Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Communicative competence – Study and teaching – Vietnam'
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1
Oliver, Cree 1972. "Lehrwerk facilitation of intercultural communicative competence." Monash University, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, 2003. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/5796.
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Dung, Nguyen Hanh, and n/a. "From grammar to communication : a moderate viewpoint in the teaching of EFL adult learners in Vietnam." University of Canberra. Information Sciences, 1985. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060706.113712.
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This Study is concerned with the problems arising
from the application of new ideas in communicative
language teaching for EFL adult learners in Vietnam,
and the solutions to these problems.
The Study argues that to learn to communicate
effectively in a foreign language does not mean merely
to master the linguistic forms of the language, but also
to be able to use them in an appropriate way: to
acquire what is called communicative competence. The Study
also suggests that in Vietnam, the structural system of
the language cannot be neglected if teaching/learning is
to be successful. Accordingly, the Study attempts to
search for an appropriate approach to develop communicative competence in the EFL adult learners of Vietnam.
In order to achieve this aim, the Study enters into
consideration of the relevant literature with reference
to the development of the concept of communicative
competence, and communicative language teaching. Then
the Study makes a survey of some communicative-approach-based
textbooks pointing out the practical values of
different syllabus design models and teaching strategies
discussed in the literature.
Finally the Study proposes a communicative-structural
approach to syllabus design for the target group, the
teaching strategies as well as some techniques and
activities associated with the suggested approach.
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Bong, Nguyen Thi, and n/a. "Communication in teaching speaking skills at the Hanoi Foreign Languages Teachers Trainin College." University of Canberra. Teachinf English to Speakers of other Languages, 1988. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060608.151436.
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In recent years, English has become a compulsory
subject in schools and many tertiary institutions of
Vietnam. The need to train teachers of English is greater
than ever before.
However, in the Hanoi Foreign Languages Teachers
Training College (HFLTTC), English language teaching in
general and the teaching of oral skills in particular leave
much room for improvement. The students' oral proficiency is
far from satisfactory.
This problem has inspired the writing of this
study report as an attempt to search for an appropriate
method to improve the students' communicative competence.
The study consists of four chapters. Chapter one
will overview some English Language Teaching (ELT) methods
in relation to teaching spoken English and their application
in Vietnam.
Chapter two will consider the context of the
HFLTTC where teaching and learning are carried out with a
view to identifying an appropriate approach to the problem.
Chapter three will outline communicative
competence as an objective of the ELT and discuss principles
of the communicative approach to attain the objective, and
suggest teaching material through which the principles can
be applied.
Chapter four will recommend the classroom
techniques which may improve the students' oral proficiency.
This study report should be regarded as an
attempt to apply the communicative approach to teaching oral
skills to students in the context of Vietnam.
4
Koike, Yuko. "Communicative competence through music in EFL for Japanese middle school students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1999. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2564.
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Chang, Jen-Chieh. "Improving communicative competence in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Taiwan." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1996. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1139.
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Fernando, Antoinette Theodora. "Culture and communicative competence : a study of ESL at the tertiary level in Sri Lanka." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/18181.
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Dugmore, Cuan Patrick. "The status of Xhosa and communicative competence in Cape Education Department schools." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14225.
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Bibliography: leaves 196-201.The empirical survey of Xhosa amongst Standard 10 pupils in Cape Education Department Schools (CED) sought to verify or negate two central concerns which surf aced in a pilot study of five Western Cape schools. This thesis contends that little has changed throughout South Africa's colonial and apartheid history with regard to the status of African languages within South Africa and particularly in CED schools. The second contention is that various factors, including the lack of second language expertise and contact with mother tongue speakers, continue to undermine the potential development of pupils' communicative competence in Xhosa. Separate questionnaires which included categorical and open ended questions were posted to Xhosa-teachers, Standard 10 non-mother tongue Xhosa pupils and their parents. The Xhosa teachers administered the questionnaires. There was an 80% response from the total population of CED schools offering Xhosa. The number of subjects included 169 Xhosa pupils, 154 parents and 26 Xhosa teachers. STATGRAPHICS and BMDP were the statistical packages used in the analysis. Chi-Squared tests with the Yates correction for continuity were used to compare frequencies between categorical variables. ANOVA and t-tests were used with continuous variables. Findings indicated the deteriorating status of Xhosa in schools. The low number of CED schools ( 13. 0%) offering Xhosa and a 0. 5% growth rate in Standard 10 pupils doing Xhosa between 1988 and 1991 are an indication of this. The lack of encouragement and support for Xhosa from schools and the CED, coupled with problematic subject choice options, the Xhosa syllabus and the examination system, has affected the status of Xhosa and the motivation of pupils adversely. In the survey, pupils had low communicative competence in Xhosa levels of perceived due to the lack of informal, natural acquisition environments and the over- emphasis of grammatical aspects in the classroom and in examinations. Furthermore, the lack of quality primary and secondary education based on negatively affected pupils' second language theory has attitudes, motivation and communicative competence levels in Xhosa. The recognition of the importance of African languages in a future non-racial South Africa in the current language debate has highlighted the contradiction that exists today. This contradiction necessitates the urgent re-assessment of language and education policies, strategies and teaching methodologies in order to uplift the status of African languages and improve the levels of competence in the target language amongst school pupils.
8
Yang, Chen-Yuan. "Promoting communicative competence through drama in elementary English as a foreign language." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1999. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1723.
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Yeh, Wai Man Helen. "Students' perspection of communicative language teaching : a study of the effects of oral communicative activities in a post-secondary EFL classroom." HKBU Institutional Repository, 1999. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/409.
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Huang, Shu-Hsien. "Developing the English communicative competence of junior college students in Taiwan: A curriculum design project." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1996. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1149.
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Wong, Hoi-ming Hyman, and 王海明. "A study of pragmatic competence in ESL learners in Hong Kong with different grammatical ability." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B3194470X.
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Sawir, Erlenawati 1960. "Communicating in English across cultures : the strategies and beliefs of adult EFL learners." Monash University, Faculty of Education, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8247.
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Fischaess, Frank. "Sprechakte - Sprachspiel - Szenisches Spiel : zur pragmatischen Begründung des Fremdsprachenunterrichts." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ64149.pdf.
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Lee, Kam-cheung Francis. "A case study of communicative language teaching in two Chinese medium of instruction secondary schools in Hong Kong." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B22227155.
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Sandström, Daniel. "So, what you’re saying is …? : A study of year 9 students’ attitudes towards and perceived knowledge of communicative competence." Thesis, Högskolan i Jönköping, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-43183.
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Swedes’ proficiency in English is often high up in the world rankings among the countries in which English is an L2[1]. Learners of English are routinely tested in the Swedish school system, using standardized national tests to measure how well students are doing nationwide, whilst also providing teachers with sometimes essential assistance in grading students’ language skills. At the end of year 9, students should have developed “all-round communicative skills”. But how do we determine what having “all-round communicative skills” constitutes? What are learners’ attitudes towards and perception of what they learn, how they learn it and their own present ability? What are some areas in which they believe they can improve the most, and is there a preferred way to learn a specific skill? Is communicative competence even focused on in the classroom, and if it is – how and how often? The purpose of this study is threefold: to identify how communicatively competent students in year 9 consider themselves in comparison to their peers; how much they believe that they work with communicative competence in school; and what they perceive to be their weakness and area of communicative competence that could be improved most. Secondarily, are there any differences in what is believed to be focused on in class between students and teachers? To answer these questions, an overview of the aspects that together constitutes being communicatively competent based on relevant previous research will be provided. The aims of English as a school subject in Swedish schools are studied in order to see what the goals are, according to the curriculum. After collecting data using interviews and a questionnaire, results indicate that students are not always aware of when and how classroom activities are designed to improve communicative competence. Students in general also seemingly have a varying opinion on what areas they have the most potential for improvement in. There is thus a disparity between learners’ expectations and perception of their own needs, and teachers’ opinions of what requires improvement and how learning of communicative skills is best done. [1] In the writing process, a decision was made to call English an L2 and not a FL throughout the study, since they are still trying to learn another language than their L1 in either case (Yule, 2014, p. 187).
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Lee, Ching-ying Alice, and 李靜瑩. "The communicative strategies of secondary ESL learners in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944620.
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Kitamura, Wakana. "Social cognition-based content instruction for communicative competence in Japanese middle school English." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/43.
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This project demonstrates how English teachers in Japan can conduct purposeful and meaningful lessons for middle school low-intermediate students. The teaching approach used for this project is based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI).
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Childs, Margaret Mary. "A reading based theory of teaching appropriate for the South African context." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/687.
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The print literacy competencies of many South African teachers and the learners they teach are inadequate. Evidence from local and international evaluations and research attests to this. Based on the understanding that a teacher, whose literacy level is less than adequate, is in a weak position to teach others how to read and write, the imperative to systematically address the issue of poor teacher and learner literacy levels, provided the impetus for a careful investigation of the methodology and theory of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy. Originally developed in Australia and applied in primary, secondary and tertiary contexts, this literacy pedagogy was described as a means of rapidly improving the literacy competence of all learners, across all subject areas. Using an approach located within the tradition of interpretative educational theory, the meaning of the theory and practice of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy was explored. As a result of the enquiry undertaken, it was found that the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn approach provides a practical means of enhancing epistemological access. Access of this nature is a precondition for success of learning in schools and in tertiary education. The LR:RL pedagogy provides a carefully structured means of holding literacy at the centre of learning. The sequence of practical steps theoretically rooted in three powerful – but usually separate realms of discourse, is a central contribution of the pedagogy to field of literacy development. Intersecting three discrete disciplines, represented by Bernstein’s model of education as pedagogic discourse, Vygotsky’s model of learning as a social process and Halliday’s model of language as text in social context gives rise to a unique literacy pedagogy. The theory that emerges from use, in a range of situations, over many years, and the carefully sequenced practice, together offer a sound means of addressing the challenges of literacy and learning prevalent in the South African context. iii This thesis argues for a reading based theory of teaching as a means of meeting the challenges of literacy and learning head on. The capacity to learn independently from written text is critical for progress within the schooling and tertiary systems. The Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy provides a means of realizing such a theory of teaching. Simultaneously teaching print literacy, while teaching the content of curricula, is proposed as a way of bringing about effective learning. Within the context of teacher education, the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of many teachers is acknowledged to be inadequate. However, there is a key dimension missing for the construct of PCK to be truly useful for South African teachers. Print literacy is as an essential determinant of the knowledge of teachers. The construct of PCK can thus supplemented by foregrounding reading and writing as essential elements of this category of teacher knowledge. Thus the content of the teacher education curriculum is taught as the reading and writing competence of teachers is developed. Similarly, within the school context, the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy can be used to teach required content and teach the requisite high level reading and writing skills needed by all learners to progress successfully through the schooling system.
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Fung, Wai Yee Ruby. "A study of the effects of task-based learning on the development of communicative competence of Putonghua in a primary class." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2001. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/321.
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Conlan, Christopher J. "Politeness and paradigms of family: A perspective on the development of communicative competence in the Japanese ESL speaker." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1996. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/960.
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This thesis examines the issue of linguistic politeness in English with specific reference to Japanese ESL speakers. It develops a theoretical framework that sees shared assumptions concerning the marking of social-power and social-distance differentials as crucial. Developing the notion that linguistic politeness is a function of a status-dependent and context-dependent variety of language usage, it argues that there are four fundamental types of utterances, and that speech acts conforming to any of the power and distance configurations by means of which these four utterance types are defined can be considered to be polite if-but only if -both speaker and hearer have similar conceptions of their role-relationship within a given speech event. It argues further that perceptions of role-relationships -for both native speakers of Australian English and for Japanese ESL speakers-result from culturally codified understandings of family, and that these understandings provide the primary conceptual template for social actors manufacture and maintenance of social reality in extra-familial face-to-face interaction. As these conceptual templates are not congruent across cultures in the ways in which familial power and distance variables are codified, however, neither are the role-relationships in terms of which extra-familial social encounters are framed; and this, in tum, can lead to Japanese ESL speakers using politeness strategies in contextually inappropriate ways. From this theoretical perspective, the research uses a custom-designed interactive multimedia software package to compare choices of utterances with verified power and distance configurations made by Japanese ESL speakers with choices made by native speakers of Australian English in a variety of everyday speech situations.
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Ilosvay, Kimberly K. "A Qualitative Study of Language Beliefs and Linguistic Knowledge in Preservice Teachers Using the Intercultural Communicative Competence Framework." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/233.
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Since 1980, the number of people in the United States who speak a language other than English at home has increased by 140% (United States Census Bureau, 2010). Therefore a greater percentage of students now are multilingual. Throughout the world, multilingualism is considered the norm and monolingualism is the exception (Auer & Wei, 2008). In the United States, however, policies regarding instruction in schools are still influenced by monolingual ideology that carries expectations and assumptions of assimilation, loss of mother tongues, and defined hierarchical structures. As classroom populations become socially, ethnically, racially, and linguistically more diverse, it is increasingly important for teachers to have an understanding of how to address diversity in schools and for educators to understand how language use and the teachers' role in the classroom impacts learning. This paper explored the existing language beliefs and linguistic knowledge of preservice teachers as they prepare to enter linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. The increasing prominence of cross-cultural interactions creates a necessity for teachers to develop intercultural competence. Employing a conceptual framework of intercultural communicative competence theory, this qualitative study investigated experiences and knowledge in linguistics that influence teacher speech acts. Research in fields of applied linguistics such as psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and educational linguistics revealed basic language knowledge that teachers need before they enter diverse classrooms including knowledge of language acquisition, phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, culture, instruction language, and how the brain processes language. The literature from these fields was used to create an instrument that included a demographics questionnaire, beliefs survey, linguistic knowledge assessment, and interview questions. Twenty-three preservice teachers participated in the study to describe their language beliefs and knowledge. Many of the findings in this study reflected key-findings in the literature; however, this study also found several significant findings that extend existing research. The results revealed significant impacts of 1) individual experiences with culture and linguistic contact, 2) the language used in classrooms, specifically languages other than Standard English and the deep and surface structure of language, 3) linguistic knowledge, specifically phonology, 4) meta-cognitive behavior and reflection, and 5) differences between monolingual and multilingual preservice teachers. The data also indicated that the majority of preservice teachers were concerned about preparedness in teaching in diverse classrooms. Implications for teachers working in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms and for teacher preparation programs are discussed.
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Kwok, Kit-yee Belinda, and 郭潔儀. "A study of the communicative strategies used by the sixth form students in a small group discussion." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1987. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31949083.
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Lai, Chun-nei Jenny, and 黎珍妮. "Is there any difference in non-native English speaking students' use of communication strategies with or without the presence of nativespeakers of English in small group discussion?" Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1995. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31957924.
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Ho, Lai-kuen Angela, and 何麗娟. "The communicative approach in the Hong Kong context." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1987. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31949046.
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Omara, Salma. "The comprehension of conversational implicatures : a cross- cultural study." Virtual Press, 1993. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/862271.
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Research shows that L2 learners' communicative problems are often pragmatic in nature. Pragmatic competence has been defined as the ability to recognize the force and the intended meaning of an utterance by making judgments about its appropriateness (Thomas 1983). Studies on interlanguage pragmatics have provided evidence that conversational strategies differ cross-linguistically and cross-culturally. Also, recent studies on the way native and nonnative speakers of English comprehend and understand conversational implicatures (Bouton 1988, 1989, 1990) have revealed that non-native speakers of English do not interpret implicatures the way native speakers do and that this is due to cultural differences.This study investigated the way native speakers of Arabic and (American) English interpret and comprehend implicatures. It was hypothesized that, as a part of their communicative competence, the Arab speakers' ability to interpret implicatures in English may be influenced by four variables: 1) overall proficiency level in English (measured by standardized ESL tests); 2) length of exposure to American culture; 3) level of motivation to learn English andattitudes toward Americans and American culture; and 4) strategic interference due to the differences in pragmatic functions between Arabic and English.136 subjects (61 Arabs and 75 Americans) participated in this study, which employed three empirical instruments: 1) an implicature questionnaire designed in the form of a multiple-choice test to test the native and nonnative subjects' comprehension of implicatures; 2) a motivation/attitudes questionnaire to measure the non-native subjects' motivational levels for learning English and their attitudes towards American culture and people; and 3) the Michigan Proficiency Test, a standardized test of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. In addition, a post-test interview was used to gather information from non-native speakers regarding the choices made on each implicature question.Statistical analyses of the results revealed significant differences between native and nonnative speakers in their comprehension and interpretation of implicatures. In a multiple-regression, length of stay was found to be a significant predictor of non-native speakers' comprehension of implicatures.Department of English
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Kurihara, Yuka. "Appropriating pedagogical tools a case study of Japanese secondary school EFL teachers returning from overseas in-service teacher education program /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1187097104.
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Lee, Kam-cheung Francis, and 李淦章. "A case study of communicative language teaching in two Chinese medium of instruction secondary schools in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944632.
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Rydblom, Oskar. "Attitudes towards and Experiences of InterculturalCommunicative Competence : A small-scale study of Swedish uppersecondary schools in a mid-size Swedishcommunity." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för didaktik och lärares praktik (DLP), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-70896.
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This is a small-scale study that looks at how important upper secondary students andteachers in a mid-size Swedish community consider intercultural communicativecompetences to be and how frequently they work with developing these competences.Previous research on the work with intercultural communicative competence suggestteachers are largely unaware of theories in this area, but these studies were conducted atleast ten years ago. Current models for working with intercultural communicativecompetences are discussed and questionnaires for students and teachers were developedto investigate attitudes towards and experiences of working with interculturalcompetences. The results of the questionnaires indicate that there is still little awarenessof current models and that practical communicative exercises are rare. As this study issmall scale and can only provide possible indications of the extent to witch interculturalcommunicative competence is dealt with in the classroom, the paper concludes thatfurther and more extensive studies are needed.Keywords
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Shin, Somi. "Competence in communication for ESL/EFL speaking curriculum." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1962.
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This project provides a background on English instruction in Korea and features a literature review that builds theoretical aspects of this project. This project also presents a model of communicative competence applied to the speaking process which incorporates the application of speaking strategies.
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Swendsén, Susanne. "La influencia del Lgr11 en los libros de estudio, la enseñanza y la evaluación del ELE." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för utbildningsvetenskap (UV), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-34267.
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The Swedish school, or more precisely, the school results of Swedish pupils, is a topic widely discussed in media, the newspapers and among teachers and parents. Everyone seems concerned about the knowledge requirements and there are many discussions about how to change the negative spiral. With the change of national study plans from the earlier Lpo94 to today´s Lgr11, many questions have arisen about how to plan and evaluate teaching. Against this background, the aim of this essay is to verify what influence the new national study plan has had on Spanish teaching, the study books in Spanish and evaluation in upper secondary school in the communities of Skövde and Mariestad. Our focus is delimited to the five competences of a language: listen, read, write, speak and communicate. In this essay we part from four hipotheses. In the first place, we believe that the national study plans, Lpo94 and Lgr11, are very similar, but that there is a greater focus on the competence of communication in Lgr11. In the second place, we believe that the tests in the teacher´s guides are more or less adapted to the five competences depending on if they were published before or after the change of national study plans. Our hipothesis is that the newer tests are more adapted to the competences than the older ones. In the third place, we believe that some teachers have adapted (more or less) to the new system and that others have not. In the fourth place, our hipothesis is that those teachers who have adapted to the new system, evaluate all the five competences, with greater frequency and also make their own material to a greater extent than others. The method used in this essay is a comparison between the national study plans and the Spanish teacher´s guides. We have also made surveys among the teachers in the communities of Mariestad and Skövde. The results of our study show that there is a high similarity between the national study plans, but that there is a greater focus on communication in Lgr11 when it comes to knowledge requirements. The tests in the teacher´s guides differ a lot, and not many of them have been republished since the system change. Interestingly, there is only one of the teacher´s guides with tests that correspond to all five competences, and it is a book published before Lgr11. Furthermore, the teachers in our study respond differently on how they believe that they have adapted to the new system. Half of them think that they ii have made no changes at all, but the results show, surprisingly, that all the teachers evaluate the five competences of a language and there is also a tendency to evaluate the pupils more often than before. It seems like the new national study plan has had an impact on all the teachers in our study.
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Xiang, Chun Ping. "A study on task-based language teaching and learning : tasks and language focus." Thesis, University of Macau, 2010. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b2180749.
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Lee, Mee-oi, and 李美愛. "An assessment of the degree to which a secondary school's English language teaching pilot scheme correlates with the principles of thecommunicative approach." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1987. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B42128249.
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Leung, Wong Yuen-ching Susan, and 梁黃婉靜. "Mother tongue job-related oral competency technical presentation training effectiveness through applied linguistics." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31945107.
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Olsson, Sofie. "Speaking in the EFL classroom : A qualitative study of how four compulsory school teachers view the role of oral proficiency." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för språk (SPR), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-71402.
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Research shows that oral proficiency is a big part of communicative competence, and therefore highly relevant for EFL teachers in today’s society. This study aims to investigate what types of activities four EFL teachers in secondary school in Sweden prefer to use in order to practice and assess their students’ oral proficiency. This study further seeks to give an insight in what the four teachers focus on when assessing their students’ oral proficiency. The method used for this study was qualitative, semi- structured interviews with four EFL teachers of different secondary schools in south of Sweden. Furthermore, the data was later coded and analysed with inspiration of the Grounded theory methodology. The results of this study showed that the four teachers used different oral activities very often in their teaching, especially different kinds of discussions. The oral activities were often connected to other projects and assignments that included other skills such as reading and writing. Therefore, the oral proficiency activities were only said to be clearly planned and assessed once or twice per term. Moreover, the four teachers main focus when assessing the students’ oral proficiency seemed to be phenomena like fluency, clearness, adaption to purpose and strategy- usage.
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Ssemakalu, John. "A case study of the implementation of the communicative approach to English second language progress testing in one secondary school in the Alexandria Circuit of the Eastern Cape Department of Education." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002645.
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This study explores the implementation of the communicative approach (CA) to English second language progress testing in an African secondary school which falls under the Eastern Cape Department of Education. The goal of the research is to establish how teachers access, conceptualise, and apply the CA to language testing in their specific working conditions. The report of the findings of the research reveals that teachers' understanding of the CA to testing differs from that of the linguists, curriculum designers, innovators, and syllabus writers. This is caused by a combination of factors including teachers' poor working conditions, the lack of focused pre-service training and effective in-service structures for their empowennent as the agents of innovation, coupled with the poor circulation and a lack of clarity in official documents on the CA to language testing. These constraints made it impossible for teachers to implement the CA to language testing. In order to carry on with their work, however, teachers developed coping strategies by drawing, probably unconsciously, on a mixture of structuralist, sociolinguistic-psycholinguistic, communicative and any other testing practices they may have acquired during their years of service. Although based only on one school, the findings of this study indicate that for fundamental innovations such as the CA to take root, there is a need for the adoption of more dedicated, reflective implementation strategies involving proper planning and monitoring, as well as evaluation and re-evaluation of the entire process. This necessarily slow process must go hand-in-hand with a dedicated pre-service and in-service empowerment program based on consultative communication between innovator and agent; and a persuasive education/re-education approach which will encourage teachers to change their entrenched practices.
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Olivier-Shaw, Amanda. "Lecturer and student perceptions of an academic writing task." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003548.
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This research considers the perceptions of an academic writing task held by a lecturer and first year students in the Philosophy department at the University of Zululand. The research takes as its starting point the following premises: that language is inextricably linked to learning; that each academic discipline has a particular discourse which students have to acquire in order to participate as accepted members of the academic community; that learning proceeds most effectively when teaching starts with what is known and moves into the unknown; and that learning takes place through experience and involvement, rather than transmission. The research suggests that many first year students bring with them to university an understanding of the nature of learning and of knowledge which makes it difficult for them to understand the implicit rules of the discourse of analytical philosophy. My investigation uncovered several of these rules in the study guide written for the course, but it appears that students were not able to discover them and, as a result, experienced great difficulty in fulfilling the assignment task in a way which promoted their understanding of the content. The research also shows that the lecturer's expectations of the task were far removed from the manner in which the students implemented the task. It is argued that the students appear to have reverted to their established writing strategies which consisted of simply repeating what the 'authority' has said. From this it is argued that unless rules of the discourse are made explicit to students, and students understand the content of the course, they will revert to copying and relying on other sources to tell them what to write. One way of making these rules explicit and encouraging students to integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge which they bring with them to university is through providing well-structured writing tasks, and where necessary, developing clearly defined assessment procedures. Writing is the principal means of mediation between the lecturer, who is trying to offer students entry into the discipline, and the student apprentice trying to make sense of the discipline and find his or her own 'voice' within that discipline.
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Flores-Salgado, Elizabeth. "A pragmatic study of developmental patterns in Mexican students making English requests and apologies." Doctoral thesis, Australia : Macquarie University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/28866.
Full textAbstract:
"September 2008".Thesis (DAppLing)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics and Psychology, Dept. of Linguistics, 2009.
Bibliography: p. 189-196.
The purpose of this research was to analyse the pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic development of language groups at different proficiency levels and investigate the relationship between interlanguage pragmatics and grammatical competence. For this study, 36 native Spanish speaking EFL learners at different proficiency levels were asked to respond in English to 24 different situations which called for the speech acts of request and apology. Their English performances were compared to those of 12 American English native speakers in order to provide base-line cultural data. Thirty six Mexican Spanish native speakers also participated as a control group in order to analyse the role of the mother tongue in the performances of the EFL learners. The data, collected using a carton oral production task (COPT), were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results showed three important findings that illuminate the relationship between pragmatic development and grammatical competence and lent support to Kasper and Rose's (2003) claim of a universal pragmatic principle. The first finding suggested that basic adult learners possess a previous pragmatic knowledge in their L1 that allows them to focus on the intended meaning and, in most cases, and to assemble (from the linguistic structures available to them) an utterance that conveys a pragmatic intention and satisfies the communicative demands of a social situation. The second finding revealed that there are two essential conditions to communicate a linguistic action: the knowledge of the relevant linguistic rules and the knowledge of how to use them appropriately and effectively in a specific context. Without an elementary knowledge of the linguistic rules, it is impossible to select the forms to realize a speech act in a target-like manner. The findings further suggested that advanced learners possess the grammatical knowledge to produce an illocutionary act, but they need to learn the specific L2 pragmatic conventions that enable them to know when to use these grammatical forms and under what circumstances.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xi, 238 p. ill
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Kierman, Wynsome Doreen. "A pilot study of the relationship between the English language abilities of a group of primary school children and their tree-drawings." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003587.
Full textAbstract:
This pilot study attempts to assess the correlation between language ability and a projective Tree-drawing test. The hypothesis tested is that expounded by Sandra Michel, a psychologist working with Dr. A. A. Tomatis at the Language Centre in Paris. The theory of Language from which her work derives is that put forward by A. A. Tomatis in Vers l'écoute humaine (Towards Human Hearing), (1977) and Education and Dyslexia trans . , Louise Guiney, (1972). This hypothesis states that the Tree-drawing can give a clear indication of the kind of dialogue the testee will be able and willing to use. The claims for projective Tree-drawing 'tests' or techniques have been mainly concerned with personality or psychological assessments and sometimes with intelligence testing since Charles Koch first began his work in this field in the early forties. Sandra Michel in "The Tree Test", translated by T . Brown, (unpublished paper), Tomatis Centre (Scarbrough, Ontario, 1980) discusses a Tree-drawing scale that indicates both the developmental level of the child's language ability and his/her motivation towards dialogue and communication at this level. To test this hypothesis a sample of 1094 Tree-drawings was used. The drawings were done by Primary School children of both sexes from Sub. A. to Std . 5, collected over four years of research. These drawings were studied to see if the Tree scale of drawings described by Michel did in fact occur and if they occurred in the sequence she suggests. As a result of these preliminary investigations a developmental scale was devised and proposed as a refinement of Michel's scale. Scores from these two Tree-scales were correlated with English language scores using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and the Spearman Rank techniques. The sample for this correlation study was a group of 54 Std. 5 pupils whose English language ability was evaluated by (i) a school English Examination mark, (ii) a Questionnaire scoring receptive and expressive language behaviours and (iii) Verbal I.Q. scores. The positive correlation between these language scores and the Tree-drawing projective test scores are discussed and the implications for English language teaching and suggestions for further research mentioned.
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Trittibach-Andres, Monika. "Communicative interaction in the English language classroom : a field study of a western teacher as change agent in two Chinese primary schools in Zhong Shan, People's Republic of China." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1037.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a 'Change Agent' in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Chinese primary schools, and to determine whether changes were perceivable in the number and type of communicative interactions that occurred in EFL classrooms. The Department of Education of Zhong Shan, People's Republic of China, welcomed this research as the communicative approach to teaching English is sanctioned by the authorities. However, the formality of the actual classroom in primary schools often precludes much use of this method. An Investigation of the influence of a Westerner in the role of 'Change Agent' (teacher trainer), may provide more information on adequate EFL teacher training. As Penner (1995) pointed out, these Change Agents need to be aware of the pedagogical complexities between the traditional/formal and the communicative teaching approach in China and have had experience in EFL leaching. As such, the study was of particular relevance to both the Chinese EFL teachers and the Education Department of Zhong Shan. It was also of benefit to future decisions in EFL teacher training because it explored the situation of primary school settings and the demands on adequate input of methodology which up to now has not yet been investigated in primary settings. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, this study investigated the use of the communicative method in two Standard 4 classrooms at different schools, prior to and after an in-service and the work with a Change Agent. The researcher was the Change Agent and acted as both a participant observer and as a teacher model while team teaching with the teachers from the two classes. Interviews, questionnaires and field notes provided the qualitative data, while counts of number and type of communicative interactions before and after intervention provided the quantitative data. Data on type and number increase in communicative interaction after the researcher's intervention ceased, suggested that the two Chinese EFL teachers were able to promote more communicative interaction and initiated more permanent change in their EFL teaching approach. The implication for more and better communicative interaction is that the teachers of both classes planned, designed and implemented relevantly more pair and group work and material provision after the in-service. The Department of Education of the Southern District of Zhong Shan and the teachers of the research classes positively commented on the external contact with a foreign EFL teacher. Thus, direct influence of a Western teacher as Change Agent who promoted communicative interaction directly at the school premises was considered a relevant and new approach.
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Poon, Ying-ming, and 潘瑩明. "Enhancing communication with mathematics club activities." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2005. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B3538296X.
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Marsden-Huggins, John. "Towards an understanding of ESL students' approaches to learning: a study of conceptions of learning, perceptions of situational demands, learning approaches and learning outcomes." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15993.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references.An hypothesised relationship between levels of proficiency in English of ESL (English as a Second Language) students and the approaches to learning which they adopt, in situations in which English is the language of instruction, is the focus of this study. An attempt was made to identify the extent to which students, who are required to learn in a second language, adopt undesirable approaches to learning as a consequence of linguistic or cultural factors. Such students appear to adopt reproductive strategies to pass examinations and retain only isolated pieces of information for practical application. In a sense, they graduate but remain unqualified. Quantitative responses of 307 students, relating to their contextualised perceptions of the demands of the learning situation, were gathered and analysed using a learning approach categorisation procedure. Qualitative responses of 120 students, relating to their descriptions of the context and content of learning, were gathered in semi-structured interviews to supplement and enrich the quantitive data collected. Levels of proficiency in the language of instruction were measured using integrative tests of comprehension of spoken discourse and written texts presented in actual lecture situations. Students were given the opportunity to rate the lectures and reading material from which they were expected to learn and self-esteem was measured as a construct considered likely to affect perceptions of the demands of the learning situation. Concurrently with the above, a group of students from each of 3 year groups was taught a new topic over a short series of lectures and tested for understanding in the language of instruction. Balanced groups, from each of the 3 year groups, were taught the same topic and tested for understanding in the mother-tongue. This procedure was subsequently replicated with a second topic of similar complexity, across all three year groups, with languages switched. Critical aspects of the teaching/learning situation were kept constant. These procedures provided compelling evidence, after analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, of a relationship between proficiency in the language of instruction and the ways in which students engage in learning tasks. Difficulty with the language of instruction appears to increase the demands of the learning situation and the likelihood of adopting reproducing strategies, which are not normally associated with success in terms of learning outcomes.
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Choi, Siu-ping Almas, and 蔡少萍. "Negotiation of meaning in oral discussion tasks among L2 learners in aHong Kong secondary school." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B2705150X.
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Smith, Steven John. "English language teacher education in Cuba : context, pedagogy and identity." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/59959/1/Steven_Smith_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
In this study, I investigate the model of English language teacher education developed in Cuba. It includes features that would be considered innovative, contemporary, good practice anywhere in the Western world, as well as having distinctly Cuban elements. English is widely taught in Cuba in the education system and on television by Cuban teachers who are prepared in five-year courses at pedagogical universities by bilingual Cuban teacher educators.
This case study explores the identity and pedagogy of six English language teacher educators at Cuba’s largest university of pedagogical sciences. Postcolonial theory provides a framework for examining how the Cuban pedagogy of English language teacher education resists the negative representation of Cuba in hegemonic Western discourse; and challenges neoliberal Western dogma. Postcolonial concepts of representation, resistance and hybridity are used in this examination.
Cuban teacher education features a distinctive ‘pedagogy of tenderness’. Teacher educators build on caring relationships and institutionalised values of solidarity, collectivism and collaboration. Communicative English language teaching strategies are contextualised to enhance the pedagogical and communicative competence of student teachers, and intercultural intelligibility is emphasised. The collaborative pedagogy of Cuban English language teacher education features peer observation, mentoring and continuing professional development; as well as extensive pre-service classroom teaching and research skill development for student teachers. Being Cuban and bilingual are significant aspects of the professional identity of case members, who regard their profession as a vocation and who are committed to preparing good English language teachers.
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Siu, Kwai Peng. "Exploring the pragmatic competence of EFL learners in the production and judgement of formal written requests." Phd thesis, Australia : Macquarie University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/42561.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (DAppLing)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics and Psychology, Department of Linguistics, 2008.Bibliography: p. 404-418.
Introduction -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion -- Conclusion.
This study sets out to examine the pragmatic competence of Cantonese adult learners of English possessing different levels of proficiency when performing the speech act of requesting for a formal purpose in writing. Pragmatic judgment - one of the two aspects of pragmatic competence - was examined by studying the most proficient group (i.e., native Cantonese-speaking EFL teachers at university), whereas pragmatic performance - the other aspect of pragmatic competence - was examined by studying the two weaker groups (i.e., university students at two language proficient levels). Both pragmatic judgment and pragmatic performance were examined by investigating the same four dependent variables (i.e., politeness, directness, formality and amount of information). Teacher data, collected through a Pragmatic Judgment Questionnaire completed and returned by sixteen EFL teachers (eight native Cantonese speakers and eight native English speakers) and by means of individual interviews, were analyzed quantitatively for responses to twelve questions and qualitatively for responses to an additional two questions. Student data, consisting of both experimental and authentic letters and e-mails, were analyzed quantitatively. -- Main research findings suggest: *It is possible for very proficient NNSs of English, (i.e., the EFL teachers in this study), to achieve native-like pragmatic judgments in most aspects, except for their views on several pragmatic considerations (i.e., "unnaturally polite" expressions, usefulness of "negative" words, supportive moves not to be used and writing plans preferred). *As the English proficiency of L2 learners improves from Grade E to Grade A/B (as determined by the Hong Kong A-level Examinations in the subject "Use of English"), their pragmatic performance shows improvement. -- For pedagogical reasons, a qualitative analysis was conducted for Questions 1 and 2 in order to generate examples of "unnaturally polite"/ "polite" / "impolite" expressions and to provide examples of inappropriate supportive moves in relation to three writing topics.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xvii, 576 p
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Chan, Kin-han Barbara, and 陳建嫻. "Some problems in the written English of lower-sixth form students in Hong Kong: a study of errors made in the verbgroup." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1987. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B43893181.
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McKiernan, Sharon Price. "Writing to learn in the secondary social studies classroom: Strategies for the disinclined." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2000. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1931.
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This thesis begins with sufficient research to support the contention that secondary teachers should be using writing in the classroom, proceeds to question why some are not, and then supplies specific lesson plan ideas which can be adapted to suit most needs in the secondary history classrooms.
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Martins, Claudia Beatriz Monte Jorge. "A integração da tecnologia nos cursos de licenciatura em Letras do estado do Paraná a partir da perspectiva dos professores: um estudo de métodos mistos." Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, 2015. http://repositorio.utfpr.edu.br/jspui/handle/1/1164.
Full textAbstract:
O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar como se dá a integração da tecnologia, ou melhor, CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning – na sala de aula dos cursos de licenciatura em Letras do estado do Paraná. A Teoria da Difusão de Inovações e o Modelo Esférico de Integração de CALL foram os modelos teórico e analítico que respectivamente nortearam a pesquisa. Este estudo é uma pesquisa de métodos mistos e foi adotado um delineamento explanatório sequencial composto de duas fases distintas: uma primeira fase com abordagem quantitativa e uma segunda fase com abordagem qualitativa. As inferências finais foram feitas a partir dos resultados de ambas as fases do estudo. Analiticamente, o uso da tecnologia na sala de aula não foi considerado um construto unitário, mas sim multifacetado. Com relação ao contexto foram estudadas diferentes instituições de ensino superior, e não apenas uma ou duas universidades. Buscou-se evitar, assim, as limitações metodológicas, analíticas e contextuais comumente encontradas em estudos sobre a integração de CALL. Para a primeira fase quantitativa foi desenvolvido um questionário para coleta de dados. O instrumento foi validado por um painel de especialistas, testado em um estudo-piloto e, por fim, administrado a uma amostra constituída de 152 professores de 33 cursos de Letras de instituições públicas e privadas de todo o estado do Paraná. Análises estatísticas foram feitas para examinar a relação entre os três conjuntos de fatores do Modelo Esférico de Integração de CALL e os usos multifacetados da tecnologia pelos professores dos cursos de licenciatura em línguas do estado do Paraná. Os resultados identificaram quatro usos diferentes e também a influência sobre eles dos fatores individuais, contextuais e da formação prévia em CALL/TICs, mostrando que os fatores individuais e os fatores contextuais são importantes preditores da integração de CALL/TICs. Com base nos resultados da fase quantitativa e fazendo uso da Teoria da Inovação Individual foram selecionados os participantes para a segunda fase. Foram conduzidas 16 entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas. A fase qualitativa aprofundou os resultados quantitativos e explicou os resultados inesperados e sem resposta da fase quantitativa. A integração dos resultados mostrou que além dos fatores individuais e contextuais, aparentemente a formação prévia dos professores em CALL/TICs não deve ser descartada como preditor da integração de CALL/TICs. Foi possível também traçar o panorama atual de CALL nos cursos de Letras do estado do Paraná. CALL ainda está distante da normalização. Descobertas adicionais foram obtidas nas duas fases do estudo. No contexto internacional, assim como no contexto brasileiro, apesar das inúmeras pesquisas sobre CALL, ainda existem lacunas significativas em algumas áreas e percebe-se a necessidade de mais estudos que aprofundem o tema da integração e ajudem a elucidar a relação entre os fatores que levam ou não a integração de CALL. Esta pesquisa sobre a integração de CALL no contexto brasileiro buscou contribuir para que se tenha uma compreensão mais ampla de como lidar com CALL e mostrar caminhos para que a integração ocorra em outros contextos.The objective of this study was to analyze the integration of technology, or rather CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning – in the classroom of Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Spherical Model of L2 Teachers’ Integration of CALL Technology into the Classroom were the theoretical and analytical models that respectively guided the research. This is a mixed methods study that adopted a sequential explanatory design that consisted of two distinct phases: a first phase with a quantitative approach and a second phase with a qualitative approach. The final inferences were made from the results of both phases of the study. Analytically, the use of technology in the classroom was not considered a unitary construct, but rather multifaceted. Contextually, different higher educational institutions, not just one or two universities were investigated. The purpose was to avoid methodological, analytical and contextual constraints commonly found in studies on the integration of CALL. For the first quantitative phase a questionnaire was developed to collect data. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts, tested in a pilot study and, finally, applied to a sample of 152 teachers from 33 Modern Languages courses from public and private institutions throughout the state of Paraná. Statistical analyzes were performed to examine the relationship between the three sets of factors from the Spherical Model and the multifaceted uses of technology by the teachers of undergraduate language courses in the state of Paraná. The results identified four different uses and also the influences of individual factors, contextual factors and prior CALL/ICTs education on the uses of technology, showing that individual factors and contextual factors are important predictors of CALL/ICTs integration. Participants were selected for the qualitative phase according to the results of the quantitative phase and to Rogers’ Individual Innovativeness Theory. Sixteen semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. The qualitative phase deepened the quantitative results and explained the unexpected results and the results that could not be answered in the quantitative phase. The integration of the results showed that in addition to individual and contextual factors, apparently prior CALL/ICTs education should not be dismissed as a predictor of CALL/ICTs integration. It was also possible to provide a clearer picture of CALL in the Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. CALL is far from normalization. Additional findings were obtained in the two phases of the study. In international and Brazilian contexts, despite extensive research on CALL, there are still significant gaps in some areas. There is the need for more studies to further investigate the issue of integration and help elucidate the relationship between the factors that lead to CALL integration or not. This research on the integration of CALL in the Brazilian context sought to contribute to a broader understanding of CALL and to show ways for integration to take place in other contexts.
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Trinh, Thi Thu Hien. "Achieving cultural competence in Vietnamese EFL classes: a case study from an intercultural communicative competence perspective." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1322497.
Full textAbstract:
Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)The process of teaching and learning foreign languages in the era of globalisation aims to equip students with intercultural awareness and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) (Sercu, Carmen, Garcia, & Castro, 2004). This goal is being conceptualised as a new requirement that teachers should promote among their students through the inclusion of intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes in foreign language education (Byram, 1993b). To achieve this goal, culture must be addressed as a core component in language programs and integrated with the teaching of linguistic elements. In Vietnam, the common goal for English language study noted in Decision No 1400/QĐ-TTg on 30 September, 2008, emphasises the training of young Vietnamese citizens to become communicative and intercultural English users. This objective of English language teaching requires Vietnamese English teachers to provide students with opportunities to achieve cultural competence alongside linguistic competence. This study looks at the teaching of culture in the contemporary context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching at the Vietnamese tertiary level, examining the presentation of culture in the official teaching materials and the teaching practices in terms of the ways and the extent to which they infuse culture into EFL lessons. This study adopted a qualitative case study approach, and was conducted in two phases: Phase 1 (Document Collection and Analysis) and Phase 2 (Teachers’ Interviews, Classroom Observations and Field notes). I employed various strategies to collect the data: document analysis, one-on-one interviews, individual interviews for member checking, classroom observations and field notes. The case study research revealed two key findings: the gap between how the cultural content is presented in Vietnamese tertiary English textbooks and the conceptualisations of cultural competence from an ICC perspective; and the gap between the Vietnamese tertiary EFL teachers’ teaching practices and the development of students’ ICC. The shortcomings of the textbook content and the teachers’ tendency to limit the teaching of culture influenced Vietnamese English students’ development of ICC. This study provides a framework for the teaching of culture in the Vietnamese context, which will help teachers and policy makers improve English language teaching, with the aim of achieving the intercultural goals of language study in our globalised community.
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Vanderheijden, Vincent Louis. "Intercultural communicative competence : assessing outcomes of an undergraduate German language program." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3414.
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This study investigates possible contributing factors to the development of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in undergraduate language learners. Moreover, the study tests the viability of a survey instrument which can help language programs describe the ICC of their students. ICC has been determined to be a valuable—if not central—component of the future of language teaching and learning (Aguilar, 2007) because of the focus the construct places on “appropriate and effective” interaction between the learner and interlocutors from the target culture.
A total of 108 lower-division German language students were surveyed as part of this study. They represented a cross section of all lower-division German language courses offered at the University of Texas at Austin in the spring semester of 2010. The Assessment of Undergraduate Intercultural Competence was used to collect student responses. The survey, an extensive adaptation of Fantini’s Assessment of Intercultural Competence (2006) for the undergraduate language learning context, gathered demographic data, such as nationality, foreign travel experience and nature of a participant’s intercultural relationships. Students were also asked to rank the applicability to themselves of an array of personality traits. Finally, students responded to 54 questions which addressed the core domains of ICC: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Awareness. These items, as well as the personality traits were rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. The data collected were analyzed by quantitative methods
The findings of this analysis determined that there was no connection between students progressing through the language program and the development of ICC. Additionally, though, a number of other factors, including the presence of intercultural relationships and a student’s willingness to adjust to new ways of living, were found to contribute positively to one’s ICC. The results of the study suggest that language programs consider ways to incorporate these factors into curricula. The findings also provide benchmark data for future studies of language learner ICC in the context of the American undergraduate experience.text
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Weimann, Alan Gilbert. "Communicative language teaching in Ciskeian secondary schools." Thesis, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17856.
Full textAbstract:
English Second Language {ESL) teaching has undergone noticeable changes in
recent years. One such change, based upon current second language teaching theory,
has been a striving for authenticity and relevance in ESL classrooms. Innovations in
ESL resulting from such a striving, have been collectively labelled as
Communicative Language Teaching {CLT).
A new generation of ESL core syllabuses and course books has arisen, based upon
the ideals and terminology of CL T. In spite of official sanction from education
departments there was perceived to be an apparent lack of communicative activities
in many ESL classrooms. This study considered the extent of this perceived absence
of CL T approaches from ESL classrooms in certain Ciskeian secondary schools.
Using purposeful sampling a group of Ciskeian ESL teachers was identified for
possible classroom observation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to
provide a "thick description' of ESL classroom life, with an emphasis on the
orientation of the teachers towards CL T. A measure of typicality in the findings
derived from such observation would allow for the applicability of such an
understanding of classroom life to other schools in the Ciskei region and in the
greater Eastern Cape Province.
The study addressed the following two issues:
* The changes that have occurred in English Language teaching methods with
particular reference to CL T and the claim that can be made for CL T to be
considered as an educational innovation;
* The extent to which CL T was encountered in the Ciskeian ESL classrooms
observed and the role that the teachers in these classrooms fulfill as agents of
change in the light of the innovative nature of CL T.
A literature study was undertaken of the theory and practice of Educational
Innovation and CL T. Because of a desire to locate this research in a qualitative
paradigm consideration was given to the theoretical underpinnings of Qualitative
Research in general, and of Ethnography in particular.
Teachers in the study were identified by means of their responses to a questionnaire
designed to establish the teacher's perceived inclination to CL T. The subsequent
data collection strategy included classroom observation, the use of an observation
protocol (the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching-COLT), audiorecordings
of lessons observed and teacher interviews which were recorded and
transcribed.
Analysis and interpretation of the data led to a series of statements indicating the
extent of the CL T orientation of the classrooms observed. Synthesis of these statements revealed that classrooms were organized around teacher-centered, wholeclass,
pedagogic activities supporting a 'transmission' mode of teaching. this
supported the earlier perception that there was a lack of communicative activities in
CL T classrooms. Arising out of these findings were a number of implications for the teachers in the
sample, for the college of education which had produced these teachers, and for the
Eastern Cape Department of Education. It was suggested that there should be a
commitment on the part of the teachers to CLT, a sensitivity on the part of the
college to the need for sound theoretical and practical pre-service training for
prospective ESL teachers, and the recognition on the part of the Department of a
need for a comprehensive programme of CL T in-service training.Language Education Arts and Culture
D. Ed. (Didacticts)