Graduate Program
Communication Disorders and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
2011
Thesis Director
Lynn Calvert
Thesis Committee Member
Rebecca Throneburg
Thesis Committee Member
Tena McNamara
Abstract
The purpose of this research project was to determine ifregular education and special education classroom teachers used a varying amount of idioms in the classroom. Two groups of subjects were involved in the study; 12 regular education classroom teachers (four first grade; four second grade; and four third grade) and 12 primary crosscategorical classroom teachers. The teachers were observed for one to two hours via naturalistic observation methods during math and language arts lessons. The sample was transcribed and analyzed using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcriptions (SALT). The transcriptions were coded for the following criteria: nonliteral idioms[n] (e.g.,just a minute); idioms used literally[l] (e.g., raise your hand); idioms not present in the online dictionary [ nd] ( e.g., my bucket feels full); and number of different idioms used by each teacher. Results indicated that primary cross-categorical teachers used fewer idioms than regular education classroom teachers; however, the difference was not statistically significant.
Recommended Citation
Szybowicz, Jenna K., "Nonliteral Language Used By Teachers In The Classroom" (2011). Masters Theses. 102.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/102
