This study looks at the use of the multimedia learning platform, Quizlet, to help newcomer ESOL students learn English vocabulary. The use of Quizlet to learn vocabulary is supported by Mayer's Cognitive Load Theory. With an influx of ESOL students, and a lack of teacher training, Quizlet may help to create a more equitable solution for newcomer…

Previous studies on second language (L2) phonetic acquisition in early bilingual learners have mainly examined immigrants to the L2 country; however, with recent growing dual-language immersion programs, the immersed bilingual group emerged and required more attention in the research. This study aims to investigate vowel patterns of young…

The meaning of positive polar questions (PPQs) is relatively straightforward, so the truth conditions of PPQs can be decided easily. In contrast, the meaning of negative polar questions (NPQs) may vary, and simple yes-no answers to NPQs have seemingly unpredictable interpretations. For example, a simple yes answer to a PPQ like 'Did you have lunch…

This dissertation contributes to the fields of (German) second language teaching and applied linguistics by critically examining ideologies of culture learning that manifest in the German integration course, a language/culture program established by the state for arriving refugees, asylum seekers, and third-country nationals (nationals from…

Most research on students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) and English language learners (ELLs) documents their struggle with higher attrition rates and behavioral issues in high school. This qualitative study was conducted to examine high school teachers' perspectives working with SIFE/ELLs in the classroom. Vygotsky's sociocultural…

Current literature addressing the challenges English learners in community colleges face is limited. While research examining Black, Indigenous, and People of Color encompasses aspects of being an English learner, little research has focused on what makes this demographic unique, their language ability. The purpose of this study was to identify…

Second language learning success relies on instructional methodologies that foster guidance, engagement, motivation, creativity, and active learning in an inclusive environment. As language educators, it is important to establish instructional modes to entice positive behavior and stimulate the senses. The problem to be addressed by the study is…

The United States government is perennially in need of employees with proficiency in critical foreign languages to communicate with foreign counterparts and maintain relationships worldwide. In order to fulfill this need, the government devotes significant resources training federal employees to advanced levels of language proficiency through…

This dissertation investigates the interplay between the implicit knowledge that learners have of a nonnative language and their processing of that language, examining two types of relative clauses (RCs) in English: gapped RCs (e.g., "the man that they hired") and resumptive RCs (e.g., *"the man that they hired him").…

Recent advances in mobile technologies have prompted their investigation as tools for language learning. Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) offers the advantage of flexible language support, enabling learners to choose when and where they learn and the methods that suit them. The constant connectivity of modern mobile phones allows learners…

In this dissertation, I explore the sociolinguistic perception of stylistic variation by native Spanish speakers and second language learners of Spanish. Within the field of Hispanic sociolinguistics and there is growing interest in studying the social information that listeners extract from language variation that speakers employ (e.g., Chappell,…

As there is a growing population of non-native speakers worldwide, facilitating communication involving native and non-native speakers has become increasingly important. While one way to help communication involving native and non-native speakers is to help non-native speakers improve proficiency in their target language, another way is to help…

In the current globalized world, English is an international language that makes it possible for people from different language backgrounds to communicate with each other. In this situation, English users in EIL (English as an international language) should be able to comprehend various accents spoken by English speakers from all over the world.…

Child Language Brokering is a very common phenomenon for Latinx/a/o children of immigrants, who usually begin language serving as translators and interpreters at a young age and carry these roles into adulthood. Yet, despite the prevalence of Child Language Brokering, the findings of existing research still do not agree on the impact of this…

The current study explored individual differences in sensitivity to sub-phonemic variation of acoustic cues in the perception of a native language (L1) category in order to test the hypothesis that second language (L2) learners' different sensitivity to the L2-relevant acoustic dimension in L1 perception could explain individual variability in…