Lisa's+Literature+Review

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Module 3 - EDUC 8846**
 * Lisa Rodriguez

 Literature Review
Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Model illustrated how children, families, and social environments are connected and dependent on one another. Bronfenbrenner stressed the importance of the mesosystem, the connecting relationship between different environments in which children live, for cognitive and psychological development. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model will be the theoretical foundation for my study, so I will search for other current research studies with this theoretical foundation.
 * Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model**

Home-school partnerships are one of the important mesosystems for children. This relationship is important for students’ emotional and cognitive development, as well as for their academic achievement. These partnerships may be challenged when parents are not native-English speakers. The studies I will look for will examine how communication barriers between non-native English speaking parents and school personnel are dealt with and how strong home-school partnerships can be formed and maintained.
 * Home-School Partnerships**

The focus for my research is on the use of technology with second language learners, examining how technology may facilitate learning and communication in the second language. Krashen’s (1985) and Cummins (1999) Second Language Acquisition Theories provide another theoretical foundation for my research, and I will explore current research studies with a theoretical foundation of second language acquisition, utilizing technology to enhance or facilitate instruction of K-12 second language learning students.
 * Second Language Learners and Technology**

I have decided to narrow my research to a study of non-native English speaking parents’ use of student response systems, also known as clickers, to facilitate their communication in an English-speaking environment. Clickers are a relatively new technological innovation, and I do not expect to find studies that directly relate to the use of this tool with second language learners. However, I will explore research involving the use of clickers in educational settings. The lack of research focusing on clickers with second language learners or, more specifically, parents of second language learning students, is expected to be the gap in the knowledge base that my research will begin to fill.
 * Student Response Systems (Clickers)**

Q-methodology is a research methodology that examines traditionally qualitative data in the form of subjective opinions and measuring them quantitatively by having participants rank order statements according to how much they agree or disagree with their own perceptions. I chose this methodology because I am interested in the inner thoughts and attitudes of second language learners. Although an ethnographic study may be an effective methodology to explore this issue, I am choosing to use Q-methodology because I like idea of precise, quantitative measurements making abstract, subjective opinions more understandable. I will explore other studies utilizing Q-methodology in order to understand and implement the methodology effectively in my own study.
 * Q-Methodology**

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). //The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design//. Cambridge, MA: The President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Krashen, S.D. (1985). //Inquiries and insights//. Hayward, CA: Alemany Press.

McKeown, B. & Thomas, D. (1988). //Q-Methodology.// Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.