Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Language Teacher Education (LTE)'

Past research has shown that learner-centered environments can improve students' self-esteem and increase their academic skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching the core curriculum within a caring classroom environment increases students ability to communicate effectively and perform at higher achievement levels in writing. The study addressed the experiences of teachers in implementing a new writing program with a strong emphasis on social skill development as a precursor to good writing. Guided by the social learning theories of Dewey, Rogers, and Vygotsky, who contended that social interaction is vital to the development of cognition, a qualitative case study was undertaken consisting of individual interviews with 15 teachers at 6 elementary schools in southwestern Connecticut. Data were collected to address the extent to which a caring community of students can foster positive academic outcomes. Data were analyzed and coded to discover common themes. Results showed that teachers perceived that the social skills taught through the program did increase students writing skills. In addition, students had better listening skills and were more comfortable taking academic risks. This finding supports past social learning theories. Based on these findings, 3 days of professional learning workshops were created with the goals of building student-teacher relationships, creating learner-centered environments, and curtailing bullying. Equipping teachers with this resource will help to create social change by helping students become better communicators in a diverse society, increasing their graduation rates, and preparing them to enter the global workforce of the 21st century.

Seventeen years after the passage of Arizona’s English-only education mandate, a growing number of schools in the state have implemented dual-language programs. Although Arizona’s English Learners lack access to public education in their heritage languages, the emergence of these programs signals hope for an expansion of these students’ options. This mixed-method study assessed the perceptions of “dual-immersion” teachers—who are members of a professional development consortium in Maricopa County, Arizona—towards their program and its overall role in serving all students in their classrooms. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems model as an interpretive framework, this study examined interview and survey data in order to develop an understanding of how the systems’ environment affects teacher’ beliefs and perceptions. Key findings included dual-immersion teachers’ lack of agency in affecting language policy, the need for instructional materials, the positive impact of team learning facilitated by leaders, an economic or practical rationale for programs’ existence, and teachers’ beliefs in the abilities of English Learners to succeed in the dual-immersion classroom. Understanding how dual-immersion teachers position themselves towards their programs and students offers educational leaders insight into promoting an expansion of program options to underserved students in the state. Future research directed at teachers in Mandarin and French schools in the state could provide new information or reinforce existing themes uncovered during the research.

This narrative inquiry explored the ways in which four mid-career English teachers construct themselves as W/writers and how those writerly identities are performed in their pedagogy. I curated data collected from extended interviews, journals, personal and professional writings to build narratives of these teachers-as-writers. Through these narratives and metaphorical thinking (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), I analyzed the wholeness of each participant’s experience with writing.

Then, in stage two of the study, I used data collected from teaching observations to build a continuum of process —> product, employing Goffman’s (1974) frame analysis to place the teachers within that continuum. This continuum represented the stable thread that continued through the teachers’ personal and professional identities and led to three insights: (1) Those teachers who identified as Writers were more comfortable teaching writing processes (2) The desire to be seen as a “kind of W/writer or teacher” brings risk writing instruction and (3) Agency provides Writers a way to mitigate the risk of teaching writing.

Abstract Power is an unavoidable issue when discussing relationships between teachers and their students because teachers have both the sanctioned authority over students in school, as well as having the natural authority conveyed by being an adult. How can writing with students improve teacher-student relationships and soften the power differential? This dissertation explored the language of real and perceived power by analyzing the written conversations between a teacher (myself) and five of my sixth-grade students in dialogue journals. Although previous research indicates that writing in dialogue journals increases student empowerment, no research has focused on how these opportunities to shift power differentials might impact student learning and the teacher-student relationships. Drawing on Vygotsky?s sociocultural theory of language and learning and Rosenblatt?s transactional theory of reading and writing, this study examined language within the journals that indicated student empowerment, student disempowerment, and teacher-student relationship-building. Using a directed qualitative critical content analysis, five dialogue journals were analyzed to identify text that showed reinforcement of conventional language, reversal of conventional language, or the language of role equality. Findings suggest that when authentic relationships are built, and traditional roles are suspended, students are empowered in various ways, and language of equality can be attained. This research is important to the field of literacy studies because writing with students in dialogue journals is a classroom practice that can empower students and improve relationships between teachers and students. There is a mutual advantage in students and teachers developing an authentic, positive, growth-oriented working relationship. Keywords: dialogue journals, student empowerment, teacher-student relationships, conventional language, equality, written conversation, communication partners

The current recommendation by The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is that communication in the target language should comprise at least 90% of instructional time in the second language classroom (ACTFL, 2012). This constructivist mixedmethod study contributes to the literature on the oral skills of practicing high school teachers and the oral skills training they receive in teacher preparation programs. Data for the study were collected in two phases, from nine face-to-face interviews, and from electronic survey respondents. Surveys were sent out to two hundred four teachers and responses were received from sixty-eight.

Identified themes that emerged from interview participants’ experiences were: 1) use of target language vs. English in class, 2) challenges target language teaching presented for teachers, and 3) teachers’ responses to these challenges. A twenty-one question electronic survey was created based upon these themes and sent out state-wide to high school Spanish teachers.

In a significant finding, while participants indicated an overall feeling of being sufficiently proficient in their own oral skills and supporting use of the target language as much as possible in classroom activities, slightly more than one-half of teachers surveyed reported they were not adequately prepared to teach in a Standards-based curriculum which emphasizes the use of target language. Findings also indicated that consideration should be given to providing additional professional development opportunities regarding knowledge of and implementation of the Standards, as well as creation of further opportunities for target language maintenance for currently practicing teachers and additional opportunities for pre-service teachers in their university programs to improve their oral proficiency. In addition, this study revealed that, in this state, the taking and passing of the Oral Proficiency Interview or not needing to do so did not significantly impact the amount of target language used in class by teachers or student. Regarding length of teaching career and use of Spanish in class, this study showed a higher use of the target language by both teachers newer to the profession and those more senior teachers with less Spanish use in class reported by teachers who had been teaching between six and ten years.

Suggestions for future research were offered such as expanding studies to include middle school and elementary school levels, conducting similar studies with teachers of other languages than Spanish, and investigating other state’s teachers’ perspectives. Further data could provide more in-depth insights if the amounts of target language spoken for the various purposes were broken out into percentages by each level of language taught by instructors.

There were dual purposes of this exploratory, case study. The first purpose was to investigate and describe the teaching strategies of six Head Start teachers within one program in Oregon whose dual language learners had shown gains of at least three levels in receptive and expressive English language development, as determined by their assessment ratings in Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System. The second purpose was to identify what, if any, professional development strategies and resources have been beneficial to those teachers in promoting English language development for children who are dual language learners.

This qualitative study utilized three data collection methods: interviews, observations and review of artifacts. The one-on-one interviews with the purposive sample of teachers occurred during the first phase. The interview questions were designed to learn about teaching strategies utilized by Head Start teachers to promote English language development for children who are dual language learners as well as teachers' relevant professional development resources and opportunities. During the second phase of the study, the Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition (CASEBA) instrument was used to conduct classroom observations in each of the six teachers' classrooms. Furthermore, a review of relevant artifacts was conducted during the observations.

Seven conclusions emerged from the study. First, home language support in the classrooms contributed to English language development. Second, teachers' use of pictures, gestures and other visual cues promoted children's comprehension of English. Third, culturally responsive curriculum was not necessary for promoting enhanced language outcomes. Fourth, a supportive social/emotional environment in the classroom contributed to progress in expressive language development. Next, singing songs with gestures and high quality teachers' talk in English also contributed to expressive language development. Lastly, professional development, formal and informal, is beneficial and needed for preschool teachers.

Five recommendations emerged from the study. Policy recommendations are for college teacher preparation programs to require coursework pertaining to dual language learning and for programs to actively recruit bilingual teachers. Practice recommendations are for programs to implement a Planned Language Approach, set up peer mentoring and training opportunities, and for teachers to plan individual and small group read alouds.