Term
Spring 5-10-2016
Capstone
Thesis
Degree Name
MAEd
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Jason E. Miller
Secondary Advisor/Reader One
Amy I. Young
Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two
Marina Medina
Abstract
The research question addressed in this project was, how does implementing (Spanish) form and function focused language activities during independent reading time affect subject-verb agreement and opinion formation in third grade students’ writing? The study was grounded in the idea of cross-curricular transfer (Meyer & Schendel, 2014; Zwiers, 2006). Students utilized scaffolded form and function focused Spanish language frames in a peer-to-peer reciprocal teaching setting during reading, with the intent that the linguistic learning would transfer to students’ writing. Using Brown's (1973) Obligatory Occasion Analysis method as outlined by Ellis and Barkhuizen (2005) the researcher found substantial improvement in subject-verb agreement for preterit tense verb forms and opinion formation. He discovered some inconsistencies in growth by gender and race, as well as improvements in verb forms not directly focused on. This project adds significant new findings to the field of immersion education research.
Research Methodology
Action Research
Keywords
Literacy, Immersion Education
Recommended Citation
Rice, Brian John, "Form and Function Focused Language Activities and Their Effects on Student Writing in a Spanish Immersion Classroom" (2016). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4119.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4119