Learning another language is considered a key 21st century subject, something that all students should begin in elementary school. However, most school districts in Illinois do not offer students the opportunity to learn another language in elementary school. There are effective and high quality programs available to learn another language that…

A significant body of research has shown that teacher effectiveness influences student outcomes and that teacher efficacy is one of the most salient factors influencing student achievement. However, teacher preparation and professional learning often minimally addresses the cultural considerations and research-based strategies for working with…

The literacy instruction that adolescent emergent bilingual (EB) students currently receive is insufficient to improve their writing proficiency (Graham et al., 2021; National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). To promote improvements in EBs' writing, evidence-based practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive must be provided…

Academic vocabulary is one of the most important skills needed in language learning, but it may be difficult for students whose native language is not English. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how classroom core subject teachers at Middle School 55 (pseudonym) perceive their ability to implement specific instructional model…

An experimental crossover research design was utilized to investigate the effects of multimedia-enhanced instruction on the vocabulary acquisition of dual language learners in the early childhood age range. Sixteen 3-year-olds stratified by classroom and randomly assigned to condition participated in an eight-week intervention that incorporated…

This dissertation investigates how English-speaking second language (L2) learners of Mandarin perceive, process and learn Mandarin lexical tones. While most languages use modulations in pitch (intonation) to convey meanings at the phrasal and sentential levels, a number of languages, including Mandarin, also use suprasegmental features such as…

The assessment of oral proficiency in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts remains a central challenge for researchers, test developers, and classroom teachers (Knoch & Macqueen, 2020). This problem is apparent especially in Tourism and Hotel Management (THM) programs, where students are tested mostly based on grammar, vocabulary, and…

The purpose of the study was to identify in-service general and special educators', counselors', and English as a Second Language educators' perceptions of the cause of academic difficulties for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used to initially collect quantitative…

Writing competence holds an important place in the language development of multilingual writers, and it is regarded as the gatekeeper for ELLs' academic success and advancement to higher-level courses. It is essential that all teachers, not just the English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, recognize themselves as teachers of linguistically and…

Studies have shown that language assessment literacy (LAL) is important for language teachers since they make important classroom decisions to improve student learning based on their assessment. However, some studies have shown that teachers need more knowledge and skills in assessment. Teachers also seem unconfident in assessing their students…

The US Census Bureau estimates large numbers of adult English Language Learners (ELLs) in the US, of which only a fraction is enrolled in Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages programs. Many of these learners are emergent readers in their first language (L1) making the development of literacy in a target language challenging, yet high…

The United States is a multilingual society. In addition to over 200 named languages such as Spanish and English, Americans also speak hundreds of varieties of these languages based on regional or social group affiliations (United States Census, 2013). In the context of this linguistic diversity, education scholars and practitioners are working…

In this mixed-methods research study, the researcher investigated the impact of professional development training using the University of Notre Dame's "English as a New Language (ENL) Online Professional Development Modules" (Lichon, Dees, & Roach, 2017) on teacher and administrator efficacy in teaching English language learners…

Language instructors play a decisive role in adult language learners' learning and retention of vocabulary through planning, selection, and teaching of vocabulary and strategies. However, some professional language schools lack extensive teacher-training programs that prepare instructors with the skills required to select and teach vocabulary,…

How are we to ensure that emergent bilinguals in early elementary settings receive linguistically-responsive reading interventions in response to intervention (RtI) frameworks? One way is to harness the collective expertise of classroom teachers, reading interventionists, and English language learner teachers. A collaborative relationship amongst…