Motivated Spanish learning among Anglo-Texan high school students : an exploration of theories, research, and experience, with implications for pedagogy

textResearch into foreign language and second language learning motivation has progressed steadily over the past half century. Several theories and models have been developed to explain how learners are motivated to learn a foreign language. Context-specific research, however, is lacking for Anglo-Texan high school students learning Spanish. This report applies the theories of foreign language learning motivation to this context, using personal experience and anecdotes from the author as a Spanish teacher and student, in order to prescribe pedagogical applications of the research for high school Spanish teachers in Texas who seek to increase their students' motivation.Curriculum and Instructio

A Case Study of Using Online Communities and Virtual Environment in Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) as a Learning and Teaching Tool for Second Language Learners

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) create large virtual communities. Online gaming shows potential not just for entertaining, but also in education. This research investigates the use of commercial MMORPGs to support second language teaching. MMORPGs offer virtual safe spaces in which students can communicate by using their target second language with global players. Using a mix of ethnography and action research, this study explores the students’ experiences of language learning and performing while playing MMORPGs. The results show that the use of MMORPGs can facilitate language development by offering fun, informal, individualised and secure virtual spaces for students to practise their language with native and other second language speakers

Activities and Strategies for Parents and Teachers to Promote Fluent Reading Acquisition in Emergenct Readers Through the Use of an Internet Web Page and Printed Materials

Research relating to phonics, whole language, and a balanced approach as it relates to fluent reading acquisition was read, evaluated, and summarized. A web page with activities and links to other web sites was designed and installed on the internet to provide parents and teachers with material intended to help them promote fluent reading acquisition in emergent readers

Peer Learning Strategies versus Computer-based Fact Programs of Basic Subtraction Facts at the Second Grade Level

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if peer-learning strategies increases students’ subtraction fact fluency at the second grade level more than computer-based fact programs. Students were split into two research groups, one utilizing peer-learning strategies and games, and the other utilizing a computer-based fact program. Quantitative data consisting of pre- and post-test data as well as weekly progress monitoring data was collected over four weeks. Data examined digits correct per minute, as well as accuracy of subtraction facts. After the four weeks of intervention, the computer-based group increased in more digits correct per minute

Early Literacy in the Secondary ESL Classroom

This paper explores the concepts of early literacy instruction and language literacy development, as well as the usefulness of these instructional approaches for building the English language proficiency of ELLs in secondary ESL classrooms

Researching adaptivity for individual differences in numeracy games

There is increasing evidence that mathematics video games can play a large role in mathematics education, in support of children's learning. However, despite the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, research in this area has traditionally been fragmented between disciplines. The RAIDING project was conceived to bring together researchers in neuroscience, maths cognition, and game-based learning to develop a maths game that can act as a research platform for furthering knowledge in this field. The game will employ free-to-play design elements, alongside an adaptive learner model to investigate how children learn maths, through a range of empirical studies

DIFFICULTIES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PRODUCTIVE SKILL

This paper aims at describing students’ difficulties in spoken utterances. To achieve the objective, the research site is some schools in Yogyakarta Special Province, both public and private schools. The reason to choose is first, the schools provide English from the very beginning level, that is the first grade of elementary school, second, the teachers are from English educational background and third, the schools get A for the accreditation. Observation and interview techniques are employed to collect data. The results reveal that English teachers tend to teach form and vocabularies. As a result, a complete text in a form of dialogue or a descriptive text is still difficult to reach. The students perform uncontextual and uncomplete text. The text is not a monologue or dialogue, a short functional text, or a descriptive text as suggested by the curriculum. Most utterances are in a form of words, phrases and sentences; the text produced is sentence copying from textbooks or from teachers. The teaching learning process then is divided into three steps of teaching, namely pre-teaching, while-teaching, and post-teaching. Of the three steps of teaching, English teachers tend to be teachers centered teaching and the focus is still on vocabularies and English rules. They teach about the language. They speak more in Bahasa Indonesia starting from pre-teaching up to post teaching. The tasks given are on vocabulary and forms. As the result of teachers’ teaching then it affects on students’ performance. The students are in doubt even do not know how to communicate or perform a simple dialogue among friends in English. It contrasts to the aim of English learning for children, that is performative level. They actually should be trained more on formulaic expressions rather than on rules. In brief, to be an English teacher for elementary level needs to have good ability in English classroom instructions, be a grammar sensitive teacher and be a creative teacher in conducting teaching learning process

Five Dimensional Literacy Strategies: a Guide for Elementary Classroom Teachers

The purpose of this project was to develop a manual for elementary school teachers and parents with background knowledge in reading that summarizes what researchers have discovered about the methodology of reading instruction and provide approaches and strategies to teach the five components of reading instruction. The guide focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction. Each component of reading defines skills, reviews evidence from research, suggests implications for classroom instruction, and describes the various strategies for teaching literacy skills that are so essential to the reading achievement of children. The strategies discussed in this project are intended to be used in the general education classroom as well as the special education classroom. The components discussed may be used with both struggling readers and children who are reading at grade level or above grade level. The guide will provide a valuable resource for educators wanting to try new approaches to target large groups of children when teaching literacy

IMPLEMENTING GROUP PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT ( GPPPt ) TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING COMPETENCE ( A Classroom Action Research at the Tenth Grade ( X-C ) , the Second Semester Students of SMA Negeri 1 Ngawi in 2009/2010 Academic Year )

Implementing Group Presentation Using PowerPoint ( GPPPt ) to Improve the Students’ Speaking Competence ( A Classroom Action Research at the Tenth Grade ( X-C ) , the Second Semester Students of SMA Negeri 1 Ngawi in 2009/2010 Academic Year ) . A Thesis: English Education Department, Graduate School, Sebelas Maret University, 2010. The objectives of this research are to: ( 1 ) identify whether or not and to what extent the use of “GPPPt” is able to improve the students’ speaking competence; and ( 2 ) describe the situations when GPPPt is being applied in the speaking class. In this research, the problem refers to the learning English, especially their speaking competence which is still low. The research methodology applied in this research is action research with two cycles in which each cycle starts from planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The data collected are the qualitative data and the quantitative data. The qualitative data are collected from observation, interview, questionnaire, and document. The quantitative data are collected from the pre test in pre research and the post test in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. The qualitative data are analyzed by Constant Comparative Method and the quantitative data are analyzed by descriptive statistics. The implementation of GPPPt has succeeded in improving and enhancing the students’ English speaking competence. It could be seen from these indicators: 1 ) it is able to: ( a ) help the students to express their mind and ideas quickly; ( b ) help the students make sentence ( s ) fluently; ( c ) improve the students’ pronunciation to be relatively accepted; ( d ) influence the students to use correct grammar to make sentence ( s ) ; and ( e ) increase the students’ achievement in speaking evaluation; and 2 ) it enables to: ( a ) reduce the students’ temptation to have a chat with their desk mates; ( b ) respond the teacher’s questions actively; ( c ) influence the students to avoid doing non academic activities; and ( d ) motivate the students to use either their dictionaries or grammar books in English class. Besides, from the collected data, the students had obtained better score from Cycle 1 to Cycle 2. For instance, the mean of pre test score of the pre research was 66.76, while the mean of the post test score in Cycle 1 was 74.00 and that of Cycle 2 was 77.64. That the implementation of GPPPt has succeeded in improving and enhancing the students’ English speaking competence, I would like to propose some suggestions for the English teachers, especially those who teach in senior high school to: ( 1 ) apply GPPPt to conduct the teaching learning process in the speaking class; ( 2 ) improve their acquisition of knowledge about GPPPt; and ( 3 ) provide more chance for the students to practice their English orally through GPPPt