Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Lucille Beisner
Committee Member
Clifford Claiborne
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
communication, curriculum units, data collection, e-mail, educational technology, English as a second language, ESL, feedback, high school students, high schools, integrated-skill approach, language-learning, literacy, literacy skills, mentor feedback, mentors, North Carolina, preservice teachers, process writing, public schools, reading achievement, reading skills, second language instruction, task-based learning, teacher education, university students, writing skills
Abstract
This applied dissertation was a study that used a curriculum unit that was developed by Thombs (1998). It was a study to investigate the use of e-mail and preservice teachers as tools to enhance the literacy skills of high school students enrolled in the English as a second language (ESL) classes. A curriculum unit was used to encourage mentor feedback facilitated by e-mail communication. The ESL students wrote on topics that were assigned by their teacher, submitted the writings to their mentor via e-mail, and then received feedback from the mentor in the same manner. Originally, this curriculum unit was designed to emphasize a communicative approach to language-learning and process-writing techniques. In this study, the unit was an integrated-skill approach that was task-based. This unit was used to add to the limited amount of resources available to the students enrolled in the ESL class.
The subjects for this study were 15 ELL students in a public North Carolina high school (Grades 9-12). The ESL program of the school was in its 1st year. The population included United States resident language minority students. Mentors were 15 junior-level education majors enrolled at a nearby private university.
Data collection included pre- and post testing of the ELL students using the San Diego Quick and the Idea Proficiency Test. Both tests evaluated the students’ reading skills, and the Idea Proficiency Test also assessed writing skills. By both assessments, students showed significant growth in literacy levels of reading and writing; however, only 1 terminal objective of the study was met. The students increased by 2 grade levels in the reading scores of the Idea Proficiency Test.