Ryan T Miller | Kent State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ryan T Miller

Educational linguistics, 2023

Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2014 Issue 1, 2014

Background & Objectives This study investigates effects of source texts and writing prompts o... more Background & Objectives This study investigates effects of source texts and writing prompts on university students' writing. In courses across the curriculum, students are required to write analytical, argumentative essays based on sources and in response to prompts provided by the instructor. However, variation in source texts and prompts can greatly impact students' written productions. Much existing research on these effects has focused on quantitative measures of writing quality, such as number of words and clauses, or on raters' scores of writing quality. In addition, most research has focused on high-stakes assessment situations, such as TOEFL or IELTS testing. These leave us with little information about the effects of source texts and prompts on university classroom writing. Drawing on data from a larger 4-year longitudinal study of academic writing development at an English-medium university in Qatar, this study investigates effects of source texts and essay prompts on students' writing of argumentative history essays. Methods Student essays written based on two source texts, and in response to one of four prompts for each source (N=90 essays), were qualitatively analyzed using an established taxonomy of history genres. Students' essays were classified as Textual Recounts (include information directly from the source text), Descriptive Explanations (focus on causes and effects), and Arguments (argue for a claim using evidence from the source text). To supplement our analysis of the student writing, we also draw on interviews with students, interviews with the history professor, assignment descriptions, and grading rubrics. This additional data provides insight into the professor's and the students' perspectives, and informs and enhances our interpretations of the analysis of student writing. Results Results showed dual constraints of source text and prompt on produced genres. Overall, the analysis found that although the professor expected students to write Arguments, only 45% of the essays were Arguments. Many students in the study resorted to writing Recounts and Explanations, engaging in "knowledge telling" rather than "knowledge transformation" through argumentative writing. When the source was non-argumentative, prompts asking students to synthesize or evaluate information more often resulted in argumentative essays than prompts asking for description or comparison. However, when the source itself was argumentative, few students wrote an argument, and only in response to prompts that explicitly invited an evaluation of the source text. With argumentative source texts, most students simply mimicked the argument of the source text in a Recount. Conclusions Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that students are drawn to and can achieve better results in their writing depending on the source text genre and also the wording of the prompt. Based on these findings, we make recommendations for source text selection and prompt construction for eliciting argumentative writing. We also suggest additions to history genre typology that take university-level writing expectations into account.

Journal of Second Language Writing, 2017

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Apr 20, 2023

Educational linguistics, 2023

This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in educa... more This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in education and underscores the urgency of crossing a multitude of boundaries for researching, understanding, and improving language education. It then discusses the important role of expert boundary crossers. In particular, it highlights how G. Richard Tucker, whom this volume honors, has exemplified boundary crossing through his distinguished career in applied linguistics and language education for over half a century. The chapter ends with an overview of the four parts that form this volume and brief descriptions of how the chapters in the rest of the volume, each and collectively, contribute to language education research, policy, and practice through boundary crossing.

Understanding the roles of general cognitive processes in language learning is one of the central... more Understanding the roles of general cognitive processes in language learning is one of the central goals of research in second language acquisition (SLA). Of these cognitive processes, the role of attention in second language (L2) learning are central to numerous theoretical frameworks (e.g., Ellis, 2006; Gass, 1997; Leow, 2015; Schmidt, 1990; Tomlin & Villa, 1994). As attention plays a critical role in these frameworks, factors that constrain and direct learners’ attention should, therefore, also play critical roles. One such factor is salience (e.g., Ellis, 2006; Leow, Egi, Nuevo, & Tsai, 2003). In a given learning context, allocation of attention— and therefore the amount of attentiondriven learning— should be at least partly determined by the salience of a given form in the input. On this assumption, researchers have employed a variety of methods aimed at promoting attentional processing, most of which involve making linguistic stimuli more salient. Perhaps the most widely employ...

The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 2019

One of the most fundamental aspects of learning to read is understanding how printed text relates... more One of the most fundamental aspects of learning to read is understanding how printed text relates to spoken language (Perfetti, 2003). When learning to read in English, a learner must view printed letters (graphemes), decode their sounds, and combine those sounds together to form words. For example, to read the word cat, a beginning reader must understand that the grapheme c makes a [k] sound, the grapheme a makes an [æ] sound, and the grapheme t makes a [t] sound, before combining them into [kæt], a word which they already know the meaning of orally. This process of decoding graphic forms into phonological forms is a key component of word recognition, which itself is a key component of learning to read. The specific patterns of correspondences between the graphic and phonological forms are the orthography of a language. Each language has its own unique orthography. Thus, all learners who are learning to read in English, no matter their first language background, need to develop the...

In Second Language Reading Research and Instruction, Han and Anderson present a collection of eig... more In Second Language Reading Research and Instruction, Han and Anderson present a collection of eight core chapters divided into two sections, the first presenting the findings of second language reading research, and the second consisting of explanations of and suggestions for second language reading instruction. As the subtitle of the book indicates, the purpose of the book is to cross boundaries. One of these boundaries is the boundary between research and instruction, which is crossed through equal attention to each in this volume.

Emerging Writing Research from the Middle East-North Africa Region, 2017

ing structural regularities of words implicit in linguistic input. Once sufficient abstraction is... more ing structural regularities of words implicit in linguistic input. Once sufficient abstraction is achieved, metalinguistic awareness serves as a powerful tool for “self-teaching” words during reading (e.g., Share, 2008). Over the past two decades, metalinguistic awareness has attracted considerable attention among second language (L2) reading researchers. As an abstract representation, metalinguistic awareness is distinct from linguistic knowledge in that it is relatively independent of surface form variation. In principle, therefore, once formed in one language, metalinguistic awareness is serviceable in another language as a cross-linguistically sharable resource. A central question is to what extent first language (L1) metalinguistic awareness facilitates L2 word reading and learning. A large number of studies have investigated the utility of L1 phonological awareness in L2 reading development. The cumulative evidence suggests that L1 phonological awareness makes intra-lingual an...

The Mental Lexicon, 2021

The bulk of second language (L2) vocabulary learning happens incidentally through reading (Rott, ... more The bulk of second language (L2) vocabulary learning happens incidentally through reading (Rott, 2007; Webb, 2008), but individual differences, such as prior knowledge, modulate the efficacy of such incidental learning. One individual difference that is strongly predicted to play a role in L2 vocabulary is declarative memory ability; however, links between these two abilities have not been explored (Hamrick, Lum, & Ullman, 2018). This study considered declarative memory in conjunction with varying degrees of prior knowledge, since declarative memory may serve a compensatory function (Ullman & Pullman, 2015). L2 Spanish learners completed measures of prior Spanish vocabulary knowledge, declarative memory ability, and incidental L2 vocabulary learning. The results suggest that better declarative memory predicts better immediate learning in general and better vocabulary retention two days later, but only for those with more prior knowledge, consistent with the Matthew Effect previously...

Journal of International Students, 2020

The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain American domestic students’ experien... more The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain American domestic students’ experiences interacting with international students in a conversation partner program at an American university. This study used an explanatory (holistic) multiple case study design using in-depth, semi-structured interviews grounded in positioning theory. The participants were seven American students (three men and four women). They served as conversation partners of Chinese international exchange students each fall semester. Four major interrelated and complex themes emerged from the data. They were: (a) seeking strategies for overcoming intercultural communication challenges, (b) challenges for explaining sarcasm concepts, (c) finding mutual hobbies and interests, and (d) integrating field trips into the conversational program. This study encourages academic departments and faculty to develop a study group of conversational partnerships associated with value, origins, languages, and cultures ...

Linguistics and Education, 2019

English for Specific Purposes, 2018

Educational linguistics, 2023

Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2014 Issue 1, 2014

Background & Objectives This study investigates effects of source texts and writing prompts o... more Background & Objectives This study investigates effects of source texts and writing prompts on university students' writing. In courses across the curriculum, students are required to write analytical, argumentative essays based on sources and in response to prompts provided by the instructor. However, variation in source texts and prompts can greatly impact students' written productions. Much existing research on these effects has focused on quantitative measures of writing quality, such as number of words and clauses, or on raters' scores of writing quality. In addition, most research has focused on high-stakes assessment situations, such as TOEFL or IELTS testing. These leave us with little information about the effects of source texts and prompts on university classroom writing. Drawing on data from a larger 4-year longitudinal study of academic writing development at an English-medium university in Qatar, this study investigates effects of source texts and essay prompts on students' writing of argumentative history essays. Methods Student essays written based on two source texts, and in response to one of four prompts for each source (N=90 essays), were qualitatively analyzed using an established taxonomy of history genres. Students' essays were classified as Textual Recounts (include information directly from the source text), Descriptive Explanations (focus on causes and effects), and Arguments (argue for a claim using evidence from the source text). To supplement our analysis of the student writing, we also draw on interviews with students, interviews with the history professor, assignment descriptions, and grading rubrics. This additional data provides insight into the professor's and the students' perspectives, and informs and enhances our interpretations of the analysis of student writing. Results Results showed dual constraints of source text and prompt on produced genres. Overall, the analysis found that although the professor expected students to write Arguments, only 45% of the essays were Arguments. Many students in the study resorted to writing Recounts and Explanations, engaging in "knowledge telling" rather than "knowledge transformation" through argumentative writing. When the source was non-argumentative, prompts asking students to synthesize or evaluate information more often resulted in argumentative essays than prompts asking for description or comparison. However, when the source itself was argumentative, few students wrote an argument, and only in response to prompts that explicitly invited an evaluation of the source text. With argumentative source texts, most students simply mimicked the argument of the source text in a Recount. Conclusions Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that students are drawn to and can achieve better results in their writing depending on the source text genre and also the wording of the prompt. Based on these findings, we make recommendations for source text selection and prompt construction for eliciting argumentative writing. We also suggest additions to history genre typology that take university-level writing expectations into account.

Journal of Second Language Writing, 2017

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Apr 20, 2023

Educational linguistics, 2023

This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in educa... more This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in education and underscores the urgency of crossing a multitude of boundaries for researching, understanding, and improving language education. It then discusses the important role of expert boundary crossers. In particular, it highlights how G. Richard Tucker, whom this volume honors, has exemplified boundary crossing through his distinguished career in applied linguistics and language education for over half a century. The chapter ends with an overview of the four parts that form this volume and brief descriptions of how the chapters in the rest of the volume, each and collectively, contribute to language education research, policy, and practice through boundary crossing.

Understanding the roles of general cognitive processes in language learning is one of the central... more Understanding the roles of general cognitive processes in language learning is one of the central goals of research in second language acquisition (SLA). Of these cognitive processes, the role of attention in second language (L2) learning are central to numerous theoretical frameworks (e.g., Ellis, 2006; Gass, 1997; Leow, 2015; Schmidt, 1990; Tomlin & Villa, 1994). As attention plays a critical role in these frameworks, factors that constrain and direct learners’ attention should, therefore, also play critical roles. One such factor is salience (e.g., Ellis, 2006; Leow, Egi, Nuevo, & Tsai, 2003). In a given learning context, allocation of attention— and therefore the amount of attentiondriven learning— should be at least partly determined by the salience of a given form in the input. On this assumption, researchers have employed a variety of methods aimed at promoting attentional processing, most of which involve making linguistic stimuli more salient. Perhaps the most widely employ...

The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 2019

One of the most fundamental aspects of learning to read is understanding how printed text relates... more One of the most fundamental aspects of learning to read is understanding how printed text relates to spoken language (Perfetti, 2003). When learning to read in English, a learner must view printed letters (graphemes), decode their sounds, and combine those sounds together to form words. For example, to read the word cat, a beginning reader must understand that the grapheme c makes a [k] sound, the grapheme a makes an [æ] sound, and the grapheme t makes a [t] sound, before combining them into [kæt], a word which they already know the meaning of orally. This process of decoding graphic forms into phonological forms is a key component of word recognition, which itself is a key component of learning to read. The specific patterns of correspondences between the graphic and phonological forms are the orthography of a language. Each language has its own unique orthography. Thus, all learners who are learning to read in English, no matter their first language background, need to develop the...

In Second Language Reading Research and Instruction, Han and Anderson present a collection of eig... more In Second Language Reading Research and Instruction, Han and Anderson present a collection of eight core chapters divided into two sections, the first presenting the findings of second language reading research, and the second consisting of explanations of and suggestions for second language reading instruction. As the subtitle of the book indicates, the purpose of the book is to cross boundaries. One of these boundaries is the boundary between research and instruction, which is crossed through equal attention to each in this volume.

Emerging Writing Research from the Middle East-North Africa Region, 2017

ing structural regularities of words implicit in linguistic input. Once sufficient abstraction is... more ing structural regularities of words implicit in linguistic input. Once sufficient abstraction is achieved, metalinguistic awareness serves as a powerful tool for “self-teaching” words during reading (e.g., Share, 2008). Over the past two decades, metalinguistic awareness has attracted considerable attention among second language (L2) reading researchers. As an abstract representation, metalinguistic awareness is distinct from linguistic knowledge in that it is relatively independent of surface form variation. In principle, therefore, once formed in one language, metalinguistic awareness is serviceable in another language as a cross-linguistically sharable resource. A central question is to what extent first language (L1) metalinguistic awareness facilitates L2 word reading and learning. A large number of studies have investigated the utility of L1 phonological awareness in L2 reading development. The cumulative evidence suggests that L1 phonological awareness makes intra-lingual an...

The Mental Lexicon, 2021

The bulk of second language (L2) vocabulary learning happens incidentally through reading (Rott, ... more The bulk of second language (L2) vocabulary learning happens incidentally through reading (Rott, 2007; Webb, 2008), but individual differences, such as prior knowledge, modulate the efficacy of such incidental learning. One individual difference that is strongly predicted to play a role in L2 vocabulary is declarative memory ability; however, links between these two abilities have not been explored (Hamrick, Lum, & Ullman, 2018). This study considered declarative memory in conjunction with varying degrees of prior knowledge, since declarative memory may serve a compensatory function (Ullman & Pullman, 2015). L2 Spanish learners completed measures of prior Spanish vocabulary knowledge, declarative memory ability, and incidental L2 vocabulary learning. The results suggest that better declarative memory predicts better immediate learning in general and better vocabulary retention two days later, but only for those with more prior knowledge, consistent with the Matthew Effect previously...

Journal of International Students, 2020

The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain American domestic students’ experien... more The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain American domestic students’ experiences interacting with international students in a conversation partner program at an American university. This study used an explanatory (holistic) multiple case study design using in-depth, semi-structured interviews grounded in positioning theory. The participants were seven American students (three men and four women). They served as conversation partners of Chinese international exchange students each fall semester. Four major interrelated and complex themes emerged from the data. They were: (a) seeking strategies for overcoming intercultural communication challenges, (b) challenges for explaining sarcasm concepts, (c) finding mutual hobbies and interests, and (d) integrating field trips into the conversational program. This study encourages academic departments and faculty to develop a study group of conversational partnerships associated with value, origins, languages, and cultures ...

Linguistics and Education, 2019

English for Specific Purposes, 2018

The Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), 2020

2020 conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), 2020

Crossing boundaries in researching, understanding, and improving language education: Essays in honor of G. Richard Tucker

This volume brings together original papers from language education scholars from around the worl... more This volume brings together original papers from language education scholars from around the world to explore, exemplify, and discuss the multiplicity of boundary crossing in language education. It emphasizes the potential of boundary crossing for expansive learning, and aims to generate new insights, through boundary crossing, into the complexity of language education and approaches to innovative practices. This volume also underscores the important role of expert boundary crossers. In particular, it aims to honor G. Richard Tucker, Paul Mellon University Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University, celebrating his distinguished scholarship on language education and paying tribute to the inspiration and mentorship he has given to the contributors of this volume to cross boundaries academically and professionally. This volume is organized into four sections, namely, language learning and development; teachers and instructional processes; program innovation, implementation, and evaluation; and language-in-education policy and planning. These sections or themes, which are necessarily cross-cutting, also represent the major areas of scholarship where Prof. Tucker has made distinguished contributions for over half a century.

Crossing boundaries in researching, understanding, and improving language education: Essays in honor of G. Richard Tucker, 2023

This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in educa... more This chapter first discusses the concept of boundary crossing and its learning potential in education and underscores the urgency of crossing a multitude of boundaries for researching, understanding, and improving language education. It then discusses the important role of expert boundary crossers. In particular, it highlights how G. Richard Tucker, whom this volume honors, has exemplified boundary crossing through his distinguished career in applied linguistics and language education for over half a century. The chapter ends with an overview of the four parts that form this volume and brief descriptions of how the chapters in the rest of the volume, each and collectively, contribute to language education research, policy, and practice through boundary crossing.