Term

Spring 2017

Capstone

Thesis

Degree Name

MAESL

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Julia Reimer

Secondary Advisor/Reader One

Suzanne McCurdy

Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two

Sue Ann Rawlins

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess whether teaching adult English Language Learners (ELLs) to listen for new information spoken with prominence on the target new information increased their ability to make inferences about meaning. Data collected included: a pre and post-test to assess students’ learning during the intervention; an uptake sheet to solicit students’ self-perception of their learning about pronunciation and placement of new information; and a Likert scale to elicit participants’ self-assessment of their ability to identify and use prominence. While results of the post-test on selecting the correct inference were inconclusive, quantitative and qualitative data indicated gains in hearing prominence.

Research Methodology

Action Research

Keywords

Adult Education, ESL/ ELLs, Reading, Prosody

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