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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.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007531, ucf:52585
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007531

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.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004989, ucf:49553
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004989

Title: The Effect of Input Modality on Pronunciation Accuracy of English Language Learners.
Creator: Farina, Marcella, Nutta, Joyce, Ehren, Barbara, Mihai, Florin, Xu, Lihua, Ryalls, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The issues relative to foreign accent continue to puzzle second language researchers, educators, and learners today. Although once thought to be at the root, maturational constraints have fallen short of definitively accounting for the myriad levels and rates of phonological attainment (Bialystok (&) Miller, 1999, p. 128). This study, a Posttest-only Control Group Design, examined how the pronunciation accuracy of adult, English language learners, as demonstrated by utterance length, was...
Show moreThe issues relative to foreign accent continue to puzzle second language researchers, educators, and learners today. Although once thought to be at the root, maturational constraints have fallen short of definitively accounting for the myriad levels and rates of phonological attainment (Bialystok (&) Miller, 1999, p. 128). This study, a Posttest-only Control Group Design, examined how the pronunciation accuracy of adult, English language learners, as demonstrated by utterance length, was related to two input stimuli: auditory-only input and auditory-orthographic input. Utterance length and input modality were further examined with the added variables of native language, specifically Arabic and Spanish, and second language proficiency as defined by unofficial TOEFL Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension section scores.Results from independent t tests indicated a statistically significant difference in utterance length based on input modality (t(192) = -3.285. p = .001), while with the added variable of native language, factorial ANOVA results indicated no statistically significance difference for the population studied. In addition, multiple linear regression analyses examined input modality and second language proficiency as predictors of utterance length accuracy and revealed a statistically significant relationship (R2 = .108, adjusted R2 = .089, F(3, 144) = 5.805, p = .001), with 11% of the utterance length variance accounted for by these two factors predictors. Lastly, hierarchical regressions applied to two blocks of factors revealed statistical significance: (a) input modality/native language (R2 = .069, adjusted R2 = .048, F(2, 87) = 3.230, p = .044) and ListenComp (R2 = .101, adjusted R2 = .070, F(3, 86) = 3.232, p = .026), with ListenComp increasing the predictive power by 3%; (b) input modality/native language (R2 = .069, adjusted R2 = .048, F(2, 87) = 3.230, p = .044) and ReadComp (R2 = .112, adjusted R2 = .081, F(1, 86) = 3.629, p = .016), with ReadComp increasing the predictive power by 4%; and (c) input modality/native language (R2 = .069, adjusted R2 = .048, F(2, 87) = 3.230, p = .044) and ListenComp/ReadComp (R2 = .114, adjusted R2 = .072, F(2, 85) = 2.129, p = .035), with ListenComp/ReadComp increasing the predictive power by 4%.The implications of this research are that by considering issues relative to input modality and second language proficiency levels especially when teaching new vocabulary to adult second language learners, the potential for improved pronunciation accuracy is maximized. Furthermore, the heightened attention to the role of input modality as a cognitive factor on phonological output in second language teaching and learning may redirect the manner in which target language phonology is approached.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004838, ucf:49687
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004838

Title: SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS' RECOGNITION OF UNKNOWN WORDS.
Creator: Lin, Chai-Wei, Folse, Keith, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Recent research has underscored the important role of second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition in the reading process. The present study examined how accurately eighteen learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) were able to identify unknown words within a reading passage. It is assumed that "noticing" unfamiliar words in a text plays an important role in being able to extract meaning from context, which may ultimately result in word learning; thus, whether or not learners are able to...
Show moreRecent research has underscored the important role of second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition in the reading process. The present study examined how accurately eighteen learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) were able to identify unknown words within a reading passage. It is assumed that "noticing" unfamiliar words in a text plays an important role in being able to extract meaning from context, which may ultimately result in word learning; thus, whether or not learners are able to recognize unknown words as unknown is a key step in vocabulary learning. The design of this study was based on previous research (Laufer and Yano, 2001) on the connection between first language background and self-assessment of L2 word knowledge. The first three steps of the Lafuer and Yano study were used in this study. In the first step, ESL learners self-assessed their ability to identify selected words in a text. After this, L2 learners explained or translated the meanings of the words. Finally, the two sets of data were analyzed to measure correlations. The findings of the study showed that teachers, as well as learners, should not underestimate the importance of vocabulary. Instead, they should provide more explicit vocabulary instruction and practice. In addition, L2 learners need to learn to identify words that are unknown. The act of "noticing" unknown words and identifying them as such is the initial step towards building vocabulary through reading. Lastly, L2 learners should not rely solely on context clues for the "guessing" strategy when they have a limited level of vocabulary because they may develop mistaken word knowledge, which would impact reading comprehension. Instead, learners should develop a wide range of strategies to comprehend academic reading.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000645, ucf:46550
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000645

Title: The Effects Of The Vocabulary Scenario Technique- English Learner Peer Protocol on Ninth Grade English Learners Who Struggle with Literacy.
Creator: Harrell, Kimmerly, Puig, Enrique, Little, Mary, Witta, Eleanor, Davis, Karen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Recent data have shown that only 34% of eighth graders and 37% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency (NAEP, 2015). A total of 21% of Hispanic eighth graders were reading at or above proficiency, and only 25% of Hispanic 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. Of African-American students, 16% of eighth graders and 17% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. In order for adolescents to become successful and productive adults, they need to acquire...
Show moreRecent data have shown that only 34% of eighth graders and 37% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency (NAEP, 2015). A total of 21% of Hispanic eighth graders were reading at or above proficiency, and only 25% of Hispanic 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. Of African-American students, 16% of eighth graders and 17% of 12th graders were reading at or above proficiency. In order for adolescents to become successful and productive adults, they need to acquire advanced literacy skills. Many of these demands require an education beyond high school (Rothman, 2012). Concern for English learners (EL) is even more warranted due to the fact that they represent the fastest growing school-age population in the United States and tend to exhibit lower academic achievement than their non-EL peers (Matthews (&) Ewen, 2006; National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition [NCELA], 2006; Padolsky, 2005; Thomas (&) Collier, 2001; Klingner, Artiles, (&) Barletta, 2006). To address this issue, the present study was conducted to examine the effects of a Vocabulary Scenario Technique English Learner Peer Protocol (VST-ELP) with ninth-grade English learners (ELs) who were struggling with literacy. The technique's purpose was to increase students' vocabulary in order to improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The study employed an experimental design, specifically a pre-test/post-test comparison group design with a total of 34 participating students and one classroom teacher. The study was conducted over four weeks with six hours of intervention. An analysis of variance revealed that there was an increase in mean scores from pre to post in the experimental group on both the synonym and sentence tests. Findings suggest that the Vocabulary Scenario Technique English Learner Peer Protocol (VST-ELP) was effective with ninth-grade EL students who were struggling with literacy. Clinical implications and future research directions were discussed.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006880, ucf:51708
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006880

Title: CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS:A COMPARISON OF LANGUAGE ARTS/ESOL AND ONE-WAY DEVELOPMENTAL BILINGUAL PROGRAMS.
Creator: Marlow, Kimberly, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The present study was conducted to investigate two English Language Learner programs in one Florida county and their implications for student achievement. The literature review showed that, as students progress through the educational system, the academic content becomes more and more abstract, forcing students to rely more heavily on their oral and written communication skills in English. Significant achievement gaps, sometimes extremely large, were also identified between English-only...
Show moreThe present study was conducted to investigate two English Language Learner programs in one Florida county and their implications for student achievement. The literature review showed that, as students progress through the educational system, the academic content becomes more and more abstract, forcing students to rely more heavily on their oral and written communication skills in English. Significant achievement gaps, sometimes extremely large, were also identified between English-only students and English Language Learner students. One study highlighted a 46% gap on the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The present study was designed to investigate 23 middle schools in one Florida county. The focus of the study was on two English Language Learner programs: Language Arts/ESOL and One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education. A total of 13 schools were identified that had implemented the Language Arts/ESOL program, and 10 middle schools were identified that had implemented the One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education program. The 2007 FCAT reading mean scale scores for the schools' 7th-grade English Language Learners were compared to those of standard curriculum students. For both English Language Learner programs, a statistical significance was found using t-tests. In addition, FCAT reading Levels 1-5 were investigated. At FCAT Levels 1-3, the Language Arts/ESOL program out-performed the One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education program. At FCAT Levels 4 and 5, the One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education program out-performed the Language Arts/ESOL program.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002059, ucf:47582
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002059

Title: "WE'RE BECOMING BILINGUAL AND BILITERATE!" AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON HOW A DUAL-LANGUAGE PROGRAM IN FLORIDA CONTRIBUTES TO THE LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
Creator: Black, Diane, Lue, Martha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to determine whether participation in a dual-language program by English-language learners (ELLs) contributed to the literacy development of this student population. This qualitative research spanned 5 months and was conducted within an elementary school located in central Florida. It is important to note that the researcher was also a teacher within the dual-language program under study, hence possessed an inside perspective of the program and the...
Show moreABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to determine whether participation in a dual-language program by English-language learners (ELLs) contributed to the literacy development of this student population. This qualitative research spanned 5 months and was conducted within an elementary school located in central Florida. It is important to note that the researcher was also a teacher within the dual-language program under study, hence possessed an inside perspective of the program and the progression of several participating students. The study was guided by the following research questions: 1. What factors contribute to the improved literacy development for ELLs through participation in a two-way, dual-language program? 2. What factors contribute to the failure to improve the literacy development for ELLs participating in two-way, dual-language programs? As an ethnographic study, the qualitative methods of observation, interviewing, and examination of artifacts (i.e., work samples) were employed. ELLs attending the 1st through the 5th grades were observed during their Literacy Block and interviewed regarding their feelings about learning two languages. Parents and teachers were also interviewed to determine their beliefs surrounding the contribution of the dual-language program to the literacy development of the participating ELLS. Work samples, including reading scores and journal samples, were also examined. The four processes of the W. P. Thomas and V. P. Collier (1997) prism model--sociocultural processes, linguistic processes, academic development, and cognitive development--served as the theoretical framework for the data analysis. The prism model facilitated elaboration of how all processes involved in the development of the ELLs' literacy skills are related and intertwined. After triangulation of the data from the observations, interviews and work samples, ten factors affecting second-language acquisition for ELLs participating in a dual-language program were discovered in this study. Nine appeared to contribute to successful literacy development and one factor appeared to contribute to failure in the acquisition of second-language literacy skills. Based upon the findings, it appears that participation in a dual-language program indeed contributes to literacy development in ELLs. Contributions to the field and recommendations for related future research are presented.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001522, ucf:47134
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001522

Title: A PROBE INTO LEARNING APPROACHES AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED LANGUAGE LEARNING (TELL) IN CHINESE INSTRUCTION.
Creator: Yuan, Rong, Orwig, Gary, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could...
Show moreThis quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could predict the above mentioned language proficiency and attitude. A cluster sampling method was adopted and data was collected in four Chinese departments at the institute. Both the learning approaches inventory ASSIST and the attitudes towards TELL survey were administered to 158 Chinese language learners. 137 valid responses were obtained. All data were input into SPSS for regression and correlation analyses. Conclusions of the study are as follows: 1. The surface and apathetic approach (p<.01) was a significant predictor for both learners' measured language proficiency and their self-perception of academic performance. 2. The strategic approach was a positive predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL; whereas, surface and apathetic approach was a negative predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL. 3. None of the learners' demographic variables could not predict either learners' language proficiency or their attitudes towards TELL. Implications for instructional design, curriculum development, teacher education, as well as relevant research issues were discussed.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000829, ucf:46675
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000829

Title: An Investigation of the Appropriateness of the English Language Learner Accountability Mark Established by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Creator: Rivera, Francisco, Johnson, Jerry, Nutta, Joyce, Doherty, Walter, Pace, Debra, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This quantitative study sought to disclose and describe differences in academic performance between English language learners (ELLs) and non-English language learners (non-ELLs) in grades sixth, seventh, and eighth during the two-year period of 2016 (-) 2018. A two-year period was utilized because of the two-year ELL accountability mark established by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The study used i-Ready diagnostic data, in both mathematics and reading, as the performance...
Show moreThis quantitative study sought to disclose and describe differences in academic performance between English language learners (ELLs) and non-English language learners (non-ELLs) in grades sixth, seventh, and eighth during the two-year period of 2016 (-) 2018. A two-year period was utilized because of the two-year ELL accountability mark established by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The study used i-Ready diagnostic data, in both mathematics and reading, as the performance measures, and used ACCESS for ELLs (WIDA) tier scores (i.e., WIDA Tier A, WIDA Tier B, and WIDA Tier C) to identify the level of English language acquisition of the ELL students for use in making comparisons among ELL students with varying levels of English proficiency.The results indicated that WIDA Tier C (i.e., ELL students with the highest English language proficiency) students outperformed the ELL students in the other WIDA tiers (i.e., WIDA Tier A and WIDA Tier B), in both mathematics and reading. Moreover, while WIDA Tier A students had lower mean scale scores, they made the largest gains from administration to administration in both subjects. Additionally, the results obtained from a two-way ANOVA indicated that ELL students are making greater gains than non-ELL students over the two-year period, in mathematics and reading. The extant literature on second language acquisition asserts that it takes an ELL student longer than two years and up to seven years to acquire academic language proficiency (Collier, 1995; MacSwan (&) Pray, 2005; Hakuta, 2011; Kieffer (&) Park, 2016). The ANOVA results also indicated that high-SES ELL students showed a higher mean gain score, in both mathematics and reading, than low-SES ELL students. Non-ESE ELL students showed a larger mean gain score than ESE ELL students in both subjects as well. Furthermore, the results of the ancillary analysis (i.e., a hypothetical additional year) indicated that non-ELL students outperformed ELL students in both mathematics and reading suggesting that it is unlikely that one additional year would make a difference.The results of the study will aid the academic decision-making of the school district studied when determining the appropriate level of supports for ELL students in the different WIDA tiers or in the different stages of language acquisition. In addition, the results of the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and of exceptional student education (ESE) in ELL students, should support the school district when planning interventions to help mitigate these factors. Lastly, the study provides further evidence that two years is not enough time for an ELL student to acquire academic language proficiency; and expecting this subgroup of the public-school population to do so, negatively affects the academic results of the students, schools, and school districts they attend.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007715, ucf:52413
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007715

Title: SYNTAX-BASED CONCEPT EXTRACTION FOR QUESTION ANSWERING.
Creator: Glinos, Demetrios, Gomez, Fernando, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Question answering (QA) stands squarely along the path from document retrieval to text understanding. As an area of research interest, it serves as a proving ground where strategies for document processing, knowledge representation, question analysis, and answer extraction may be evaluated in real world information extraction contexts. The task is to go beyond the representation of text documents as "bags of words" or data blobs that can be scanned for keyword combinations and word...
Show moreQuestion answering (QA) stands squarely along the path from document retrieval to text understanding. As an area of research interest, it serves as a proving ground where strategies for document processing, knowledge representation, question analysis, and answer extraction may be evaluated in real world information extraction contexts. The task is to go beyond the representation of text documents as "bags of words" or data blobs that can be scanned for keyword combinations and word collocations in the manner of internet search engines. Instead, the goal is to recognize and extract the semantic content of the text, and to organize it in a manner that supports reasoning about the concepts represented. The issue presented is how to obtain and query such a structure without either a predefined set of concepts or a predefined set of relationships among concepts. This research investigates a means for acquiring from text documents both the underlying concepts and their interrelationships. Specifically, a syntax-based formalism for representing atomic propositions that are extracted from text documents is presented, together with a method for constructing a network of concept nodes for indexing such logical forms based on the discourse entities they contain. It is shown that meaningful questions can be decomposed into Boolean combinations of question patterns using the same formalism, with free variables representing the desired answers. It is further shown that this formalism can be used for robust question answering using the concept network and WordNet synonym, hypernym, hyponym, and antonym relationships. This formalism was implemented in the Semantic Extractor (SEMEX) research tool and was tested against the factoid questions from the 2005 Text Retrieval Conference (TREC), which operated upon the AQUAINT corpus of newswire documents. After adjusting for the limitations of the tool and the document set, correct answers were found for approximately fifty percent of the questions analyzed, which compares favorably with other question answering systems.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0000985, ucf:46711
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000985

Title: Automatically Acquiring a Semantic Network of Related Concepts.
Creator: Szumlanski, Sean, Gomez, Fernando, Wu, Annie, Hughes, Charles, Sims, Valerie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: We describe the automatic acquisition of a semantic network in which over 7,500 of the most frequently occurring nouns in the English language are linked to their semantically related concepts in the WordNet noun ontology. Relatedness between nouns is discovered automatically from lexical co-occurrence in Wikipedia texts using a novel adaptation of an information theoretic inspired measure. Our algorithm then capitalizes on salient sense clustering among these semantic associates to...
Show moreWe describe the automatic acquisition of a semantic network in which over 7,500 of the most frequently occurring nouns in the English language are linked to their semantically related concepts in the WordNet noun ontology. Relatedness between nouns is discovered automatically from lexical co-occurrence in Wikipedia texts using a novel adaptation of an information theoretic inspired measure. Our algorithm then capitalizes on salient sense clustering among these semantic associates to automatically disambiguate them to their corresponding WordNet noun senses (i.e., concepts). The resultant concept-to-concept associations, stemming from 7,593 target nouns, with 17,104 distinct senses among them, constitute a large-scale semantic network with 208,832 undirected edges between related concepts. Our work can thus be conceived of as augmenting the WordNet noun ontology with RelatedTo links.The network, which we refer to as the Szumlanski-Gomez Network (SGN), has been subjected to a variety of evaluative measures, including manual inspection by human judges and quantitative comparison to gold standard data for semantic relatedness measurements. We have also evaluated the network's performance in an applied setting on a word sense disambiguation (WSD) task in which the network served as a knowledge source for established graph-based spreading activation algorithms, and have shown: a) the network is competitive with WordNet when used as a stand-alone knowledge source for WSD, b) combining our network with WordNet achieves disambiguation results that exceed the performance of either resource individually, and c) our network outperforms a similar resource, WordNet++ (Ponzetto (&) Navigli, 2010), that has been automatically derived from annotations in the Wikipedia corpus.Finally, we present a study on human perceptions of relatedness. In our study, we elicited quantitative evaluations of semantic relatedness from human subjects using a variation of the classical methodology that Rubenstein and Goodenough (1965) employed to investigate human perceptions of semantic similarity. Judgments from individual subjects in our study exhibit high average correlation to the elicited relatedness means using leave-one-out sampling (r = 0.77, ? = 0.09, N = 73), although not as high as average human correlation in previous studies of similarity judgments, for which Resnik (1995) established an upper bound of r = 0.90 (? = 0.07, N = 10). These results suggest that human perceptions of relatedness are less strictly constrained than evaluations of similarity, and establish a clearer expectation for what constitutes human-like performance by a computational measure of semantic relatedness. We also contrast the performance of a variety of similarity and relatedness measures on our dataset to their performance on similarity norms and introduce our own dataset as a supplementary evaluative standard for relatedness measures.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004759, ucf:49767
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004759

Title: The working relationship of international teaching assistants and undergraduate students.
Creator: Farina, Marcella, Stebbins, Consuelo, Arts and Sciences
Abstract / Description: The present study was conducted to ascertain undergraduate views about the effectiveness of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in the American classroom. The study was administered to a stratified cluster sampling by college of the target population, undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida. The instrument used, Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) as developed by Wanda Fox (1990), is composed of a total...
Show moreThe present study was conducted to ascertain undergraduate views about the effectiveness of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in the American classroom. The study was administered to a stratified cluster sampling by college of the target population, undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida. The instrument used, Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) as developed by Wanda Fox (1990), is composed of a total of 40 items regarding personal and academic background, cultural exposure to and views about non-native speakers of English, and ITA-classroom effectiveness and problem-solving strategies. On the basis of data from the Fall 1998 semester, approximately 15% of the total number of ITA-taught course sections per college were surveyed. The subjects responded anonymously using computerized answer sheets. Upon completion of the data collection phase, all surveys were analyzed for response frequencies. In addition, background and demographic information regarding the participants and information regarding undergraduate exposure to IT As and IT A instruction were also summarized. The Likert-type items were combined to reveal an overall ATITA (Attitude toward International Teaching Assistants) score. The results of the ATITA portion of the study indicate that undergraduate student views toward IT As and IT A instruction are between neutral and mildly positive. Furthermore, survey responses indicated that undergraduates resolve conflicts involving IT As through personal means. The closing recommendations suggest maintaining open lines of communication between undergraduates, ITAs, and administrators alike.
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Date Issued: 1999
Identifier: CFR0003046, ucf:52915
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0003046

Title: EFFECTS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL) INSTRUCTION ON THE ACQUISITION OF PASSIVE GRAMMATICAL FORMS BY POST-SECONDARY ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) STUDENTS.
Creator: Chien, Ya-Chi, Nutta, Joyce, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study is to compare Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) grammar instruction with traditional classroom teacher-directed grammar instruction for post-secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) students enrolled in an Intensive English Program (IEP). Students' achievement was measured by their performance on the three measures (multiple-choice, cloze/fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended tests) of passive grammatical forms. This study gathered quantitative data on...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to compare Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) grammar instruction with traditional classroom teacher-directed grammar instruction for post-secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) students enrolled in an Intensive English Program (IEP). Students' achievement was measured by their performance on the three measures (multiple-choice, cloze/fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended tests) of passive grammatical forms. This study gathered quantitative data on students' performance on the three measures for both teacher-directed and CALL instruction groups as well as qualitative data with respect to CALL participants' perception of the Azar Interactive online grammar instruction program. Results of the mixed design repeated measures factorial MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) showed that there was no statistically significant difference in acquisition of the passive grammatical forms for ESL students taught in a conventional classroom setting as compared to those taught solely by CALL. However, there was a statistically significant increase in scores on the open-ended tests for Level 4, the most advanced students at the IEP from pretest to delayed test as well as from posttest to delayed test. Students' level of proficiency affected the amount of increase in their scores over time regardless of the method of instruction. This study has offered a research-based indication that CALL instruction was as effective as traditional classroom teacher-directed instruction for teaching grammar to students of different levels of English proficiency. Recommendations for future research have also been discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003970, ucf:48657
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003970

Title: (&)nbsp;Bridging the Gap between ESOL and Native English Speakers in a Digital Collaborative Classroom.
Creator: Samuels, Shalander, Hopp, Carolyn, Pratt Marrett, Caroline, Nutta, Joyce, Kaplan, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this dissertation in practice was to explore how to bridge the gap between ESOL students and native English speaking students in a collaborative learning environment in a middle school in Tangerine Florida. The gap in performance was highlighted because ESOL students failed to meet the same levels of academic achievement (based on the Florida Standard Assessment Test) as their native English-speaking counter parts. The intent of the dissertation was to design a framework that...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation in practice was to explore how to bridge the gap between ESOL students and native English speaking students in a collaborative learning environment in a middle school in Tangerine Florida. The gap in performance was highlighted because ESOL students failed to meet the same levels of academic achievement (based on the Florida Standard Assessment Test) as their native English-speaking counter parts. The intent of the dissertation was to design a framework that would meet the pedagogical needs of ESOL students and teachers who teach them. A pilot study was completed that included teachers both ESOL-endorsed and those who were not to determine their needs in terms of professional development that would lead to increased achievement among ESOL students. The study focused on digital schools within one school district. A qualitative research approach was used because it was found to be rigorous, reliable and valid (Morse, Barrett, Mayan, Olson (&) Spiers (2002). Results of the pilot study were intended to inform teachers and school administrators about how to ultimately improve ESOL student performance. The data used in the pilot study were drawn from focus groups as well as information retrieved from reflective teacher and student tools. The conceptual framework that focused the pilot study included socio-cultural theory (Vygotsky, 1986; Mercer, 2007), self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997a; Pajares, 1997) culturally responsive teaching theory (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Freire 2000), situated learning theory (Davin (&) Heineke, 2016) and second language acquisition theories (Chomsky, 1965; Ellis, 1997).The findings from the teacher focus groups suggested ways to bridge the gap between the ESOL students and native English speakers. A proposed framework to counter the problem and bridge the gap was designed as a pedagogical intervention (professional development) that would provide the information teachers lack about how to teach ESOL students effectively. The framework also served as a platform to connect and collaborate with other ESOL instructors as a resource and support throughout the school year. Additionally, a teacher-proposed idea was a middle school technology transition (MST2) beginner course for students entering a digital school to give them practice and build their self-efficacy on how to use the necessary applications for each core (FSA tested) class. The results also support the idea that concurrent ongoing professional development and a student introductory technology course throughout the school year could produce more favorable achievement scores of ESOL students, and reduce gaps between ESOL students and native English speaking students.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006789, ucf:51808
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006789

ELL (2)	+ -
ESOL (2)	+ -
English Language Learner (2)	+ -
Second Language Acquisition (2)	+ -
knowledge acquisition (2)	+ -

natural language processing (2)	+ -
Academic (1)	+ -
Academic -- Arts and Sciences (1)	+ -
Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations (1)	+ -
Bilingual (1)	+ -
Bilingual Education (1)	+ -
Bilingual education (1)	+ -
CALL Grammar Instruction (1)	+ -
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) (1)	+ -
Dissertations (1)	+ -
Dual-Language Programs (1)	+ -
ESL (1)	+ -
ESL digital school (1)	+ -
ESSA (1)	+ -
English Language Acquisition (1)	+ -
English Learners (1)	+ -
English as a Second Language (1)	+ -
English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Florida -- Orlando -- Foreign speakers (1)	+ -
FCAT Reading (1)	+ -
Florida Education (1)	+ -
Interactionist Theory (1)	+ -
L2 Grammar Instruction (1)	+ -
Language Acquisition (1)	+ -
MST2 (1)	+ -
Middle School (1)	+ -

University of Central Florida (13)	+ -
Nutta, Joyce (4)	+ -
Farina, Marcella (2)	+ -
Folse, Keith (2)	+ -
Gomez, Fernando (2)	+ -

Mihai, Florin (2)	+ -
Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana (2)	+ -
Arts and Sciences (1)	+ -
Black, Diane (1)	+ -
Chien, Ya-Chi (1)	+ -
Davis, Karen (1)	+ -
Delorenzo, Leah (1)	+ -
Doherty, Walter (1)	+ -
Ehren, Barbara (1)	+ -
Garcia, Martha (1)	+ -
Glinos, Demetrios (1)	+ -
Harrell, Kimmerly (1)	+ -
Hopp, Carolyn (1)	+ -
Hughes, Charles (1)	+ -
Johnson, Jerry (1)	+ -
Kaplan, Jeffrey (1)	+ -
Lin, Chai-Wei (1)	+ -
Little, Mary (1)	+ -
Lue, Martha (1)	+ -
Marlow, Kimberly (1)	+ -
Murray, Barbara (1)	+ -
Orwig, Gary (1)	+ -
Pace, Debra (1)	+ -
Pratt Marrett, Caroline (1)	+ -
Puig, Enrique (1)	+ -

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