Selecting ELL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of Language-Teaching Models

Many middle school teachers lack adequate criteria to critically select materials that represent a variety of L2 teaching models. This study analyzes the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 teaching models represented. The researchers asked to what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language-teaching models in illustrations and written texts. Using content analysis, they measured the range of depiction of the 4 language-teaching models and concluded that 4 of the 33 textbooks had considerable to extensive frequency and variation of L2 teaching model

Selecting ELL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of Ethnicity Depicted in Illustrations and Writing

In an effort to respond to the need for culturally appropriate English Language Learning(ELL) resources for adolescent immigrants, the researchers gathered 64 textbooks actually in use in eight Milwaukee middle schools to analyze their content for the range of diversity of ethnicity depicted in illustrations and written text. The eight school settings selected provided a broad range of materials to analyze. In addition, these materials reflect both public and Catholic teachers’ resource selection in predominantly Latino and Southeast Asian American classroom contexts. The settings were chosen with the advice of administrators and teachers as schools they perceived to be of greatest need for ELL curriculum and instruction development. Based upon their findings, the researchers draw some initial conclusions and recommendations for the selection of culturally appropriate textbooks that fit the cultural contexts of the learners. Finally, the study provides as appendices the bibliography of textbooks under analysis and sample coding instruments used to analyze the content of these textbooks

Selecting ELL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of Language-Teaching Models

Many middle school teachers lack adequate criteria to critically select materials that represent a variety of L2 teaching models. This study analyzes the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 teaching models represented. The researchers asked to what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language-teaching models in illustrations and written texts. Using content analysis, they measured the range of depiction of the 4 language-teaching models and concluded that 4 of the 33 textbooks had considerable to extensive frequency and variation of L2 teaching model

Ethical and Political Implications of Reflective Practice among Preservice Teachers

This study investigates the ethical and political implications of reflective practice among preservice teachers. The author reviewed previous research which suggests the need for a more critical analysis of teacher education programs to implement more intensive reflective methodologies that foster authentic, caring, dispositional development as a moral obligation toward socially just practice rather than mere audited compliance with standards-based technical training. This position paper then analyzes preservice teacher education as an interdependent process of methodological development, perceptive development, and cognitive/affective development. Finally, the author makes recommendations for program modification to better prepare preservice teachers to conceptualize their transformative role in society

Selecting ELL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of L2 Learning Strategies

Although middle school teachers use a variety of ELL textbooks, many lack effective criteria to critically select materials that represent a wide range of L2 learning strategies. This study analyzed the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 learning strategies represented. The researchers chose an intentional, convenience sample from each textbook to form the corpus they analyzed. They sought to answer the question: To what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language learning strategies in illustrations and written texts? To measure the content, the researchers developed a coding instrument to track how frequently each of 15 language learning strategies was portrayed. They concluded that 6 of the 33 textbooks had a good to excellent range of L2 learning strategies in both illustrated and written representation. The study provides recommendations for teachers regarding selection of ELL textbooks appropriate for their students along with a sample coding instrument for their use

The acquisition of a complex morphological paradigm by L1 and L2 children

The performances of 690 L1 and L2 submersion children of grades 4 to 6 on a test of past tense (passé simple) production in French are compared with the aim of assessing how the two groups of children cope with learning a morphological form belonging to a complex paradigm. Homophony with other verbal forms of the paradigm (syncretisms) appears to play a role in the children’s answers. L2 submersion children have significantly lower scores than L1 children and they differ from L1 children in tending to overapply the regular ending. They also seem to be more attentive to agreement and to the visual form of the words than L1 children

Characteristics of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States: A Reciprocal Interdependence Analysis

What common values do diverse Jesuit institutions share? In what ways are Jesuit colleges and universities working to maintain mission, identity, and traditions within the context of 21st-century higher education? To ground their response to these questions, the researchers first review the historical and ecclesial developments that have influenced the mission and identity of Catholic institutions of higher education (IHEs). They discuss the resulting changes in the vision of US Jesuit colleges and universities and trace the impact of the theological shift fostered by Vatican II documents and the Land O’Lakes statement on Catholic colleges and universities in general and Jesuit institutions in particular. Finally, the study critically analyzes the reciprocal interdependence of the seven AJCU characteristics to provide insights and recommendations for implementation of a reimagined articulation of Jesuit, Catholic mission and identity for member institutions, and other Catholic IHEs