Learning: A Retrospective Account of an Action Research Project

Abstract

I would like to dedicate this work to my parents, Eleuterio and Pascuala del Valle, who sacrificed enormously so their children could have a better education. To my children, Gadi and Maya, whom I love and appreciate, and to my husband, Ami whose love, support, and patience has enabled me to complete this degree. Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge my dissertation committee members: Elaine Horwitz and Lisa Green, co-chairs, Keith Walters, Esther Raizen, Sharon Vaughn, Elaine Danielson, members. I would like to express enormous gratitude to Elaine Horwitz, my professor, graduate advisor, co-chair, and mentor. Elaine Horwitz has been a source of intellectual inspiration and support since I began my graduate study in 1997. Deep appreciation also goes to Lisa Green for the generosity she showed by meeting with me on many occasions and helping me to articulate the direction of my research. I am grateful to Keith Walters for his extraordinary teaching and the generosity he showed in agreeing to serve on both my thesis and dissertation committees. I am eternally grateful to Esther Raizen for being the example of a foreign language teacher I wished to become over twenty years ago. I am also thankful to her for agreeing to serve on my dissertation committee. I wish t