrant students and their mainstream teachers.… more
Date: December 2002
Creator: Curtin, Ellen Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

English Learner Instructional Programs in Texas Charter Schools: Perspectives of Instructional Leaders in Their Selection of Bilingual/ESL Programs

Description: 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 s… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Navarrete, Jesús Leopoldo
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Politics of Grading: a Comparative Study of High School English Teachers' Personal Beliefs, Self-reported Systems, and Actual Practices

Description: The purpose of this study was to attain and analyze data regarding high school English teachers' beliefs about grading practices and their self-reported grading practices, to identify and understand disparities that exist between teachers' beliefs and self-reported practices, to identify discrepancies between the same self-reported practices and evidence of the practices actually utilized, and to consider teachers' perceptions as to the causes for these discrepancies. Instrumentation for this s… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Thibodeaux, Lisa M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The perception of English language arts teachers about instructional changes following the implementation of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.

Description: Accountability in education has been expanding for the past twenty years. As standards for curricular areas continued to develop, educational shareholders desired a way to measure student achievement contextualized by the established standards. Since 1964, policies expanded federal involvement with education, and with the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, high-stakes testing became a significant part of public education. In Texas, testing transitioned in 2003 to the Texas Assessment of Knowledg… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Horn, Brian K.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The International Newcomer Academy: A Case Study

Description: This initial investigation into the special program for English as a Second Language (ESL) students, the International Newcomer Academy (INA), examines and describes the nature of this new school in comparison with the nature of the Language Centers functioning in host schools as schools within schools. This study was prompted by the need to document perceptions, behaviors, and practices of all principal players, which might result in program improvement to benefit students. The primary goal fo… more
Date: August 1997
Creator: Maduawuchukwu, Augustina Eberechukwu
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Urban Elementary School Students' Conception of Learning: A Phenomenographic Mapping of Variation

Description: For decades, urban public schools have been plagued by systemic and structural challenges that continue today. Scholars, policymakers, and the general public have pointed to problems of learning in urban schools and to low expectations for urban students' learning, but little attention has been given to how urban students themselves conceptualize learning. This study sought to fill the void by asking a group of urban students about their views of learning. A phenomenographic approach was emp… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: English, Sherril H
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Transfer and Sustainability of a School-Wide Writing Program: Year 2.

Description: Writing is an important life skill that all students need in order to succeed in today's society. However, proficient writing skills develop over time, requiring years of quality instruction combined with motivation, encouragement, and lots of practice. School-wide writing is an approach that provides specific writing instruction in a consistent manner across all grade levels, allowing students to develop increasingly complex writing skills and strategies over time. Implementation of programs, … more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Dickson, Violet Myers
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Writing-to-learn Tasks on Achievement and Attitude in Mathematics

Description: The problem of this study was to determine the effects of implementing writing-to-learn tasks in mathematics instruction on fourth grade students' achievement and attitude toward mathematics. Also addressed in this study is whether or not achievement and attitude measures of female students and low achieving students are effected by the use of writing in mathematics.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Millican, Beverly Robinson
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Multimodal Literacy Portfolios: Expressive and Receptive Opportunities for Children Labeled "At-Risk"

Description: Current literacy assessments are focused on a single mode of meaning-making (reading and writing, whether oral or written) and assume that literacy and language are "fixed systems"-- comprised of discrete skills that can be taught and measured in isolation. This validation and privileging of a single mode of assessment has resulted in children labeled "At-risk" falling significantly behind those without this label. This study investigates what a teacher can learn from a diverse range of asses… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Young, Whitney
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bilingual Educators' Practices for Supporting Hispanic Bilingual Students' Success in School

Description: This narrative inquiry study sought the voices of bilingual teachers through their lived experiences in relation to the success of Hispanic emergent bilinguals in schools. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What practices do bilingual educators consider important in helping Hispanic emergent bilingual students succeed in schools? and (2) How do bilingual teachers negotiate the curriculum and school structures to support Hispanic bilingual students' success in their classrooms? Two the… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Marcum Lerwick, Ana Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries
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