English language -- Study and teaching as a second language

An intrinsic case study was conducted to understand what helps Early Care and Education (ECE) English as a Second Language (ESL) students to enroll in a customized ECE ESL course at a local state college and what barriers may hinder their success in the course. This research examined whether the following were either motivators or barriers or both in ECE ESL participants enrolling in an ECE ESL customized course: course design and delivery, student support systems, student self-motivation, student self- efficacy, time and schedule commitment, instructor and student relationship, availability of resources, and level of classroom involvement. The results revealed that the students were highly motivated to enroll and complete the course successfully. Across the board, there was (1) a sense of gratitude from the participants for being afforded an opportunity to learn the English language, (2) evidence of knowledge of their future goals, and (3) their knowledge that learning English was their first step in achieving their goals.

Bilinguals commonly report experiencing emotions differently depending on which language are they speaking. Emotionally loaded words were expected to be appraised differently in first versus second language in a sample of Spanish-English bilinguals (n=117). English (L2) ratings were subtracted from Spanish (L1) ratings; the resulted scores were used as dependent variable in the analyses. Three categories of words (positive, negative and taboo) were appraised in both languages (English and Spanish)and two sensory modalities (Visual and auditory). The differences in valence scores in Spanish (L1) and English (L2) were expected to be significantly higher when presented aurally than when presented visually. Additionally, taboo words were expected to yield larger differential scores than negative and positive words. The 2 X 3 general linear model (GLM) revealed no significant effect of sensory modality but a significant effect of word type. Additional analyses of the influence of language and sensory modality within each word category resulted in significant differences in ratings between languages. Positive word ratings were higher (more positive) in English than in Spanish.

The current qualitative study focuses on how teachers perceive the Response to
Intervention (RtI) framework for English learners, specifically assessments and the
instructional decision-making process. RtI serves as a framework to help “close the gap”
and create a more equitable environment for struggling English learners (Florida
Department of Education, 2008). The current study explored elementary school general
education teachers’ perceptions and understanding of the RtI process for English learners. Eight elementary general education teachers participated in two interview sessions each to address what general education teachers know about the RtI process for English learners, how teachers report their interpretation of policies and procedures with respect to instruction and assessment of English learners, how teachers feel about their understanding of RtI, and how teachers feel about their understanding of instruction and assessment for English learners. Teacher participants shared their knowledge of the importance of progress monitoring and data collection during the RtI process. Participants reported that progress monitoring and data collection were used to inform instructional decisions for English learners. Participants also provided insight into a shift in teacher accountability related to data collection and progress monitoring.
Teacher participants addressed elements of the RtI process: three tiers of RtI,
evidence-based interventions, data and data collection, and progress monitoring. Based
on teacher responses, teachers monitor student progress, but find some elements of
progress monitoring unclear. Participants expressed concern about measuring student
progress and the means used to demonstrate growth and to compare struggling students to the performance of peers in the same grade level.
The RtI framework includes targeted interventions for struggling students, and
participants perceive that RtI helps to identify students with disabilities earlier.
Participants reported benefits and drawbacks related to RtI. The participants specifically
focused on the collaborative problem solving team as a beneficial support system for
teachers navigating the RtI process. Teachers reported perceptions on language acquisition and learning disabilities, adjustment time for English learners, assessments for English learners, parental involvement and experiences, instruction for English learners, and professional development and support for the instruction of English learners.