Implementing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Phonics Curriculum that Incorporates Music to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners in the Response to Intervention Process

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the Sing, Spell, Read, Write (SSRW) phonics curriculum that uses explicit and systematic methods and incorporates music to teach literacy skills implemented as a tier-two reading intervention in the Response to Intervention process to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of English Language Learners. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design will be used to explore the research questions. Using a quantitative quasi-experimental comparison method, the researcher gathered archived data relating to ELLs reading achievement using the reading portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the STAR Reading assessment. The qualitative component of this study used a phenomenological case study design to examine the shared experiences of teachers whose students participated in this study and were exposed to the SSRW reading intervention. Teachers\u27 perceptions were examined through open ended post intervention interviews. The interviews aimed to gather data related to the effect the intervention had on teachers\u27 perceptions of the appropriate types of interventions to use when working with ELLs. The music intervention was implemented in addition to students\u27 daily reading instruction. The sample for this study was comprised of third and fifth grade teachers, and third and fifth grade ELLs in tier- two of the RTI process for reading

Predictors of the Use of English Language Assistance Services by English Language Learners in Elementary Schools

The number of English language learners (ELLs) in the American classrooms is growing at a rapid rate. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between the need for English language assistance services predicted using a combination of a student’s home language, student’s first language, student’s language used most, and W-APT scores for elementary school students in a southeastern state. The instrumentation for this study consisted of the Home Language Survey and W-APT scores. With the approval of the IRB and a southern state school district, the research was conducted using a convenience sampling method from archival data for 57 pre-kindergartens and 82 kindergarten second language elementary students from four elementary schools to total a sample size of 139. Archival data from 2011-2015 school years were available to the researcher based on the researcher’s professional relationship with the school district. A statistical test using a logistical regression was conducted and the data analysis results concluded there was a statistically significant relationship between the need for English language assistance services predicted using a combination of a student’s home language, student’s first language, student’s language used most, and W-APT reading, writing, and oral proficiency scores for elementary school students. The researcher rejected the null hypothesis. Recommendations for future research were included in this study

Assessing ICD-9-CM and ICPC-2 Use in Primary Care. An Italian Case Study

Controlled vocabularies and standardized coding systems play a fundamental role in the healthcare domain. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is one of the most widely used classification systems for clinical problems and procedures. In Italy the 9th revision of the standard is used and recommended in primary care for encoding prescription documents. This paper describes a statistical and terminological study to assess ICD-9-CM use in primary care and its comparison to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), specifically designed for primary care. The study has been conducted by analyzing the clinical records of about 199,000 patients provided by a set of 166 General Practitioners (GPs) in different Italian areas. The analysis has been based on several techniques for detecting coding practice and errors, like natural language processing and text-similarity comparison. Results showed that the selected GPs do not fully exploit the diseases and procedures descriptive capabilities of ICD-9-CM due to its complexity. Furthermore, compared to ICPC-2, it resulted less feasible in the primary care setting, particularly for the high granularity of the structure and for the lack of reasons for encounters

A Corporate Model of Similitude for SMEs Reunion into a Corporation, Viewed from the Angle of Physical Thought, and Its Complex Economic and Social Impact

In order to exceed the circularity of formal economic thinking, the authors of the present paper favour the models of thinking specific to physics, which are also constructed statistically and mathematically, in an attempt to find an answer to the reunion of similar small and medium enterprises (SMEs), into multinational corporations. A model based on the theory of similitude is thus made use of, born from the very essence of physics, and having an economic and social destination and a complex impact. The physical models intended for economic systems are expressed as systems of partial differential equations, and the result becomes a new vision of reality. This paper details an original model based on physical similitude for SME amalgamation under the name of multinational corporations. After an introduction to the physical theory of similitude, the first section describes the physics model because of the reunion of similar SMEs. The real birth of some corporations in Serbia forms the content of the second section; the economic and social phenomena relating to the generation of such corporations, and the corporate social responsibility are emphasized. The idea of social complexity and its impact as the fifth dimension of a modern multinational corporation conclude the paper.physical model, small and medium enterprise (SME), multinational corporation (MNE), corporate social responsibility (CSR), economic and social complexity

The Difference between English and Math High School Teachers\u27 Attitudes and Perceptions toward the Inclusion of English Language Learner Students

Within the last 10 years, the United States experienced an influx of non-English speaking students, which challenged teachers, administrators, and other educational stakeholders on how to successfully accommodate these English Language Learners (ELL). This causal-comparative study examined the attitudes and perceptions of secondary English and math teachers in relation to ELL inclusion. Specifically, the study presented the main question of whether there is a difference between English and math teachers’ attitudes and perceptions toward the inclusion of ELLs. Teacher attitudes have been found to play a role in determining student academic achievement; therefore, assessing teacher attitudes toward ELLs could be a factor in determining how best to educate ELLs. The convenience sample of 122 teachers was comprised of secondary English and math teachers in a northeast Alabama school district. A 40-question survey determined teacher attitudes toward ELL inclusion and was adapted from a previous study that focused on mainstream teacher attitudes. The survey was administered to and collected from participants electronically. The survey was scored utilizing a four-point Likert scale collecting an average score for each item. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS® software, in which a t-test analyzed and determined the difference of means between teacher attitudes. The research concluded that the vast majority of English and math teachers had positive attitudes regarding ELL inclusion; however, English teachers were found to have slightly negative attitudes regarding inclusion and perceptions of language and language learning. Recommendations for future research include implementation of teacher education programs to focus coursework on ELL students and ELL inclusion, as well as more professional development opportunities regarding ELL students

Assigning Assessment Accommodations to English Learners: A Phenomenological Study

The English learner (EL) student population has grown steadily for the past 20 years. During this time, the use of standardized assessments has increased as well. Teacher understanding of assessment accommodations that best support ELs is low, despite the research that shows the unreliability of standardized achievement tests that measure the academic achievement of ELs. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine how 10 teachers engage in the assessment accommodation selection process. Teachers were intentionally selected from intermediate elementary grades where the most native (primary/home) language accommodations are available on state assessments. Data were collected through surveys, questionnaires, open-ended questions, and interviews. Findings describe the experiences of the participants as they navigate the assessment accommodation process. Experiences are classified into overarching ideas of accessibility, support, purpose, process, and application. Results shed light on how the participants interpret standardized assessments, the decision-making process related to accommodation selection for EL students, and the impact of assessments on their instructional decisions and teacher evaluation

Case Study of the Classroom Culture that Impacts Teacher Efficacy of Secondary Level Teachers of English Language Learners

Throughout the United States a dramatic shift in demographics is taking place, similar to the changes of the early 20th century, as thousands of immigrants cross the threshold of Ellis Island (Karathanos, 2009). Undergoing a greater makeover is the culture of classrooms and American teachers who have seen, firsthand, an increase of more than 60% of English language learner (ELL) students over the past decade (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). The purpose of this study was to develop a more in-depth understanding as to whether mainstream teachers from a school district located in upstate South Carolina perceived themselves to be able to effectively teach ELLs. The first of two research question addressed by the study asked about the identifiable differences in the perceived levels of self-efficacy of secondary mainstream teachers with ELLs pertaining to classroom culture. The second research question addressed the components of professional development for teachers with diverse classrooms have had the most impact on the classroom cultures that contain diverse learners. A mixed methods research design was utilized to conduct the study. Quantitative data was collected and analyzed with the Teaching Efficacy for Teaching the English Language Learner (TETELL) scale (Yough, 2008). Qualitative data was collected using open-ended response questions added to the survey instrument as well as from a focus group of survey participants facilitated by the researcher. This allowed the researcher to gain a more in-depth perception of secondary mainstream teacher’s self-efficacy regarding ELLs

Cultural affordances : scaffolding local worlds through shared intentionality and regimes of attention

Abstract: In this paper we outline a framework for the study of the mechanisms involved in the engagement of human agents with cultural affordances. Our aim is to better understand how culture and context interact with human biology to shape human behavior, cognition, and experience. We attempt to integrate several related approaches in the study of the embodied, cognitive, and affective substrates of sociality and culture and the sociocultural scaffolding of experience. The integrative framework we propose bridges cognitive and social sciences to provide (i) an expanded concept of ‘affordance’ that extends to sociocultural forms of life, and (ii) a multilevel account of the socioculturally scaffolded forms of affordance learning and the transmission of affordances in patterned sociocultural practices and regimes of shared attention. This framework provides an account of how cultural content and normative practices are built on a foundation of contentless basic mental processes that acquire content through immersive participation of the agent in social practices that regulate joint attention and shared intentionalit

Counseling Children who Speak a Language in which the Counselor is not Fluent: Play Therapy and Counselor Perceived Self-Efficacy

This study investigated 9 variables to determine their relationship to the frequency of use of Play Therapy or non- verbal counseling techniques by elementary school counselors as well as their relationship to counselor perceived self-efficacy when counseling children who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent. The notion of placing an emphasis on Play Therapy or non- verbal counseling techniques with such a population has emerged as a possible therapeutic intervention when working with individuals from a cultural background which is different from that of the counselor. Researchers in counseling have noted the importance of providing adequate services to diverse populations including those who do not speak a language in which the counselor is fluent. This study was based on the concept that an elementary school counselor\u27s effectiveness when counseling children who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent is related to the counselor\u27s level of training in non-verbal counseling techniques, level of training in multicultural counseling, years of counseling experience, professional membership affiliations, fluency in other languages, gender, and grade level in which the counselor works. Statistically significant relationships were found with several of the variables including level of training in play therapy, membership in the Association for Play Therapy and American School Counselor Association, and grade level in which the counselor works. Elementary school counselors and counselor educators can utilize the findings of this study to develop and implement programs that teach play therapy and other non-verbal counseling techniques to elementary school counselors. These experiences may help provide better services to diverse populations including those who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent