Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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Item Evaluating the role of acoustic cues in identifying the presence of a code-switch(2024) Exton, Erika Lynn; Newman, Rochelle S.; Hearing and Speech Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Code-switching (switching between languages) is a common linguistic behavior in bilingual speech directed to infants and children. In adult-directed speech (ADS), acoustic-phonetic properties of one language may transfer to the other language close to a code-switch point; for example, English stop consonants may be more Spanish-like near a switch. This acoustically-natural code-switching may be easier for bilingual listeners to comprehend than code-switching without these acoustic changes; however, it effectively results in the languages being more phonetically similar at the point of a code-switch, which could make them difficult for an unfamiliar listener to distinguish. The goal of this research was to assess the acoustic-phonetic cues to code-switching available to listeners unfamiliar with the languages by studying the perception and production of these cues. In Experiment 1 Spanish-English bilingual adults (particularly those who hear code-switching frequently), but not English monolingual adults, were sensitive to natural acoustic cues to code-switching in unfamiliar languages and could use them to identify language switches between French and Mandarin. Such cues were particularly helpful when they allowed listeners to anticipate an upcoming language switch (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3 monolingual children appeared unable to continually identify which language they were hearing. Experiment 4 provides some preliminary evidence that monolingual infants can identify a switch between French and Mandarin, though without addressing the utility of natural acoustic cues for infants. The acoustic detail of code-switched speech to infants was investigated to evaluate how acoustic properties of bilingual infant-directed speech (IDS) are impacted by the presence of and proximity to code-switching. Spanish-English bilingual women narrated wordless picture books in IDS and ADS, and the voice onset times of their English voiceless stops were analyzed in code-switching and English-only stories in each register. In ADS only, English voiceless stops that preceded an English-to-Spanish code-switch and were closer to that switch point were produced with more Spanish-like voice onset times than more distant tokens. This effect of distance to Spanish on English VOTs was not true for tokens that followed Spanish in ADS, or in either direction in IDS, suggesting that parents may avoid producing these acoustic cues when speaking to young children.Item "I'm a dual language teacher": Examining Teachers' Identities in Dual Language Bilingual Education(2024) Cataneo, Amanda; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) seeks to promote the goals of bilingualism and biliteracy, academic achievement, and sociocultural competence, upon a foundation of critical consciousness (Howard et al., 2018; Palmer et al., 2019). Due to the unique blending of content and language instruction (Cammarata & Tedick, 2012) in these programs, DLBE teachers need specialized skills and knowledge to effectively meet the goals of the program. However, research has found that teachers in DLBE programs lack DLBE-specific training (Amanti, 2019; Cammarata & Tedick, 2012; Freeman et al., 2005; Freire & Valdez, 2017; Lachance, 2017a, Lachance, 2017b) and instead have backgrounds of mainstream or content teaching (de Jong & Barko-Alva, 2015) which would not otherwise prepare them to teach language learners. For DLBE programs to meet their goals to be equitable for MLs, qualified teachers are needed. This dissertation study examines how teachers DLBE conceptualize their identity as language teachers within their DLBE programs, the factors that contribute to a language teacher identity, and the subsequent effect that their identity has on instruction. This qualitative, multiple case study (Yin, 2018) examines the teacher identities and pedagogies of eight DLBE teachers in two different schools and districts. Drawing on language teacher identity and professional learning frameworks, I developed a framework to guide my investigation of DLBE teacher identity (Bunch, 2013; Cammarata & Tedick, 2012; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Martin & Strom, 2016; Yazan, 2018). Data collection included interviews with focus teachers and observations of classroom and collaborative planning meetings, triangulated with interviews with two school administrators. Findings reveal that DLBE teachers’ professional identity acknowledges the distinct focus on language in DLBE contexts and displays nuanced levels of understanding of DLBE goals, especially about the roles of language and sociocultural competence in teaching. Findings also reveal the complex intersection of factors that contribute to the formation of a DLBE teacher identity, including teacher backgrounds, contextual influences of the program, and teacher beliefs. I discuss implications for research and teacher education in understanding and developing professional identity among current and future DLBE teachers.Item The HLL-Turned-Language-Teacher: Exploring the Relationship Between Heritage-Language Maintenance and Pedagogical Content Knowledge(2022) García, Andrés A.; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)For over four decades now, fields like applied linguistics and world-language education, have investigated heritage languages, the “nonsocietal or nonmajority languages” (Valdés, 2005, p. 411) typically used in the homes and communities of immigrants and their descendants. While still growing and diversifying, heritage language (HL) research has often focused on how users of these languages—also known as heritage language learners (HLLs)—are different from other language learners, and how teachers can best adapt their instruction to their needs. With so much literature focusing on either HLLs as learners or their teachers, this study aims to bring together these topics in a novel way. Specifically, this multiple-case study centers around three adult HLLs who currently work as teachers of language-related subjects, and it aims to explore whether there is a relationship between their life experiences with HL maintenance and their pedagogical content knowledge. The research questions explored in this study are: 1. How do the focal HLL-turned-language-teachers in this study describe their experiences with HL maintenance and development?2. What kinds of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are evident in the practice of these HLLs-turned-language-teachers? 3. How do these HLL-turned-language-teachers’ experiences with HL maintenance and development relate to their PCK as L2 teachers? Data collection included teaching observations, interviews with the focal teachers and some of their colleagues who know their teaching directly, and the gathering of relevant teaching artifacts and documents. Data analysis, meanwhile, occurred in a two-tiered approach: within-case and cross-case. That is, each focal case was analyzed individually first, and then patterns were sought across cases during the second phase of data analysis. Findings from this study support the idea that the HL maintenance experiences of HLLs-turned-language-teachers affect their PCK. Moreover, there is remarkable consistency across cases; for not only did they all report the influence of similar factors in their HL maintenance (e.g., supportive families and communities, constant exposure to their HLs through written and spoken media), but they also embraced similar pedagogical techniques and behaviors as part of their PCKs (e.g., translanguaging and native-language supports, building strong bonds with their students). Furthermore, in rationalizing many of these moves by alluding to learning experiences they did not have growing up, or to their own struggles with HL grammar rules, these teachers also show consistency in the potential connections between their life experiences as HLLs and their pedagogy and PCK. Implications from this study, then, are pertinent to heritage-language studies as well as language teacher education, and they include calls to expand the notion of PCK to account for the influence of experiences with language maintenance and loss. Regarding practitioners, this study underscores the relevance of biographical reflection to pedagogical decision-making, and it encourages teachers who wish to make the most of this sort of reflection to expand their notion of “pedagogy” to include student-teacher relationship-building—if it does not do so already.Item Exploring Instructional and Institutional Opportunities and Challenges in a Newly-Formed Translanguaging Dual- Language School(2021) Shi, Lijuan; Rolstad, Kellie; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Translanguaging pedagogy disrupts linguistic inequalities and creates transformative spaces for emergent bilingual students in dual language education (DLE) programs to leverage and expand students’ full linguistic repertoires. Guided by translanguaging theory and positioning theory, this case study presents an analysis of the opportunities and the challenges of implementing translanguaging pedagogy in a co-teaching Chinese-English dual language Pre-K school in China. Using the entire school as a case, this investigation is based on data from videos and field notes of class observations, interviews of teachers, school leaders and parents, audio recording of school meetings, and school documents. The study focuses on two main factors: First, how translanguaging pedagogy was implemented in the school including the individual or coordinated translanguaging practices of 34 Chinese and English teachers and the challenges they encountered; second, the institutional factors including teachers’ institutional positionality and the understanding of translanguaging among stakeholders (teachers, administrative leaders, and parents), which all influence the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy. The findings provide a rounded view of how the school’s translanguaging policy provided opportunities for teachers to legitimately navigate between two languages in teacher-student interactions and teachers’ co-teaching practices. Teachers employed various translanguaging strategies to construct three translanguaging components (translanguaging bridges, translanguaging assessments, and translanguaging showcases) through which emergent bilingual students’ full linguistic repertoire were validated and developed. The school’s child-initiated play pedagogy and stakeholders’ strong translanguaging stance supported the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy. The findings also reveal that the legitimizing position of translanguaging pedagogy did not eliminate all the challenges teachers encountered. These challenges stemmed from teachers’ insufficient experience of practicing translanguaging and their limited skills in translanguaging co-teaching design. Discrepancies between the institutional positions and co-teaching assignments, between language equivalency inside and outside the classroom, and between different stakeholders’ expectations created hindrances for the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy. This study adds to the growing research on translanguaging in early childhood education, as well as offering useful translanguaging strategies and examples for language teachers at Pre-K schools. This study explores the ideological boundary between two languages and reflects the core of translanguaging theory, which resonates with anti-bias education and conceptualizes the sociolinguistic reality and symbolic competence of emergent bilingual students. This study also provides insights about what kind of administrative and peripheral support is needed for translanguaging to occur and what obstacles may hinder teachers’ translanguaging practices in this specific DLE program. The findings can inform other schools to overcome challenges and enact an anti-bias and dynamic bilingual education based on the acknowledgment of the full linguistic capital students bring to the classroom.Item From Academic English to School Discourses: Reconceptualizing Academic Language(2021) Sewall, Ethan McDermott; MacSwan, Jeff; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The widely accepted conceptualization of academic language (AL) as a unitary construct relies heavily on a claim of greater grammatical complexity of AL. This study empirically investigates that claim. It offers a conceptual framework for distinguishing AL from non‐AL, supporting that framework with a survey in which 77 expert group participants (a) judged 42 language samples to be AL or non‐AL and (b) optionally commented on their judgments. Survey participants’ judgments are quantitatively analyzed to test the framework, and their comments are qualitatively analyzed to illuminate their conceptualizations of AL. The study then calculates the frequencies, in AL and non‐AL language samples, of grammatical features claimed in AL research to enhance grammatical complexity. The language samples data (N=160, 100-standaridized-unit for all) are balanced between AL writing, AL speech, non‐AL writing, and non‐AL speech samples. Additionally, writing and speech samples are balanced between edited/unedited and prepared/unprepared samples, respectively. A three‐factor model with AL/non‐AL, written/spoken, and edited‐prepared/unedited‐unprepared as independent variables and twenty‐six grammatical features as dependent variables compares expected log counts using negative binomial regression. No categorical and only modest frequency differences are found between the grammatical features of AL and non‐AL language samples. These findings challenge the claim that AL has more complex grammar than non‐AL, indicating more similarity than difference. It is concluded that, given the prominence of discourse features in AL scholarship, the unitary construct of academic language should be reconceptualized as non‐unitary sets of school discourse practices. Implications for pedagogy and language‐of instruction policy are addressed, and suggestions are made for further research.Item De Facto Bilingual Education: The Role of Home Language Support in the Academic Achievement of Dual Language Learners(2020) Guzman, Natalia; MacSwan, Jeff; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Despite a clear finding that immigrant children in bilingual education programs outperform children in English-only instruction, little is known about the underlying causes of this effect and the variability in the results. This study seeks to understand cases in which bilingual students with emerging English skills appear to experience success or rapid academic gains in English-only classrooms in the apparent absence of home language support in school. Using a sample of 2,428 Spanish-speaking bilingual students in 438 schools from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), multilevel models are employed to integrate multiple sources of data from parent interviews, self-administered teacher surveys, school administrator questionnaires, and one-on-one student assessments. Drawing from research on family language policy, which focuses on how bilingual families manage and use languages, and on theories of bilingual education, this study shows that the academic support that parents provide using the home language gives bilingual children background knowledge or a network of contextual clues that helps them navigate English-only classrooms. This background knowledge gained through parental support in the home language allows bilingual learners with the lowest level of English proficiency to score higher in mathematics in English-only environments during the kindergarten year in the same way as home language support contributes to children’s success in bilingual and dual language programs. This finding is an empirical verification of what has been called “de facto” bilingual education, a situation in which an emergent English learner succeeds in an English-only classroom due to parental academic support in the home language. In addition, this study shows that the parents’ preference for a home language does not jeopardize the English language attainment of young children upon entry to kindergarten. These findings are of great significance to educators, policymakers, and researchers who strive for equitable educational practices that support the inclusion of all students in the classroom, as they provide a context for understanding oft-reported immigrant successes in English-only classrooms as “de facto” bilingual education provided by parents at home.Item Bilingual in a Monolingual District: Stakeholder Perspectives on Equitable Access to Dual Language Programs(2020) Marcus, Margaret Sullivan; MacSwan, Jeff; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative comparative case study explores the perspectives of 30 critical stakeholders, including parents, school administrators, and central office personnel, on perceptions of dual language education (DLE) programs at two public dual language schools in a large Mid-Atlantic metropolitan district. This study also explores how these different stakeholders access and perceive access to these programs. Grounded in a conceptual framework that includes Ruiz’s orientations of language (1984), interest convergence (Bell, 1980), critical consciousness (Cervantes-Soon et al., 2017; Palmer, et al., 2019), and equity (Espinoza, 2007; Monk, 1990; Murphy, 1988), this study uses semi-structured interviews to demonstrate converging and diverging views on equitable access to dual language programs. In the focal district of this study, a lottery system offers a mechanism for school choice, but this process does not always lead to access to dual language programs due to high demand and long waitlists. Latinx families choose a bilingual program for different reasons than their English-speaking counterparts. For the Latinx population, dual language represents a way for these families to maintain a connection to their language and heritage. For English-speakers, the DLE program decision is connected to attending their neighborhood school, the idea of their children having early exposure to a language, and the diversity of the community. This study contributes to the current body of literature that explores Latinx and English-speaking parents’ reasons for choosing a DLE program. This study differs from current literature because it includes multiple stakeholder perspectives to understand different interpretations of access to these highly sought-after programs. This study concludes with implications and suggestions for policy, practice, and research. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding with the focal school district, this work will be shared with central office personnel. This research has important implications for policy decisions regarding equitable access to DLE programs, particularly in terms of program intentions and communication between stakeholders.Item AN ANALYSIS OF CODE SWITCHING EVENTS IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING SPANISH-ENGLISH BILINGUAL CHILDREN(2020) Guevara, Sandra Stephanie; Ratner, Nan; Hearing and Speech Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Code-switching (CS) patterns were investigated in language samples of 14 typically-developing Spanish-English bilingual preschool-aged children. CS occurred primarily when the children spoke in Spanish. We investigated code-switched events, vocabulary measures, and disfluencies to better understand if children utilize code-switching to fill in lexical gaps in Spanish, as measured by disfluencies surrounding the code-switch. Results indicate that children’s spoken vocabulary diversity is not related to code-switching frequency, although their receptive vocabulary skills are negatively correlated to proportions of code-switched events. We also found no significant relationship between code-switched events and disfluencies across participants. Findings suggest clinical implications related to best practice for speech-language pathologists when working with bilingual children, as they observe language attrition, and code-switching related to language proficiency and dominance.Item LOOKING INTO BILINGUALISM THROUGH THE HERITAGE SPEAKER'S MIND(2012) Lee-Ellis, Sunyoung; DeKeyser, Robert M; Lidz, Jeffrey L; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Due to their unique profile as childhood bilinguals whose first language (L1) became weaker than their second language (L2), heritage speakers can shed light on three key issues in bilingualism - timing, input, and cross-linguistic interaction. The heritage speakers of focus in this dissertation are Korean second generation immigrants mainly exposed to their heritage language (HL) when young but who became more dominant in their L2 later in life. The ability of Korean heritage speakers in both their HL (Korean) and L2 (English), including speech perception, translation priming, and grammatical intuition were examined. Six psycholinguistic tasks, a bilingual experience questionnaire, and Korean and English proficiency tests were administered. Data were collected from 48 Korean heritage speakers, 36 English speakers learning Korean as adults and 36 Korean speakers learning English as adults. The two L2-learner comparison groups also served as native speaker controls for their respective native languages. The Korean heritage speakers raised in an English-speaking country, despite having been exposed to Korean first and throughout their lives, exhibited significant weaknesses in their Korean competence while exhibiting (near-)native-like competence in English. It is thus argued that the input-dominance switch that occurred before the critical period ended caused a dramatic reorganization of early/first established linguistic representation, which challenges some previous views on the implasticity of human language representation (e.g., Pallier et al, 1997). When compared to adult L2 learners of Korean, heritage speakers exhibited a slight advantage in speech perception and translation priming while showing no advantage in the grammaticality judgment of locative alternation. It is therefore suggested here that heritage speakers may have an advantage over adult L2 learners with early-acquired linguistic features and with implicit processing capacity. Another notable finding is that Korean heritage speakers showed less-than-nativelike performance in locative alternation in both Korean and English, a finding that highlights cross-linguistic interaction in bilingualism. The standard practice of comparing bilinguals to monolingual competence in SLA studies is thus called into question. Finally, although individual differences among the heritage participants in the current study were best predicted by language aptitude and amount of instruction, no conclusive claim regarding the role of language aptitude or instruction in early bilingualism is proposed here because it is unclear whether such effects influenced the childhood bilingual development or re-learning during adulthood of the current heritage participants. In short, timing, input, and cross-linguistic interaction all seem to contribute significantly to the development of bilingual competence. The heritage speakers examined in this dissertation turned out to be an excellent testing ground for all three of these ingredients of language acquisition.Item Equity in Spanish/English Dual Language Education: Practitioners' Perspectives(2012) Sugarman, Julie Sarice; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dual language programs have been shown to be one of the most successful models for closing the achievement gap between English-speaking and English-learning students, which can be considered a strong indicator of educational equity. However, questions remains about how equity is achieved within these programs and what equity means to practitioners. This study examines how practitioners define and interpret the concept of equity in the context of dual language education and what program- and classroom-level policies and practices may contribute to an equitable environment. Two interviews were conducted with fifteen teachers and administrators from a variety of Spanish/English dual language programs. In the first interview, participants defined equity and described examples of equity and inequity in their program or classroom, and in the second, participants used six key points from the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2007) to stimulate their thinking about what evidence they would look for to determine whether the practice described in the key point was being effectively implemented. Five imperatives emerged as key elements of an equitable dual language environment: practitioners cultivate an environment where English and Spanish have equal status, students of diverse ethno-linguistic backgrounds are positioned and recognized as equals, the curriculum and program model reflect the goals of bilingualism and biliteracy, multicultural curriculum and materials are used, and students have access to the curriculum and to educational resources. The types of evidence that participants felt were salient to the evaluation of equity reflected a variety of practices, including teacher and student language use, student grouping, and multiculturalism in curriculum and instruction. Participants also noted the importance of taking contextual factors into account when evaluating equity in a dual language program, including the reasoning behind teacher decision-making, developmental appropriateness and/or alignment with the dual language model, and the effect of the socio-political context in which dual language practitioners operate. Two ways that participants framed their examples of equity were, first, in terms of the challenges that stem from societal attitudes toward bilingualism and minority languages and cultures, and second, that efforts to increase equity have both academic and symbolic purposes.