Paradigms with conflicting data patterns can be difficult to learn, resulting in acquisition error. In this dissertation, I look at how paradigms are reanalyzed over time to gain insight into the factors that influence morphophonological learning. Existing models of morphophonology (e.g. Hare & Elman 1995; Albright 2002b,a, 2010) predict…

This experimental study investigated the impact of explicit and implicit feedback on acquiring Arabic grammar for second learners. The participants were forty-five lower-intermediate male participants studying Arabic as a second language in a Saudi Arabian language institution. All participants were equally divided into three groups; the explicit…

Research indicates that readers break down complex words into their smallest, meaning-based units (morphemes) when spelling (e.g., Senechal, 2000). However, it remains unclear how morphemes are formed and whether newly formed morphological knowledge (i.e., knowledge of morphemes) is strong enough to support word learning. The current research…

The tendency for negation to appear early in the sentence, dubbed the "Neg-First principle" by Horn (1989:452), has been observed in the domains of typology, language contact, and language acquisition. Based on evidence from these fields, scholars have speculated about the source and universality of Neg-First biases affecting language…

Generalization is the ability to apply regularities to novel instances, for example, correctly guessing that the plural for the novel English word 'wug' should be 'wugs'. Early language learners make overgeneralization errors like 'mouses', applying regularities beyond their attested uses. Theories concerned with the question of how learners learn…

A nonrandomized quasi-experimental, mixed-method double pretest-posttest design was used to compare the effects of a multilinguistic word study model of instruction -- RAVE-O program (Wolf, Miller, & Donnelly, 2000) -- in comparison with a phonics word study model of instruction -- Fountas and Pinnell Phonics Lessons -- Letters, words, and how…

This thesis examines whether native, heritage, and L2 speakers of Spanish engage a morphological layer of representation in the processing of inflected words, and whether they do so with both regularly- and irregularly-inflected words. Also examined is whether this tendency towards compositional (i.e. morphological rule-based) processing is…

Academic vocabulary knowledge is central to reading achievement, particularly for students who have limited experiences with academic discourse outside of school. Yet many teachers devote little time to focused instruction in this area, because they may lack critical meta-linguistic and pedagogical knowledge. The purpose of this longitudinal…

English language learners (ELLs) represent one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States, and they experience reading difficulties and increased risk for Special Education identification compared to English-only speaking students (EOs). Lack of vocabulary knowledge is a contributing factor for reading difficulties. An immense…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of early childhood preservice teachers in a southeastern university as they worked for mastery of phonemic awareness, phonics, and morphemic awareness. Mastery was set at 90% accuracy in a series of tests, which required them to perform different tasks related to the said…

This study examined the linguistic competence in Korean of Korean heritage language learners (HLLs), compared to English-speaking non-heritage language learners (NHLLs) of Korean. It is unclear and controversial as to whether heritage languages learners are exposed to early but are interrupted manifest as L1 competence or share more…

Despite substantial correlational evidence of a relationship between morphological awareness and reading ability, there has been only limited intervention research conducted to document the effects of morphological awareness on various literacy outcomes, particularly reading comprehension, and almost no research comparing the relative…

Very often, second language (L2) writers commit the same type of errors repeatedly, despite being corrected directly or indirectly by teachers or peers (Semke, 1984; Truscott, 1996). Apart from discouraging teachers from providing error correction feedback, this also makes them hesitant as to what form of corrective feedback to adopt. Ferris…

Vocabulary and comprehension are so inextricably linked that it ensures the necessity of researchers and teachers to determine the most effective method of vocabulary instruction. Our nation's children are still victims of what has been termed the vocabulary gap (Biemiller & Boote, 2006). This "vocabulary gap," according to a large…

The Problem: The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the information structure of native-English speaking (NES) ESOL teachers in giving explanations in a grammar class at an Intensive English Program (IEP) at a university in southern California Method: This mixed-method study employed a sequential-exploratory design. Six grammar…