The text, dead or alive: Expanding textual repertoires in the adult ESOL classroom

The paper explores the manner in which written texts are selected and used in the adult ESOL classroom. Taking a sociocultural view of the reading process and of the nature of text, it argues that ESOL students have potentially rich textual resources which are typically not acknowledged in the classroom: in particular, the textual options embodied by the published textbook or the worksheet do not do justice to the rich and diverse textual worlds which adult ESOL learners inhabit. Drawing on Goffman’s notion of ‘authoring’, the paper argues that ESOL students can be encouraged to reposition themselves as expert interpreters of classroom texts rather than passive consumers. Reading can be seen as the creation of new texts, as the interpreters rearticulate orthodox textual meaning to their own ends, in shared talk around the text. By way of illustration, two Adult ESOL classrooms are focused on which demonstrate contrasting ways in which texts are selected and exploited in the ESOL classroom. In addition, some views of students themselves are also discussed The paper concludes by proposing that classroom texts be seen by teachers and students as opportunities for textual authoring, where what is brought to texts is as important as any specific linguistic or content knowledge derived from them

Conversations Around the Literacy Hour in a Multilingual London Primary School

This study was conducted against the background of a British government initiative: The National Literacy Strategy, which prescribes a daily hour of formal literacy instruction for primary aged children, known as the Literacy Hour. The paper describes the developing understanding and experience of literacy of four bilingual Year Five children, studying in a multilingual London school. I recorded and analysed conversations about literacy and the Literacy Hour with the children - two boys and two girls - for one hour a week over one school year. My focus was on the impact of the Literacy Hour on the children’s understanding of literacy as revealed through their personal talk about text. I divide the conversational data into four sets, moving from relatively structured, 'on task' talk, closely aligned to the Literacy Hour, to talk which embraces more widely the children’s cultural and linguistic experiences, resources and attitudes. I conclude that the Literacy Hour plays a relatively small part among the rich literacy resources, crossing both home and school boundaries, which the children make use of in everyday life

Literacy and Identity: A View from the Bridge in two Multicultural London Schools

In this paper I examine the manner in which identity impacts on literacy practices, with reference to two nine-year old girls and two fifteen year-old boys, who speak or have access to two or more languages. The younger children were part of a year- long study of the British National Literacy Strategy (cf. Wallace 2005). The older two were interviewed in the context of a study of children’s responses to the cultural content of school texts. My aim is to establish how the children’s talk about and around literacy reveals what are salient identities for these young people. I identify four interwoven strands which emerge from the children’s talk, characterised as ‘I come from here’ identity, ‘Back Home identity, Language Identity and Religious identity. I argue that these interwoven identities represent for the children a potentially rich resource to engage critically with school texts. This is evident in moments of discourse in which particular identities are invoked to build bridges between the children’s diverse personal histories and the texts and practices validated by school. I conclude by drawing some implications for schooling and for the children’s futures

Negotiating Communication Rights in Multilingual Classrooms: Towards the Creation of Critical Communities of Learners

The paper aims to show how the language learning classroom can be reconfigured as a critical community. It argues that the optimisation of communication rights, continually negotiated by teacher and learners, helps to build critical classroom communities characterised by “quality talk”. Such talk acknowledges uncertainty in the construction of knowledge while making transparent the basis of its claims. In doing so, it offers space for typically less powerful participants to challenge and redirect classroom discourse. I focus on two classes of adults in the U.K., consisting of second-language learners from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds: the first is a class of intermediate to advanced language learners attending a university course on critical reading; the second is a general English intermediate-level class in a Further Education College, consisting of learners from a wide range of educational backgrounds, nationalities and ages. What the students in each setting share is that they are adults with an interest in gaining membership into new and diverse English-language-speaking communities in a global age

INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF BETRAYAL BLINDNESS BETWEEN HIGH BETRAYAL TRAUMA AND DATING VIOLENCE AMONG YOUNG MOTHERS MALTREATED AS CHILDREN

Young mothers experience greater rates of dating violence (DV) victimization and perpetration compared to their non-parenting, female peers as well as older mothers (Joly & Connolly, 2016). Child maltreatment is a salient predictor of DV victimization and perpetration (Li et al., 2019; Murphy et al., 2020). According to Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT), child maltreatment perpetrated by a close loved one, such as a parent or primary caregiver, is defined as a high betrayal trauma (Freyd, 1996). Young mothers who experienced a high betrayal trauma may endorse betrayal blindness as a way to cope with abuse from their caregiver (Freyd & Birrell, 2013), however, may not detect betrayals later on in their romantic relationships. We hypothesized betrayal blindness would mediate the relationship between high betrayal trauma and DV victimization and perpetration among a sample of young mothers (N = 67). Contrary to study hypotheses, betrayal blindness was not observed; instead, evidence revealed young mothers were aware of the betrayal they experienced during their childhood. A direct effect was present between high betrayal trauma and DV perpetration, but not victimization. There was evidence for an indirect effect of betrayal awareness on the relationship between high betrayal trauma and DV perpetration and victimization. Taken together, these data may inform evidence-based, trauma treatment for young mothers who experience violence in their romantic relationships

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND DATING VIOLENCE IN YOUNG MOTHERS

Young mothers are an understudied group at high-risk for dating violence (DV) victimization and perpetration. Psychological distress, such as depression, increases young mothers\u27 risk for DV (Thomas et al., 2019). In turn, depressive symptomology is associated with difficulties in interpersonal competence (Jones et al., 2019), which may increase DV risk (Bonache et al., 2017). In addition, young mothers may have few chances to learn the interpersonal skills associated with healthy adult romantic relationships due to a mismatch in developmental level and parenting status (Herrman et al., 2019; Moore et al., 2007). Using interpersonal stress generation theory (Hammen, 1991, 2006), we hypothesized that young mothers (N = 238) with elevated depressive symptomology would report higher rates of DV victimization and perpetration, and that this association would be mediated by self-reported interpersonal competence. We conducted a mediation analysis to examine the average causal mediation and average direct effects. Results demonstrated that interpersonal competency did not mediate the relationship between depressive symptomatology and DV victimization and perpetration. Direct effects were present between depressive symptomatology and DV victimization and perpetration. Although interpersonal competency was not a mediator, both depressive symptomatology and interpersonal competency were independently related to DV. Taken together, these data may inform future DV prevention-interventions for young mothers

A Comparison of Computational Error Patterns for Grades 3, 5 and 8

One hundred forty students in grades 3, 5 and 8 were tested to compare error patterns for whole number addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Results showed that error patterns do persist from grade to grade. The most prevalent errors were: lack of mastery of basic addition and multiplication facts; failure to understand place value and numeration; and confusion with subtraction and regrouping. The study concluded that because error patterns endure, teachers must be prepared to identify and remediate, as well as prevent errors through informed methods. Future studies should focus on error patterns in other grades and the effect of computer assisted instruction on student errors

Master of Arts

thesisWhy did President Woodrow Wilson not take advantage of the opportunity U.S. entrance into World War I afforded to extract promises from Allied leaders to commit to his postwar world vision? Wilson could have obligated the Allied governments to a postwar "peace without victory" settlement on his terms through a quid-pro-quo agreement in light of their deteriorated position. However, Wilson chose not to impose any conditions on the Allied governments in return for U.S. troops but decided on an independent course that designated the United States a wartime associate, as opposed to an allied, power. In this thesis, I examine Woodrow Wilson's religious world view related to mankind's political progress to investigate its impact on his understanding of the European situation prior to U.S. entry into World War I. I hope to discern how it may have influenced Wilson's decision to inaugurate what has become the established U.S. policy of unilateral belligerency in wartime. First, I research the theological origins and assumptions of Wilson's religious world view. Second, I examine its political and social evolution and analyze how Wilson applied his mature religious lens to the global, and in particular the European, situation prior to World War I. Finally, I focus on how his religious interpretation served as the motivation to keep the United States separate as an active participant and refrain from postwar conditions

Critical language awareness in the foreign language classroom

ABSTRACT\ud The thesis exammes the concept of critical language awareness both in\ud principle and practice. It begins with an exploration of the key principles which inform\ud CLA and concludes with an account of a particular study of a foreign language\ud classroom.\ud CL~ as presented in the thesis, is seen as an essentially practical, classroom\ud based enterprise which is indebted in various ways to particular understandings about\ud the nature of texts and interpretative processes. Early chapters locate CLA within\ud studies of text and discourse, the reading process and classroom interaction\ud respectively. The first chapter presents the view that CLA takes its theoretical\ud bearings largely from critical discourse analysis. Discussion centres around major\ud points of departure between critical and conventional kinds of discourse analysis.\ud Chapter two focuses on the role of the reader in text analysis, arguing for the need to\ud locate critical reading within the wider concept of critical literacy. Chapter three\ud proposes the need to develop a model of critical pedagogy which has the potential to\ud enhance awareness of texts and readings within the context of the classroom\ud community.\ud Chapter four offers a bridge between the conceptual underpinnings of the\ud study and the subsequent chapters which present the empirical part of the thesis. It\ud describes the research methodology which informs the classroom study. Chapters five,\ud six and seven respectively, provide an account of the rationale for the particular\ud course at the centre of the study, in terms of the texts and classroom procedures\ud which were selected; they also present an analysis of key features of selected\ud classroom episodes. Chapter eight assesses the students' own views about the manner\ud in which their critical judgements of texts and practices have evolved during the CLA\ud course. The thesis concludes by drawing some lessons for future explorations of both\ud the principles and practice of critical language awareness

DISTRIBUTION AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF AVIAN MALARIA VECTORS ON FOUR CENTRAL VIRGINIA PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (PROTONOTARIA CITREA) BREEDING SITES

Avian malaria is a devastating disease that has decimated numerous bird species. This study sought to identify the vectors of avian malaria at four central Virginia Prothonotary warbler breeding sites. Twenty one thousand mosquitoes were collected and Culex salinarius, Cx. erraticus, and Cx. pipiens/restuans were found to be the dominant species at these sites. Geographic factors, such as crop land and forest type, were determined to be potential indicators for species abundance variation between sites. Of the mosquitoes collected, ninety one (0.4%) were identified as blood fed. The blood fed mosquitoes were found to have fed on avian, mammalian, amphibian, and reptilian hosts and a 12.1% Plasmodium infection rate. Of the non-blood fed mosquito pools tested, Deep Bottom had the highest rate of infection (10.5%). Of the species tested, Cx. salinarius, Cx. erraticus, and Cx. pipiens/restuans were determined to be the most probable vectors of avian malaria the four sites