My study investigated the interrelationships among language learning strategy use, self-efficacy, and language ability. The study participants were thirty-seven college students studying French at midwestern medium-size university. The students’ use of language learning strategies and self-efficacy were measured through an eighty-item, five-point Likert scale. Their language ability in French was measured through a cloze test. Qualitative data were also obtained from open-ended questions, interviews with the participants and their instructor, as well as class observations. The results of the study revealed the existence of positive and significant relationships among the three variables. It was also found that the majority of the participants did not have a clear rationale for studying French, but had undertaken its study to fulfill programmatic requirements, which affected their strategic behavior.

I was one of the recipients of the DSC minigrant in 2006. I used it to purchase ink and paper, to pay for xerox copies, and to pay two independent scorers who scored the cloze test. More importantly, the minigrant served as a motivator for me to finish my dissertation. Being more than 2,000 miles away from the NAU Flagstaff campus, I had many distractions and would sometimes lose focus. After receiving the minigrant, I promised myself to put it to good use, and the only way to do so was to complete my dissertation. I’m grateful to Dr. Lapan and the DSC for the award I received and hope that it will continue to be awarded to other doctoral students.

Dr. Olive Gahungu

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I received a mini grant of $400 in fall 2006 to assist me in transcribing my participant interviews for my dissertation study. I was able to use an online service to submit my digital files to over the Internet and receive my text files within 5 working days. Upon checking the transcripts, I was able to transfer the files to my coding software (Weft QDA) and begin my coding even as I was completing my second set of interviews. The mini grant allowed me to begin my final analysis much earlier than would have otherwise been possible had I tried to transcribe my data myself.

Dr. John Doherty

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The C & I Doc mini grant supported me to attend an international conference that was organized by Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education in 2007. I presented my study about online teaching presence as one part of my dissertation study at the conference. I received great feedback on my study and my presentation paper from other professionals at the conference. Later on, authoring with my Chair Dr. Laura sujo de Montes, I revised the presentation paper and had have it published in the International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, Vol 2, Issue 2, 2007. The title of my article is Is It a Tale of Woe?--An Investigation of Relationships of Online Teaching Presence and Learning.

Hong Zhan

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As a doctoral student at NAU, I have immensely benefited to have received a C& I doctoral mini-grant. I am writing this to convey how beneficial and almost essential the mini-grant has been to the completion of my degree. The mini-grant, in my case, was directed to purchasing the qualitative analysis software called N-6. I used the software to analyze the bulk of my primary data, about a hundred pages in volume. Without the aid of the software, it would have taken me more than a year only to analyze the data manually. During that phase of my studies, my husband and I were partially employed yet supporting two children and it would have been impossible to set aside any money to purchase software. Thanks to the support of the College of Education in purchasing this software, I managed to complete my dissertation in two years. I would like to thank the college and the Curriculum and Instruction program to have effectively promoted my studies and relieved some of my struggles.

Subi Subhan

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My study investigated the transfer of basic culturally responsive targeted language behaviors from the college classroom to field placements by preservice student teachers in a special education training program in mild/moderate disabilities. The teaching approach I designed for this study addressed the native Spanish language needs of culturally linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) students learning English to enhance mathematical story problem solving and successful concept understanding. Instructional techniques involved in the study were successfully used by the preservice special education teachers in diverse urban classrooms with Spanish speaking elementary students with disabilities. I was a recipient of a minigrant in 2008 and used it to pay for basic training materials and to hire two research assistants who collected data on subjects and also completed interobserver reliability and fidelity checks. Wisely my committee would not allow me to collect my own data during the study since I was doing all the training on the teaching package with the subjects. The results of the study showed significant teacher behavior change which was scientifically enhanced due to the fact that the minigrant money allowed me to not be present during subject transfer of skills to the public education classrooms during observations. The minigrant in my opinion was instrumental in the successful completion of my dissertation. I was especially elated to be awarded a minigrant because it helped me pay the hourly wages as well as travel expenses to and from schools for my wonderful data collectors.

Dr. Patricia Santistevan Matthews

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