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Eric.ed.gov – Instruction in Spanish and Outcomes for Pre-Kindergarten English Language Learners. Research Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined associations between classroom quality, amount of instruction in Spanish, and academic learning of Spanish-speaking 4 years-olds. Findings suggest that gains in reading and math were larger when children received more instruction in Spanish in classrooms with more responsive and sensitive teachers. It is possible that instruction in Spanish in high-quality classrooms may enhance the academic skills for children with limited English. [This research brief is based on the following published study: Burchinal, M., Field, S., Lopez, M. L., Howes, C., & Pianta, R. (2012). Instruction in Spanish in pre-kindergarten classrooms and child outcomes for English language learners. “Early Childhood Research Quarterly,” 27, 188-197. (EJ958040)] Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Using Learning Analytics to Improve Students’ Reading Skills: A Case Study in an American International School with English as an Additional Language (EAL) Students

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper shows how an American International School in Vietnam has been using data and Learning Analytics to find out about students’ learning from their assessments and how they use these findings to improve, among other areas, the reading skills of their mostly English as an Additional Language (EAL) student population. The source of data comes primarily from a Computer Adaptive Testing platform, commonly known as the MAP Growth test, which provides information about Math and Reading skills for each particular student. The data provided is transformed and presented to educational stakeholders through visualizations created in specialized software in order to dig into the data and answer the pedagogical questions emerged from teachers and administrators. This process involves a new field known as Learning Analytics and Visual… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – English Language Anxiety and Its Effect on Students’ Mathematics Achievement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Difficulties faced in learning a specific mathematical vocabulary are amplified through incomplete English knowledge among students who English Language Learners (ELLs). Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between English language anxiety and the mathematical achievement of EFL/ESL students who are using EMI. Mixed research method was employed to identify and understand this relationship between language anxiety and mathematics achievement in the math classroom. To collect quantitative data, a questionnaire was distributed to the students to measure their level of English language anxiety and mathematics achievement using their grades in their mathematics classes. The association between English language anxiety levels and ESL/EFL achievement in Mathematics was investigated through Pearson’s correlation test. The results showed medium levels English language anxiety among the EFL/ESL students with a… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Becoming Socially Just Disciplinary Teachers through a Community Service Learning Project

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This case study explores community service learning, disciplinary literacy, and social justice. Participants were seven Mexican American preservice secondary teachers in science, math, and language arts who tutored and gardened with children in a South Texas after-school tutorial agency as part of an ESL literacy methods course. Data gathering tools consisted of participant observations, written reflections, learning logs, visual metaphors, and a focus group discussion. Social justice themes were: respondents’ realizations of structural inequalities and their actions to counteract hegemonic inequalities. Disciplinary literacy themes were: participants’ learning more about their disciplines and disciplinary literacy, increased motivation and efficacy to teach their subjects, and the importance of the colonia, or unincorporated neighborhood, as an intersection between social justice and disciplinary literacy. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Exporting English Pronunciation from China: The Communication Needs of Young Chinese Scientists as Teachers in Higher Education Abroad

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: China has become an exporter of material goods to the world, particularly to the United States. It is time for the exploration of a mutually beneficial relationship in a strikingly different realm, that of human capital in higher education and its contributions to the quality of university teaching. To faculty members and students at U.S. universities the human face of this relationship is Chinese international teaching assistants (ITAs) who are graduate students in science and math, and who are also being supported as teachers of basic undergraduate courses within their academic disciplines. Chinese ITAs are the largest single group of international graduate students, and they make American undergraduate education possible in chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, business, and computer science. The quality of the performance of native English… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Strategy Instruction for Students with Disabilities Who Are Learning English. ELLs with Disabilities Report 16

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities are two groups specifically targeted in NCLB for which schools must demonstrate “adequate yearly progress.” However, ELLs with disabilities, a category where these two groups overlap, are not specifically mentioned in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Students with “high-incidence” learning-related disabilities (e.g., speech and language impairments, learning disabilities, and emotional/behavioral disabilities) in particular exhibit unique educational needs likely to place them at risk as schools strive to improve academic outcomes across the range of students specifically targeted in NCLB. With the rapid growth of the population of ELLs in the U.S., schools have an urgent need for research-based information on how to instruct ELLs with disabilities in grade-level content. This report describes a series of single-subject studies… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Foreign Language Anxiety in a New English Program in Thailand

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Thailand boasts a robust ESL system in both public and private schools, where students learn various subjects from native speakers in the English language. Foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) is a subject that is relevant to ESL instruction and learning. This study assesses associations between FLCA and academic performance in English and math subjects at a Thai government school which is in its second year of employing native English speaking teachers. 424 students were administered FLCA surveys, which were compared to English and math exams. Moderate-high FLCA levels were found in the sample, with no difference between an immersion group and non-immersion groups. A weak, negative correlation was found between FLCA and English performance (r = -0.163). Thai language math exam scores were significantly better than English… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Does Adding Mathematics to English Language Learners’ Timetables Improve Their Acquisition of English?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This enquiry based project set out to find out if adult English language learners, known as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners in the UK, might benefit, in terms of their acquisition of English, from studying maths. This research has been conducted at a medium sized FE college in the East Midlands where I teach. I evaluate this in two ways, firstly by analysing learners’ results, and secondly by asking experienced ESOL teachers to observe and reflect on an ESOL Maths session. This project found a correlation between attending a maths class and improved English language exam results over 5 cohorts of students. In addition, ESOL teachers noted many and varied opportunities for English language learning in an ESOL Maths class, with higher levels of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Investigating the Application of Communicative Language Teaching Principles in Primary-Education: A Comparison of CLIL and FL Classrooms

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: It is widely accepted that the learning of a new language, among other advantages, promotes respect and interest of the students towards other cultures and languages. The question is how learning languages can be promoted in educational settings. The aim of the present study is to explore the principles of communicative language teaching in primary-education CLIL and FL classrooms. More specifically, in this paper we address to what extent collaborative work, attention to language and content and corrective feedback are observed during teacher-student and peer interaction in these educational settings. Following an action research approach, ten Spanish and ten Math sessions were observed and recorded. Furthermore, whole group interaction and peer interaction were analysed in relation to the participants’ attention to language and content. Results from the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Homework: Voices from EFL Teachers and Learners

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Previous studies have mainly focused on homework in courses such as math and physics with little attention to homework in EFL (English as a foreign language) classes. The main purpose of the study reported in this paper was to give a voice to both EFL teachers and learners with regard to English homework. To this end, 8 EFL teachers and 19 EFL learners took part in a semi-structured interview first. Then, based on their responses to the interview questions and a comprehensive review of the literature, a questionnaire was developed and validated to investigate EFL learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on different aspects of English homework. The questionnaire was finally completed by 283 EFL learners and 46 English teachers from two famous English institutions in Iran. Results revealed… Continue Reading