Educators in reading are cognizant of the importance of proper assessment practices in order to s... more Educators in reading are cognizant of the importance of proper assessment practices in order to screen for the risk of reading disabilities, guide proper instruction, and evaluate growth. While teacher preparation programs are striving to equip future teachers with the best reading assessment practices, little is known about the actual knowledge and attitudes that these students have toward assessing English language learners (ELLs). In order to determine the attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of pre-service teachers (PTs), a survey constructed by the researchers was administered to 105 PTs. The PTs were enrolled in an ELLs reading assessment course at a public university in Texas. Based on the descriptive statistical analyses, there was a general lack of confidence in ability and/or preparedness to assess the reading abilities of ELLs. On a more positive note, the majority of respondents indicated a positive attitude towards ELLs overall. In addition, an exploratory factor analysis using cross-tabulations was conducted to determine what factors contributed to PTs feeling prepared to assess ELLs reading. This study has implications for teacher educators to recognize the importance of teachers' having knowledge of ELLs reading assessment practices as this knowledge could enhance teachers' selfefficacy and confidence in reading assessment of ELLs. It is suggested that teacher educaton programs include a course dedicated to reading assessment to enhance teachers' content knowledge of basic language constructs and also their pedagogical knowledge of ELLs literacy acquisition and assessment.
Language and Ideology is an area of critical discourse analysis that has increasingly gained impo... more Language and Ideology is an area of critical discourse analysis that has increasingly gained importance in the linguistic sciences. The vast influence of the media has provided a need for the explicit analysis of common linguistic mechanisms, particularly those in political discourse. Codeswitching, general pattern in a speech community of switching between two or more available languages or dialects with respect to certain extralinguistic factors (Blom & Gumperz 1972) is strategically employed by politicians to gain support for elections (Jarraya 2013; Craig 2013). Senator Tim Kaine was one of the first White politicians to engage in code-switching during the 2016 presidential election, however his use of Spanish when engaging in political discourse was met with great resistance and skepticism by the media and voters, many of whom felt that he was pandering to Spanish-speaking citizens. Using a language ideologies framework, the present paper seeks to determine how code-switching w...
With continuous advances in communication, technology, and increased mobility, intercultural comm... more With continuous advances in communication, technology, and increased mobility, intercultural communication competence has become an essential element to address in foreign and second language education (Kramsch, 2013, Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). This paper proposes a pedagogical approach to intercultural language education that utilizes the students’ L1 (i.e., Persian) to facilitate cultural awareness and successful intercultural communication. A cultural analysis model is used to show how L1 cultural values contribute to politeness and speech act realization patterns and how that knowledge can be used when making sense of the pragmatics of other languages. Specifically, we place emphasis on learners’ critical awareness and appreciation of their own cultural values and language in order to be able to develop heightened sensitivity to the potential influence of cultural assumptions on communication. Our approach aligns well with the current shift towards critical pedagogy which encou...
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how culture impacts recipients’ perceptions ... more The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how culture impacts recipients’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a public apology (Netflix apology). Data was collected through a survey instrument that included both Likert Scale items and short response items. A selected number of participants from each group were also interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data were conducted. The study also aimed to identify specific verbal and non-verbal cues that correlate with students’ evaluations of this public apology. Overall, the participants evaluated the Netflix apology as ineffective in terms of verbal as well as non-verbal strategies used. Findings show that cultural variations regarding the appropriate non-verbal cues significantly affected the participants’ evaluations of the apology. Chinese emphasized the importance of a formal setting, professional dress, bowing posture and remorseful facial expressions, whereas Americans emphasized the importance of eye co...
This paper aims to explain survey findings regarding disaster recovery processes among ethnic gro... more This paper aims to explain survey findings regarding disaster recovery processes among ethnic groups in a rural Texas community. The research was conducted over a 4-year period with most of the survey data collected over the summer of 2004. The research was descriptive in nature, attempting to document processes and sources of recovery aid acquisition following a natural disaster, and viewed through the lens of cultural and ethnic literature regarding minorities and disaster recovery processes. The difficulty in explaining research findings comes from the fact that data was collected at the household level, yet the explanations which best elucidate the findings are derived from a different level of analysis than that of the survey. The variation in aid acquisition between ethnic groups is best understood as a manifestation of community cultural norms, which implies both individual, cognitive norms, as well as social norms. Ethnic literature focused on minorities in disaster situations, excerpts from qualitative data, and personal observations are used to support the interpretation of the data presented herein pointing to cultural flexibility in recovery processes, which are stifled by institutional barriers hampering recovery efficiencies.
Although growing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) from low-income homes enroll i... more Although growing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) from low-income homes enroll in U.S. schools, there remains a lack of research on how they respond to common school literacy practices including a literacy-enriched play. This exploratory study aims to examine the writing behaviors of six kindergarteners in their classroom's literacy-enriched block center. The results were varied since all children engaged in different types and frequencies of writing. However, most ELLs responded positively to the intervention and practiced their emergent writing skills. Therefore, literacy-enriched play centers can benefit early childhood classrooms serving culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students.
The influence of second language proficiency and length of formal training in interpretation on s... more The influence of second language proficiency and length of formal training in interpretation on simultaneous interpreting (SI) performance and working memory was examined in Mandarin-English student interpreters with one year (n = 11) or two years of formal training in interpretation (n = 9) and in 16 Mandarin-English untrained bilingual controls. SI performance was significantly better in Year 2 than in Year 1 student interpreters, and in Year 1 interpreters relative to bilingual controls. SI performance was also better in advanced L2 users and in high-memory span individuals, whether trained or not in SI. Both Year 1 and Year 2 students outperformed bilingual controls in L1 and L2 reading span. Although Year 2 students tended to show higher working memory span than Year 1 students, the difference was not significant. Finally, working memory span was higher in individuals with greater L2 proficiency. It is concluded that differences in language proficiency may underlie observed differences in both interpreting performance and working memory and that language processing skills (rather than working memory) may be enhanced by formal training in interpreting.
This paper investigated the communicative strategies and topics addressed by Iranian EFL non-nati... more This paper investigated the communicative strategies and topics addressed by Iranian EFL non-native English speaking students (NNESSs) at both undergraduate and graduate levels in their natural, authentic e-mail interactions with their instructors at two universities in ...
Author note Caroline R. Pryor, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M Universit... more Author note Caroline R. Pryor, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station; Zohreh Eslami-Rasekh, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station. Correspondence regarding this article ...
... A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The subjects included Iranian undergraduate... more ... A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The subjects included Iranian undergraduate students in their last year of study in the field of teaching English as a foreign language. ... A multiple choice pragmatic comprehension test was developed in several ...
... This subjective needs analysis is of importance since needs analysis is, by nature, context s... more ... This subjective needs analysis is of importance since needs analysis is, by nature, context specific (Ferris, 1998). ... Makarova, V. (1997). Discovering phonetics. ... Rao, Z. (2002). Chinese students' perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities in EFL classroom. ...
Educators in reading are cognizant of the importance of proper assessment practices in order to s... more Educators in reading are cognizant of the importance of proper assessment practices in order to screen for the risk of reading disabilities, guide proper instruction, and evaluate growth. While teacher preparation programs are striving to equip future teachers with the best reading assessment practices, little is known about the actual knowledge and attitudes that these students have toward assessing English language learners (ELLs). In order to determine the attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of pre-service teachers (PTs), a survey constructed by the researchers was administered to 105 PTs. The PTs were enrolled in an ELLs reading assessment course at a public university in Texas. Based on the descriptive statistical analyses, there was a general lack of confidence in ability and/or preparedness to assess the reading abilities of ELLs. On a more positive note, the majority of respondents indicated a positive attitude towards ELLs overall. In addition, an exploratory factor analysis using cross-tabulations was conducted to determine what factors contributed to PTs feeling prepared to assess ELLs reading. This study has implications for teacher educators to recognize the importance of teachers' having knowledge of ELLs reading assessment practices as this knowledge could enhance teachers' selfefficacy and confidence in reading assessment of ELLs. It is suggested that teacher educaton programs include a course dedicated to reading assessment to enhance teachers' content knowledge of basic language constructs and also their pedagogical knowledge of ELLs literacy acquisition and assessment.
Language and Ideology is an area of critical discourse analysis that has increasingly gained impo... more Language and Ideology is an area of critical discourse analysis that has increasingly gained importance in the linguistic sciences. The vast influence of the media has provided a need for the explicit analysis of common linguistic mechanisms, particularly those in political discourse. Codeswitching, general pattern in a speech community of switching between two or more available languages or dialects with respect to certain extralinguistic factors (Blom & Gumperz 1972) is strategically employed by politicians to gain support for elections (Jarraya 2013; Craig 2013). Senator Tim Kaine was one of the first White politicians to engage in code-switching during the 2016 presidential election, however his use of Spanish when engaging in political discourse was met with great resistance and skepticism by the media and voters, many of whom felt that he was pandering to Spanish-speaking citizens. Using a language ideologies framework, the present paper seeks to determine how code-switching w...
With continuous advances in communication, technology, and increased mobility, intercultural comm... more With continuous advances in communication, technology, and increased mobility, intercultural communication competence has become an essential element to address in foreign and second language education (Kramsch, 2013, Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). This paper proposes a pedagogical approach to intercultural language education that utilizes the students’ L1 (i.e., Persian) to facilitate cultural awareness and successful intercultural communication. A cultural analysis model is used to show how L1 cultural values contribute to politeness and speech act realization patterns and how that knowledge can be used when making sense of the pragmatics of other languages. Specifically, we place emphasis on learners’ critical awareness and appreciation of their own cultural values and language in order to be able to develop heightened sensitivity to the potential influence of cultural assumptions on communication. Our approach aligns well with the current shift towards critical pedagogy which encou...
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how culture impacts recipients’ perceptions ... more The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how culture impacts recipients’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a public apology (Netflix apology). Data was collected through a survey instrument that included both Likert Scale items and short response items. A selected number of participants from each group were also interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data were conducted. The study also aimed to identify specific verbal and non-verbal cues that correlate with students’ evaluations of this public apology. Overall, the participants evaluated the Netflix apology as ineffective in terms of verbal as well as non-verbal strategies used. Findings show that cultural variations regarding the appropriate non-verbal cues significantly affected the participants’ evaluations of the apology. Chinese emphasized the importance of a formal setting, professional dress, bowing posture and remorseful facial expressions, whereas Americans emphasized the importance of eye co...
This paper aims to explain survey findings regarding disaster recovery processes among ethnic gro... more This paper aims to explain survey findings regarding disaster recovery processes among ethnic groups in a rural Texas community. The research was conducted over a 4-year period with most of the survey data collected over the summer of 2004. The research was descriptive in nature, attempting to document processes and sources of recovery aid acquisition following a natural disaster, and viewed through the lens of cultural and ethnic literature regarding minorities and disaster recovery processes. The difficulty in explaining research findings comes from the fact that data was collected at the household level, yet the explanations which best elucidate the findings are derived from a different level of analysis than that of the survey. The variation in aid acquisition between ethnic groups is best understood as a manifestation of community cultural norms, which implies both individual, cognitive norms, as well as social norms. Ethnic literature focused on minorities in disaster situations, excerpts from qualitative data, and personal observations are used to support the interpretation of the data presented herein pointing to cultural flexibility in recovery processes, which are stifled by institutional barriers hampering recovery efficiencies.
Although growing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) from low-income homes enroll i... more Although growing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) from low-income homes enroll in U.S. schools, there remains a lack of research on how they respond to common school literacy practices including a literacy-enriched play. This exploratory study aims to examine the writing behaviors of six kindergarteners in their classroom's literacy-enriched block center. The results were varied since all children engaged in different types and frequencies of writing. However, most ELLs responded positively to the intervention and practiced their emergent writing skills. Therefore, literacy-enriched play centers can benefit early childhood classrooms serving culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students.
The influence of second language proficiency and length of formal training in interpretation on s... more The influence of second language proficiency and length of formal training in interpretation on simultaneous interpreting (SI) performance and working memory was examined in Mandarin-English student interpreters with one year (n = 11) or two years of formal training in interpretation (n = 9) and in 16 Mandarin-English untrained bilingual controls. SI performance was significantly better in Year 2 than in Year 1 student interpreters, and in Year 1 interpreters relative to bilingual controls. SI performance was also better in advanced L2 users and in high-memory span individuals, whether trained or not in SI. Both Year 1 and Year 2 students outperformed bilingual controls in L1 and L2 reading span. Although Year 2 students tended to show higher working memory span than Year 1 students, the difference was not significant. Finally, working memory span was higher in individuals with greater L2 proficiency. It is concluded that differences in language proficiency may underlie observed differences in both interpreting performance and working memory and that language processing skills (rather than working memory) may be enhanced by formal training in interpreting.
This paper investigated the communicative strategies and topics addressed by Iranian EFL non-nati... more This paper investigated the communicative strategies and topics addressed by Iranian EFL non-native English speaking students (NNESSs) at both undergraduate and graduate levels in their natural, authentic e-mail interactions with their instructors at two universities in ...
Author note Caroline R. Pryor, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M Universit... more Author note Caroline R. Pryor, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station; Zohreh Eslami-Rasekh, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station. Correspondence regarding this article ...
... A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The subjects included Iranian undergraduate... more ... A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The subjects included Iranian undergraduate students in their last year of study in the field of teaching English as a foreign language. ... A multiple choice pragmatic comprehension test was developed in several ...
... This subjective needs analysis is of importance since needs analysis is, by nature, context s... more ... This subjective needs analysis is of importance since needs analysis is, by nature, context specific (Ferris, 1998). ... Makarova, V. (1997). Discovering phonetics. ... Rao, Z. (2002). Chinese students' perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities in EFL classroom. ...
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