An 8 page proposal for a research study that proposes that the student-researcher will conduct a study of relevant literature that would summarize and synthesize the data that is currently available. The working hypothesis/assumption of this study is that such an examination of literature could be utilized to fashion an effective instructional guidelines that teachers could use to aid them in the complicated task of meeting the needs of ESL students. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_kheslst.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
1990s, the ESL student population in the US increased by an average of 8 percent per year (Williams, 2001). A recent study found that American teachers (roughly 43 percent of
all teachers) have at least one English language learner (ELL) in their classrooms (Meltzer and Hamann, 2006). Therefore, it is the duty of all teachers to play a role in
bringing the English proficiency of these students "up to speed," in terms of "reading, writing, and thinking skills," regardless of their native tongue or whether they are "monolingual, bilingual or
trilingual speakers" (Meltzer and Hamann, 2006, p. 128). English language acquisition, as well as, English proficiency, develops along a continuum. Interpersonal communication skills, that is, the skills associated with
conversational English, are mastered first. It usually takes an ESL student between two to three years to develop conversational proficiency, that is, the ability to make informational requests, provide descriptions
and express feelings (Williams, 2001). Proficiency in academic language is much more complex and cognitively demanding and includes language skills such a s "comparing, classifying, inferring, problem solving and evaluating"
(Williams, 2001, p. 750). Full academic proficiency in English can take anywhere from five to ten years to achieve (Williams, 2001). As this suggests, teachers err when they assume that
ESL students who possess a beginning level of language proficiency also possess the ability to handle the academic language required for many assignments. As this implies, there is a great
deal that teachers should know in regards to teaching English to ESL students. Therefore, the following research design proposes that the student-researcher will conduct a study of relevant literature
that would summarize and synthesize the data that is currently available. The working hypothesis/assumption of this study is that such an examination of literature could be utilized to fashion an