Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Multilingual support'

The proliferation of mobile phone ownership across the world has motivated education technology specialists to find ways of supporting the process of learning in both formal and informal environments through mobile devices. Mobile learning has introduced an opportunity for extending resources to learners in schools through ubiquitous devices. While there have been various pedagogical guidelines on how to create mobile learning systems for learning, little research presents support for developing multilingual mobile learning technology that can be used to support high school learning. This research presents mainly three case studies contributing to the development of a framework that can be used to support the development of multilingual mobile learning software combining technical and key pedagogical considerations to support the software development process. The approaches described by this framework also take into consideration the code-switching practice which is common in multilingual classrooms. Code-switching is a technique used in multilingual classrooms by teachers and learners to support learners to both interpret and understand learning content switching between two human languages in order to gain deeper perspectives on a topic. The first case study presented in the thesis describes creating appropriate content and learning activities that can be used through mobile learning supporting the code-switching behaviour of multilingual learners in formal learning. The second case study reports on supporting learning activities and content in informal learning environments. The third case study reflects on different language support characteristics that can be embedded in systems or used as additional systems to support multilingual mobile learning content development in cases where language specialists are a rare resource. The thesis is completed through an evaluation of the framework’s practicality in supporting the pedagogical considerations to be made when developing mobile learning systems for use in multilingual high schools. The cases presented in this thesis are based on a South African context.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of group discussions to enhance comprehension skills in multilingual classes in Gauteng. Due to the diverse cultural backgrounds of learners in Gauteng, it has become necessary to explore strategies that can assist the learners in improving their language skills. An interpretivist epistemological paradigm with a qualitative research approach was used. The theoretical framework was sociocultural theory making use of the Zone of Proximal Development which highlighted the assistance learners get when supported by their peers during group discussions. Two schools were purposively sampled based on the linguistic diversity of learners. This included three teachers, 134 learners, one Grade 4 and two Grade 6 classes. Data collection included non-participatory observations of three comprehension lessons. Semi-structured interviews held with teachers, field notes, teachers’ lesson plans and learners’ workbooks were also collected. The findings suggest that most teachers employed a quiz-bowl approach in comprehension lessons limiting learner’s independent thinking in discussions. However, further analysis indicated that group discussions could be an asset if the teachers were trained to model and scaffold the art of asking questions for learners to observe and learn. The importance of teachers taking on various roles such as the planning of qualitative questions given to learners, employing different strategies and grouping of learners was emphasised to ensure effective group discussions take place. Group discussions will provide more time for teachers to support learners struggling, thus ensuring that learners become more accountable for their own learning.
Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
Educational Psychology
MEd
Unrestricted

The current thesis aims to explore issues regarding the development and support of second languages when two individuals from different linguistic backgrounds come together in romantic, intimate, and meaningful relationship. Based on a thorough conceptualisation of multilingual couplehood and its place within the interdisciplinary topic of intercultural relationships and marriage, this exploratory study seeks to highlight the issues pertaining to communication, and even more precisely, language, how this impacts individual and couple identity, and its significance in multilingual couple contexts The study and presentation of the research is built on the foundation of a relational philosophy of being and knowing, particularly in line with Gergen’s (2009) understanding of ‘being-in-relation’. Arguments are presented for a relational ontology and epistemology in hopes of identifying the merits of this perspective, and to promote what I consider a more fitting understanding of identity, relationships, and second language education. On this theoretical basis, the study adopts the qualitative methodological approach of narrative inquiry to investigate the meaning of language, relationship, and identity in the contexts of four self-identified multilingual couples currently living in the UK. Data was collected by means of three stage interviews: one with each individual of the couple and a final interview with both partners present. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and subjected to a two-stage narrative analysis. The findings have uncovered a wide variety of issues regarding intimate relationships and matters related to the development and support of second languages. While it is clear that each couple has differing attitudes and perceptions of multilingual couplehood, and ways of addressing them, there are some commonalities that have emerged, particularly in regards to the negotiation and sharing of languages, which has appeared to be a very complex issue in terms of the manifestation of language support and learning motivation within the couplehood. It has also been found that there are various ways in which partners develop and create their multilingual couple identities, which affects and also is affected by the linguistic and cultural identities of the individuals themselves. It is clear that second language development and support is a fundamentally relational process in the intimate context of couple relationships, as the detailed narratives of the couples and their linguistic journeys are highly revealing of what is clearly a complex, intricate, and relational ongoing process.

sta tesis aborda el problema de la cualidad de recopilación automática de datos sobre protestas y propone herramientas de extracción multilíngüe de atributos del evento de protesta para mejorar la calidad de la unidad de análisis. El trabajo incluye la exploración del estado de arte en los dominios de la recopilación automática de datos sobre protestas y la extracción multilíngüe de eventos. En la ausencia de una colección de datos multilíngües sobre protestas anotados por expertos para el aprendizaje supervisado nos enfocamos en el tratamiento de noticias multilíngües basado en patrones lingüísticos conectados a una jerarquía de conceptos relacionados con el evento de protesta. Las gramáticas y lexicones han sido elaborados según los estándares de GATE 8.0, y la jerarquía de conceptos ha sido formalizada en Protégé - 4.3. El presenta trabajo contribuye al tratamiento automático de bases de datos sobre protestas con lo siguiente: colección automática de un corpus de noticias relacionadas con el evento de protesta; descripción formalizada del evento de protesta basada en un estudio detallado de un corpus de noticias multilíngües (en búlgaro, francés, polaco, ruso, español y sueco); elaboración de patrones genéricos y lexicones multilíngües conectados a la jerarquía de conceptos que resuelve el problema de la ausencia de una colección de datos preanotados por expertos; Los datos obtenidos pueden aplicarse, entre otros, en el monitoreo y análisis de protestas y la relacionada comunicación de usuarios en las redes sociales.
This thesis addresses the problem of automatic protest event collection quality and proposes the tools for multilingual protest feature extraction to improve the quality of analysis unit. This work includes the exploration of the state of the art in protest event data collection and multilingual event extraction. In the absence of a multilingual training dataset for supervised learning we focus on the rule-based approach to multilingual event extraction and connection of a domain concept hierarchy. Grammars and gazetteers have been elaborated in accordance with the standards of GATE 8.0, and the protest event hierarchy has been formalized using Protégé - 4.3. The present work contributes to the automatic protest event data collection and coding by the following: construction of a multilingual corpus of texts related to protest events; a formalized description of the protest event concept on the basis of a detailed examination of a multilingual corpus of news headlines (Bulgarian, French, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish); elaboration of generic patterns and gazetteers for multilingual text processing, which helps to deal with the absence of a multilingual training set. The obtained data can be applied among others for the monitoring and analysis of event-specific social networks’ response.

Walden University College of Education This is to certify that the doctoral study by Joye Elfreda Henry has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Gloria Jacobs, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Jerita Whaley, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Mark Earley, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018

The population of English language learners (ELLs) is on the rise in the United States, but they are lagging behind English speaking students in several subject areas--including biology. Scholarly literature lacks information on how biology teachers use scaffolding strategies to support ELL students with inquiry skills during online simulations. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore how biology teachers support ELLs in learning biology, using biology simulations to promote inquiry learning. The conceptual framework for this study included the constructivist perspective regarding the zone of proximal development, Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol, and technology use in science instruction. The purposive sample for this study was 4 biology teachers from 2 high schools in large school districts in the southeastern region of the United States who taught ELL students using inquiry-based online simulations. The data sources were face to face interviews with teachers, scaffolding documents, and lesson plans. Data were coded and analyzed for common themes across within and across cases. Results indicated that although biology teachers believed that ELL students benefited from inquiry simulations because of the already incorporated visuals and their ability to interact and manipulate the program, they sometimes lacked technology experiences and struggled with English and literacy that may reduce the benefits of the simulation experiences. The results of this study have the potential to contribute to social change by providing insights that may increase the understanding of how biology teachers can support ELL students when using technology in the form of simulations to promote inquiry learning.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
Internationalisation or the “process of integrating an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of a higher education institution” (Knight 1997: 8) has become an important aspect of the domination of higher education institutions. In South Africa as in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Canada, there have been dramatic increases in the numbers of international students. Research shows that the majority of these international students experience various difficulties when the academic culture of the host environment is different from that of the home environment in many respects (Al-Murshidi, 2014; Abukhattala, 2013). The present study employs a social approach to academic literacies (Barton and Hamilton, 2000) to examine the academic reading and writing practices of a group of Libyan students in South Africa (against the backdrop of the home academic culture). Using both quantitative and qualitative methods (Creswell and Plano, 2011), data were collected and analysed to address reading and writing across Libyan and South African academic cultures. The sources of data include Facebook discussions, focus group discussions, questionnaires, documents (such as policies of UWC relevant to my study), and interviews with selected UWC officials. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data whereas SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data.

Studien undersöker flerspråkiga föräldrars erfarenheter av upplevt socialt stöd i föräldrarollen till ett barn med kommunikationsnedsättningar. Forskningsfrågorna berör även vilken betydelse stödet får för kontakten med barnet. Metoden som använts är en sekventiell mixad metod (enkätundersökning och fokusgruppsintervjuer) som utgår från en transformativ strategi. Studiens vetenskapsteoretiska ansats grundar sig i Benno Herzogs teori om social diskursiv exkludering och analysen utgår från Barreras samt Hellers och Swindles grundantaganden om upplevt socialt stöd. Respondenterna deltog i utbildningarna TAKK på Modersmålet och FAMN som anordnades av Projekt TAKK för Språket i Göteborg. Resultaten visar att föräldrarna i studien upplevde socialt stöd utifrån att utbildningarna anpassades och erbjöd: språkstöd på modersmålet, samtal kring användning av alternativ och kompletterade kommunikation (AKK) tillsammans med modersmålet samt samtal om funktionsnedsättningar och samhällstöd. Därutöver visar resultaten att föräldrarna, genom dessa anpassningar, upplever en ökad förståelse för stöddiskursen och stärkt självförtroende. Detta, i sin tur, leder till att föräldrarna upplever större handlingsutrymme i stressrelaterade situationer och en ökad benägenhet att söka och ta emot stöd.
The study examines multilingual parents' experiences of perceived social support when parenting a child with communication impairments. Research questions also deal with the importance of perceived social support for the contact between parents and child. The method used is a sequential mixed methodology (survey and focus group interviews) based on a transformative strategy. The study's scientific theoretical approach is based on Benno Herzog's theory of social discursive exclusion and the analysis starts from Barrera´s and from Heller´s and Swindle´s basic assumptions about perceived social support. The respondents participated in the parenting programs TAKK på Modersmålet and FAMN, that focused the use was of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) together with the mother tongue, which was organized by the project TAKK för Språket (AAC for multilingualism) in Gothenburg. The results show that the parents in the study perceived social support when the education programs were adapted and offered language support in the mother tongue, discussions about the use of AAC together with the mother tongue (AAC) and information about disabilities as well as information about society’s support system. In addition, the results show that parents, through these adjustments, experience an increased understanding of support discourse and strengthened confidence. This, in turn, leads to parents´ experience of greater freedom of action in stress-related situations and therefor an increased inclination to seek and receive support.
El estudio examina las experiencias de apoyo social percibido por los padres multilingües en relacion al cuidado de un niño con problemas de comunicación. Las preguntas de investigación también se ocupan de la importancia del apoyo social percibido para el establecimiento del contacto entre padres e hijos. El método utilizado es una metodología mixta secuencial (encuesta y grupos de enfoque) basado en una estrategia transformadora. El enfoque teórico científico del estudio se basa en la teoría de la exclusión social discursiva de Benno Herzog y el análisis parte de los conceptos de apoyo social percibido que Barrera y Heller & Swindle describen. Los participantes formaron parte de los cursos para padres TAKK på Modersmålet y FAMN, que enfatizaron el uso de la CAA (comunicación aumentativa y alternativa) junto con la lengua materna, los cuales fueron organizados por el proyecto TAKK för Språket (AAC para el multilingüismo) en Gotemburgo, Suecia. Los resultados muestran que los padres de familia en el estudio perciben apoyo social a partir de que el contenido de los cursos para padres ofrecieron: apoyo en el idioma materno, discusiones sobre el uso de la AAC junto con la lengua materna, información acerca de diferentes discapacidades e información sobre el sistema de apoyo social en Suecia. Además, los resultados muestran que los padres, a través de estos ajustes, experimentan una mayor comprensión del discurso de apoyo a la comunicación lo cual refuerza su autoconfianza. Esto, a su vez, ayudo a los padres a experimentar una mayor libertad de acción ante situaciones estresantes, lo cual aumento la propensión de los padres a buscar y aceptar apoyo.

The problem addressed in this study is that Native American and Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) in a rural Mississippi school district are not performing at the same level as non-ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the perceived causes of ELL failure and low academic performance on district and state assessments and in general education classes. Guided by Vygotsky's theory of development, which supports teachers and students remaining active in the learning process, research questions focused on what instructional practices general education teachers use to provide instruction for Spanish/Choctaw-speaking ELLs. General education teachers' use of professional learning communities (PLCs), instructional and assessment practices, knowledge of ELLs' instructional needs, and perceptions of professional development (PD) were examined. The purposeful sample for surveys included 33 Kindergarten through12 general education teachers who met the criteria of having the experience of providing instruction to ELLs. Teacher participants completed an online anonymous survey through SurveyMonkey. Six English Language Arts (ELA) teachers and 1 administrator participated in face-to-face interviews. The responses were open coded then analyzed using NVivo 11. Seven themes emerged from the data: differentiation is critical for ELL instruction, assessment should drive instruction, ELLs benefit from evidence based instructional strategies, PLCs support general education teachers, PD is inadequate to support ELLs and teacher needs, PD is needed on ELLs background, and administrators' support PLCs for ELLs' instruction. A 5-day PD project was designed and positive social change promoted by providing staff with evidence based ELL instructional support, resulting in improved ELL learning and achievement.

This was a comparative study of international and American study abroad students' experiences and expectations with the host countries. The rationale for this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of different experiences of students who study abroad and to understand whether their expectations of the host country have an impact on their experiences. An opportunity sample of American study abroad and international students was selected from the United States student population and their expectations and experiences of the host country compared. The study addressed 6 research questions, using a mixed-method approach. The principal instrument for the investigation was the Cross-Cultural Participant Questionnaire conducted online. Associated hypotheses with the research questions were analyzed using Independent sample ttests and Paired samples t-tests at an alpha level of .05 and the results were described using descriptive statistics. The open-ended questions were analyzed according to established qualitative techniques. The survey was completed by 421 respondents comprised of 155 international students, 252 American study abroad students, and 14 unknown labeled as others. The results of this study identified language fluency, building relationships with the host nationals, learning about a new culture, and personal change as significant expectations of the students. Overall, the students reported being satisfied with the services provided. International students were slightly more satisfied with access to support services than the American study abroad students. American study abroad students had experiences that closer matched their expectations of study abroad than was the case for international students.

This thesis extends a system of an artificial player of a word-association game Codenames to easy addition of support for new languages. The system is able to play Codenames in roles as a guessing player, a clue giver or, by their combination a Duet version player. For analysis of different languages a neural toolkit Stanza was used, which is language independent and enables automated processing of many languages. It was mainly about lemmatization and part of speech tagging for selection of clues in the game. For evaluation of word associations were several models tested, where the best results had a method Pointwise Mutual Information and predictive model fastText. The system supports playing Codenames in 36 languages comprising 8 different alphabets.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Spanish-speaking men in the United States with limited English proficiency following their release from prison. The study specifically examined the experiences of these men in their efforts to access health care treatment, housing, education, and employment in Central Pennsylvania. An empirical, phenomenological research design was employed that used self-stigma, critical race, and self-determination theories for in-depth interviews with 8 men who spent 5 to 24 years in prison. A tiered coding method was used to generate 6 interconnected themes that tell the story of these men's lives: (1) a genuine desire to change (2) a lack of effective communication, (3) a sense of dependency on others, (4) a persistent lack of social support, (5) a perception of resentencing by society, and (6) a perception of entrapment with little possibility to get out. This study promotes positive social change by demonstrating a need for more effective transitional programs for this demographic and additional need for counselor training programs to actively recruit and train more Spanish-speaking counselors for work with this population. The results can be used by counselors and mental health providers to develop programs that would support families such as job training and second language instruction within correctional facilities. Implementing these recommendations is expected to reduce crime and facilitate the healthy integration of this population into the mainstream society post incarceration.

The question that I would like to visualize, rethink and reassess is the relationship between the theoretical and practical knowledge in my profession. I work as a guidance counselor in the subject of mother tongue with newly arrived pupils. The aim with my essay is to process and stigmatize literary researches as well as my own theoretical and practical knowledge, thoughts, experiences and reflections. I am analyzing the profession of a guidance counselor and the everyday life in my situation as a mother tongue teacher. I stress the knowledge and abilities that are needed for a guidance counselor to analyze my own teaching methods on a deeper level. I hope that my experience, practical and theoretical knowledge can benefit colleagues in the same profession as me, and especially those who work with newly arrived students in Sweden. I have chosen to write this essay on the basis of my self-perceived events to analyze my own teaching methods for a better understanding. In my research, I came to the conclusion that both theoretical and practical knowledge are both equally as important in my profession.
Relationen mellan teoretisk och praktisk kunskap i mitt yrke som studiehandledare på modersmålet är fråga som jag vill synliggöra, ompröva och omvärdera. Syftet med min uppsats är att bearbeta och systematisera forskningslitteratur samt egna teoretiska och praktiska kunskaper, funderingar, tankar, erfarenheter och reflektioner. Jag synliggör de kunskaper och förmågor som behövs för en studiehandledare på modersmålet för att analysera min egen undervisning på en djupare nivå. Min förhoppning är att min erfarenhet, de praktiska och teoretiska kunskaperna kan bidra till kollegornas nytta inom samma yrke och i synnerhet de som arbetar med nyanlända elever. Jag har valt att skriva min uppsats i essäform med utgångspunkten i egenupplevda händelser och analysera detta med reflektioner över min egen yrkespraktik för att nå bättre förståelse. I min undersökning kommer jag fram till att teoretiska och praktiska kunskaper är lika viktiga i mitt arbete.

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine how preschool teachers from two different municipalities are working with native language support. The method used in this study was a questionnaire survey were 58 preschool teachers participated. It has been shown in a study made in the USA by Galeano (2011) that families from other countries lose their native language faster during recent years than they did before, this may be because families let the English language dominate in the home instead of using their native language. When children start school they are offered mother tongue education, but often it’s not of much use since the students already have a basic speech in English (Galeano, 2011). A study conducted in schools in England showed that mother tongue education is deficient when students get questions on their native language but they choose to answer the teachers in English instead. This is one of the reasons how students lose the ability to speak their mother tongue but they still have the ability to understand what is being said (Cable, Drury & Robertson, 2014). This study shows that many of the preschool teachers that were questioned in the study did not have enough experience when it comes to working with native language support. The preschool teachers felt that they didn’t have good enough guidance to how the work with native language support should proceed in the best way. They couldn’t bring up the issues of language support with parents or answer their questions without double checking with the preschool heads or principals. Most of the preschool teachers know the importance of language support as it makes it easier for kids to become part of the preschool group and that they easier learn Swedish as a second language. Many preschool teachers had to take own initiatives to give children support in their native language, this because many preschools do not have access to mother tongue teachers or interpreter.
Abstrakt Syftet med studien är att se hur förskollärare från två olika kommuner arbetar med modersmålsstöd Undersökningsmetoden som användes var en enkätundersökning där 58 förskollärare deltog. Det har visat sig i studier bland annat i USA att familjer med andra ursprungsland förlorar sitt modersmål snabbare i dagsläget än de gjorde förr då familjerna låter det engelska språket dominera i hemmet istället för att använda sig av modersmålet. När barnen kom upp i skolåldern så erbjöds de modersmålsundervisning men ofta så räcker inte modersmålsundervisning till i skolan då eleverna redan har ett grundläggande tal i till exempel engelska (Galeano, 2011). En studie som gjordes i skolorna i England visade att modersmålsundervisningen är bristfällig då eleverna får frågor på respektive modersmål men att de svarar läraren på engelska istället för modersmålet. Detta bidrar till att eleverna tappar förmågan att tala modersmålet men att de fortfarande har kvar förmågan att förstå vad som sägs (Cable, Drury & Robertson, 2014). I följande studie kände många av förskollärarna att de inte hade någon riktig rutin kring arbetet med modersmålsstöd och de saknade bra vägledning till hur arbetet skulle gå tillväga på bästa sätt, de kunde inte själva ta upp frågorna kring modersmålsstöd med föräldrarna utan var tvungna att samtala med förskolechefer eller rektorer innan de kunde besvara föräldrarnas frågor. Samtliga förskollärare visste att det är viktigt med modersmålsstöd då det underlättar för barnen att komma in i verksamheten samt att de lättare lärde sig svenska som andra språk. Många förskollärare tar egna initiativ till att ge barnen stöd i deras modersmål då många förskolor saknar tillgång till modersmålspedagog eller tolk.

This PhD dissertation examines how educational practice mediates learning the language of instruction with immigrant students in a linguistic support classroom in Catalonia. From a socioconstructivist theoretical approach, educational practice was examined at two levels: at the macro-level, we identify the forms of joint activity which are developed during the different learning tasks , and at the micro-level, the dialogue at the classroom was examined, focusing on the semiotic resources through which the teacher establishes and maintains intersubjectivity with students on the language activities. The research results show three key issues in the development of educational practice: the teaching of language is a shared reflective process around the language as "a procedure", second, this process is supported by the transitions between different forms and ways of using language, and finally, the educational practice is characterized by the orchestration of discursive strategies “in dyad” with other discursive strategies “in group”. Thereby the teacher's speech become adjusted to different levels of knowledge of the language school that the students possess.
El cambio del bilingüismo al plurilingüismo probablemente es la mayor transformación que ha experimentado la escuela en Catalunya en los últimos diez años. Esta tesis doctoral presenta un estudio cualitativo que examina cómo la práctica educativa media en el aprendizaje del catalán con alumnos inmigrantes multilingües a su llegada a Catalunya. Desde una aproximación socio-constructivista analizamos la mediación pedagógica en dos niveles de análisis: en el nivel global, identificamos las formas de organización de la actividad conjunta en las diferentes tareas de aprendizaje de la lengua, y en el nivel local, analizamos el diálogo en clase, focalizándonos en los recursos semióticos y discursivos por medio de los cuales la maestra establece y mantiene intersubjetividad con los alumnos en relación con el contenido de enseñanza. Los resultados muestran tres cuestiones fundamentales sobre la práctica educativa en el aula de acogida lingüística: enseñar la lengua constituye un proceso reflexivo continuado entorno al lenguaje como procedimiento, este proceso se sostiene mediante la negociación compartida de transiciones entre formas y modos diferentes de emplear el lenguaje en diferentes situaciones y contextos, y por último, la práctica educativa se caracteriza por la orquestación de estrategias comunicativas diádico-grupales, las cuáles permiten crear condiciones de inclusión para los alumnos que tienen un menor conocimiento del catalán en relación a aquellos otros alumnos que poseen un mayor conocimiento de esta lengua.

Despite decades of efforts to racially integrate schools and the recent accountability movement, U.S. students’ access to equitable education remains elusive. Research demonstrates that discipline procedures disproportionately remove racial minority students from the classroom, creating a “discipline gap.” Racial disparities in discrete disciplinary infraction types (e.g., disruption, aggression) have shown nuanced patterns across groups and school levels. Moreover, the relationship between school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) – a framework for promoting positive behavior and preventing conflict – and the discipline gap is unclear. This investigation explored racial/ethnic disparities per infraction type (e.g. disruption, verbal abuse) and the relationship of SWPBIS implementation fidelity to these referrals using multilevel logistic regression analyses. Participants were 40 elementary schools receiving PBIS technical assistance and the 24,512 students served by the schools. Findings of disciplinary disparities largely were consistent with previous studies with similar methods. Compared to White peers, Black students were overrepresented in office discipline referrals (ODRs) across all infraction types while Hispanic students were underrepresented in Aggression referrals and other racial/ethnic minority students were underrepresented in Miscellaneous referrals. SWPBIS implementation fidelity demonstrated a significant negative relationship with the overall ODR rate and was significantly related to infractions for Aggression; however, no evidence was produced to support the notion that SWPBIS produces more equitable discipline practices. Implications for the research and practice of culturally responsive behavior supports are discussed.

Cette thèse porte sur trois grands défis posés par la conception et la réalisation d'un « système d'exploitation de corpus de traductions », abrégé en « sectra ». Un sectra vise à fournir un support informatique unifié à l'exploitation de corpus de traductions effectuée à la fois par l'humain et par la machine. Le premier défi vise l'aspect de support informatique unifié pour l'évaluation de systèmes de TA. Le deuxième défi concerne l'aspect de support contributif et collaboratif au travail humain sur des corpus variés en contexte multilingue. Enfin, le troisième défi vise au support informatique à l'exploitation de corpus de traductions dans des applications novatrices (comme les iMAG, Notepad++, etc.). Plusieurs notions émergentes (un segment multilingualisé et contextualité, un corpus de documents « multifichier », etc.), principes généraux (la proactivité, la délégation, etc.), et problématiques à dominante conceptuelle (par exemple, définition étendue d'un « contexte » de segment), algorithmique (par exemple, programmabilité du traitement des corpus), et programmatoire (par exemple, traitement de masses de données) ont été abordés et traités pour la conception et la réalisation d'un tel système. Un système appelé SECTra_w a été construit et expérimenté avec succès dans le cadre de plusieurs projets réels pour l'évaluation de TA, la post-édition, et la multilinguïsation de sites Web et des applications. Mots-clés : Corpus de traductions, exploitation de corpus de traductions, support informatique et collaboratif, évaluation de TA, post-édition.

Despite language differences, English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools are assessed by the same standardized tests of English Language Arts (ELA) skills as are their English-speaking peers. ELLs have routinely performed poorly on the New York State ELA standardized assessment. ELLs are a significant portion of the population in New York City public schools; therefore, their continued poor performance puts some of these schools at risk for closure. Guided by Thomas's and Collier's framework for understanding Dual Language Immersion programs, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental, archival study was to determine if significant differences in ELA standardized assessment scores exist for ELLs attending an English as a New Language (ENL) program when compared to those attending a Dual Language (DL) program. A mixed-model ANOVA (N = 24 ELLs tested in 2014, 2015, and 2016) indicated that scores increased significantly during the 3-year period, but there were no significant differences in scores for the ENL program students compared to the DL program students. An ANCOVA (N = 366 ELLs tested in 2016 evenly distributed in each program) showed that, when controlling student disability status, DL program students scored significantly higher than ENL program students. These findings formed the basis of a professional development curriculum designed to guide educators and administrators in the implementation of effective DL programs and teaching strategies to support ELLs' achievement. When supported with research-based programs in their schools, ELLs can achieve more academically, thereby fostering social change over time as more ELLs enter the workforce uniquely qualified to succeed in a diverse, global economy.

In U.S. schools, Black and Hispanic youth receive discipline in the form of office discipline referrals and out-of-school suspensions at a rate greater than their White peers. Contributing factors to this “discipline gap” may be found across a number of ecological variables. Therefore, multifaceted and systemic interventions such as school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) should be evaluated for their effectiveness in producing more equitable school discipline rates. In light of mixed evidence for the relationship of SWPBIS with discipline equity, the purpose of this study was to examine the merits of five critical elements of SWPBIS for reducing discipline rates for Black and Hispanic students and for closing the discipline gap. Among a sample of 322 Florida SWPBIS-implementing schools serving a total of 292,490 students, SWPBIS fidelity’s relationships with discipline rates and with disparities were investigated. The Benchmarks of Quality, a psychometrically sound measure of SWPBIS fidelity completed by a school-based team and an external coach, was completed at each school. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that higher fidelity to SWPBIS Classroom Systems was related to decreased discipline risk for all students, including Black and Hispanic students, but not more equitable discipline practices. Higher fidelity to SWPBIS Expectations was related to higher suspension risk among Black students while higher levels of Recognition were related to more equitable suspension practices. No significant relationships were observed between Lessons and Data Analysis and disciplinary rates or equity. Implications for the research and practice of SWPBIS are discussed, along with connections to other lines of research addressing educational equity.

This study synthesizes theoretical concepts and proposes relevant curricula that can improve students' English reading ability. It especially emphasizes how to integrate these reading strategies in an EFL environment, so EFL learners can absorb real reading methods and enhance their reading abilities for practical use.

Researchers have shown that vocabulary development is a challenge for English Language Learners (ELLs) as they are less prepared to use contextual and linguistic clues to decode unfamiliar vocabulary. Beginning in the upper elementary grades, reading in content areas becomes lengthier and more complex. Technology-supported vocabulary instruction to teach social studies to ELLs is a relatively new concept in the 5th grade classroom. The purpose of this comparative study was to assess the vocabulary and reading comprehension outcomes of ELLs in the content area of 5th grade social studies when taught using technology-supported versus traditional textbook instruction. Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning provided the theoretical foundation for the study. A quasi-­experimental approach with a nonequivalent pretest and posttest comparison group design was used. All 99 5th grade ELL students at an elementary school in the southeastern United States served as the study sample. Pre-existing classroom groups were taught using technology-supported or traditional textbook instruction. Instructional groups' vocabulary test scores were compared using ANCOVA with pretest social studies vocabulary scores serving as the covariate. Results revealed that 5th grade ELL students in the technology-supported instruction group scored significantly higher on the social studies vocabulary posttest as compared to the traditional textbook instruction group. The findings of this study suggest that technology-supported instruction in social studies is an effective teaching approach for ELL students at the 5th grade level. This study could be used to guide future research in the areas of ELL language acquisition, content area learning and comprehension, and equitable instruction for all students.

Das Schulregister des Kultusministeriums MIUR verzeichnet, dass mehr als jede/r zehnte aller Schüler/innen in Italien keine italienische Staatsbürgerschaft hat, obwohl sie mehrheitlich dort geboren wurden. Zahlreiche Erhebungen weisen für sie im Vergleich zu den italienischen Mitschülern/innen geringere Italienischkenntnisse und weniger schulischen Erfolg auf. Innerhalb dieser explorativen Feldforschung haben Einzelinterviews mit 121 Schülern/innen (5.-8. Klasse) in Turiner Schulen und mit 26 Eltern, sowie die Auswertung von 141 an 27 Italienisch- und Herkunftsprachlehrer/innen verteilten Fragebögen ergeben, dass viele Schüler/innen "zweisprachige Natives" sind, da sie mit Italienisch und einer anderen Sprache aufwachsen. Dieser Polyglottismus, den die Interviewten sehr positiv bewerteten, findet jedoch in der Schulpraxis keine Entsprechung: Gezielte Förderung im Italienischen und der Unterricht der Familiensprache sind meist Wunschdenken. In der Kohorte haben die Schüler/innen mit den besten Italienischkenntnissen einen italophonen Elternteil bzw. kamen im Vorschulalter nach Italien und besuchten dort den Kindergarten. Dagegen sind, wie auch bei den INVALSI-Tests, die in Italien geborenen und die dann die Krippe besuchten, leicht benachteiligt. Was die Familiensprache angeht, verbessert ihr Erlernen die Kompetenzen darin, ohne dem Italienischen zu schaden: Im Gegenteil. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen die wichtige Rolle der "anderen" Sprache für einen gelungen Spracherwerb. Das MIUR sollte also sein Schulregister mit Sprachdaten ergänzen, um die Curricula im Sinn der EU-Vorgaben umzuschreiben und den sprachlich heterogenen Klassen gezielte Ressourcen und definierte Vorgehensweisen zur Verfügung zu stellen. Mit geringeren Mitteln, im Vergleich zu den jetzigen Kosten für Herunterstufung, Klassenwiederholung und Schulabbruch würde man Schulerfolg, Chancengerechtigkeit und Mehrsprachigkeit fördern, mit positiven Folgen für den Einzelnen sowie für die Volkswirtschaft.
The Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) student register records that today in Italy more than one out of ten students is not an Italian citizen, although the majority of them were born there. Several statistical surveys indicate that "foreign" students, when compared to native students, show a poorer performance in Italian and in academic achievement. This exploratory fieldwork carried out in schools in Turin (5th to 8th grade) analyzed data obtained through semi-structured interviews with 121 students and 26 parents as well as 141 questionnaires filled in by 27 teachers of Italian and family language. It showed that many students are "bilingual natives", as they grow up acquiring both Italian and another language; however, despite the fact that the interviewees rate polyglottism positively, schools don't usually offer targeted support in either language. Within the cohort the broadest range of competences in Italian are found first among those with an Italian-speaking parent, then among those who arrived in Italy at pre-school age attending kindergarten there; this latter group shows higher competences than those born in Italy attending nursery there, as also in the INVALSI tests. As far as family language is concerned, data illustrate that its teaching increases its competences without affecting those in Italian: quite the opposite in fact. These results confirm the remarkable role played by the "other" language in successful language education. MIUR is therefore called upon to include also linguistic data in its student register, so as to redefine its curricula according to EU Guidelines, and to identify specific procedures and resources for multilingual classes. This new policy would reduce the current cost of placing students in a lower grade, grade retention and drop-outs, and would promote school success, equal opportunities and multilingualism, with positive consequences both for the individuals and for the national economy.
L'anagrafe studenti del MIUR registra come oggi in Italia più di uno studente su dieci non è cittadino italiano, pur essendo la maggioranza di loro nata in questo paese. Numerose indagini statistiche mostrano come gli allievi "stranieri" presentino, rispetto a quelli italiani, ridotte competenze in italiano e minore successo scolastico. Questa ricerca esplorativa svolta in alcune scuole di Torino (V elementare-III media) ha analizzato dati ottenuti tramite interviste semi-strutturate a 121 studenti e 26 genitori e 141 questionari compilati da 27 insegnanti di italiano e di lingua di famiglia. Da essa è emerso che molti studenti sono "nativi bilingui", poiché crescono usando l'italiano e un'altra lingua. Questo poliglottismo, valutato dagli intervistati assai positivamente, non si rispecchia però nella prassi scolastica: un supporto mirato in italiano e l'insegnamento della lingua di famiglia sono di regola una chimera. All'interno del campione le più ampie competenze in italiano si trovano fra chi ha un genitore italofono e chi è arrivato in Italia in età prescolare frequentandovi la scuola materna; come constatato anche nei test INVALSI, chi è nato in Italia e vi ha frequentato l'asilo nido è leggermente svantaggiato. Rispetto alla lingua di famiglia risulta che il suo studio porta a migliori competenze in essa, senza nuocere all'italiano: anzi. Emerge quindi il ruolo significativo della lingua "altra" per un'educazione linguistica efficace. L'invito al MIUR è quindi di integrare la propria anagrafe con dati linguistici, così da ridefinire i propri curricula secondo le Linee Guida Comunitarie, individuando procedure e risorse specifiche per le classi multilingui. Con un investimento ridotto, paragonato con il costo attuale dato da retrocessioni, ripetenze e abbandono scolastico, si riuscirebbe a sostenere il successo scolastico, le pari opportunità e il plurilinguismo, con conseguenze positive per i singoli e per l'economia nazionale.

Bien qu’ils soient largement utilisés dans le domaine, les mesures vibratoires classiques présentent plusieurs limites. A la base, l’analyse vibratoire ne peut identifier qu’environ 60% des défauts qui peuvent survenir dans les machines. Cependant, les principaux inconvénients des mesures de la vibration sont l’accès difficile au système de transmission afin d’y placer le capteur ainsi que le coût conséquent de la mise en œuvre. Ceci résulte en des problèmes de sensibilité relatifs à la position de l’installation et ceux de difficulté pour distinguer la source de vibration à cause de la diversité des excitations mécaniques qui existent dans l’environnement industriel.Par conséquent, l’analyse des signatures du courant électrique des moteurs s’impose comme une alternative prometteuse à l’analyse vibratoire et a donc fait l’objet d’une attention grandissante au cours des dernières années. En effet, l’analyse des signatures électriques a l’avantage d’être une méthode techniquement accessible, non-intrusive au système et peu coûteuse. Les techniques basées sur le courant et la tension ne requièrent que les mesures électriques du moteur qui sont souvent déjà surveillées pour le contrôle et la protection des machines électriques. Ce processus a été principalement utilisé pour la détection des défauts de moteur tels que la rupture de barres du rotor et les défauts d’excentricité ainsi que les défauts de roulements. En revanche, très peu de recherches concernent la détection des défauts en utilisant l’analyse du courant. En outre, les signaux électriques triphasés sont caractérisés par des représentations géométriques particulières liées à leur forme d’onde qui peuvent servir en tant qu’indicateurs différents offrant des informations supplémentaires. Parmi ces indicateurs géométriques, les transformées de Park et de Concordia modélisent les composantes électriques dans un repère bidimensionnel et toute déviation par rapport à la représentation d’origine indique l’apparition d’un dysfonctionnement. Aussi, les équations différentielles de Frenet-Serret représentent la trajectoire du signal dans un espace euclidien tridimensionnel et indiquent ainsi tout changement dans l’état du système. Bien qu’ils aient été utilisés pour les défauts de roulements, ces indicateurs n’ont pas été appliqués dans la détection des défauts d’engrenages en utilisant l’analyse des signatures des courants électriques. D’où l’idée novatrice de combiner ces indicateurs avec des techniques de traitement de signal, ainsi que des techniques de classification pour le diagnostic des engrenages en utilisant l’analyse des signatures de courant et de tension du moteur électrique.Ainsi, dans ce travail, on propose une nouvelle approche pour le diagnostic des défauts d’engrenages en utilisant l’analyse des courants et des tensions électriques du stator de la machine et ceci en se basant sur un ensemble d’indicateurs géométriques (Transformées de Park et de Concordia ainsi que les propriétés du repère Frenet-Serret). Ces indicateurs font partie d’une bibliothèque de signatures de défauts qui a été construite et qui comprend également les indicateurs classiques utilisés pour un large éventail de défauts. Ainsi, un algorithme combine les acquisitions expérimentales des signaux électriques à des méthodes de traitement de signal avancées (décomposition modale empirique,…). Ensuite, celui-ci sélectionne les indicateurs les plus pertinents au sein de la bibliothèque en se basant sur les algorithmes de sélection de paramètres (sélection séquentielle rétrograde et analyse des composantes principales). Enfin, cette sélection est utilisée pour la classification non-supervisée (K-moyennes) pour la distinction entre l’état sain et l’état défaillant
Although they are widely used, classical vibration measurements have several limitations. Vibration analysis can only identify about 60% of the defects that may occur in mechanical systems. However, the main drawbacks of vibration measurements are the difficult access to the transmission system in order to place the sensor as well as the consequent cost of implementation. This results in sensitivity problems relative to the position of the installation and the difficulty to distinguish the source of vibration because of the diversity of mechanical excitations that exist in the industrial environment.Hence, the Motor Current Signatures Analysis (M.C.S.A.) represents a promising alternative to the vibration analysis and has therefore been the subject of increasing attention in recent years. Indeed, the analysis of electrical signatures has the advantage of being a technically accessible method as well as inexpensive and non-intrusive to the system. Techniques based on currents and voltages only require the motor’s electrical measurements which are often already supervised for the purposes of the control and the protection of the electrical machines. This process was mainly used for the detection of motors faults such as rotor bars breakage and eccentricity faults as well as bearings defects. On the other hand, very little research has been focused on gear faults detection using the current analysis. In addition, three-phase electrical signals are characterized by specific geometric representations related to their waveforms and they can serve as different indicators providing additional information. Among these geometric indicators, the Park and Concordia transforms model the electrical components in a two-dimensional coordinate system and any deviation from the original representation indicates the apparition of a malfunction. Moreover, the differential equations of Frenet-Serret represent the trajectory of the signal in a three-dimensional euclidean space and thus indicate any changes in the state of the system. Although they have been previously used for bearing defects, these indicators have not been applied in the detection of gear defects using the analysis of electrical current signatures. Hence, the innovative idea of combining these indicators with signal processing techniques, as well as classification techniques for gears diagnosis using the three-phase motor’s electrical current signatures analysis is established.Hence, in this work, a new approach is proposed for gear faults diagnosis using the motor currents analysis, based on a set of geometric indicators (Park and Concordia transforms as well as the properties of the Frenet-Serret frame). These indicators are part of a specifically built fault signatures library and which also includes the classical indicators used for a wide range of faults. Thus, a proposed estimation algorithm combines experimental measurements of electrical signals with advanced signal processing methods (Empirical Mode Decomposition, ...). Next, it selects the most relevant indicators within the library based on feature selection algorithms (Sequential Backward Selection and Principal Component Analysis). Finally, this selection is combined with non-supervised classification (K-means) for the distinction between the healthy state and faulty states. It was finally validated with a an additional experimental configuration in different cases with gear faults, bearing faults and combined faults with various load levels

Programmers compose programs in multiple languages to combine the advantages of innovations in new high-level programming languages with decades of engineering effort in legacy libraries and systems. For language inter-operation, language designers provide two classes of multilingual programming interfaces: (1) foreign function interfaces and (2) code generation interfaces. These interfaces embody the semantic mismatch for developers and multilingual systems builders. Their programming rules are difficult or impossible to verify. As a direct consequence, multilingual programs are full of bugs at interface boundaries, and debuggers cannot assist developers across these lines. This dissertation shows how to use composition of single language systems and interposition to improve the safety of multilingual programs. Our compositional approach is scalable by construction because it does not require any changes to single-language systems, and it leverages their engineering efforts. We show it is effective by composing a variety of multilingual tools that help programmers eliminate bugs. We present the first concise taxonomy and formal description of multilingual programming interfaces and their programming rules. We next compose three classes of multilingual tools: (1) Dynamic bug checkers for foreign function interfaces. We demonstrate a new approach for automatically generating a dynamic bug checker by interposing on foreign function interfaces, and we show that it finds bugs in real-world applications including Eclipse, Subversion, and Java Gnome. (2) Multilingual debuggers for foreign function interfaces. We introduce an intermediate agent that wraps all the methods and functions at language boundaries. This intermediate agent is sufficient to build all the essential debugging features used in single-language debuggers. (3) Safe macros for code generation interfaces. We design a safe macro language, called Marco, that generates programs in any language and demonstrate it by implementing checkers for SQL and C++ generators. To check the correctness of the generated programs, Marco queries single-language compilers and interpreters through code generation interfaces. Using their error messages, Marco points out the errors in program generators. In summary, this dissertation presents the first concise taxonomy and formal specification of multilingual interfaces and, based on this taxonomy, shows how to compose multilingual tools to improve safety in multilingual programs. Our results show that our compositional approach is scalable and effective for improving safety in real-world multilingual programs.
text

This study explores whether and how the deliberate use of multiple languages can support or constrain the development of learners’ mathematics proficiency in a multilingual mathematics classroom. The study is an action research in which I transform my teaching, by exploring a new teaching strategy. In the study, learners’ home languages, in addition to English (LoLT), are used in a planned and proactive manner, where a well-selected high cognitive demand task set in multiple languages is used for teaching and learning. The study is done in a grade 11 multilingual mathematics class, at a school where I teach. Findings of the study indicate that Kilpatrick et al’s (2001) five strands of mathematical proficiency prevail across all lessons, that the use of English by both learners and I dominates, and that utterances are mostly conceptual. It is also shown by the findings of the study that using the learners’ home languages in presentation of the mathematical task, and the nature of the task used, supports the learners in the comprehension of the mathematical task, and encourages them to participate more effectively during lessons.