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Title: Complexity and Blocked Trial Presentation in a Novel Verb Generalization Task.
Creator: Pruzansky, Rita, Kersten, Alan, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The current study examined the role of complexity and initial variability of exemplars during learning in verb generalization. Children and adults learned two novel verbs in the context of two novel creatures across two sessions. After a second training session, participants completed a generalization task during which they were required to identify the verbs when presented with seven novel creatures of varying levels of complexity. Performance was compared across age group and condition....
Show moreThe current study examined the role of complexity and initial variability of exemplars during learning in verb generalization. Children and adults learned two novel verbs in the context of two novel creatures across two sessions. After a second training session, participants completed a generalization task during which they were required to identify the verbs when presented with seven novel creatures of varying levels of complexity. Performance was compared across age group and condition. Participants who initially learned the verbs in the context of a single, simple exemplar demonstrated a higher proportion of correct responses than participants who initially learned the verbs with both a simple & complex exemplar. These results provide evidence that fewer exemplars during initial training of novel verbs may increase learning in young children, as well as some evidence that complex exemplars may increase the difficulty of learning and generalizing verbs.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004622
Subject Headings: Psycholinguistics., Language acquisition., Cognitive grammar.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Negotiation of meaning in interlanguage talk.
Creator: Tegge, Friederike A., Florida Atlantic University, DuBravac, Stayc, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This small-scale study investigated the extent to which negotiations of meaning during methodologically focused communicative partner-activities were concerned with a grammatical target structure, the dative case following spatial prepositions in German. In addition, the impact of the negotiation of the target structure on subsequent learner performance was investigated. The subjects, beginning-level students of German, participated in two two-way information-gap activities, preceded and...
Show moreThis small-scale study investigated the extent to which negotiations of meaning during methodologically focused communicative partner-activities were concerned with a grammatical target structure, the dative case following spatial prepositions in German. In addition, the impact of the negotiation of the target structure on subsequent learner performance was investigated. The subjects, beginning-level students of German, participated in two two-way information-gap activities, preceded and followed by the same grammaticality judgment test. The interaction was audiotaped and transcribed. The improvement in accuracy between the pretest and the posttest was calculated and correlated with the number of negotiation moves. The results indicate that the subjects negotiated meaning, including form, frequently. However, no significant change in the subjects' subsequent performance was observed.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13114
Subject Headings: Interlanguage (Language learning), Language transfer (Language learning), Second language acquisition
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effect of face-voice synchrony on infant allocation of visual attention.
Creator: Minar, Nicholas J., Hansen, Amy, Lewkowicz, David J., Graduate College
Date Issued: 2011-04-08
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3165808
Subject Headings: Speech perception, Language acquisition, Prosodic analysis (Linguistics)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Spanish accented English: Pronunciation accuracy and factors affecting L2 acquisition.
Creator: Donadio, Antonella., Florida Atlantic University, Trammell, Robert L.
Abstract/Description: This study examines the English pronunciation of 20 native speakers of Spanish of the Americas who have been living in the United States for a period ranging from 1 to 37 years. The 20 participants were divided into three groups according to their age of arrival and length of residence in the United States. The subjects recorded 22 sentences which contained notorious interference features such as the lax vowels /I, U, ∧, ae/, the distinctions between /c-s/, /s-z/, /theta-t/ and between /b d g...
Show moreThis study examines the English pronunciation of 20 native speakers of Spanish of the Americas who have been living in the United States for a period ranging from 1 to 37 years. The 20 participants were divided into three groups according to their age of arrival and length of residence in the United States. The subjects recorded 22 sentences which contained notorious interference features such as the lax vowels /I, U, ∧, ae/, the distinctions between /c-s/, /s-z/, /theta-t/ and between /b d g/ versus Spanish [beta th gamma]. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors of age of learning, length of residence, amount of L2 use, amount of English instruction, and gender and their significance for the pronunciation accuracy in English.
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12931
Subject Headings: English language--Pronunciation by foreign speakers, Second language acquisition
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Out-of-Home Dual Language Exposure of Children from Spanish-Speaking Homes: Changes from 2 to 5 Years.
Creator: Welsh, Stephanie N., Hoff, Erika, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: In order to explain the development of English and Spanish skills in children from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States, it is necessary to identify their sources of language exposure. Most research to date has focused on home language use. The aim of this study is to identify sources of English and Spanish exposure outside the home that bilingual children experience between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The present study focuses on 3 potential sources: grandparents, extracurricular...
Show moreIn order to explain the development of English and Spanish skills in children from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States, it is necessary to identify their sources of language exposure. Most research to date has focused on home language use. The aim of this study is to identify sources of English and Spanish exposure outside the home that bilingual children experience between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The present study focuses on 3 potential sources: grandparents, extracurricular activities, and early childcare and education settings. We ask how much English and Spanish exposure children receive, how that changes from 2.5 to 5 years, and whether family variables influence those changes. Participants were 149 children from Spanish-speaking homes in southeastern Florida, with at least one parent an immigrant from a Spanish-speaking country. Measured out-of-home sources of input included hours per of week of English and Spanish from a Grandparent, during Extracurricular Activities, and during Preschool at 30, 36, 42, 48, and 60 months. Parents’ Native Language Background groups were either both native Spanish-speaking or one native, Spanish-speaking and one native, English-speaking. Maternal Education was treated as a dichotomous variable: mothers whose highest level of education in English is less than a four-year college degree and mothers whose highest level of education in English is equivalent to or greater than a four-year college degree. Child Birth Order was also treated as a dichotomous variable: only children and first-born children or later born children. Results revealed that for these children from Spanish-speaking homes, Grandparents are primarily a source of heritage-language (Spanish) input and Extracurricular Activities and Preschool are primarily a source of societal-language (English) input. Findings suggest English exposure from out-of-home sources increases over time possibly at the expense of Spanish exposure. Parents’ Native Language Backgrounds and Maternal Education influenced children’s exposure to both languages from these outside sources of input; Child Birth Order did not. Implications for future research and practical application are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004891, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004891
Subject Headings: Child development., Second language acquisition., Language acquisition--Parent participation., Bilingualism in children., Language awareness in children., Language transfer (Language learning), Verbal ability.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Verb acquisition and generalization strategies of preschool children.
Creator: Pruzansky, Rita, Earles, Julie, Kersten, Alan
Date Issued: 2012-04-06
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3350924
Subject Headings: Child development, Cognitive grammar, Language acquisition --Age factors, Language arts (Early childhood), Psycholinguistics, Children --Language
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Belongingness and integrative motivation in second language acquisition.
Creator: Kvasnak, Robb., College of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning
Abstract/Description: This study investigates the perceptions that second language students have of those who speak the language that these students are trying to acquire and examines how these perceptions relate to students' progress in acquiring the target language. The study is based on the psychological theory of the need to belong, i.e. belongingness as well as on the concept of integrative motivation. This study is a qualitative investigation that uses the Repertory Grid Technique and Personal Construct...
Show moreThis study investigates the perceptions that second language students have of those who speak the language that these students are trying to acquire and examines how these perceptions relate to students' progress in acquiring the target language. The study is based on the psychological theory of the need to belong, i.e. belongingness as well as on the concept of integrative motivation. This study is a qualitative investigation that uses the Repertory Grid Technique and Personal Construct Theory in order to elicit subject perceptions and their constructs. Membership checking was carried out with nine of the originally interviewed 22 subjects in order to obtain more insight into the subjects' perceptions of themselves, their progress, and, most importantly, their perceptions of the target language speakers. One of the important findings in this study is the establishment of what elements second language students use to construct views of target language speakers., The subjects of this study used specific culture, generic culture, language, and perceptions to try to understand target language speakers. Furthermore, those subjects who had graduated from the community college program from which the subjects were drawn and who were now working in the everyday world showed strong desire to integrate into English-speaking society. Conversely, these program graduates showed an increased degree of criticism of American English speakers. Their views may be attributed to the close contact and lack of preparation for contact with target language speakers, as the community college program contained little or no instruction on American English culture., The perceptions of being marginalized expressed by the graduates, perceptions not shared by those students still in the community college program, indicate a need for a change in curriculum which would emphasize the students' social needs outside of and beyond the classroom and cultivate a sense of belonging to target language society. Belongingness and integrative motivation may well the key to a bright new future of second language acquisition. As more research is done on the significance of both concepts, and as they are increasingly incorporated into language learning classrooms, students should acquire target languages with greater ease.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/47403
Subject Headings: Second language acquisition, Language and languages, Study and teaching, Communicative competence, Identity (Psychology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Family constellation and language experience as influences on bilingual first language acquisition.
Creator: Place, Silvia., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This study investigated the effects of family composition and properties of children's dual language exposure on bilingual first language acquisition. Mothers of 29 toddlers (13 boys and 16 girls, M age = 25.66 months, SD = .44) kept a language diary, providing measures of the amount, the contexts, and the persons with whom the children experienced English and Spanish. Measures of the children's vocabulary balance were obtained from English and Spanish language inventories. Results showed...
Show moreThis study investigated the effects of family composition and properties of children's dual language exposure on bilingual first language acquisition. Mothers of 29 toddlers (13 boys and 16 girls, M age = 25.66 months, SD = .44) kept a language diary, providing measures of the amount, the contexts, and the persons with whom the children experienced English and Spanish. Measures of the children's vocabulary balance were obtained from English and Spanish language inventories. Results showed that only children with two native Spanish-speaking parents had larger Spanish than English vocabularies and experienced more hours of Spanish-only exposure and Spanish-only conversational contexts. Analysis of covariance demonstrated that the effect of family composition on vocabulary balance was completely mediated by the balance of English and Spanish in the children's language exposure. There was no evidence of a unique effect of experiencing Spanish-only conversational contexts or partners on children's acquisition of Spanish.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/246048
Subject Headings: Language acquisition, Parent participation, Language arts (Early childhood), Hispanic American families, Language, Bilingualism in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Phonological memory and the development of vocabulary and grammar in young Spanish-English bilinguals.
Creator: Parra, Marisol., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This study tested the hypotheses that phonological memory contributes to vocabulary and grammatical development in young Spanish-English bilinguals, and that the relation between phonological memory and both vocabulary and grammar is language-specific. Phonological memory skill was the percentage of consonants correctly repeated (PCC) in English, and Spanish Nonword Repetition (NWR) tasks at 22 months. Vocabulary size and grammatical complexity were measured at 25 months using the English and...
Show moreThis study tested the hypotheses that phonological memory contributes to vocabulary and grammatical development in young Spanish-English bilinguals, and that the relation between phonological memory and both vocabulary and grammar is language-specific. Phonological memory skill was the percentage of consonants correctly repeated (PCC) in English, and Spanish Nonword Repetition (NWR) tasks at 22 months. Vocabulary size and grammatical complexity were measured at 25 months using the English and Spanish versions for the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Nonword repetition accuracy was significantly related to both subsequent vocabulary size and grammatical complexity within and across languages after controlling for the percentage of input in English. The relations were not significantly higher within than between languages. The results suggest that in these young Spanish-English simultaneous bilinguals phonological memory is a language-general ability that contributes to the development of vocabulary and grammar in both English and Spanish.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/1927606
Subject Headings: Language and languages, Physiological aspects, Bilingualism, Second language acquisition, Learning, Psychology of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The application of the less is more hypothesis in foreign language learning.
Creator: Chin, Simone L., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This study tests Newports Less is More hypothesis with a language teaching experiment. Computerized French language lessons were presented to forty-two adults over two one-hour sessions. Learning trials were presented either in full sentences to resemble the adult learning environment, or in small increments that gradually increased to full sentences, resembling the steadily expanding processing capabilities of children. Trials were also presented randomly or ordered such that multiple...
Show moreThis study tests Newports Less is More hypothesis with a language teaching experiment. Computerized French language lessons were presented to forty-two adults over two one-hour sessions. Learning trials were presented either in full sentences to resemble the adult learning environment, or in small increments that gradually increased to full sentences, resembling the steadily expanding processing capabilities of children. Trials were also presented randomly or ordered such that multiple examples of the same objects and verbs were presented consecutively. Language proficiency tests were administered after the lessons. A 2 (Presentation: incremental or full sentence) x 2 (Order of presentation: blocked or random) mixed ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The incremental conditions outperformed the sentence conditions on all proficiency measures. There was no significant effect of the blocking manipulation. This outcome suggests that a teaching method based on Newport's Less is More hypothesis can be advantageous in learning a foreign language.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/368254
Subject Headings: Second language acquisition, Methodology, Language and languages, Study and teaching, Cognitive grammar, Biolinguistics, Human information processing
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effects of gesturing, blocked order, and incremental presentation in foreign language learning.
Creator: Chin, Simone L., Kersten, Alan, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Research in second language acquisition reveals that adults have difficulty learning the grammatical aspects of a foreign language. The present study investigated the efficacy of three teaching methods that were predicted to help adults better learn the grammar of a foreign language. First, lessons were presented in small pieces that gradually increased to full sentences. Second, lesson trials were blocked such that multiple examples of sentences with the same object or verb were presented...
Show moreResearch in second language acquisition reveals that adults have difficulty learning the grammatical aspects of a foreign language. The present study investigated the efficacy of three teaching methods that were predicted to help adults better learn the grammar of a foreign language. First, lessons were presented in small pieces that gradually increased to full sentences. Second, lesson trials were blocked such that multiple examples of sentences with the same object or verb were presented consecutively. Third, participants were instructed to gesture the actions of the verbs within sentences. All three methods were predicted to increase the likelihood of learning the grammar form of sentences through guiding adults’ attention to fewer components of language input at a time. In Experiment 1, 82 English native speakers played an adventure videogame designed for the learning of French vocabulary and grammar of French sentences for two one-hour sessions. All three methods were incorporated in the lessons portion of the game resulting in a 2(incremental vs. full sentence) X 2(blocked vs. unblocked order) X 2(gesture vs. no gesture) between subjects design. The results from Experiment 1 revealed a) more nouns were acquired than verbs and b) a trend that the incremental conditions performed worse than the full sentence conditions on the grammar measures. In Experiment 2, 110 adult learners played the French videogame, but only the blocked presentation and gesture imitation methods were incorporated in the lessons portion (omitting the method of incremental presentation). The results from Experiment 2 revealed a) conditions with either method of blocked presentation or gesturing performed better on vocabulary and grammar measures than the unblocked non-gesture condition, and b) the combination of blocked presentation and gesturing led to better learning of inductive grammar than either method alone. The outcome of the study suggests gesturing and blocked order teaching methods that encourage adults to attend to a few but important components within a sentence are advantageous in learning the grammar of a foreign language.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004186, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004186
Subject Headings: Bilingualism, Biolinguistics, Cognitive grammar, Language and languages -- Study and teaching, Nonverbal communication, Second language acquisition -- Methodology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Language production and comprehension in bilingual children.
Creator: Ribot, Krystal M., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Many adults who have dual language experience describe themselves as "passive bilinguals," able to understand two languages, but speak only one. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between language production and comprehension in bilingual children in order to determine whether bilingual comprehension is more readily achieved than production. ... Productive and receptive skills in both languages were assessed using standardized tests. Children's relative amount of exposure to...
Show moreMany adults who have dual language experience describe themselves as "passive bilinguals," able to understand two languages, but speak only one. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between language production and comprehension in bilingual children in order to determine whether bilingual comprehension is more readily achieved than production. ... Productive and receptive skills in both languages were assessed using standardized tests. Children's relative amount of exposure to each language, as well as their language choice during production was measured via interview with the primary caregiver.... Language exposure as measured via dominance in one language over another appears to affect productive language differently than receptive language, further evidencing that language exposure is a significant predictor of acquisition that predicts production and comprehension differently. Additionally, when input is held constant, child language choice is uniquely related to productive and receptive language skill. The results of this study not only describe patterns of productive and receptive language skills and their correlates in young bilinguals, but they also address competing theories regarding the roles of input and output in the development of language comprehension and production.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358962
Subject Headings: Bilingualism in children, Second language acquisition, Cognitive learning, Language transfer (Language learning)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Effect of Bilingualism and Aging on Inhibitory Control.
Creator: Salvatierra, Judy Lee, Florida Atlantic University, Rosselli, Monica, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Recent studies have suggested that bilingualism may provide an advantage to older adults on inhibitory control and have a positive effect on some cognitive declines seen in normal aging. This study examined the effects of bilingualism on inhibitory control using a Simon task and a Stroop task on a heterogeneous sample of bilinguals whose level of proficiency on each of their two languages varied widely. Comparison of performances between younger and older monolingual and bilingual...
Show moreRecent studies have suggested that bilingualism may provide an advantage to older adults on inhibitory control and have a positive effect on some cognitive declines seen in normal aging. This study examined the effects of bilingualism on inhibitory control using a Simon task and a Stroop task on a heterogeneous sample of bilinguals whose level of proficiency on each of their two languages varied widely. Comparison of performances between younger and older monolingual and bilingual participants revealed a bilingual advantage on the Simon task. Results support the view that bilingualism increases skills that are associated with selective attention. Additionally, older bilingual adults performed as well as younger bilingual adults suggesting they are not experiencing the age-related declines in the efficiency of inhibitory processes observed in the older monolingual adults. However, a bilingual advantage was not observed on the Stroop task indicating that the advantage may depend on the nature of the distracting stimulus. Bilinguals may be better equipped than monolinguals at inhibiting misleading spatial information but not at inhibiting misleading linguistic information. The performance of balanced and non-balanced bilinguals was similar under both Simon and Stroop tasks suggesting that language level proficiency does not play a role in providing an advantage.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000877
Subject Headings: Language acquisition--Age factors, Cognition, Psycholinguistics, Bilingualism--Psychological aspects, Language transfer (Language learning)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Children attend to intrinsic motions when learning nouns.
Creator: Iglesias, Adam, Florida Atlantic University, Kersten, Alan, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The present research was designed to test whether 3-year-old-English-speaking children preferentially associate novel nouns with intrinsic motion rather than extrinsic motion, as predicted by the theory of Kersten (1998). Intrinsic motion refers to the ways the parts of an object move in relation to one another. In contrast, extrinsic motion refers to the motion of an object as a whole with respect to an external reference point (e.g. another object). In two separate experiments, we...
Show moreThe present research was designed to test whether 3-year-old-English-speaking children preferentially associate novel nouns with intrinsic motion rather than extrinsic motion, as predicted by the theory of Kersten (1998). Intrinsic motion refers to the ways the parts of an object move in relation to one another. In contrast, extrinsic motion refers to the motion of an object as a whole with respect to an external reference point (e.g. another object). In two separate experiments, we demonstrated that nouns are associated with intrinsic motion and verbs are associated with extrinsic motion. Specifically, children were able to detect differences between stimuli paired with novel nouns based on intrinsic motion and stimuli paired with novel verbs based on extrinsic motion. In other words, we shed light on the different motion cues children attend to when learning nouns and verbs. Thus, children utilize motion cues in addition to static characteristics when learning nouns and verbs. Therefore, distinct types of motion information play an important role in the learning of nouns and verbs.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13270
Subject Headings: Motion, Vocabulary--Study and teaching (Primary), Language acquisition
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Response to Audiovisual Nonnative Phonemic Contrasts Does Not Decline in Infancy.
Creator: Sowinski, Ryan C., Lewkowicz, David J., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Previous research has demonstrated that sensitivity to unimodal nonnative speech contrasts generally narrows during the first year. Although other work has demonstrated a processing advantage for multimodal stimuli, research on infants' responsiveness to nonnative contrasts so far has not examined whether concurrent auditory and visual speech information can modulate perceptual narrowing. Thus, the current study investigated the influence ofbimodally specified speech sounds on infants'...
Show morePrevious research has demonstrated that sensitivity to unimodal nonnative speech contrasts generally narrows during the first year. Although other work has demonstrated a processing advantage for multimodal stimuli, research on infants' responsiveness to nonnative contrasts so far has not examined whether concurrent auditory and visual speech information can modulate perceptual narrowing. Thus, the current study investigated the influence ofbimodally specified speech sounds on infants' sensitivity to a nonnative phonemic contrast. Six-month-old and 10- to 12-month-old infants were tested in a habituation/test procedure for discrimination of an audiovisual nonnative speech contrast (Hindi /tal dental vs. /Tal retroflex stop). Findings showed that infants at both ages exhibited evidence of discrimination following habituation to one of the speech sounds. These findings suggest that the usually observed decline in responsiveness to nonnative speech contrasts is limited to audibly specified contrasts and that concurrent visual speech information enhances the discriminability of such contrasts.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000835
Subject Headings: Language acquisition, Speech perception, Perceptual learning, Psycholinguistics, Phonetics--Research
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The role of other-regulation in second language learners of beginning Spanish.
Creator: Seiden, Carolina M., Florida Atlantic University, DuBravac, Stayc
Abstract/Description: This qualitative study analyzes speech data from learner's interaction in small group and paired activities in the classroom. The analysis is framed in Vygotsky's theory of language. The findings suggest that peer-peer interaction alone does not increase the opportunities for students to understand, practice and incorporate new concepts into their developing second language. Other-regulation---collaborative dialogue---and scaffolding---the task preparation so the student is compelled to...
Show moreThis qualitative study analyzes speech data from learner's interaction in small group and paired activities in the classroom. The analysis is framed in Vygotsky's theory of language. The findings suggest that peer-peer interaction alone does not increase the opportunities for students to understand, practice and incorporate new concepts into their developing second language. Other-regulation---collaborative dialogue---and scaffolding---the task preparation so the student is compelled to perform a task that appears to be within his/her reach---are compromised when the task lacks context and personal significance for the students.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13120
Subject Headings: Second language acquisition, Interdisciplinary approach in education, Spanish language--Study and teaching, Language and languages--Study and teaching
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An Examination of Academic Performance of Haitian- Creole- and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners Based on the Number of Years in the ELL program.
Creator: Augustin, Ducarmel S., Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The primary purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between Haitian-Creole and Spanish-speaking English Language Learners students’ number of years in the ELL program and their academic achievement as indicated by performance on the third-grade Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test Reading. This study also sought to determine if elementary school size (total student population), ELL student count (total number of ELL students in a school), school socioeconomic status (percentage...
Show moreThe primary purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between Haitian-Creole and Spanish-speaking English Language Learners students’ number of years in the ELL program and their academic achievement as indicated by performance on the third-grade Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test Reading. This study also sought to determine if elementary school size (total student population), ELL student count (total number of ELL students in a school), school socioeconomic status (percentage of free and reduced lunch), student gender, and student home language (Haitian-Creole and Spanish), individual SES, and individual Idea Proficiency Test moderate the relationship. The study included data analysis using quantitative methods for the 141 elementary schools in school district. A bivariate correlation of the Pearson Correlation value (r = -.021, p > .05) was used to test the relationship between the number of years in the ELL program and achievement results for third-grade student FCAT Reading proficiency and the moderator variables (elementary school size, ELL student count, school SES, student gender, student home language, individual SES, and IPT individual score). Later, a multiple regression was used to test the moderation hypotheses. The study found that the degree of relationship between the number of years students are in the ELL program and FCAT scores of Haitian-Creole- and Spanishspeaking English Language Learner students is higher as SES increases. As SES decreases, so does the relationship. Of the 1,204 records reviewed, 423 were classified as Haitian-Creole-speaking students versus 782 classified as Spanish-speaking students. Only 16% of the students scored a level 3-5 (passed as proficient) as opposed to 84% who scored a level 1-2 (non-proficient). The study reveals a need for further research to investigate the impact that ELLs’ SES as well as the school’s SES has on the school’s achievement.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004654, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004654
Subject Headings: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, School improvement programs -- Florida, Second language acquisition
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Relations between Home Language Exposure and Vocabulary Development in Bilingual Toddlers.
Creator: Bridges, Kelly, Hoff, Erika, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: This study examined the relation between home language exposure from different household members, specifically older siblings, and English and Spanish vocabulary development in bilingual toddlers. The English and Spanish vocabularies of 38 toddlers (19 boys and 19 girls; Mage = 2.14 years, SD = .14) were measured. Parental EI?-glish use was found to be the strongest predictor of English and Spanish proficiencies. Among households in which the parents use less than 10% English, having older...
Show moreThis study examined the relation between home language exposure from different household members, specifically older siblings, and English and Spanish vocabulary development in bilingual toddlers. The English and Spanish vocabularies of 38 toddlers (19 boys and 19 girls; Mage = 2.14 years, SD = .14) were measured. Parental EI?-glish use was found to be the strongest predictor of English and Spanish proficiencies. Among households in which the parents use less than 10% English, having older siblings had no effect on English language proficiency but was associated with lower levels of Spanish proficiency.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000728
Subject Headings: Bilingualism in children, Second language acquisition, Sociolinguistics, Interaction analysis in education, Language and culture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Verb acquisition and generalization strategies of preschool children.
Creator: Pruzansky, Rita, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: This experiment tested 3 to 5-year-old children's (n=18) abilities to learn a novel verb in the context of one or two novel objects. We showed the children claymation videos of novel creatures performing two novel actions. They were then tested on whether they could correctly identify the action that a creature was performing in the form of a 'yes' or 'no' response. Children in the blocked condition, who learned the verbs in the context of one creature, responded correctly more often (p=.01)...
Show moreThis experiment tested 3 to 5-year-old children's (n=18) abilities to learn a novel verb in the context of one or two novel objects. We showed the children claymation videos of novel creatures performing two novel actions. They were then tested on whether they could correctly identify the action that a creature was performing in the form of a 'yes' or 'no' response. Children in the blocked condition, who learned the verbs in the context of one creature, responded correctly more often (p=.01) than children in the grouped condition, who learned the verbs in the context of two creatures. Results were similar when tested again one week later. These findings suggest that when teaching young children verbs, it may be more effective to first teach in the context of one object so that the children have a more confident understanding of the verb meaning.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3359311, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT3359311
Subject Headings: Language acquisition, Age factors, Child development, Language awareness in children, Psycholinguistics, Language arts (Early childhood), Cognitive grammar
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: English language learners in Florida: a dissertation about a legal and policy study of Florida's Multicultural Educaton Training and Advocacy (META) Consent Decree.
Creator: Rodriguez, Maria de L., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The increasing number of English language learners (ELL) in Florida's public schools has brought challenges to educational leaders as they work to provide educational opportunity to these children. In 1990, several community and activist groups filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education to pressure it to provide adequate English language programs in all public schools. The lawsuit resulted in Floridas META Consent Decree (MCD), a legal accord by which Florida agreed to...
Show moreThe increasing number of English language learners (ELL) in Florida's public schools has brought challenges to educational leaders as they work to provide educational opportunity to these children. In 1990, several community and activist groups filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education to pressure it to provide adequate English language programs in all public schools. The lawsuit resulted in Floridas META Consent Decree (MCD), a legal accord by which Florida agreed to provide adequate teacher training and educational programs, thereby improving access to equal opportunity for ELLs. ELLs are also called limited English proficient (LEP) students in other states. This term was changed in Florida because the LEP label brought with it a negative connotation as it referred to proficiency within the learning of English as a limitation rather than as an asset. The study presents a comprehensive review of the MCD and its eleven main components. Through document and content analysis, the study intended to ix determine whether Florida's 67 public school districts comply with the decree and whether policies are in place to implement the court authorized processes. The study begins with an introduction, which includes historical data and Florida demographics that relate to the issue of second language learners. A review of the literature incorporates legal cases and pertinent educational policies that have preceded the decree., The review also examined the major political and educational barriers that English language learners (ELL) encounter in Florida, as well as the research that suggests what programs and practices are required for successful second language learning. From the impact of antiimmigrant sentiments and English-only movements, to the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) v.FL Board of Education (1990) class action lawsuit, the study investigated the status of ELL programs in the state of Florida and the debates that surrounds them.The study intended to inform fellow educational leaders of these topics so that our work on behalf of K-12 ELLs can be more effective. Recognizing and preparing for the impact that the increasing numbers of ELLs will continue to have in Florida is an integral part of becoming a well-rounded educational leader and facilitates providing the services these students require, deserve, and to which they are entitled. The study also informs policymakers and practitioners of the pending needs and provides a roadmap to improving second language learning programs and practices in Florida.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3333311
Subject Headings: English language, Study and teaching, Foreign speakers, Second language acquisition, Minorities, Education, Language arts, Educational equalization
Format: Document (PDF)

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