Browsing by Author "Tong, Fuhui"
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Item Academic Language Proficiency Development and Its Impact on Reading Comprehension: Within and Across Languages(2012-07-16) Spies, TracyA path model of second language (L2; English) oral language and reading comprehension variables was tested on a sample of 100 Spanish-speaking English-language learners enrolled in a transitional bilingual program over a 3-year period. The data collected were a part of a longitudinal, federally funded experimental project entitled English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA). The purpose of this study was (a) to test a path model on discrete L2 academic language proficiency variables on L2 reading comprehension, (b) to test a path model on discrete L2 academic language proficiency variables and L2 reading comprehension on L1 reading comprehension, and (c) to compare the influence of L2 language development on reading comprehension development in L2 and L1 between students enrolled in transitional bilingual education experimental (TBE-E) classrooms and those enrolled in the transitional bilingual education control or typical (TBE-T) classrooms. Results indicated the two groups did not differ significantly in their overall levels of achievement. However, striking differences were noted in how the academic language proficiency variables influenced reading comprehension outcomes. English listening comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar had significant influences on reading comprehension in the TBE-E group while English listening comprehension was the only predictor variable for the TBE-T group. Cross-linguistic transfer was established in the TBE-E group from English reading comprehension to Spanish reading comprehension whereas no transfer was detected in the TBE-T group. It is evident that high quality comprehensive ESL instruction develops academic oral language proficiency that contributes to effective reading comprehension while students continue to learn in their native language. However, in the absence of a high quality ESL instruction, students may develop academic oral language proficiency, but are ineffective in utilizing these skills for reading comprehension. It is also evident that time spent developing quality L2 reading comprehension influences L1 reading comprehension even though less time is spent in L1, suggesting cross-linguistic transfer from L2 to L1. More effective English skills coupled with effective native language skills suggests the TBE-E students have added cognitive benefits of bilingualism while the TBE-T students remain ineffective in using available language proficiency skills for effective reading comprehension.Item An Exploratory Study of the Psychometric Properties of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument at Grades 6-12(2013-12-05) Rea, MarlaEducators have long been challenged to close the achievement gap which exists between the general school population and linguistically diverse students. However, a disconnect persists between most secondary teachers and culturally and linguistically divergent students. Because of this disparity, the call for equity education becomes more arduous. The absence of culturally and linguistically diverse students in gifted and talented programs is a glaring indication that too few educators have the ability to look beyond their immediate paradigms. One way in which to increase diverse student representation is to provide teachers with additional instruments to assist in the identification of students? gifted tendencies. The Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) is a tool specifically designed for teachers who may not be aware of cultural differences among themselves and Hispanic students. The goal of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the HBGSI with secondary Hispanic students in grades 6-12. Eleven secondary teachers answered the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument with their ELL Hispanic students (n=101) in mind. Findings showed a correlation among students identified by teachers as gifted and those who passed the state required reading/language arts test. This study also examined the psychometric properties of the HBGSI within grades 6-12, whereas former studies have included grades kindergarten through fourth grade students. This investigation revealed the eleven components of the instrument can be loaded into three identifying dimensions: a) Student Awareness and Initiative, b) Tangible and Intangible Student Influences, and c) Student Communicative Language. Exploratory analysis of the HBGSI?s psychometric properties examines whether a concurrent validity exists when compared with another non-verbal measurement (NNAT2) for giftedness. Implications from this study demonstrated that the screening instrument, HBGSI, may be considered a viable tool to help secondary teachers identify gifted potential among Hispanic English learners.Item Cross Language Transfer and Foreign Language Learning Motivation in English and Chinese(2014-11-12) Cho, EunheeThis dissertation investigated two issues: cross-language transfer among three typologically distant languages?Korean, English, and Chinese?and the language learning motivation of Korean students as it relates to two foreign languages?English and Chinese. The study participants were Korean-speaking 9th graders who studied English and Chinese as foreign languages for seven years and one year, respectively. In the first of this dissertation?s two articles, the author examined the nature of morphology-based cross-language transfer from Korean to reading and writing in English and Chinese. Utilizing the body of recent morphological awareness research as a potent point of reference, the author investigated whether the skill of morphological awareness in Korean can be transferred to reading and writing in English and, by extension, whether morphological awareness skills in Korean and English can be transferred to reading and writing in Chinese. While this inquiry found no significant transfer of morphological awareness from Korean to writing in English or Chinese, it did ultimately link morphological awareness in Korean with a significant contribution to reading comprehension in the two target languages. This study also served to underscore the unique morphology-based transfer that can facilitate reading comprehension across different orthographies and the importance of proficiency in the target language. The second article investigated the motivation for learning a foreign language by exploring the potential relationship between motivation orientation, expectancy, and language performance. In particular, the author analyzed the primary motivations for Korean-speaking students in learning English as a second language (L2) and Chinese as a third language (L3), respectively, and whether expectancy for L2 and L3 mediated the relationship between motivation orientation and language performance. A mediating effect of expectancy between motivation orientation and language performance was, indeed, observed in a significant way for both English and Chinese, while the magnitude of the mediation was found to differ between the two target languages. This latter discrepancy can be interpreted as resulting from the different types of influence of required motivational orientation and instrumental motivational orientation and their discrete scopes of influence in English and Chinese learning. In the final analysis, this dissertation studied the interdependence among three typologically distant languages, focusing on morphological awareness; it also compared the motivational effect as it affects learning in two foreign languages. Results from both lines of inquiry strongly suggest that the diverse cross-language transfer effect and motivational factors in foreign language skills are directly tied to the target language, proficiency in the target language, and the socio-educational context in which the language is learned.Item Oral English development and its impact on emergent reading achievement: a comparative study of transitional bilingual and structured english immersion models(2009-05-15) Tong, FuhuiThis quantitative study derived from an on-going federal experimental research project targeting Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) receiving services in four program models: control/experimental transitional bilingual education (TBE) and control/experimental structured English immersion (SEI). The purpose of my study was (a) to capture the growth trajectory and rate of oral English acquisition, (b) to investigate the role of oral English development in acquiring English reading skills, and (c) to compare program models in order to identify practices that promote ELLs? English oral and reading competency at the early elementary level. Structural equation modeling was utilized. Participants consisted of 534 Spanish-speaking ELLs who started at kindergarten and continued through first grade in their respective models. Striking similarities were found among the four instructional models that English oral proficiency improved significantly (p < .05) in a linear fashion over two years. However, the magnitude differed in that the experimental TBE demonstrated a steeper growth (p < .025) than that of the control group that started at the same level. Even though experimental SEI group started at a much lower level in oral English, they progressed at a rate significantly higher (p < .05) than that of the control group. In relation to English reading comprehension, for experimental SEI groups, the initial level of English oral proficiency is of great concern in reading achievement (p < .05). For both TBE groups, effective intervention is desired because the growth of English oral proficiency strongly impacts reading achievement (p < .05), and, in addition, initial level strongly predicts reading comprehension. The intervention was successfully implemented so that students advanced to a substantial amount in academic English oray. It is also evident that first language (L1) instruction did not impede the learning of a second language. On the contrary, for those students receiving a larger proportion of L1 instruction, alterations in program models are needed to nurture English oracy at a faster rate of growth, which in turn facilitates English literacy acquisition. Findings also indicate that without effective English intervention, students placed in control TBE classrooms remain below all the students in oral English proficiency.Item Phonemic Awareness and Its Impact on Emerging Spanish Literacy in Bilingual Classrooms(2011-10-21) Penn, Amber BradshawThis quantitative study has been derived from a five-year federal experimental research project entitled English and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA- R305P030032) which targeted Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) receiving services in English immersion and bilingual program models. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive power of Spanish phonemic awareness in kindergarten on Spanish reading ability in first grade among Spanish-speaking ELLs. Fifty-five students from typical practice bilingual classrooms were included in this study. Phonemic awareness skills were measured using blending phonemes and segmenting words, two subtests from Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (C-TOPP). Reading ability was measured using letter-word identification and passage comprehension, two subtests from Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised (WLPB-R). Data of phonemic awareness skills were collected at the beginning and end of kindergarten and data of reading ability were collected at the beginning and end of first grade. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to address the research questions. The data from this study present a picture of a predictive power of phonemic awareness skills on reading comprehension in Spanish. Results from this study suggest that both skill areas of phonemic awareness in kindergarten have a moderate predictive effect on reading ability at the beginning of first grade. However, phonemic awareness skills in kindergarten did not show a statistically significant relationship to Spanish literacy at the end of first grade. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.Item Psychometric Validation of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument: An Item Response Theory Approach(2014-08-29) Fan, YinanDemographics in the United States continue to shift with a rapidly growing Hispanic population. On the other hand, a mismatch still exists between Hispanic students? enrollment in gifted and talented (G/T) programs and general programs. The under-representation of Hispanic students in G/T programs has been attributed to a lack of proper instrument to identify gifted students who are linguistically and culturally diverse; insufficient preparation of teacher in the initial teacher referral phases; and ambiguous definitions of intelligence and giftedness. In this study I investigated psychometric properties of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) within an item response theory (IRT) framework. The HBGSI was developed with social-cultural context in mind and has been recommended for use in the first phase of teacher referral process. Participants in this study were Hispanic bilingual students in first to third grade, who participated in a large-scale longitudinal randomized study carried out in a Texas urban school district. The purpose of this study was to further validate HBGSI within the framework of IRT, exploring the factor structure and dimensionality of the instrument at the item level. I further tested the possibility of constructing an abbreviated version of HBGSI with fewer items for ease of administration, which would potentially lower the demand on the teacher?s time, enhance accessibility and facilitate increased usage of the instrument. Results revealed a bifactor structure with a strong general factor corresponding to overall giftedness among Hispanic bilingual students, and five domain factors regarding social responsibility, academic achievement, creative performance, problem solving, and native language proficiency. The multidimensional bifactor IRT model provided information related to each item concerning its discriminating power, thresholds and information regarding the latent constructs. Best items were selected while preserving the integrity of the original HBGSI, and cutting the length to almost half. Thus an abbreviated version of HBGSI was feasible and the adaptation is presented. Overall, this study further validated that the HBGSI holds promise in screening potential Hispanic bilingual students in elementary grades.Item The Impact of Science Notebook Writing on ELL and Low-SES Students' Science Language Development and Conceptual Understanding(2013-04-05) Huerta, MargaritaThis quantitative study explored the impact of literacy integration in a science inquiry classroom involving the use of science notebooks on the academic language development and conceptual understanding of students from diverse (i.e., English Language Learners, or ELLs) and low socio-economic status (low-SES) backgrounds. The study derived from a randomized, longitudinal, field-based NSF funded research project (NSF Award No. DRL - 0822343) targeting ELL and non-ELL students from low-SES backgrounds in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The study used a scoring rubric (modified and tested for validity and reliability) to analyze fifth-grade school students? science notebook entries. Scores for academic language quality (or, for brevity, language) were used to compare language growth over time across three time points (i.e., beginning, middle, and end of the school year) and to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) using descriptive statistics and mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Scores for conceptual understanding (or, for brevity, concept) were used to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) in three domains using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. A correlational analysis was conducted to explore the relationship, if any, between language scores and concept scores for each group. Students demonstrated statistically significant growth over time in their academic language as reflected by science notebook scores. While ELL students scored lower than former ELL and non-ELL students at the first two time points, they caught up to their peers by the third time point. Similarly, females outperformed males in language scores in the first two time points, but males caught up to females in the third time point. In analyzing conceptual scores, ELLs had statistically significant lower scores than former-ELL and non-ELL students, and females outperformed males in the first two domains. These differences, however, were not statistically significant in the last domain. Last, correlations between language and concept scores were overall, positive, large, and significant across domains and groups. The study presents a rubric useful for quantifying diverse students? science notebook entries, and findings add to the sparse research on the impact of writing in diverse students? language development and conceptual understanding in science.