Date of Award
2002
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Keywords
academic writing, adaptability, adaptable conferencing tool, bilingual students, communication, composition, course work, curriculum, data collection, development, English as a Second Language (ESL), English composition, English grammar, essays, exit examination, foreign students, formative committees, Freshman Composition I, grammar comprehension, higher education, language translation, literature review, native language, proficiency, questionnaires, research questions, Standard American English, student success, summative committees, validation, Valencia Community College, VCC, writing skills
Abstract
The problem was that in the Freshman Composition I (ENC 110) curriculum, foreign and bilingual (English as a Second Language [ESL]) students were missing elements of English grammar in writing essays as these same students translate ideas from the native language to English.
The purpose of this study was to produce the development and validation of an adaptable conferencing tool for foreign and bilingual (ESL) Freshman English Composition I (ENC 110 I) students at Valencia Community College (VCC). The tool that students needed had to be formatted for that particular student's academic writing needs, so that passing the exit examination, and subsequently the course, become viable.
Part of meeting Valencia Community College's goal is to help students succeed in course work. By developing a conferencing tool that can be adaptable to each student's skill level and native language grammar, the student's proficiency increased in formal Standard American English writing skills that help that the student pass the Freshman English Composition I (ENC 110 I) course and the exit examination.
The research questions for this study were," What is valid content for a conferencing tool which can be adapted for foreign and bilingual (ESL) students to increase comprehension of formal Standard American English grammar skills?" and "What is a valid design for a conferencing tool for enhancing foreign and bilingual student's grammar comprehension?"
Eight procedures were used for this project beginning with literature review. 3 Formative and summative committees were assigned open- ended questionnaires and liker! scales respectively. Data was complied from these instruments and presented to the Dean of Communication and Director of Composition on Valencia Community College's West Campus.