As classrooms become more diverse, not only in North America, but in most Western Countries, calls for more culturally relevant pedagogies that centre the lived experiences of diverse students have taken on greater importance and significance. This is in response to the need for increased engagement and educational success for all learners. I…

This dissertation describes and analyzes the academic language socialization of culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents through a multi-case ethnographic study of high school writing instruction in California. I argue that there is a significant gap between the norms for writing in English language development classes and those in the…

This paper contains an overview of policy decisions being made at the state and national levels about learning assistance activities in higher education and developmental education. The principles driving those decisions are also outlined. Some policymakers want to fine the high schools from which under prepared students have graduated; others…

A questionnaire measuring (1) the perceived evaluation of 23 student personnel services, (2) estimates of the relative frequency of selected student problems, and (3) opinions about counseling was administered to randomly selected samples of public two-year college faculty, students, and counselors. An instrument to measure the performance of…

Describes how one English teacher used Thomas Bell's "Out of This Furnace" to motivate student interest and writing in a freshman composition class. (HB)

Describes a two-year study to determine the relationship between initial evaluations of student placement essays and progress in a developmental writing course sequence at a midsize university. Finds a positive relationship and presents the methodology as a model for assessment, citing its adaptability, minimal costs, and improved program…

Developing literacy and language proficiency in English is essential to thrive in school and in the workforce in American society. Research on cross-linguistic influences on text-level skills is scant, especially studies investigating reading comprehension among language-minority adults. The present study investigated the effects of…

In this study we explore how absence from sociology classes is understood by undergraduate students at University College Dublin. The authors use Scott and Lyman's (1968) concept of accounts to explore absence sociologically. Drawing on data generated via focus groups, an open-ended questionnaire, and an online survey with students, we…

Research from populations around the world on attitudes to varieties of English is essential in order to have a better understanding of how the complexities of globalization play a role in the form of English as a world language. To that end, university students in China were asked to name countries around the world where they believe English is…

This study examines the influence of English language usage and international media on the strength of either national or global identity. The regression analysis of 354 responses reveals that individuals who studied at universities that use English as a medium of instruction show significant differences in the extent to which they embrace a…

A study was undertaken to gather data on declines in foreign language enrollment at Union County College (UCC) and other New Jersey two-year colleges and to identify means by which foreign language offerings might be enhanced. Surveys were sent to the 18 New Jersey two-year colleges besides UCC, requesting information on enrollments between 1994…

The purpose of the Test for English Majors (TEM) is to measure the English proficiency of Chinese university undergraduates majoring in English Language and Literature and to examine whether these students meet the required levels of English language abilities as specified in the National College English Teaching Syllabus for English Majors…

In this article, we employ a cultural historical theoretical framework to extend understandings of how widespread 2-year college placement policies concerning English remediation potentially locate and retain U.S.-educated Latino adolescents at the margins of higher education through well-intentioned yet deficit-driven postsecondary cultural…

The predictive value of the high-school-level battery of the tests of General Educational Development (GED) for two-year college academic performance was investigated. GED tests scores were examined to determine if they could substitute for a complete high school record as a source of predictor data. Student record data from a registrar's office…

The author explores an assumption evident in the literature that "most" college instructors grade participation in undergraduate courses. Instructors (N = 521) at a large, northeastern university were surveyed regarding their attitudes and practices in grading participation in undergraduate courses. A survey instrument was developed for the…