CI 5337: Second Language Acquisition and Development

Reference Material in the form of subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks typically provide background essays, definitions, broad overviews of various topics, or other pertinent facts. Online reference material can be searched via collections like those below.

Education at a Glance
Educator's Guide to Texas School Law
Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods
Review of Research in Education
Texas Higher Education Almanac

Research Topics

Language loss (Linguicism, linguistic imperialism, linguistic inequality, impact on culture, identity, and minority education)

Culturally Sustaining Practices in the ESL classroom (sociocultural learning theory; cultural awareness; cultural competence, cultural differences; intercultural attitudes; teaching minority group students)

Managing multiple languages for instruction in the ESL Classroom (multilingualism; multi-ethnic; language ego; cultural pluralism; culturally-relevant instruction; cross-cultural communication, additive classroom discourse)

Developing literacy in a second language  (cross-cultural factors; prior knowledge; cognition; metacognition; metalinguistic; comprehension; multi-modal literacy; divergent interpretation of text)

Global Englishes (language variety; speech communities; language identity; language attitudes; interpersonal communication)

Translanguaging (language mixing, lexical mixing, the role of context; creole development, third world bilingual communities; transglossia and dialects; globalized society)

ESL learners with disabilities (evaluation measures; learning disabilities; inclusion; disproportionate representation; test construction; test bias; educational policy; accommodations)

Parents of L2 learners and School Engagement (Building home to school connections; funds of knowledge; building community; asset-based approaches; equity; social justice)

Assessment of students learning English as a second language (issues of equity in schooling; standardized testing; Core Curriculum; ESL and: reading; writing; math; science; Latinos)  

Research Paper: Students will use a minimum of eight peer-reviewed research articles from the annotated bibliography project and course readings to develop a research paper addressing a selected topic related to language acquisition. Please use the Writing Center as a resource to support your research project.

• Use APA writing style (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Ed.)
• 8 pages minimum of the actual research paper.
• Additional pages:
  • Cover Page with your name, topic, course, instructor, semester, and year.
  • References - APA                                
• Use 1-inch margins, 12-size font, and use the following fonts Cambria, Times and Times New Roman, word process, double-space, and number pages. Your paper will include the following sections:
• Introduction: State why this topic matters in teaching emergent bilinguals.
• Report what the research literature stated.
• Conclusion: Based on the research findings, discuss the implications for teaching emergent bilinguals.
• Include at least one full page where you describe your philosophy of teaching and how this information helps you understand and conceptualize your role as a teacher of emergent bilinguals in terms of your ideologies, identity, and pedagogy.