This study examines the effectiveness of study abroad and pragmatic instruction on L2 learners' acquisition of the speech acts of requesting, thanking, and refusing. In the study, speech acts produced by L2 learners of Spanish who studied abroad for six weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina and L2 learners who received eight weeks of pragmatic…

In this dissertation, I will present social-cognitive frameworks that support the use of mental imagery for possible self enhancement; and articulate and evaluate a pedagogical intervention designed for the foreign language class. This intervention will allow students to explore and develop prominent and vivid mental representations (self-schemas)…

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…

Mindsets have been gaining popularity recently in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). There have been studies exploring language mindsets in relation to emotions such as anxiety and fear of failure (e.g., Lou & Noels, 2017), anxiety, rejection sensitivity, contact avoidance, and willingness to interact (e.g., Lou & Noels,…

Community-based organizations offer English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support to community members due to a severe shortage of trained and certified Teaching English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) teachers (Sutcher et al., 2019). Many of these organizations rely on volunteers to teach and tutor students enrolled in the programs they…

As gentrifying dual language (DL) schools in the United States increasingly attract students with linguistic, racial, and socioeconomic privilege, a key consideration is whether these schools are intentionally supporting the specific needs and assets of emergent bilingual (EB) students from Latinx families. This dissertation of practice examined…

The purpose of this comparative study is to determine whether the linguistic input approach based on Krashen's (1989) comprehensible input (CI) and supported by Kolb's (2015) experiential learning (ELT) and Siemens' (2005) connectivism theory (CT) to improve eighth graders' Spanish speaking and writing linguistic proficiencies. Previous research…

This three-manuscript dissertation attempts to answer the question: "How does students' English language proficiency (ELP) inform the availability, structure, and use of English language accommodations and intervention to support the academic achievement of English learner (EL) students?" The question is addressed using three independent…

According to Diane August (2002), at the Center for Applied Linguistics, Multilingual Learners (MLs) spend less than two percent of their school day in oral language development. Echevarria and Goldenberg (2017) support that creating numerous opportunities for ML students to speak will accelerate their vocabulary and oral language development to…

While the second language (L2) teacher cognition literature has extensively documented what language teachers think, know, believe, and do (cf. Borg, 2006), far less is known about the dynamics of L2 teacher development arising from engagement with L2 teacher education pedagogies. Addressing this problem, Kubanyiova and Feryok (2015) contend that…

Reading skills are critical for English as a Second Language (ESL) students in higher education to achieve academic success. However, effective ways to promote student success in ESL reading courses are under-researched. Identifying factors that may enhance the quality and outcomes of learning ESL reading is essential. One such factor identified…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) parents of students receiving special education transition services describe involvement experiences, cultural values that influence involvement, and school interventions for parent involvement in the state of Texas. Hirano and Rowe's…

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of international-student English language learners (ELLs), situated on a language learning plateau (L2P), who have been exposed to a Growth Mindset Pedagogy with Deliberate Practice. The researcher used a qualitative research design, to document the experiences of five adult English language…

In modern education, teachers are continuously faced with hurdles that challenge their abilities to teach students diagnosed with ADHD or other learning disabilities effectively. When faced with these challenges, teachers must use the most effective modalities to facilitate quality learning among these specific students. The problem teachers and…

The purpose of this single case design study was to examine the efficacy of a graphic organizer for improving the reading comprehension of middle school Spanish-English bilingual middle school students with learning disabilities. Students included two females and one male student. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, students were…