Abstract
GIS in Educational Research: Understanding Language Acquisition and Instruction
Track: Teacher Education and Educational Research
Authors: Karlsten YAGO
As a result of preliminary research with the Kenyan Ministry of Education, this publication emphasized language learning as a social, spatial experience. Contrary to the educational movement of testing accountability with standardized curriculum for all students, English language learners achieved proficiency more effectively when the learning environment considered culture, community, and other language literacies. Benefits of a multicultural and multilingual educational environment for language acquisition were emphasized. Referencing geocoding and extant data from an Orange County school district, GIS illustrated the social spaces of language learning in and outside of the classroom. GIS technology illustrated that effective learning spaces consider other language literacies which is integral for English language development. Languages, cultures, and other influences that shaped and determined how language acquisition is practiced were identified. English language instruction that considered the social spaces in the learning environment proved more effective when compared to standardized testing and vocabulary memorization alone.