Professor Avni’s research examines how communities mobilize and act upon multilingual and multimodal language practices and ideologies for social and educational goals, particularly in formal and informal educational sites for American Jewish youth. Her current research, funded by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education and CASJE, is on Hebrew language practices at American overnight summer camps. She is also in the preliminary stages of a project with Dr. Kate Menken at CUNY Grad Center researching dual language bilingual education programs in New York City public schools, and starting a new ethnographic project on high achieving immigrant communities and heritage language learning in New Jersey.
Professor Beaumont’s research focuses on elective formative peer observation. His current study looks at the nature of voluntary, cross-disciplinary, formative peer observation and the perceived similarities and differences between formative and summative peer observation at the College.
Professor Finn’s current research is on Linking Perceptions and Participation: Identifying and Addressing Students’ Beliefs About Reading and Writing Connections in the Second Language Writing Classroom. She is conducting qualitative research on the intersection between ESL students’ beliefs about reading and writing connections and their participation in an ESL writing class.
Professor Gokcora’s current research project examines the effect of frequent quizzes given at a remedial academic reading class at an urban-serving higher education institution. This research has implications as a teaching tool and a motivation.
Professor Voorhees research focuses on marginalized students’ constructing and re-constructing literacy identities with aspirations of social mobility. This is a ethnographic multiple case study which seeks to examine the ways in which marginalized students develop and re-develop their literacy identities based on what they perceive to be societal expectations.
Professor Vorobel is researching technology and reading development in ESL classes, specifically students’ use of technology for the development of their reading in community college reading and writing classes. The findings of the study, their discussion, and implications will contribute to scarce research on the ESL students’ use of technology for development of reading in community colleges, may serve as a foundation for further research, and inform administrators and practitioners.
