1

Issue to be addressed
Nathan is a Chinese student who has been in Canada for just over two years.
Nathan is very shy and is still evidently in the silent phase of his English learning
experience. Currently, Nathan is being isolated from his peers and devalued because of
his lack of English speaking skills as well as his apparent lack of effort in interacting with
them. When Nathan joined our school community last year, students were encouraged to
come alongside him to support and befriend him. Many of the boys did this with zeal and
invited him to join them at lunch and during group work time. However, when their
efforts did not seem to be welcomed or received well, they eventually stopped.
Unfortunately, Nathan began sitting by himself during lunch, and appeared to fend off
his peers offers to join them. It appeared that Nathan was isolating himself. Often, when
his peers would engage in conversation with him, Nathan would almost rudely shut down
the conversation. It became clear that Nathan lacked the confidence to engage in the
risks of speaking in a new language, this lack of confidence was leading him to be
socially isolated whether he wanted that or not. Now that Nathan has been at Linden
Christian School (LCS) for almost two years, and is gaining language ability, he has
unfortunately not formed any relationships, which means that he continues to sit alone,
work alone and speaks only one or two words when prompted.

Article reference: #1
Ash, A. C., Rice, M. L., Redmond, S. M., Nippold,
M., & Pruitt-Lord, S. (2014). Effect of language
context on ratings of shy and unsociable behaviours
in English language learner children. Language,
Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 45(1), 5266.

Purpose of the study:

The authors of this study wanted to study the types of
social behaviour demonstrated by English Language
Learners, focussing specifically on shyness and
unsociability. They compared this to the shyness and
unsociability of English speaking counterparts.

Summarize the method in your own words.

Participants were evaluated on their
language ability prior to the testing being
completed.
Participants were also given a behavioural
analysis (parents also participated by
providing their input).
Questionnaires were read out loud to the
participants within their own homes.

Draw a figurative representation.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining five

key words.
children who exhibit social problems have
reduced interactions with their peers, which
in turn prevents them from practicing and
developing language proficiency
The researchers discovered that the rates of
shyness and social withdrawal was higher in
the native English speaker group. They
hypothesized that perhaps the ELL group
had to be more extroverted overall as a
means of fitting in to a new culture or
community. They also guessed that most of
the ELL participants were highly educated
which could have contributed to a greater
confidence in their children.
The ELL participants were found to
generally not be shy or withdrawn in their
home country or within their
language/cultural community.
Most often the ELL participants exhibited
shyness due to language context influences.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. Were there other social factors that could have
contributed to shyness or being socially
withdrawn (depression or other mental health
concerns)?
2. Was shyness and social withdrawal more
pronounced in certain cultures?

Implications for change project

It is important for us as educators to know why students are exhibiting shy or withdrawn behaviours. In

Nathans case, he was very likely shy in his native country and this is not a new behaviour for him. Yes, he is
learning a new language and evidently struggles with low confidence in his language ability, however,
moving forward, I do not want to force Nathan into social interactions, I want it to be natural and genuine. If
Nathan needs space and time, I want to ensure that he gets it. Perhaps his withdrawal from his peers is
simply because he is a shy introvert who needs to spend time alone.

Article reference: #2
Brock, C.H. (2007). Exploring an english language
learners literacy learning opportunities. Urban
Education, 42(5), 470-501.

Purpose of the study:

The purpose of this study is for the author to explore
the literacy learning opportunities for a fifth grade
student named Deng while the class participates in
literacy lessons related to the book Maniac Magee.
The author attempts to explore what it means for him
to engage in literacy learning in his English speaking
classroom and what his perspective is within his
classroom. The author seeks to combine social,
cultural, and historical experience to see how literacy
is acquired by a second language learner.

Summarize the method in your own words.

Brock wanted to learn how the classrooms
hidden curriculum was connected with the
academic learning taking place in the
diverse classroom.
Brock analyzed videos she had taken during
lessons on Maniac Magee, looking
specifically at the students that contributed
to classroom discussion/topics.
Brock admits that it was difficult to
determine Dengs actual thoughts and
feelings on the experience as he never
participated in the discussion or did any
writing related to the book.
Brock decides to allow Deng to view these
video-taped lessons, asking him to comment
on what he was thinking or feeling during
the discussions. This allowed Brock to
understand how Deng interpreted classroom
practices and literacy activities.
List the outcomes in point form, underlining five
key words.
Upon analysis of the videos taken of the lesson on
Maniac Magee and the ensuing discussion and
viewing of the videos with Deng, Brock made the
following observations:
Deng had the most understanding and
comprehension in the small group settings
and said that he was often confused during
the large group lessons. Deng said that he
felt he had more access to the lesson
activities when working in a small group.
He was more comfortable talking and
sharing his point of view when in a small
group.
Brock also observes that small group
sessions are not necessarily the only type of

Draw a figurative representation.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. How well did the other students interact with
Deng, who couldnt confidently converse in
English? Were they given instruction on how
to encourage and draw out responses from
him?
2. Over the span of the year did Deng improve in
his verbal interactions with his peers?
Similarly, did his understanding of the lessons
change over the course of the year?

instruction that should occur. Other

students in the class benefited from large
group discussion, while this may have not
been the best way for Deng to learn, it can
benefit other students.
Educators must continually examine,
monitor and adjust the types of interactions
occurring within their classrooms while also
considering the types of learners within
their classrooms as well.
Deng was able to gain access to learning
opportunities within the classroom because
of the varied types of interactions that
occurred and the scaffolding provided by
the teacher helped this process as well.

Implications for change project

Nathan is from China and has a very different cultural background than the majority of the other students in
his class. This cultural difference changes the way Nathan learns and interacts with is peers. It is important
for me to consider Nathans social, cultural and historical experience when preparing literacy lessons for him.
Brock talks about how it can appear that students are actively engaged in learning activities, but this is not
always the case. I need to ensure that I know if Nathan is actively engaged in a lesson, and if he isnt, how
can I change the lesson or the procedures to encourage and support his engagement. Nathan is very good at
pretending he is understanding what is going on, however, this is very likely not always the case.
Implementing more writing and reflecting will be a good way to move forward with Nathan. Rather than me
lecturing from the front of the room, I will attempt to incorporate smaller group discussion and time spent
reflecting and assessing what we have learned in writing. An important aspect of the small group interaction,
I will include lessons on how to work well in a group as this is important for students to learn. I think this
will be a powerful learning tool for Nathan.

Article reference: #3
Chen, X., He, Y., De Oliveira, A. M., Lo Coco,
A., Zapulla, C., Kaspar, V., . . . DeSouza, A.
(2004). Loneliness and social adaptation in
brazilian, canadian, chinese and italian children: a
multi-national comparative study. Journal of
Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), 13731384.
Summarize the method in your own words.
2263 students between grades 3 and 6
were participated in the study.
Students completed a self-assessment of
loneliness.
Students also provide a peer assessment
based on their playmates.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining

five key words.

Purpose of the study:

To determine how loneliness and social adaptation are
linked among Canadian, Brazilian, Chinese and Italian
children and adolescents. The authors were interested in
the connection between peer relationships and
loneliness.
The researchers were also interested whether there were
grade or gender differences in the relationship between
loneliness and social acceptance.
Draw a figurative representation.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. What factors, other than peers, can help

students work themselves out of a lonely
Children who are rejected by their peers
state?
or do not have close friendships report
2.
What role do parents play in children
higher levels of loneliness and social
feeling loneliness and dissatisfaction?
dissatisfaction.
Boys had significantly lower scores in
sociability and shyness and higher scores
on aggression.
Children who grew up in different social
and cultural backgrounds were more
prone to feelings of loneliness and social
dissatisfaction.
Implications for change project
Even though Nathan doesnt share that he is lonely, I wonder if this is a big part of his life. Nathan walks
around with slumped posture and hardly ever smiles. I still remember the first time I saw Nathan laughing. It
stands out because it almost never happens. Nathan does not demonstrate any types of aggression towards his
peers which is great, however, he almost never interacts with his peers in any way at all. Finding ways for
Nathan to connect on a more authentic level with his peers will be essential to his feeling a sense of
connection and move away from loneliness.

Article reference: #4
Coplan, R., Rose-Krasnor, L., Weeks, M.,
Kingsbury, A., Kingsbury, M., & Bullock, A.
(2013). Alone is a crowd: Social motivations,
social withdrawal, and socioemotional
functioning in later childhood. Developmental
Psychology, 49(5), 861-875.
Summarize the method in your own words.
367 children between the ages of 9 and
12 were studied.
Assessments were conducted to
determine how social motivations and
social withdrawal affected students at
school.
Parents were also interviewed to
determine their perspective on their
childs withdrawal or shyness.
Students completed a self-report of
shyness, preference for solitude, social
activities outside of school, and
positive/negative emotions.
Students were also observed on the
school playground using the Play
Observation Scale.
Later in the study students completed
self-reports on social anxiety, depressive
symptoms, loneliness and victimization.
List the outcomes in point form, underlining
five key words.
All forms of social withdrawal were
poorly received by peers in late
childhood.
Social withdrawal was associated with
negative peer connections.
Socially withdrawn behavior denote
socioemotional difficulties within peer
groups and this continues throughout the
age group.
Shy students demonstrated more complex
issues when it came to peer relationships.
Shy students often want to play alone,
however there was evidence that
difficulty with peer relationships was
connected to deeper problems, like
deficits in social skills.
These negative effects for shy children
appear to continue as they age.
The desire for solitude was often viewed

Purpose of the study:

This study strove to test the links between social
approach and avoidance, socially withdrawn behaviours
and peer difficulties later in childhood and to compare
these to the different subtypes of children: shy,
unsociable, and avoidant.
Draw a figurative representation.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. What can be done to help shy students come out
of their shell?
2. Is there a difference between boys and girls
when it comes to shyness or socially withdrawn
behaviour and how they are perceived by their
peers?

quite negatively by peers. Thus, the

student who desired solitude was often
ostracized by his/her peers.
Shyness connected with depression and
anxiety in children is often an indicator of
mental health concerns later in life.

Implications for change project

Nathan withdraws himself from social situations on a daily basis. While other students are hanging out
outside or in the classroom at lunch, Nathan often goes to the library on his own. While this behaviour may
be connected to extreme shyness, anxiety and perceived language deficits, I am concerned that Nathan is
actually quite unhappy with his lack of connection. I am also concerned with how the other students,
specifically the male students, perceive Nathan. It appears that they have begun to just leave him alone and
not even bother to try to interact with him. My hope is that through my change project that I can find ways to
help Nathan connect with his peers, and hopefully he will spend less time alone during free time.

Article reference: #5
Coplan, R., Zhen, S., Weeks, M., & Chen, X.
(2012). Young childrens perceptions of social
withdrawal in china and canada. Early Childhood
Development and Care, 182(5), 591-607.

Purpose of the study:

Summarize the method in your own words.

Kindergarten and grade 1 students in China
and Canada were interviewed individually
for about ten minutes, and presented with
examples describing other children
exhibiting shy, unsociable, and socially
competent behaviours. These students were
then given a questionnaire allowing them to
respond to each behaviour type.
The examples displayed the behaviours of
the same gender as the student being
interviewed.

Draw a figurative representation.

The purpose of this study was to compare and

explore childrens understanding and
perception of shyness and unsociability in
China and Canada.

Students were then asked to respond to a

series of questions about how they felt
about the student they were hearing about
(e.g.: Do you think (person) acts this way
on purpose? or Would you want to be
(persons) friend?).

List the outcomes in point form, underlining five

key words.
The behaviour of the shy student was
perceived as being least intentional.
Chinese children rated the unsociable as
unintentional at a far greater rate than the
Canadian children
The children generally indicated that they
believed the unsociable student scenarios
indicated children that had a desire to play
with others.
The children expressed the greatest desire to
befriend the socially competent student as
opposed to the shy or unsociable student.
Overall, Chinese children expressed a desire
to befriend the shy or unsociable female as
opposed to the shy or unsociable male.
Overall, unsociable children were described
as having the most negative impact than shy
children
Overall, the unsociable child was deemed to
be the most intentional in his/her actions as
opposed to the shy or socially competent
student.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. If the children had been provided with stories
or reasons why someone was acting shy or
unsociable, I wonder if they would have
reacted differently or had more compassion?
2. Would this study look different if it was
conducted at a middle years level?

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Implications for change project

Nathan is very shy. He has demonstrated this shy behaviour since he began attending our school at the
beginning of grade 7. Even though this study centers around children in kindergarten and grade 1, I believe
it is important to understand how others view shy or unsociable children. I believe that Nathans peers have
avoided him because he is so shy. Nathan does also demonstrate unsociable behaviour by almost fending off
his peers when they do try to engage with him.

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Article reference: #6
Hascher, T., & Hagenauer, G. (2010). Alienation
from school. International Journal of
Educational Research, 49(6), 220-232.
Summarize the method in your own words.
Alienation from school was assessed
using two studies. One of which is a
cross sectional study which gathered
information about school alienation
during adolescence and the second study
a longitudinal design that specifically
followed students changes in attitudes
towards school and their learning.
In both studies questionnaires were given
to students from a range of grade levels
during regular school hours. Both
genders were surveyed.

Purpose of the study:

This study looked at factors that may influence
alienation from school during early adolescence.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining

five key words.
The results of the study show the
prevalence of alienation for boys at the
middle years level.
Positive student/teacher connection is key
to preventing alienation.
The higher the students grades the lower
the levels of alienation from school,
which was to be expected.
Alienation occurs when students develop
less of an appreciation for the importance
of school and a lack of bonding to the
school environment.
Learning context and social integration
play a crucial role in preventing
alienation from the school environment.
School culture played a part in
determining whether students became
alienated from the school environment.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. How does the interactions and experiences with
parents, siblings, and peers influence alienation
from the school environment?
2. Is there a greater level of alienation in boys than
girls?

Draw a figurative representation.

Implications for change project

My concern for Nathan is that he is and will continue to be alienated from the school environment. I am
worried that because Nathan does not seem to connect with his peers and generally struggles with school
work (other than math), that this will lead to Nathan not caring about school and perhaps not wanting to
attend school. Hopefully with the changes that I am implementing in my classroom, I can begin working to
change some of Nathans perspectives of school and regarding his peers.

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Article reference: #7
Hsu, L., & Alden, L. (2007). Social anxiety in
chinese- and european-heritage students: The effect
of assessment format and judgments of
impairment. Behavior Therapy, 38(2), 120-131.

Purpose of the study:

To determine whether social anxiety resulted in
greater perceived impairment in first and second
generation Chinese heritage students compared to
their European heritage counterparts.

Summarize the method in your own words.

Students who participated in the study were
undergraduate psychology students who
received extra credit for participating in the
study.
Students participated in a questionnaire
(completed at home) and a face to face
interview
Face to face interviews were conducted by
two male undergraduate students. One of
Chinese descent and the other of European
descent

Draw a figurative representation.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining five Write two questions you have about the research.
key words.
1. This study was conducted with university
students. Would similar results be evident in
The results revealed that foreign-born
the general public, or in middle school age
Chinese participants reported higher levels
children?
of social fear, avoidance, and anxiety2. Are the anxiety or impairment levels similar
related impairment than their Europeanin other cultural groups?
heritage participants.
Perceived impairment led to greater levels
of social anxiety symptoms.
A change in culture appeared to be a leading
cause for social anxiety in the Chinese
students. Chinese born students have to
deal with fitting in to a new culture and
possibly facing discrimination or other
general stress.
The cultural values of Chinese students is
another likely cause of anxiety and stress. A
high level of success is expected of Chinese
born students.
Implications for change project
As one of very few Chinese students born in China at our school, Nathan most likely feels social isolation and
social fear. I believe that Nathan has perceived impairment due to his perceived differences from his peers.
This perceived impairment very likely leads to him not being willing to take risks or speak up in front of his
peers. I wonder if the cultural values of his parents and his country play a big part in his lack of connection
with his peers. I would love to see Nathan connecting on a deeper level with his peers and for them to respect

13

him and include him genuinely and regularly.

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Article reference: #8
Menzer, M., Oh, W., McDonald, K., Rubin, K., &
Dashiell-Aje, E. (2010). Behavioral correlates of
peer exclusion and victimization of east asian
american and european american young
adolescents. Asian American Journal of
Psychology, 1(4), 290-302.
Summarize the method in your own words.
980 grade 6 students from ethnically diverse
backgrounds were studied.
Students were given a questionnaire in a
group setting that asked them to assess how
they perceived their classmates social
behaviours and social reputations.
Students completed the Extended Class Play
questionnaire and were asked to nominate
up to three same gender peers in their
classroom.
These nominations helped the researches
determine changes in reputation of students
who may have been withdrawn, victimized
or excluded.

Purpose of the study:

Researchers attempted to determine whether
behaviour predicts reputation in middle
schools in the United States. Researchers
focused their study on an ethnically diverse
community of grade 6 students.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining five

key words.
Social withdrawal was associated with
exclusion, whereas aggression was
associated with victimization.
Being rejected by peers as a child plays a
significant role in the avoidance of school,
decreased participation in school activities
and mental health problems in children.
Behavior that differs from social norms is
one of the leading causes of exclusion.
Aggression and withdrawal were also found
to lead to victimization and exclusion.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. How does school culture determine
the exclusion or inclusion of students?
2. How does home life affect the
behaviour of students at school? If an
immigrant students family is
struggling to make ends meet at
home, couldnt it be assumed that he
or she might act out or withdraw at
school as a result?

Draw a figurative representation.

Implications for change project

Nathan is visibly different than the typically white upper/middle class students in my classroom. Most of my
students were born in Winnipeg, have both parents living in their home and appear to live very typical
adolescent lives. Nathan on the other hand was born in China. Nathan speaks Mandarin at home, where he
lives with his father while his mother lives in China where she works. Nathan only sees his mother a few
times in a year. These differences are clearly some of the reasons for Nathans exclusion from his peers.
Nathan is just too different from his peers for them to find connecting points. I would love to see students

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making more of an effort to find connections with Nathan and for him to reciprocate.

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Article reference: #9
Pappamihiel, E. N. (2002). English as a second
language students and english language anxiety:
Issues in the mainstream classroom. Research in
the Teaching of English, 36(2), 327-355.

Purpose of the study:

To determine the levels of anxiety in ELL students in
mainstream and ESL classrooms.

Summarize the method in your own words.

The study included 178 Mexican-born
middle school students (grades 6-8)
enrolled in ESL programs
The English Language Anxiety Scale
(ELAS) test was administered during
class time. The goal was to determine
the students anxiety in the mainstream
classroom and in their ESL classroom.
Focus groups with the students provided
additional data.

Draw a figurative representation.

List the outcomes in point form, underlining

five key words.
Anxiety related to English language
learning affects students in different
ways depending on the context and
situation.
ELL students understandably had lower
levels of anxiety in the ESL classroom as
their English level may have been above
average compared to their peers. In the
mainstream classroom however, their
anxiety levels would go way up because
their English ability was way below that
of their peers.
Stable connections with peers is directly
related to self-efficacy which in turn
helps an ELL confidently learn from
their mistakes and reduce anxiety.
High levels of anxiety can result in
withdrawal from social situations and in
turn, connections between peers can be
lost.

Write two questions you have about the research.

1.

Are anxieties related to specific subject matter

(ie: English Language Arts)?
2. Do anxiety levels lower when there are multiple
ELL students in one class, as opposed to only one
ELL in a class of non-ELL students?

Implications for change project

Nathan appears to have anxiety related to being in the mainstream classroom. Nathan spends some of his
time in the ESL classroom at our school, and I am told he does much more talking there, which means that he
feels confident and comfortable. The increased use of peer collaboration will be key to help Nathan work

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through some of his anxieties related to learning English as a second language. Acknowledging that Nathan
may have social anxiety will also help me as a teacher support him as he needs it. I will strive to work much
more closely with the ESL teachers to determine how best to help Nathan. And, since Nathan is nearing the
end of Grade 8, I will share the knowledge that I have gained with his future teachers.

18

Article reference: #10

Yoon, B. (2008). Uninvited guests: The influence of
teachers' roles and pedagogies on the positioning of
english language learners in the regular classroom.
American Educational Research Journal, 45(2),
495-522.

Summarize the method in your own words.

Purpose of the study:

To present an overview of how regular
classroom teachers view their role and
approaches to working with ELLs.
The study seeks to investigate the positioning
of English Language Learners within
classrooms and how this positioning affects
how the ELL's learn and how successful they
are in connecting with their peers. Teachers
can intentionally or unintentionally position
themselves or ELLs in ways that will either
hinder or help them.
Draw a figurative representation.

Data was collected over one semester at a

middle school in New York State.
Studied the teaching practice of three
regular classroom teachers.
In depth interviews with all three teachers
took place along with six focal students.
Extensive classroom observation took place
throughout the study (observations were
happening daily).
Focal students were observed in regular
classroom settings in the mornings and then
again in the ESL classroom setting in the
afternoon.
Speech and behaviours of students and
teachers were closely monitored.
List the outcomes in point form, underlining five
key words.
Each teacher had very different views of
themselves as teachers as well as teachers of
ELL students.
The ELLs positioned themselves based on
peer resistance as well as sometimes the
non-ELLs ostracized the ELLs
The findings of this study show that the
teachers' teaching approaches and their
interactions with the ELLs were based on
their positioning of themselves as teachers
for all students, and as teachers for non-ELL
students. The teachers' different approaches
were connected to the ELLs' different
behaviors in the classroom that positioned
them as powerful, strong students or as
powerless, poor students. Even highly
interactive classrooms with hidden power

Write two questions you have about the research.

1. This study took place in English
Language Arts classes. I wonder if
the amount of participation from an
ELL changes based on the subject
area? Perhaps if their strength is
math, they might participate more
actively?
2. If this study was conducted on a
larger, would there be a correlation
between same sex teachers and
students and their connection?

19

relations inadvertently positioned the ELLs

as isolated

Teachers understanding of the cultural and

social needs of the ELLs will promote more
active participation. In one of the
classrooms the ELLs were seen as full
active members of the class. In the other
two classrooms they were seen as language
learners who simply sat in the regular
classroom. Not surprisingly the students in
first classroom were much more engaged in
their learning.

The amount of participation from the ELLs

did determine how much the teachers
interacted and involved the ELLs.

Implications for change project

This was probably the most interesting study I read. It also hit me the hardest as I feel that my positioning is
not always in favour of Nathans place and importance in the classroom. My role as a teacher is to ensure I
treat Nathan like any other child in my class. Even though Nathan is not a very active member of the class I
need to make a point of connecting with him regularly. Similarly, where I position him in the class is
important to pay attention to. My goal is to place Nathan with peers that I know will make an effort to
interact with him and be kind and welcoming to him. We just spent time as staff planning class lists for next
year. It will be important to ensure that he is with peers that he can connect with.