Current Search:   Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 8 of 8)
Parental Beliefs and Attitudes on Enrollment in a Dual Language Program at an Elementary School
Title
Parental Beliefs and Attitudes on Enrollment in a Dual Language Program at an Elementary School.
Creator
Delorenzo, Leah, Purmensky, Kerry, Folse, Keith, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In the 2010-2011 school year, there were almost a quarter of a million English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Florida public schools (Florida Department of Education, 2011), most of whom were placed in mainstream schools with segregated language remediation. Dual language education (DLE) programs offer developmental opportunities in two languages that mainstream schools cannot. The purpose of this research was to identify parental attitudes toward immersion programs and define the...
Show moreIn the 2010-2011 school year, there were almost a quarter of a million English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Florida public schools (Florida Department of Education, 2011), most of whom were placed in mainstream schools with segregated language remediation. Dual language education (DLE) programs offer developmental opportunities in two languages that mainstream schools cannot. The purpose of this research was to identify parental attitudes toward immersion programs and define the reasons that parents enroll their children in DLEs. Sixty participants completed a questionnaire sent home from their student's DLE. The study data included biographical information, statements depicting the reasons for enrollment rated by a Likert scale, and an area for comments. Overall, the study found that survey participants rated their child's comfort communicating with Spanish speakers (4.75 out of 5) to be the most important reason for enrollment. A difference was found in responses depending on the ethnic/language group of surveyed participants. Primarily, Spanish speakers responded more positively to the statements regarding bilingual education than any other ethnic/language group. All parents conclusively believe the dual immersion program has been a success for their children.
Show less
Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004989, ucf:49553
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004989
Identity and Second Language Acquisition: A Study on Adult Puerto Rican Migrants living in the United States
Title
Identity and Second Language Acquisition: A Study on Adult Puerto Rican Migrants living in the United States.
Creator
Soares Gomes, Marcio Rubens, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, Mihai, Florin, Garcia, Martha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Drawing on the poststructuralist construct of identity and on Norton's (1995) concept of investment, as well as on Bourdieu's (1977) notion of capital, this qualitative research study relies on data gathered through interviews conducted with two adult female participants from Puerto Rico, who migrated to Central Florida approximately ten years ago. It aims at answering the following questions: (i) what identity-related factors facilitate or hinder the acquisition of the target language by...
Show moreDrawing on the poststructuralist construct of identity and on Norton's (1995) concept of investment, as well as on Bourdieu's (1977) notion of capital, this qualitative research study relies on data gathered through interviews conducted with two adult female participants from Puerto Rico, who migrated to Central Florida approximately ten years ago. It aims at answering the following questions: (i) what identity-related factors facilitate or hinder the acquisition of the target language by Puerto Rican migrants? (ii) what social forces or barriers impact learning ESL in the context of Puerto Rican migration to the United States? The findings indicate that investment in social and academic practices can benefit students who want to learn the target language, but power inequities in interactions between native speakers and migrants can prevent the latter from interacting in the English-speaking community, making it difficult to acquire the language. The findings may serve to encourage further studies in second language and identity.
Show less
Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007531, ucf:52585
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007531
The Frequency of The Twelve Verb Tenses in Academic Papers Written by Native Speakers
Title
The Frequency of The Twelve Verb Tenses in Academic Papers Written by Native Speakers.
Creator
Alzuhairy, Uthman, Folse, Keith, Farina, Marcella, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Because of the significant and sensitive role of verb tenses in learning English, the current study examined the occurrence of the twelve verb tenses that native writers (NWs) utilized in their selected academic papers at the college level. In doing so, the study created a baseline of relative frequency of verb tense usage that may benefit further studies, especially those connected with the teaching grammar to English learners. The main linguistic items targeted for tabulation in this study...
Show moreBecause of the significant and sensitive role of verb tenses in learning English, the current study examined the occurrence of the twelve verb tenses that native writers (NWs) utilized in their selected academic papers at the college level. In doing so, the study created a baseline of relative frequency of verb tense usage that may benefit further studies, especially those connected with the teaching grammar to English learners. The main linguistic items targeted for tabulation in this study were the 12 verb tenses, modals, perfect modals, and imperatives. These items were elicited from an original corpus of 31 research papers written by undergraduate students studying at UCF. The total size of this original corpus is 103,181 words, with the length of papers varying from 1,964 words to 6,676 words. In order to analyze the data and facilitate a more accurate counting process, the researchers used a code coloring method.The results revealed that the most frequently used tenses were present simple, past simple, modals, and present perfect, while future progressive, future perfect, and past and future perfect progressive were almost never used by NWs. These findings could contribute toward the development of the methodology of teaching verb tenses as well as help English learners to comprehend and master this important grammatical area. The pedagogical implication of these results is in improving the teaching of the verb tenses to English learners, as it accentuates the difference between which of the twelve verb tenses could be given more class time as well as those that could be given less attention.
Show less
Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006435, ucf:51474
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006435
A Comparative Analysis of Present and Past Participial Adjectives and their Collocations in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)
Title
A Comparative Analysis of Present and Past Participial Adjectives and their Collocations in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA).
Creator
Reilly, Natalia, Folse, Keith, Mihai, Florin, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
ESL grammar books have lists of present and past participial adjectives based on author intuition rather than actual word frequency. In these textbooks, the (-)ing and (-)ed participial adjectives derived from transitive verbs of state and emotion are presented in pairs such as interesting/interested, boring/bored, or surprising/surprised. This present study used the Corpus of Contemporary American English http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/ (COCA) to investigate the overall frequency of participial...
Show moreESL grammar books have lists of present and past participial adjectives based on author intuition rather than actual word frequency. In these textbooks, the (-)ing and (-)ed participial adjectives derived from transitive verbs of state and emotion are presented in pairs such as interesting/interested, boring/bored, or surprising/surprised. This present study used the Corpus of Contemporary American English http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/ (COCA) to investigate the overall frequency of participial adjectives in use as well as their frequency within certain varieties of contexts. The results have shown that among most frequently used participial adjectives there are not only the participial adjectives derived from transitive verbs of psychological state, such as interesting/interested, but also the participial adjectives derived from transitive verbs of action with their intransitive equivalents, such as increasing/increased. The data also revealed that many participial adjectives lack corresponding counterparts and thus cannot be presented in (-)ing/-ed or -en pairs (e. g., existing, ongoing, concerned, supposed). Finally, a majority of the differences between participial adjectives, including the differences between present (-ing) and past (-ed or -en) participial adjectives, are reflected in their collocations. This study suggests that a new approach of teaching participial adjectives along with their collocations in relation to their frequencies in particular contexts can help second language learners develop awareness of how and when these participial adjectives should be used to convey an individual's intended meaning in a native-like manner.
Show less
Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0005051, ucf:49967
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005051
Expressing Future Time in Spoken Conversational English: A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Sitcom Friends
Title
Expressing Future Time in Spoken Conversational English: A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Sitcom Friends.
Creator
Harris, Brandon, Folse, Keith, Mihai, Florin, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Far from being simply will, a survey of English grammar textbooks revealed that a multitude of expressions exists in the English language to express the future time. These expressions include, but are not limited to, will, be going to, the simple present tense, modals, the future perfect tense, and the present progressive tense. With so many choices and with a lack of direct relationship between tense and time, a language learner may certainly have difficulties in choosing which expression to...
Show moreFar from being simply will, a survey of English grammar textbooks revealed that a multitude of expressions exists in the English language to express the future time. These expressions include, but are not limited to, will, be going to, the simple present tense, modals, the future perfect tense, and the present progressive tense. With so many choices and with a lack of direct relationship between tense and time, a language learner may certainly have difficulties in choosing which expression to use when attempting to produce a future utterance. A corpus-based approach to analyzing real language has been demonstrated to be quite useful for the field of TESOL (Biber, Conrad, (&) Reppen, 1996; Biber (&) Conrad, 2001; Biber (&) Reppen, 2002) and numerous studies on the frequency of lexical and grammatical items of language have revealed salient features that otherwise would have remained unknown. Adding to this body of knowledge, the current study was an analysis of future expressions in spoken conversational English using the television sitcom Friends as a corpus. A careful analysis of 349,106 words from transcripts of 117 randomly selected episodes revealed that the most common expression of the future in the English language is the contracted form of be going to (-) gonna. The results of the study also revealed that only six future expressions emerged in this spoken conversational English from this corpus: will, be going to, the simple present tense, the present progressive tense, modals, and be about to.
Show less
Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004860, ucf:49695
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004860
A Mixed-Method Examination of the Impact of Academic, Social, and Personal-Emotional Adjustment on the English Performance of Arabian Gulf Students Studying in American Intensive English Programs
Title
A Mixed-Method Examination of the Impact of Academic, Social, and Personal-Emotional Adjustment on the English Performance of Arabian Gulf Students Studying in American Intensive English Programs.
Creator
Al Jabbawi, Mais Flaieh Hasan, Sivo, Stephen, Nutta, Joyce, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, Folse, Keith, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The current study identifies and discusses the adjustment challenges facing Arabian Gulf Students (AGSs) that may affect their English performance (EP) in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the United States. The current study uses student departure theory to lead the theoretical framework and incorporates Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and Social Integration Questionnaire (SIQ) to lead the methodology of this study. The mixed-method investigation with multi-location...
Show moreThe current study identifies and discusses the adjustment challenges facing Arabian Gulf Students (AGSs) that may affect their English performance (EP) in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the United States. The current study uses student departure theory to lead the theoretical framework and incorporates Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and Social Integration Questionnaire (SIQ) to lead the methodology of this study. The mixed-method investigation with multi-location sampling examined 160 AGSs, enrolled full-time in different IEPs in the U.S. during the spring semester of 2019. The AGSs participants were from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. A pilot study preceded the final study to obtain AGSs' insight on the questionnaire items and time consumption. In the final study, the participating students completed a demographic information questionnaire as well as the SACQ and SIQ for the quantitative segment of this study. Face-to-face and Skype interviews followed as the qualitative segment of the proposed study. Data analyses included several methods. The questionnaire results were analyzed by inputting data into IBM Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics. The interview responses were analyzed within a phenomenological approach by finding common themes within the interview responses. The findings shed light on the needs and means of helping AGSs succeed in achieving high levels of English proficiency in IEPs in the U.S.
Show less
Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007595, ucf:52520
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007595
Teaching English in Iraq:An Analysis of an EFL textbook
Title
Teaching English in Iraq:An Analysis of an EFL textbook.
Creator
Al-Akraa, Sarab, Purmensky, Kerry, Folse, Keith, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study evaluates the fifth- grade beginning English textbook, Iraq Opportunities 3, which was introduced in elementary schools by the Iraqi Ministry of Education in 2012. This mixed methods research aims to analyze the content of a new textbook that is considered to be the foundation of the English language program in Iraq. This is a valuable research project since its findings reveal the strengths and weaknesses of Iraq Opportunities 3 based on three critical components: grammar,...
Show moreThis study evaluates the fifth- grade beginning English textbook, Iraq Opportunities 3, which was introduced in elementary schools by the Iraqi Ministry of Education in 2012. This mixed methods research aims to analyze the content of a new textbook that is considered to be the foundation of the English language program in Iraq. This is a valuable research project since its findings reveal the strengths and weaknesses of Iraq Opportunities 3 based on three critical components: grammar, vocabulary, and culture. A survey questionnaire was used in this study to elicit the perspectives of English language teachers who are using this textbook in their classrooms along with the personal evaluation by the researcher. Three research questions were addressed in this study: 1) How are grammar and vocabulary addressed in Iraq Opportunities 3? 2) How are English-speaking and Iraqi cultures represented in Iraq Opportunities 3? and 3) Is the L2 culture represented in this textbook in a way that exposes students to the English-speaking culture? The findings are generally in favor of the textbook in terms of grammar and vocabulary and their appropriateness for the age and level of students. However, the study criticizes the limited role and the poor representation of culture in this curriculum.
Show less
Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004970, ucf:49582
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004970
Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, and Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System
Title
Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, and Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System.
Creator
Peker, Hilal, Hoffman, Bobby, Regalla, Michele, Nutta, Joyce, Witta, Eleanor, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Factors affecting English learners' (ELs) motivation and identity have been explored in second language (L2) learning contexts; however, research examining L2 motivation and identity under the effect of bullying victimization is rare although ELs are one of the populations that are physically and psychologically affected from bullying. Using a unique perspective by merging L2 motivation, L2 identity, and bullying concepts under social ecological framework, this dissertation study is the first...
Show moreFactors affecting English learners' (ELs) motivation and identity have been explored in second language (L2) learning contexts; however, research examining L2 motivation and identity under the effect of bullying victimization is rare although ELs are one of the populations that are physically and psychologically affected from bullying. Using a unique perspective by merging L2 motivation, L2 identity, and bullying concepts under social ecological framework, this dissertation study is the first study investigating the relationship between bullying victimization, L2 Motivational Self System, and L2 identity.The data were derived from 1022 ELs through a self-report survey that was adapted and tested for measurement model validity and reliability. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results indicated that there was a strong relationship between bullying victimization, including traditional bullying and cyberbullying, L2 Motivational Self System, and L2 identity. Traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization affect ELs' feared L2 selves. This suggests that the feared L2 self may be added as a component to D(&)#246;rnyei's L2 Motivational Self System, especially when bullying victimization becomes a factor in language learning process. In addition, cyberbullying victimization positively correlated with ELs' oriented identity, which may indicate that ELs as agents were more motivated to learn English to overcome the negative effects of bullying victimization and to orient to the target culture. Based on the results, potential implications were provided for teachers and curriculum developers to help ELs cope with bullying in class and outside the classroom environment.
Show less
Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006373, ucf:51537
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006373