Robin C. Scarcella

Second language vocabulary learning among adults: State of the art in vocabulary instruction

Abstract This article describes research on second language vocabulary instruction, with a focus on what motivates students, what they need, why knowing a word is a complex act, and which factors influence vocabulary acquisition (such as maturational constraints, frequency, attention, previous language background, and order of acquisition). In addition, the article outlines a research-based approach to vocabulary teaching based on four elements: analysis of needs, personalization, learning strategies, and variety.

Second language pronunciation: State of the art in instruction

Abstract The state of the art in teaching pronunciation is the topic of this article. Section 2 discusses types of competencies second language learners must gain to communicate with intelligible pronunciation. These include stress (loudness, pitch, and vowel length), rhythm, linking and assimilation, and sounds (vowels, consonants, and consonant clusters). Section 3 asks the question, “Should nativelike pronunciation be a goal?,” and answers that question by discussing instructional, social, psychological, and maturational factors affecting development of language skills. Section 4 offers a research-based approach to teaching pronunciation based on the foregoing information.

A Randomized Experiment of a Cognitive Strategies Approach to Text-Based Analytical Writing for Mainstreamed Latino English Language Learners in Grades 6 to 12

Abstract This study reports Year 1 findings from a multisite cluster randomized controlled trial of a cognitive strategies approach to teaching text-based analytical writing for mainstreamed Latino English language learners (ELLs) in 9 middle schools and 6 high schools. There were 103 English teachers stratified by school and grade and then randomly assigned to the Pathway Project professional development intervention or control group. The Pathway Project trains teachers to use a pretest on-demand writing assessment to improve text-based analytical writing instruction for mainstreamed Latino ELLs who are able to participate in regular English classes. The intervention draws on well-documented instructional frameworks for teaching mainstreamed ELLs. Such frameworks emphasize the merits of a cognitive strategies approach that supports these learners’ English language development. Pathway teachers participated in 46 hrs of training and learned how to apply cognitive strategies by using an on-demand writing assessment to help students understand, interpret, and write analytical essays about literature. Multilevel models revealed significant effects on an on-demand writing assessment (d = .35) and the California Standards Test in English language arts (d = .07).

Enhancing the Interpretive Reading and Analytical Writing of Mainstreamed English Learners in Secondary School Results From a Randomized Field Trial Using a Cognitive Strategies Approach

In this study, 72 secondary English teachers from the Santa Ana Unified School District were randomly assigned to participate in the Pathway Project, a cognitive strategies approach to teaching interpretive reading and analytical writing, or to a control condition involving typical district training focusing on teaching content from the textbook. Pathway teachers learned how to use an on-demand writing assessment to help mainstreamed English learners understand, interpret, and write analytical essays. In Year 2, treatment effects were replicated on an on-demand writing assessment (d = .67) and showed evidence of transfer to improved performance on a standardized writing test (d = .10). The results underscore the efficacy of a cognitive strategies reading/writing intervention for mainstreamed English learners (ELs) in the secondary grades.

English Learners, Writing, and the Common Core.

Adopted by 46 states, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) present a vision of what it means to be literate in the twenty-first century and call for all students, including English learners, to develop critical reading skills necessary for a deep understanding of complex texts, and critical writing skills to write about those texts. This article addresses how teachers can prepare English learners to meet the CCSS for writing in grades K–8. It considers the degree and type of additional scaffolding English learners need to write at a level required in the standards, gives examples of best practices for teaching English learners, and provides specific lessons and activities for the types of writing emphasized in the standards. In addition, the relevant research on English-learning writers in grades K–8 as well as on effective interventions geared toward helping English learners attain higher level academic literacy is reviewed.