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1
Lee, Ena Grace. "Negotiating the "critical" in a Canadian English for Academic Purposes program." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31379.
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This thesis represents a one-year critical ethnographic case study of an academic literacy program located within a major Canadian university. Pacific University's English for Academic Purposes program distinguished itself from "traditional" English as a Second Language programs in its innovative pedagogical approach. The program staff believed that the understanding of a language lies in the deeper understandings of the culture in which it is embedded. Because of this, the program emphasized the use of a critical dialogic approach to the analysis of how language is shaped by culture and vice-versa. My research revealed, however, that disjunctions existed between the pedagogy as it was conceptualized and the classroom practices of the instructors teaching there. Furthermore, classroom observations conducted over the course of the year suggested that student identities were being constructed and negotiated vis-à-vis those of the instructors and that the discourses of teachers essentialized culture and, in turn, student identities. I argue that the discourses we co-construct in the classroom can (re)create subordinate student identities, thereby limiting students' access not only to language-learning opportunities, but to other more powerful identities. I therefore propose that a reimagining of a critical language teacher identity and the negotiation of critical praxis can concomitantly serve to reimagine student identities in new and emancipatory ways.Education, Faculty of
Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Graduate
2
Jordan, R. R. "English for academic purposes (EAP) and needs analysis: implications and implementation." Thesis, University of Manchester, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488346.
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The research into aspects of EAP covers the twenty-five-year period from 1972 to 1997. The main focus of the submission is the use of needs analysis in relation to EAP, the implications of the findings, and their implementation with regard to teaching materials, course design and methods of teaching. Various methods are used to investigate the language and study skills needs of international students, mostly postgraduates at Manchester University: these include - language tests, self-assessment, questionnaires and surveys, observation and monitoring in class. Evaluation, feedback and follow-up investigations are used to assess the effectiveness of EAP courses and materials. The research covers the common core or study skills strand of EAP which includes the main study skills of listening and note-taking, academic writing, academic reading, speaking and discussion, reference skills, and examination skills. In addition, it covers subject-specific areas, exemplified here through Economics. One of the results of the investigations and the trial of teaching materials is the production of several books catering for students' needs in the main areas of study skills, especially academic writing. Co-operation with the Department of Economics enabled a framework to be developed which was used as the basis for designing and constructing materials for postgraduate students of Economics who needed to improve their study skills and English for Economics. The result of the co-operation was an improved language service for the students and the joint production of a book for their use. One of the main methods of collecting data for use in analysing the needs of students was the structured questionnaire and survey. The findings enabled the needs of students to be prioritised, and enabled EAP courses to be structured so that they met the students' changing needs. Course design was assisted by conducting the first national survey of EAP courses in British universities. Although the main focus of the research is upon the needs of students, the needs of EAP teachers are not overlooked. It had been discovered years ago that no single book catered specifically for the needs of EAP teachers. This had been -confirmed while writing a state-of-the-art article on EAP. Consequently, the first guide and resource book for EAP teachers and those undergoing training to become EAP teachers was written, and published in 1997.
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Devi, Sarojani. "Validating aspects of a model of academic reading." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/296771.
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In the past, the focus in language testing, teaching and research has largely been on careful reading while expeditious (quick, efficient and selective) reading has been largely ignored. However, some research suggests that careful reading ability alone is inadequate for students to meet the demands of undergraduate academic reading. In the main English for Academic Purposes (EAP), test instruments have been previously based on careful reading models which assume reading to be unicomponential. If this is not the case, the issue for language testing is whether the construct of academic reading can be validly measured by a focus on careful reading alone. The aims of this study were to investigate the types of academic reading required of firstyear undergraduates based on Urquhart and Weir's (1998) four-cell matrix of reading types which also forms an important part of Khalifa and Weir's (2009) reading model. Based on this, a valid academic reading test battery for undergraduate students was developed and used to examine the divisibility of the academic reading construct. The literature review on reading models suggested that current models were nearly all premised on careful reading and expeditious reading had in the main been ignored. The findings of a pilot and main questionnaire survey with undergraduates suggested that both careful and expeditious reading were important in accomplishing academic reading tasks at the undergraduate level. Accordingly, the empirical data generated by these surveys validated Urquhart and Weir's (2009) reading matrix and aspects of the reading model by Khalifa and Weir (2009). Based on this matrix and aspects of the model, a valid reading test was developed and administered to first-year undergraduate students. The performance of undergraduates across the different parts of the reading test confirmed that academic reading was a divisible construct. The findings of this study add to the literature on EAL academic reading by lending empirical support to a componential approach to the teaching and testing of reading. The componential model and the test design methodology employed should help test designers develop valid academic reading tests embracing both careful and expeditious reading types. The results from such tests might usefully inform pedagogical practice leading to more efficient reading practice at undergraduate level.
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A, l.-Zefeiti Ali Salim. "A stakeholder evaluation of an English for Academic Purposes (EAP)writing programme." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.520651.
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Rafik, Khan Shameem Mohd. "The development of a materials training framework for English for academic purposes." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30947.
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There seems to be a significant gap in research on how teachers develop EAP teaching - learning materials and the various types of problems they encounter when developing these materials. This is regardless of whether the teaching is for English for General Purposes or English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This study explores how training in EAP materials development might be improved, and it sets out:;(1) to develop a task-based materials Framework and then. (2) to explore its effectiveness with trainees on the context of a Malaysian university (Universiti Pertanian Malaysia [UPMS]). In devising the Framework, guidance was sought from task and content-based approaches to language teaching, genre theory, Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives, a needs survey and various other sources. The Framework was trialled with Malaysian teachers studying at various British universities and further revised. To evaluate and explore the effectiveness of the Framework an intact group or within - subjects design and workshop procedures were used. A materials design course already exists at UPM and hence the method taught could be compared with the use of the Framework. One hundred and seven pre and in-service TESL teachers participated in this comparison and they designed materials by the existing method, and then using the Framework. The attitudes of the teachers, their perceptions of the Framework, and the materials produced, were compared and analysed using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. These included questionnaires before and after the experience, a 'Materials Evaluation Checklist' and a collaborative progress log which the teachers kept. The results show a significant improvement in the materials produced, and in the attitudes, beliefs and perception of the teachers, when the Framework is used.
6
Hanks, Judith Ingeborg. "Exploratory practice in English for academic purposes : puzzling over principles and practices." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.595649.
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Exploratory Practice (EP) is a relative newcomer to the field of practitioner research in language education. Distinctive in attempting to integrate research and pedagogy via a process of puzzlement, it advocates the inclusion of learners alongside teachers as researchers into their own classroom practices. A1though EP appears to be thriving in different places around the world (notably Brazil), it is rarely to be found in the context of teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in the UK. Studies which explicitly include learner perspectives are also unusual. This thesis examines the principles underpinning the EP framework as it was implemented on two pre-sessional courses at a university in the north of England. Two case studies investigating the practical challenges and theoretical implications of the innovation are presented. Taking a qualitative approach, participants (both teachers and learners) were interviewed at regular intervals during their courses and artefacts such as student posters and course timetables were collected. Template analysis was used to draw out and correct themes from the data, and the cases were presented as a series of interconnected narratives. Although the open-ended, flexible nature of EP had seemed inimical to the goal-oriented, highly pressured circumstances of EAP, it became clear that EP was enthusiastically adopted by participants. The findings suggest that EP can be successfully incorporated in an EAP context, but that doing so throws belief structures about research and pedagogy into sharp relief. These beliefs are subject to cognitive dissonance, and are often ideologically loaded, consequently attempts to reconcile them require more thought. Issues of relevance, ownership, and puzzling rather than problem-solving suffused the study. Two options are therefore presented: first, a more politic approach is to reframe EP as a form of pedagogy rather than research; second, more radically, the notion of what 'counts' as research needs to be redefined to allow for more innovative, locally relevant, co-constructions of knowledge
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Башлак, Ірина Анатоліївна, Ирина Анатольевна Башлак, and Iryna Anatoliivna Bashlak. "Written peer response is an important tool in English for academic purposes." Thesis, Sumy State University, 2017. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/65219.
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Over the past fifteen years, the process approach to composition, which was originally developed for first language instruction, has become popular among ESOL writing teachers. A key component of this approach is peer response (also known as peer review, peer feedback, peer editing, and peer evaluation),in which students read each other’s papers and provide feedback to the writer, usually answering specific questions the teacher has provided. In most cases the questions focus on organization and style, rather than surface-level grammar or spelling mistakes.
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Burnett, D. F. "Towards a taxonomy of items for listening comprehension in English for academic purposes." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.380816.
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Hartill, Julie Ann. "The role and application of descriptive research to course design in EAP." Thesis, University of Essex, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.369355.
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Dodson, Eric Dean. "Opportunities for Incidental Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary from Teacher Speech in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1639.
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This study examines an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher's speech throughout one curricular unit of an intermediate grammar and writing course in order to better understand which high-value vocabulary students might acquire through attending to the teacher and noticing words that are used.
Vocabulary acquisition is important for English for Academic Purposes students, given the vocabulary demands of academic language. The Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000) has been shown to include important vocabulary in written academic texts, and has become a standard part of English for Academic Purposes curricula and pedagogical materials. Although explicit vocabulary instruction is important, research has shown that large amounts of vocabulary may be acquired incidentally by attending to meaning. Classroom instruction provides a great deal of input, and could potentially offer a chance for students to encounter and begin to learn academic vocabulary through incidental acquisition. However, existing research on incidental vocabulary acquisition in classrooms has focused on adult instruction and English as a Foreign Language settings, resulting in a lack of evidence about English for Academic Purposes classrooms.
To respond to these needs, this study analyzes the occurrence and repetition of Academic Word List items in the teacher's speech throughout two weeks of a course in an intensive academic English program in the United States. Two weeks of naturalistic class recordings from the Multimedia Adult Learner Corpus were transcribed and analyzed using the RANGE program to find the number of academic vocabulary types in the teacher's speech and how often they were repeated. Additionally, I derived categories of classroom topics and coded the transcribed speech in order to investigate the connection between topics and academic word use.
Academic Word List items are present in the teacher's speech, although they do not constitute a large proportion overall, only 2.8% of the running words. Most of the AWL types relate to specific classroom topics or routines. There are 13 AWL types repeated to a high degree, and 26 AWL types repeated to a moderate degree. These items are the most likely candidates for incidental vocabulary acquisition, though there is evidence from the videos that most of the students already understand their general meanings. It is unlikely that students could learn a great deal about AWL items that they were not already familiar with. However, it is possible that the teacher's speech provides incremental gains in AWL word knowledge.
These findings show that there may be a substantial number of AWL items that students learn about even before explicitly studying academic vocabulary. Teachers should try to draw out students' familiarity with these forms when explicitly teaching AWL vocabulary in order to connect familiar words with their academic meanings and uses.
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Rees, Geraint Paul. "A Phraseological multi-discipline approach to vocabulary selection for English for academic purposes." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/543839.
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This study is motivated by concerns about the adequacy of current corpus-based methods for the selection of vocabulary in studies of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lexis. It is hypothesised that lists of general-academic vocabulary cannot reflect differences in word meaning between disciplines, and furthermore, that discrete-item wordlists cannot account for the role of context in conditioning meaning. The relatively recent turn towards discipline-specific lists of phrases represents a positive development in this regard. However, its impact is limited by the methods of phrase extraction typically employed.
These beliefs are tested via an innovative corpus-based experiment which compares the syntagmatic patterns of frequently occurring verbs in a corpus of research articles from the disciplines of history, microbiology, and management studies. The results demonstrate that, in many cases, the prototypical meaning of a given verb varies according to the discipline it is found in. Moreover, in order to fully appreciate these differences, a means of phrase extraction which accounts for both syntactic and semantic concerns is necessary.
In addition to the methodological contribution represented by the experimental procedure, the study demonstrates how approaches to language which might be termed phraseological provide plausible explanations for many of the differences in verb behaviour observed in the corpus. From a practical perspective, the combination of the findings with best practice in EAP pedagogy and lexicography allows the creation of guidelines for, and an illustrative example of, useful lexicographical resources for the EAP community.
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Lima, Adriana Monteiro. "The Canadian language benchmarks and English for academic purposes : a socio-semiotic approach." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28368.
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In the British Columbia context, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) curricula have been articulated and aligned to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) in an attempt to facilitate transference nationwide (See the Articulation Guide for English as a Second Language Programs in the British Columbia Post-secondary Transfer System, 2008). Because the CLB is designed to be used as a standardized framework to assess ESL learners' proficiency across Canada, learners may need to achieve CLB levels 8-9 to enter mainstream academic programs. Nevertheless, CLBs have only partially impacted on curricula. This study examined EAP programs in relation to the CLB in a local BC college. It investigated the use of the CLB in the EAP program syllabus and its influence on curricular decisions. I interviewed teachers and administrators using structured-questions that targeted their perceptions of a) the CLB concept and critiques and b) theoretical and practical issues that affect the functionality of the CLB when used for academic purposes. The findings show that some of the reasons for implementational shortcomings seem to involve the uncertainties and ambiguities of the CLB Theoretical Framework. In addition, participants voiced their concerns about the usefulness of CLBs for preparing learners to achieve academic readiness, questioning the benchmarks functionality in such context and adopting other frameworks. Thus, I explored some of the dilemmas participants face having to assess how learners function from the CLB 'can do' standpoint in relation to a given, more generic context, i.e. English for academic purposes. Nevertheless, the findings revealed that the CLB has partially impacted on the syllabus of programs, which also prepare learners to enter mainstream post-secondary courses, namely Applied programs. For this reason, I claim that if a socio-semiotic approach would be taken in account, examining the contexts where communication takes place, these practitioners could be better equipped to achieve the goals of the program, as well as those of the learners. Additionally, because the CLB outcomes are not goal-oriented, if a clear purpose were to be achieved, one could be able to foresee implementational demands in relation to contextual needs.
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Abdulkader, Abdulkader. "A sociolinguistic study of postgraduate students' perceptions of using English for academic purposes." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/848.
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English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has been increasingly researched in recent years. However, in this research the learner's voice is still not clearly evident. The current study investigates postgraduate students' perceptions of using EAP in studying for higher degrees in Wales and Syria. The study makes a contribution to the field by focusing on the learner's voice in two different contexts, where English is a native language or a foreign language. The students in the study were either home students in Syria or international students in Wales. The juxtaposition of two different contexts allowed for key points of comparison and contrast to be observed. The methodology employed in the research was that of a main and associated case study. A range of data were gathered from University Wales and University Syria through the two case studies. It was found that most University Wales interviewees, as international students, perceived cultural context as an inseparable part of their concept of EAP. They were also aware that they were engaged with a number of overlapping cultures in their use of English. By contrast, the majority of University Syria interviewees, as home students, often perceived clear boundaries between EAP and the cultures surrounding it. It was also found that both groups of interviewees perceived particular features of teaching styles and resources as important elements in their use of EAP. The study findings are valuable in illustrating the similarities and differences of the students' perceptions of their use of EAP in two different contexts. They are also valuable in highlighting the students' identity as EAP learners, a pragmatic one in response to EAP and one that was evolving in response to the broad context of their studies. A central finding was the key role enacted by context in students' overall perception of EAP. Context highlighted the necessity of re-defining EAP, closely considering the different contexts in which it occurs.
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Kirk, Steven Ewen. "Enacting the curriculum in English for Academic Purposes : a legitimation code theory analysis." Thesis, Durham University, 2018. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12942/.
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This doctoral research project sought to better understand and articulate how English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is locally enacted. The context selected was a university summer pre-sessional programme for international students. At the time of data collection, I was the course director and the questions shaping the research emerged over a number of years in this role, primarily through the observation of teaching staff. Taking a case study approach and informed by a social realist lens (Bernstein, 1990; 2000; Maton, 2014), the research asked: How is EAP locally enacted? What are the organising principles underpinning this enactment? Drawing on Bernstein's notion of recontextualisation and theorising of the epistemic pedagogic device (Maton, 2014, after Bernstein, 1990), the study explored the 'double enactment' of EAP: firstly, from the values and beliefs shaping the pre-sessional ethos into curriculum, and then from pedagogic materials into classroom practices. Data collection and analysis combined interviews with the course designers, examination of curriculum materials, and exploration of videos of teaching. The analytical framework drew on two dimensions of Maton's Legitimation Code Theory, or 'LCT' (Maton, 2014), a development of Bernstein's code theory (Bernstein, 1977; 1990; 2000). These two dimensions were Specialisation and Semantics (Maton, 2014). Specialisation's component concepts of epistemic relations (relations between knowledge and its object of study) and social relations (relations between knowledge and knowers) were used to explore the macro-orientation and goals of the pre-sessional programme. The Semantics concept of semantic gravity (the relative context dependency of meaning) was then enacted to analyse the structuring principles of materials design and classroom recontextualisation. LCT Specialisation analysis revealed a programme characterised by a stronger orientation to knowledge practices than to knower practices - i.e. an emphasis on understanding particular concepts and developing particular analytical skills, what Maton calls a trained gaze (Maton, 2014). Some curriculum-internal variation was also observed, however, enabling a nuanced view into practices. This orientation was found to shape programme thinking and design in important ways, informing both materials development and expectations of teaching. LCT Semantics analysis revealed a local curriculum characterised by a relatively wide semantic range. Learning outcomes are geared towards both explicit understanding of core course concepts and scaffolded, spiralling opportunities for students to ground these concepts in academic writing and speaking practice. Movements across curriculum threads between concepts and practice create shifts in the context-dependency of curricular knowledge. These semantic gravity waves (Maton, 2013; Macnaught, Maton, Martin & Matruglio, 2013) over curriculum time may enable students to transfer some pre-sessional learning to texts, tasks and assessments not met on the course. LCT Semantics analysis of the principles structuring lesson design and classroom practice suggest there may be underlying patterns, or what might be considered 'signature profiles'. Illustrations of practice are analysed and interpreted as exhibiting shifts in semantic gravity. These shifts are theorised as perhaps enhancing, but also sometimes hindering, effective enactment of the espoused curriculum. LCT tools enacted for this research study enable making visible how local course values are reflected and refracted throughout an EAP programme, from the macro-design of curriculum, through individual lessons on the page to their material enactment in the classroom as pedagogic practice. The findings and the conceptual toolkit itself have implications and applications for EAP programme development, teacher education and wider sector understandings of the situated realisation of university-based curriculum and pedagogy.
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James, Gregory Cyril. "Considerations in the design of an oral test in English for academic purposes." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.534676.
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This work seeks to describe the development of the oral component of the Associated Examining Board's Test in English for Educational Purposes, a test devised to assess the language proficiency of overseas students intending to pursue a course of academic study in the UK. In introducing the allied twin themes of the discussion, that of the sociolinguistic consequences of academic study abroad and that of the criteria of assessment in oral proficiency assessment.
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Loi, Nguyen Van, and n/a. "Towards a syllabus for teaching academic writing to Vietnamese senior students of English." University of Canberra. Education, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060818.151036.
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Writing is one of the four macro language skills which a student of
language should master. However it remains the one receiving the
least attention so far in Vietnamese teaching of English. Senior
students of English at a college or university are required to
demonstrate in writing that they have mastered their studies;
therefore, writing plays an important role in their academic success.
It is noted that "learning to write fluently and expressively is the most
difficult of the macroskills for all language users regardless of
whether the language in question is a first, second or foreign
language" (Nunan: 1989:35). Therefore, writing English, especially
for academic purposes , remains difficult for Vietnamese students.
Obviously, such writing, as a study skill, affects the learning process,
hence, the effectiveness of the training. Writing ability in general,
and EAP writing in particular, need attention right from the teacher
training stage, and then at the teaching stage at schools.
This study reviews the theory of writing and the teaching of writing,
with strong emphasis on the writing process to identify the point
where a teacher of writing should intervene to yield the optimum
effect - to develop students' writing ability by developing their
awareness of the strategies which can be applied to writing for
academic purposes, including strategies in analysis of their own
writing as both process and product.
The study examines the teaching of English, writing and academic
writing in the Vietnamese perspective and identifies the problems in
reference to the theoretical bases in an eclectic manner. A syllabus is
suggested to cater for the needs of the target population.
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Bell, Douglas E. "Practitioners, pedagogies and professionalism in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) : the development of a contested field." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38570/.
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This thesis examines key developments and changes which have taken place within the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) from the 1960s until the present day. It critically evaluates the effects that these developments have had on EAP as an academic discipline; on the positioning and status of EAP within the academy; and on the work carried out by EAP practitioners, particularly with regard to conceptualizations of professionalism, and understandings of what constitutes practitioner expertise. Drawing on qualitative data generated from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 internationally-recognised scholars from EAP, the study presents a particular history of the different stages and developments which have occurred in EAP, and maps how these have impacted not only upon EAP as a discipline, but also upon the work of its practitioners. Grounded in a series of narratives provided by individuals recognized for their key contributions to the field, the analysis utilizes ideas from socio-cultural theories developed by Becher (1989), Bernstein (1971) and Bourdieu (1977) to account for EAP’s current status and positioning in the academy. It then draws on theoretical concepts developed by Shulman (1986), Schön (1983), and Lave and Wenger (1991) to suggest ways in which EAP teachers build their knowledge and go about developing their particular professional expertise. The thesis proposes that EAP has now reached an important crossroads in its development. It argues that factors such as a poor appreciation for and understanding of EAP from within the academy at large; a lack of clarity and consistency around professional standards and teacher development within EAP itself; the current marketization of UK higher education and the resulting influx of private educational providers seriously threaten the longer-term security and future development of EAP within UK university contexts.
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Nguyen, Nga Ngoc. "An evaluation study of an English for academic purposes program in a Vietnamese university." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2021. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2464.
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English for academic purposes (EAP) pathway programs have boomed in Vietnam following a dramatic increase in English-medium instruction (EMI) university programs. These EAP programs are the pathway, and also the prerequisite, for students who fail to gain direct entry into the EMI programs. However, questions have arisen as to how well such EAP programs prepare students for future EMI study.
This study evaluated an EAP program offered by one Vietnamese public university. It was one of the first EAP programs established in the country and had been adapted from an overseas curriculum package. However, alarming failure rates in the final examination have prompted a need to evaluate the program, which to date has not occurred.
Using Stufflebeam’s (2014) Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) model, this study evaluated how well the program met the needs of its students via different aspects of teaching content, teaching materials, assessments, teaching and learning processes, and outcomes. To achieve both depth and breadth in evaluation, a mixed-methods approach was adopted. Quantitative data were collected at the start and the end of the program from two student questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected from documents related to the program; interviews with key participants (students, teachers, administrators) in the EAP program and the subsequent EMI program (students, lecturers).
The study identified four key areas of students’ needs which the program met with varying levels of success. The program generally assisted students to develop their general English proficiency and academic study skills. However, the program failed to meet their requirements for academic English skills, which in turn compromised two other important needs: to pass all examinations, especially the final examination; and to be ready for the EMI program. The study found that the lack of a comprehensive, contextualised investigation of students’ needs and its use of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as a driver of the curriculum contributed to its partial failure to meet students’ learning needs.
This study makes several significant contributions to knowledge. First, it is the first attempt to evaluate an EAP program in Vietnam, drawing on Stufflebeam’s (2014) CIPP model. The results in the study showed that this model was clearly an effective evaluation framework, likely to be applicable to other L2 education programs. Second, by conducting a comprehensive evaluation, the study provides evidence that could contribute to the improvement of the EAP program itself and other similar programs in Vietnam. Third, the study extends local and international understandings of EAP education in Vietnam and provides valuable insights for EAP policy makers and practitioners in Vietnam, and those in similar contexts. The study highlights the importance of systematic and comprehensive program evaluation in ensuring quality language education in Vietnam, especially when adopting curriculum from very different educational contexts.
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Al, Ismaili Anwar A. S. "Ensuring the context validity of English reading tests for academic purposes (EAP) in Oman." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/15710.
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Students entering academic programmes are frequently overwhelmed by the demand for extensive reading and comprehension of information derived from multiple and contrasting sources. This entails both careful and expeditious reading. The latter has been generally neglected in research and has not been the focus of many tests. Both types of reading were investigated in this study through a validation process of the summative English reading test for academic purposes taken at the end of the Foundation Programme in Oman. In particular, context validity was established through focusing on the interaction between the linguistic demands and task setting parameters and also the cognitive processes through which the students engaged with the test tasks. To establish the context validity of the test, this study adopted Khalifa and Weir’s (2009) model which not only embraced the complex and multi-componential nature of reading but also provided a workable validation framework. A multi-strategy approach was adopted. A natural experiment utilising Verbal Protocol Analysis captured the cognitive processes through which students engaged in reading. Automated analysis software and opinions of expert judges were used to compare test passages with text extracts drawn from first year academic courses. Correlation tests and factor analysis revealed these cognitive processes and established the robustness of the Khalifa and Weir (2009) model, which was thus validated in a second language context. Passages in the foundation tests were found to be generally representative of academic texts although certain features such as abstractness were under-represented.
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Tsegay, Tesfay Solomon. "English for specific academic purposes : a case study of English for law at the Ethiopian Civil Service College." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.405242.
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The study aimed at exploring the English language problems adult students of law in the Ethiopian Civil Service College (ECSC) face, establishing their needs for the language to succeed in their studies and function effectively in their legal profession and proposing guidelines for English for law courses that would address the established needs and constraints. In addition to solving a practical problem, it was also the objective of the study to contribute to the scarce theory and practice in Ethiopia and worldwide in the fields of English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) in general and English for law in particular. In order to address these issues, the study employed the qualitative case study approach that used varied instruments for data collection and involved different stakeholders in the teaching and learning of English for law. It mainly used semi-structured interviews, participant observation and direct observation, focus group discussions, as well as questionnaires, test results and document analyses. Law students, law and English language instructors, law graduates working in legal and non-legal offices and their immediate heads and or sponsors selected from half of the regional states of Ethiopia participated in the study. It was found out that law students manifested English problems at all levels of the language, that is, in the four skills and also faced serious lexico-grammatical problems. It was also found out that student background, the mechanisms employed by the College in the processes of selection and admission of students, lack of relevance of the current English courses to law study, among others, also contributed to the failure of law students to gain the most out of the English courses offered by the College. This in turn contributed to the difficulty students faced in studying law effectively because it was also established that there is a strong relationship between law discipline and the language it is embodied in and taught thro~ that is, English. It was, thus, concluded that if law students at the ECSC are to study and function in law effectively, the English courses offered by the College need to be relevant for these purposes and address the specified target and learning needs. This could be achieved, it is recommended, by introducing a new English for law syllabus that addresses the needs and alleviates the English language problems of law students.
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Hamakali, Hafeni Pamwenase Shikalepo. "Assessing student in English for academic purposes: The role of alternative assessment tools in writing instruction." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6621.
Full textAbstract:
Magister Educationis - MEdThis study aims to investigate the assessment of students in the English for Academic Purposes course at the University of Namibia Language Centre. There has been increasing criticism of standardised test and examinations and it has brought into question the value of other indirect approaches to language assessment (Reeves, 2000; Sharifi, & Hassaskhah, 2011; Tsagari, 2004). The study draws its theoretical foundation from the constructivist’s view of education (Canagarajah, 1999; Schunk, 2009; Vygotsky, 1962). The study embraces the interpretivist approach to research which tends to be more qualitative, and is open to diverse ways that people may understand and experience the same non-manipulated objective reality. The participants in this study are students and lecturers of the English for Academic Purposes course at the University of Namibia Language Centre. The study employs a qualitative research design, along with triangulation, where qualitative data was collected through lecturer interviews, lesson observations, multiple intelligence inventory, and student focus groups discussions. The study adapted the thematic approach of data analysis where the data were analysed and presented under themes derived from the research questions of the study. The findings indicate that, there was a limited stock of assessments that suits the classification of alternative assessment, namely: checklists, student-lecturer question techniques, and academic essay. The findings reveal some factors that influence the integration of alternative assessment in academic writing instruction, such as: lecturers and students’ knowledge of assessment, students’ assessment preferences, authenticity, classroom setup, and feedback. The findings also showed that the assessment practices that were used by the lecturers did not seem to fulfil the ideologies advocated in Gardener’s (1984) theory of Multiple Intelligences. However, the study found that the students and lecturers’ attitude which was skewed towards the positive direction may be an indication that there could be hope for success in attempts to integrate alternative assessment in academic writing instruction.
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Schmidt-Unterberger, Barbara. "The English-medium paradigm: a conceptualisation of English-medium teaching in higher education." Taylor&Francis Group, 2018. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6416/1/13670050.2018.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The discourse on English-medium teaching in higher education uses several
terms and concepts to describe practices, very often synonymously. This
contribution aims to fill the research gap of a conceptualisation of
English-medium teaching in higher education. It will identify relevant
approaches and their corresponding terminology, as well as clarify which
approaches are most suitable for higher education. Given that the past
decades have seen a substantial rise in the use of English as a teaching
language in European compulsory schooling [Dalton-Puffer, C. 2011.
"Content and Language Integrated Learning: From Practice to Principles?"
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 31: 182-183], the paper will also draw
parallels between the secondary and the tertiary levels of education. At
the same time, it will also be shown why insights drawn from research
conducted in secondary education cannot simply be transferred to the
tertiary level of education.
The main focus of the paper is on the "English-medium Paradigm", a
framework created to identify prevalent instructional types in Englishtaught
programmes at universities in non-Anglophone countries
[Unterberger, B. 2014. "English-medium Degree Programmes in Austrian
Tertiary Business Studies: Policies and Programme Design." Dissertation,
University of Vienna, 45-52]. The paradigm is based on terminological
and conceptual considerations gained from the critical discussion of
English for specific purposes, English for academic purposes, Content and
language integrated learning and English-medium instruction literature
[e.g. Bhatia, V. K. 1993. Analysing Genre: Language use in Professional
Settings. London: Longman; Hyland, K. 2006. English for Academic
Purposes: An Advanced Resource Book. London: Routledge; Dalton-Puffer,
C. 2007. "Academic Language Functions in a CLIL Environment". In Diverse
Contexts - Converging Goals: CLIL in Europe, edited by D. Marsh, 201-209.
Mehrsprachigkeit in Schule und Unterricht 6. Frankfurt am Main: Lang;
Dafouz, E., and U. Smit. 2014. "Towards a Dynamic Conceptual Framework
for English-medium Education in Multilingual University Settings". Applied
Linguistics. doi:10.1093/applin/amu034]. The paper therefore provides a
timely conceptualisation of the varieties of English-medium teaching in
higher education which also takes into account pedagogical
considerations as well as implications for curriculum design.
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Rhodes, Christy Michele. "Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices of Adult Education English for Speakers of Other Languages and English for Academic Purposes Teachers." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4568.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe the culturally responsive teaching practices of adult education ESOL and EAP teachers in the state of Florida. Using Ginsberg and Wlodkowski's Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching, an online survey of 17 teaching practices was developed and validated. In the survey, participants assessed how frequently they used each practice and how important they believed each practice was to their teaching on 5-point frequency scales. The sampling frame consisted of teachers from 15 colleges, 2 universities, 8 school districts, and Bay Area Regional TESOL (BART) and resulted in 134 responses.
Results indicated that the most frequently used practice was "provide rubrics and progress reports to students" (M = 4.26), followed closely by "elicit students' experiences in pre-reading and pre-listening activities" (M = 4.24). The least frequently used practice was "include lessons about anti-immigrant discrimination or bias" (M = 2.51), followed by "students work independently, selecting their own learning activities" (M = 2.76).
Also, results indicated that the two most important practices were "provide rubrics and progress reports to students" (M = 4.13) and "elicit students' experiences in pre-reading and pre-listening activities" (M = 4.13). Five culturally responsive teaching practices were perceived to be the least important. They were "include lessons about anti-immigrant discrimination or bias" (M = 2.58), "learn words in students' native languages" (M = 2.89), "ask for student input when planning lessons and activities" (M = 2.90), "students work independently, selecting their own learning activities" (M = 2.91), and "encourage students to speak their native language with their children" (M = 2.96).
This study revealed a trend of adult education ESOL and EAP teachers' regular use of culturally responsive teaching practices. These findings add to the limited knowledge of how teachers in ethnically and linguistically heterogeneous classrooms create and support a learning environment for all learners.
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Uhrig, Karl. "Sociocognitive influences on strategies for using language in English for academic purposes two case studies /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3223043.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Language Education, 2006."Title from dissertation home page (viewed June 26, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-06, Section: A, page: 2085. Adviser: Martha Nyikos.
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Howell, Elizabeth. "Struggling to write : identity and agency in a pre-university 'English for Academic Purposes' program." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/80834.
Full textAbstract:
This small-scale ethnographic research study investigated student perceptions of social identity and agency and the usefulness of the construct of the Community of Practice for struggling writers in the context of a pre-university EAP program. The appropriateness of socio-cultural theories in language teaching and learning today stems from social constructivist and social interactionist theories of the role of language in the discursive construction of society, knowledge and power. This study problematised these constructs in the development of writing for learners in a pre-university Higher Education context. Comparing data from focal students who were struggling with writing and from students who were more successful, the biographies of struggling students and their awareness of their futures, or imagined selves and communities, revealed not only learning histories in which they had radically different identities as learners and writers, but also a lack of clarity about their learning trajectory in the writing program. There was no apparent lack of investment in learning among the focal students, who identified themselves as weak writers, although there was frustration and anger at their predicament. The data suggest that they did not identify with the learning community at the start of the project, probably because they resisted belonging to a community which labeled them as failures. During the study a variety of means were used to elicit participants’ perceptions of their status as novice writers and to support their learning trajectory on an individual basis by elucidating the reasons for and requirements of academic writing. By the end of the study the focal students had developed more awareness of the subject positions the writing trajectory afforded them and had chosen ways in which to continue along their learning path. The Community of Practice appears to have potential as a means of supporting the roles of EAP students and teachers as members of the academic community of practice.
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Issitt, Stephen. "Evaluating the impact of a Presessional English for Academic Purposes Programme : a corpus based study." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7080/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates the impact of an intensive programme of English for academic purposes upon the second language writing development of postgraduate students at the University of Birmingham. The study uses a 300,000 word corpus (EAPCORP) of essays from the beginning and end of the programme covering two separate years, in order to identify and measure written linguistic feature development. A multidimensional investigative approach underpins both of the two main analytical tools applied to the EAPCORP, with the basic premise that it is possible to identify register differences between different types of language by the assemblage and analysis of a large number of textual features. Firstly, Coh-Metrix is a programme employing a range of algorithms applied to a series of data bases to analyse the linguistic structure of texts. Secondly, MAT (Multidimensional Analysis Tagger) employs algorithms developed by Douglas Biber and uses an automated text tagger. The analyses suggest strongly that there has been progression from the initial production of a high frequency of features characteristic of speech to that more typical of academic writing. The results emphasise the importance of well-designed EAP programmes especially in uncertain economic contexts.
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Uthaipattrakoon, Kasama. "Linguistic analysis of English texts for academic purposes and material design for Thai university students." Thesis, Uthaipattrakoon, Kasama (1989) Linguistic analysis of English texts for academic purposes and material design for Thai university students. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1989. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51510/.
Full textAbstract:
The problems facing students of English as a foreign language in Thailand have received little attention, particularly at advanced levels. There is a desperate need for appropriate teaching materials taking account of students’ academic background and needs. Current linguistic and methodological theories should be applied to the preparation of appropriate syllabuses and course materials with full consideration of the realities of the teaching situation. At the decision-making level of Thai universities a vigorous argument is in progress as to whether English for Academic Purposes (EAP) should replace General English to what extent and at what levels.
This thesis aims to establish systematic and practicable criteria for applying linguistic analysis to the design and preparation of teaching materials. It attempts to resolve the problems relating to linguistic applications in particular situations. The current English teaching situation in Thai universities is described with a focus on Silpakorn University. A survey was first made of students’ language needs as perceived by teachers of a number of academic disciplines and by the students themselves. A questionnaire was designed to assess the students’ specific requirements faculty by faculty with a view to relating these to teaching objectives. This highlighted the need for sophisticated reading skills in the foreign langauge.
A detailed linguistic analysis of academic reading texts was then carried out to specify the most relevant problem areas. Halliday’s Systemic-Functional Grammar proved to be the most appropriate and sensitive linguistic model for taking account of the multidimensionality of language and pinpointing how language performs its communicative functions in various genres of academic texts. However, it is necessary to extend the analysis beyond sentence level to the larger patterns of written discourse structure. This is made possible by recent theoretical work in discourse analysis to which this thesis attempts to make a contribution. The linguistic and rhetorical patterns observed have been illustrated in diagrams which can be extended to help structure language teaching syllabuses as demonstrated in the design of a pilot EAP course based on scientific texts selected from among those recommended by subject specialists at the university. This incorporated the general characteristics of scientific texts and the dominant linguistic skills required for satisfactorily completing reading assignments.
A further important factor to be considered was students of English. A survey of recent research in contrastive analysis of Thai and English and of error analysis made it possible to pinpoint the most relevant features for practice in terms of students’ known difficulties.
The significance of such extralinguistic factors as grading, selection, organisation, the specification of learning situations and learning objectives was also taken into account in preparing the pilot materials. Four modules were designed and tested in a pilot teaching experiment carried out in normal teaching conditions at Silpakorn University. A detailed evaluation of this pilot project indicated that the adopted approach holds promise for the future design of teaching materials for EAP although a number of significant modifications will be required in longer term work to be carried out by a team of linguists and teachers in the Silpakorn English Language Department.
The thesis demonstrates the appropriacy of a functional linguistic analysis for the design of language teaching materials as long as due regard is paid to the specific features of the learning situation.
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Schermbrucker, Ben Mathew. "Assessing the impact of an English for academic purposes course on the academic writing skills of English second language learners attending economically disadvantaged high schools : an interventionist case study." University of the Western Cape, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5459.
Full textAbstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDAcademic writing skills are vitally important for South African learners in both high school and tertiary contexts. The importance of such writing skills is even more pronounced for English Second Language (ESL) speakers, as such learners often attend low-performing schools (that inculcate poor levels of academic literacy), and also face the challenge of writing in a non-native language. This study is an attempt to understand how a specially designed English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course can improve the academic writing of bilingual, economically disadvantaged high-school South African learners. The study analysed the effects of the EAP course on Grade 11 learners from two 'nofees' high schools located in Khayeltisha and Delft. Over a seven-week period Grade 11 learners from these schools attended the EAP course twice a week (after school hours on their school premises) and submitted a total of fourteen written assignments (seven rough drafts, and seven final drafts). These assignments required the learners to formulate essay-like responses to literary and philosophical texts. The learners shaped their responses by making reference to structured classroom discussions (led by the EAP course instructor), as well as standardised notes and assignment instructions. The conceptual frameworks that guided this study were mapped using a variety of sources and materials. Whilst Hyland's (2005, 2006) influential writings on EAP helped the researcher situate the study's academic writing skill's course within an EAP paradigm, recent theoretical and empirical advancements in cognitive science (in particular by Tooby & Cosmides 1992; Gallistel 2000; Wagner &Wagner 2003) helped to justify the specifically 'modular' approach to academic writing skills that the course favoured. Finally, testimonies about the function of creative fiction (see Pessoa 2010; Kafka 2013; Barnes 2012; Pinker 2011) played an important part in shaping the EAP course's approach to text-orientated academic writing skills. Importantly, this study also aimed to describe and analyse various factors that threatened the implementation of the academic writing skills course. In relation to attrition – a phenomenon which clearly presented the single greatest threat to the intervention – Bandura's theoretical writings on the structure of agency (2006, 2005, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1997, 1994) provided a rich source of justification for many of the conclusions that the study derived about the underlying factors that drove the high dropout rate. Another key aim of this study was to transmit writing skills that would boost levels of learner preparedness for matric and first-year university. To establish a link between the course and the writing requirements of certain matric and university subjects, the researcher compared the contents of the writing skills course to the contents of these subjects. This comparative analysis relied heavily on matric and first-year university source material (i.e. exam papers, memorandums, marking rubrics, departmental handouts, etc.). In terms of its findings, the study discovered many striking parallels between the Grade 11 learners at Khayelitsha and Delft. Firstly, in both experimental groups, a preintervention writing task revealed that – prior to the EAP course's inception – the overwhelming majority of the learners were not in firm possession of virtually any of the writings skills the EAP course aimed to transmit. Secondly, in both groups, it was found that the EAP course significantly improved the learners' academic writing skills. Although this improvement was not especially visible in the learners' grade-based results for the EAP course (due, mainly, to absenteeism and resulting missed assignments), a thorough qualitative analysis of the learners' preintervention, early and late EAP assignments demonstrated that – by the end of the course – most of the learners had gained fairly high degrees of proficiency in a range of critically important academic writing skills. Thirdly, qualitative data – derived from observations and interviews – established that the high rates of attrition and absenteeism that plagued both experimental groups was chiefly due to a single cause: weak levels of agency. On the basis of this study's findings, a number of recommendations can be put forward. Firstly, the many parallels between the two experimental groups suggest that the EAP course designed by this study could achieve comparable results in other South African township schools. Secondly, due to the difficulties that this study encountered in relation to high absenteeism and attrition rates, it is recommended that future implementations of the EAP course adopt a number of measures to improve learners' perceptions of their self-efficacy. Finally, it is recommended that future versions of the EAP course could include a 'matric study skills module'.
Sasakawa Foundation
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Salvi, Ana Inés. "Exploring criticality in teaching English for academic purposes via pedagogy for autonomy, practitioner research and arts-enriched methods." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2017. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/107962/.
Full textAbstract:
This is a practitioner-research study of the development of criticality in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) contexts, via pedagogy for autonomy, exploratory practice (EP), and arts-enriched research methods. The study begins with an exploration of criticality with respect to the literature on Critical English for Academic Purposes (CEAP), critical pedagogy, critical thinking, and critical theory. The context for the empirical research was three short programmes/modules on academic English, involving 56 students in total, at two HE institutions in the UK and a partner university in China, over a total period of seven months. The aim of the research was to identify signs of criticality in what we did; and whether and how pedagogy for autonomy, EP, and arts-enriched research methods were conducive to criticality development. Data collected included my own diary; students’ reflective writing; reflective drawings/paintings; voice- and video-recorded group discussions and presentations; posters made in class; semi-structured interviews; and conversations. Themes emerging in each teaching phase/cycle are presented in three central chapters, followed by a cross-phase rearrangement which reveals three main overarching themes: being in charge; sociological and cultural awareness; and collaboration and others. These serve as the basis on which to identify signs of criticality and to discuss to what extent and how pedagogy for autonomy, EP and arts-informed research methods contributed to criticality development. The main signs of criticality included students’ enquiries into their own epistemic doubts; dialogue for understanding and joint enquiry; and developing awareness of the constructed nature of knowledge and socio-cultural discourses and practices, and of struggles in the performance of difference. The study contributes to understanding of the nature of criticality and how to develop it in EAP contexts; and of aspects of pedagogy for autonomy, EP and arts-enriched methods. The study shows the value to EAP of a broader understanding of criticality with contributions from CEAP, critical pedagogy, critical thinking and critical theory. The value of pedagogy for autonomy, EP and arts-enriched research methods in the development of criticality is also highlighted, and practitioner-research is shown to contribute insights that can illuminate other practitioners and the field more broadly.
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Randall, Steven James, and Steven James Randall. "An Exploration of a University Academic Bridge Program for English Language Learners." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621875.
Full textAbstract:
This three-article dissertation explores the first year of a sheltered university bridge program (also commonly known as "pathway" programs-see Winkle, 2011) for ESL students at a large public university in the American southwest. "Sheltering" is the practice of offering "academic courses taught in the second language" where "native and non-native [...] students are not mixed in any one class" (Snow & Brinton, 1984, p. 8), a model commonly found in K-12 settings (Echevarria & Graves, 1998; Freeman, Freeman & Gonzalez, 1987; Weinhouse, 1986), though there are sheltered programs in university settings (see, for example, the University of Ottawa Program-Burger, Weinberg & Wesche, 2013). The labels "bridge" and "pathway" refer to pre-matriculation programs that "feature a hybrid of credit-bearing coursework and instruction in English language and academic skills" (Redden, 2010, para 1). Bridge and Pathway Program (BPP) curricula typically follow the adjunct model in which ESL courses are linked with mainstream, unsheltered university courses, with the ESL course providing support. The model in the current study follows the sheltered convention of ESL-only cohorts, but adds the adjunct convention of offering linked support. As international student interest in studying at U.S. universities has grown over recent decades (Open Doors Report, 2015), a subset of international students has emerged that may have lower-than-institutional-benchmark English proficiency for admission based on exams like the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. BPPs primarily serve this subset of students by offering non-testing curricular paths (linked ESL/university courses) to full matriculation that focus on "achievement, as opposed to proficiency alone" (Dooey, 2010, p. 185). One can expect that BPPS will continue to proliferate given that they bring in previously inadmissible international enrollees to add to the now essential revenue stream that international students represent for universities (Andrade, 2006; Marshall, 2005; Redden, 2010; 2014). This dissertation adds to a growing body of recent research (e.g. Dooey, 2010; Fiocco, 2006; Redden, 2010; 2014, Winkle, 2011) about these models. Article 1 (Appendix A): The Past, Present, and Future of Combined ESL/University Study Programs: From Ad Hoc ESL Interventions to Bridge and Pathway Programs. This article is both a critical literature review and "state-of-the-field" piece (Canagarajah, 2006) that situates the evolution of postsecondary ESL support historically. It explores how postsecondary ESL has gone from an ad hoc, situational endeavor focused on remediating language deficiencies to a multifaceted field of program offerings replete with varying curricular models and dedicated faculty and recruiting structures, a field that has evolved into current BPPs. Article 2 (Appendix B): Exploring Dynamics and Dimensions in Two Linked Adjunct/Content Courses in a Sheltered University Pathway Program for ESL Students: A Case Study. This case study considers the nuances of a sheltered university pathway program for ESL students in its first year of existence. It follows the research framework of an Unlu and Wharton (2015) study using grounded theory analysis. By reconciling classroom observations in two university general education courses (Introduction to Anthropology and US History) and their linked EAP courses (EAP Bridge to Anthropology and EAP Bridge to American History) with participant interviews, I explore the dynamics between students, content instructors, and EAP support instructors. I form a theory about the pedagogy constituted by (and constitutive of) participant actions and beliefs in the observed classes, and argue that the current program may uphold uncritical, remedial predispositions vis-à -vis EAP, as well as content instruction and learning. Finally, I discuss future considerations for this, and other, linked course programs couched in EAP literature. Article 3 (Appendix C): Team-Teaching in a First-Year Composition Course for ESL Students: A Participant-Observational Reflexive Account of One Sheltered University Pathway Context. This case study takes place in a first-year composition course in a sheltered university pathway program for ESL students. It focuses on a specific and complex essay assignment: the Text-in-Context essay (TICE). I consider the assignment parameters, primary and secondary texts offered for completion, interviews with students and instructors, field notes, notes from tutoring sessions, written student reflections, the assignments themselves, and a reflexive narration of my research experience to describe the milieu of the TICE. The description suggests a community of practice (Wenger, 2002) in which a team-teaching approach helps to facilitate the completion of a complex analytical task, while also fostering the growth of the ESL students as academic writers.
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Mukoroli, Joseph Namutungika. "An investigation of academic writing at the University of Namibia : engendering an experiential, meaningful and critical pedagogy for English for academic purposes." University of the Western Cape, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5458.
Full textAbstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe study aims to investigate academic writing at the University of Namibia and intends to explore whether a critical, meaningful and experiential pedagogy in EAP that enhances voice and agency in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) can be engendered in the Namibian EAP classroom. Moreover, it aims to investigate the experiences and perceptions of first year EAP students regarding the current EAP pedagogy at the University of Namibia. The study aspires to generate an understanding of the components students find difficult when they engage in academic essay writing. It provides a holistic and profound understanding of what critical, meaningful and experiential pedagogy is and wish to propose the process-genre writing approach as tool to a critical, meaningful and experiential pedagogy to teaching academic writing. The study draws it theoretical underpinning from critical pedagogy as postulated by Freire (1973) and Canagarajah (1999). This research supports the premise that the English language classroom is a cultural space where various agendas are negotiated and contested and explores the complexity of language pedagogy in the English classroom (Canagarajah, 1999). Moreover, this study is based on the premise that pedagogies are not received in their own terms but are rather appropriated on different levels in terms of the needs, interests and values of the local communities (Canagarajah, 1999, p.121-2). As research design, the study adopts an exploratory design using both qualitative and quantitative data. Besides, the study uses SPSS analysis and written error analysis methodologies. While the former provides an understanding of EAP students' perceptions and experiences regarding the current EAP pedagogy at the University of Namibia, the latter examines the components that EAP students find difficult when they engage in academic essay writing. As instruments, the study uses a semi-structured questionnaire and academic essay administered to 200 EAP first year student- participants. The findings indicate that the current EAP pedagogy at the University of Namibia does not promote experiential, meaningful and critical learning nor does it enhance voice and agency in the EAP classroom, thus a critical, meaningful and experiential EAP pedagogy that enhances voice and agency can be engendered in the Namibian EAP classroom. The findings also indicate that EAP students find the use of APA referencing skills and the use of discourse markers the most difficult when they engage in academic essay writing. Furthermore, the literature that I reviewed for this study critically exposed how practices in EAP and institutional policies stifle voice and agency in the EAP classroom. The entire process of this study has generated some insights that can advance our understanding of a critical, meaningful and experiential pedagogy in EAP and academic writing. These insights are: (1) A need to enhance EAP educator’s critical awareness, (2) We must minimize students' text-appropriation, (3)A need to re-conceptualize and decriminalize the concept of plagiarism in EAP, (4) A new approach to teaching APA referencing in EAP academic writing, (5) A need to renegotiate voice and agency in academic writing, (6) Writing is a process not an event, (7) We need to move towards an appropriate critical, meaningful and experiential pedagogy in EAP. The study proposes the process-genre academic writing approach as pedagogy towards a critical, meaningful and experiential EAP pedagogy in teaching academic writing. All in all, the study upholds the premise that a critical, meaningful and experiential EAP pedagogy that enhances voice and agency can be engendered in the Namibian EAP classroom.
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Keefe, Karin. "The impact of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs on international students' success in university courses." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/58527.
Full textAbstract:
In this global economy, non-native English-speaking (NNES) international students are choosing to study at English-medium universities in increasing numbers. In response, many universities have instituted intensive English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs to support students who need to increase language proficiency. These may be pre-sessional “pathway” programs or EAP courses that run concurrently with disciplinary courses. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study, which includes eight cases, was to gain insight into the experiences of NNES students who took an EAP program before they enrolled in disciplinary courses. I aimed to identify the impact of the program and how it prepared students for disciplinary courses by investigating the needs of students as they moved through the first term of university study. Results of the study illustrate that students’ responses to the EAP program were overwhelmingly positive; all eight students reported improvements in one or more skill areas and increased confidence as they embarked on university classes. However, several participants expressed disappointment about the lack of opportunity to meet students from other cultures in order to broaden their experience and practice their spoken English more, especially outside of class time. Some also expressed anxiety due to a lack of academic vocabulary that they would need to function in their disciplinary courses. The participating students reported challenges in their first term of university, including difficulty understanding lectures and classmates, meeting new friends, especially English-speaking domestic students, adjusting to the expectations of a new educational system and learning to manage different, more complex tasks. Implications are discussed for policy, practice and future research.Education, Faculty of
Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Graduate
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Dison, Arona. "Crossing boundaries: facilitating conceptual development in relation to culture in an English for academic purposes course." Rhodes University, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002627.
Full textAbstract:
This research was undertaken as the first cycle of an action research project. The aim was to develop a course within the English Language 1 for Academic Purposes (ELAP) course at Rhodes University, which would facilitate the conceptual development of students in relation to the topic of Culture. The implementation of the course was researched, using students' writing, interviews, staff meeting discussions and video-taping of certain classes. Ten students volunteered to 'be researched'. The types of initial 'commonsense' understandings of culture held by students are outlined and the conceptual development which they underwent in relation to Culture is examined. Students' perceptions of the approaches to learning required in ELAP and the Culture course in particular are explored. The involvement of the ELAP tutors in the course and in the research was a learning experience for them, and this became-another focus of the research. The findings of the research support the argument for using challenging subject matter in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, provided that the learning process is carefully scaffolded. An underlying assumption is that ways of thinking and learning in university courses need to be explicitly taught to students and the study concludes that lecturers of mainstream courses could also learn from the findings of research such as this. The study also shows the potential power of participatory action research to involve practitioners in research and enhance their understandings of aspects of their practice. Finally, it notes the need to value subtle developments in students and to see them as being part of a longer term process.
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Kinsey, Marienne Elizabeth. "The Adjunct Model of Language Instruction: Guidelines for Implementation in the English for Academic Purposes Program at IUPUI." Thesis, Connect to resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/1694.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2008.Title from screen (viewed on June 3, 2009). Department of English, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Thomas A. Upton, Aye Nu E. Duerksen, Julie A. Belz. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-94).
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Lou, Jeng-Jia. "EFL University Students' Reading of Academic English Texts: Three Case Studies of Metacognition in Taiwan." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1266866998.
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Bush, Denise, and n/a. "Writing in the university : faculty expectations and overseas tudents' performance." University of Canberra. Education, 1993. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060622.132041.
Full textAbstract:
Two surveys were conducted at the University of Canberra
in 1992 to seek the views of faculty on issues regarding
academic writing. The first survey sought to ascertain what
criteria faculty employ when marking student writing. It
asked faculty to indicate the importance of certain key features
in the writing of university students. These key features were:
Content, Argument, Style, Organisation, Communicative Ability,
Vocabulary, Use of Literature and Punctuation. Faculty were
requested to rank the importance of aspects of each of the nine
key features.
The second survey asked faculty to assess an actual
assignment written by an overseas student, using the structure
of the nine key features of writing as above. Faculty were
invited to indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the
assignment which they were assessing.
The aim of the surveys was to better inform teachers of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes, who prepare
overseas students for study at university. EAP teachers need
to know the expectations of faculty, in order to give overseas
students a realistic view of what faculty expect from their
assignments and the kinds of. weaknesses which faculty find in
overseas students' writing.
The survey found that content-related features such as
Content, Argument, Organisation and Communicative Ability
were considered more important than form features such as
Punctuation, Grammar, Style and Vocabulary. Use of Literature
was found to be a very important feature in some faculties but
not in all. Surprisingly, Style was the feature which evoked the
greatest variety of responses from faculty; however, in general
faculty agreed that Style had to be appropriate to the topic or
task, rather than there being a set format for academic writing.
From a factor analysis of data, four underlying principles
for academic writing were derived. These principles were:
relevance, appropriacy, accuracy and clarity. Thus, academic
writing, according to the faculty surveyed, should be:
1) relevant to the topic and to the internal argument of the
assigment;
2) appropriate in the style, tone and use of literature;
3) accurate in its vocabulary, grammar and referencing system.
4) clear in its argument and organisation of ideas.
For the most part, faculty responded favourably to the
overseas student assignments, which were assessed in the
second questionnaire. Faculty indicated that the main
weakness in overseas student writing was in their argument.
The surveys also found differences between different
Faculties in the importance they place on these key features.
It was postulated that the Science Faculties (Applied Science,
Environmental Design and Information Science and
Engineering) would be fairly similar in their views on writing,
as would the Humanities Faculties (Communication, Education
and Management). This was found to be only partly true. The
views of Information Science and Engineering faculty were
found to be more similar in many of their attitudes to the
views of the Humanities faculty. However, in some ways, their
views were unique and unlike any other Faculty. In particular.
Information Science and Engineering faculty place little
emphasis on writing as a method of assessment and, perhaps
as a consequence, even less on the use of literature in writing
From the survey, it also appeared that, in general, faculty
make some allowances for the fact that overseas students are
L2 speakers. They tend to overlook mechanical errors so long
as the content is acceptable.
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Chou, I.-Chia. "Exploring International ESL Students’ On-Screen Reading Behaviors with Two Academic Reading Purposes." The Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243965387.
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Luyen, Pham Phuong, and n/a. "An investigation of the difficulties experienced by non-native speakers of English in academic listening." University of Canberra. Education, 1991. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060818.163103.
Full textAbstract:
For many students, listening to academic lectures is one of
the hardest listening skills (Lebauer, 1988). There are various
possible reasons for this: the jargon and specialised words of
the field that are used; also the language that is used is often
at a more formal level; the lecture situation which is unidirectional
with the listener having little role to play, and no
control of the oral message; the expectations that the listener
is assumed to have in listening to lectures which depends on
many factors such as attitude, motivation, linguistic
knowledge and world experience.
Trying to find an answer to where difficulties lie is the
purpose of this study, with the focus on the type of problems
that post-graduate non-native students of English might have
had during their study in a native English academic
environment.
Chapter one presents the purpose and significance of
study, and deals with a few problems in the history of the
teaching of listening in Vietnam.
Chapter two looks at the different developments in
understanding the listening processes in general and listening
to lectures in particular.
Chapter three studies difficulties that non-native
speakers of English may face in lecture listening.
Chapter four mentions some of the recommendations that
the study implies.
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Onkol, Pinar Esma. "Perceptions Of Professional Development At Bilkent University Faculty Academic English Program." Phd thesis, METU, 2011. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613162/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Considering the current demands of our global world, there is a need for educating students equipped with diverse and complex qualities. In order to educate well-equipped students and sustain quality education, teachers and teacher educators have to be keeping themselves up-to-date and develop themselves professionally.
The primary aim of this study is to explore English instructors&rsquounderstanding of professional development through the use of phenomenological research methodology. The data sources were instructors and administrators working at Faculty Academic English Program at Bilkent University. The data collection method was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The findings of the study indicated that participants see professional development as a means of individual development, as a means of institutional development and as a source of developing community and environment. The study also revealed that the instructors preferred informal modes of professional development activities to formal ones. Participants of the study overall reflected their agreement on the positive contribution of course design on their professional development, autonomy and self-growth.
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Onomo, Angelina Medzo. "The conceptualisation principles of an academic literacy course: an interpretive study of the English for academic purposes module at a Namibian University." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62862.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis reports on an investigation into the features of an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course that may promote or constrain students’ success at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Work by the New Literacy Studies has problematised what it means to be academically literate and has critiqued the notion of skills training in Higher Education. This study sought to develop an understanding of what the coursework writers’ and lecturers’ priorities were in designing and assessing academic literacy as expressed in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) module, and to explain contradictions. As part of this process, it sought to identify the module’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of an understanding of literacy as a social practice, and to recommend changes if necessary. My interest in this module is a result of two interrelated factors. Firstly, as a novice part-time lecturer at NUST, I became concerned at the prevailing high EAP failure rate, which suggested that the course was not in fact promoting the academic literacy of the students. At the same time, my own attempts at ‘equipping’ students with the required academic literacy skills were frustrating. Both these factors suggested that the design and assessment of the course might be misaligned with its purported aims. To carry out this research, I employed an interpretive paradigm using a qualitative approach. I draw on theories in the field of academic literacies by Gee, Street and Lea. The methodology for the study was a document analysis of coursework materials and assessments, supplemented by interviews with available course designers. The key finding of the research is that the aims of the module are undercut by its structure and presentation. The design and assessment tasks of this module, while they aim at giving epistemological access through the development of students’ academic literacy skills, are unlikely to achieve it. This finding explains to some extent the poor throughput rate of the course.
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Yin, Muchun. "A progressively focused qualitative study of teacher thinking in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom language assesssment." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/0fd7c151-3121-48dd-9885-e7056aea38aa.
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Terauchi, Hajime. "English for academic purposes in Japan : an investigation of language attitudes and language needs in a Department of Law." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1996. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/34707/.
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This thesis is concerned with the development of English courses in a Department of Law in Japan. It presents a case for the introduction of courses in English for Academic Purposes. It begins with a description of the setting for the present research, which consists of the historical development of legal education in Japan (chapter 1) and a study of Japanese approaches to English language teaching (chapter 2). This is followed by a survey of previous work into the language of the law and the teaching of legal English (chapters 3 and 4). Chapter 5 considers the needs of students who are required to read legal textbooks in English and reports on an investigation into the lexis of these textbooks. The analysis (using computational concordancing methods) demonstrates that the needs of undergraduates are not covered by existing wordlists or by proposed standards that would ignore the special needs of law students. A list of essential lexis is proposed, and the collocations of frequent legal terms are identified, thus providing a list of common legal phrases that could be valuable as a teaching resource. Chapter 6 reports on a questionnaire survey into the attitudes of students, law teachers and English teachers to the existing courses and to possible innovations. This reveals that many students and some teachers would welcome changes but that there are conflicting of attitudes and resistance to change by some staff members. Chapter 7 draws on the findings of the lexical research and the attitude survey to suggest the introduction of a more varied English curriculum that should be acceptable to teachers and students and that includes courses relating to the language of the law. Proposals are also made for staff development. Chapter 8 provides a short postscript with suggestions for further research.
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Dansieh, Solomon Ali. "Quality issues in teaching and learning English at tertiary level in Ghana." Thesis, University of Bath, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.681039.
Full textAbstract:
Available empirical data relating to quality generally and the application of quality assurance principles to language education at tertiary-level are scanty. This study explores how higher education institutions in Ghana apply QA mechanisms to enhance the teaching and learning of English for Academic Purposes. It examines how institutional contexts and cultures of the four case study institutions impact their QA processes. First, the rhetorical tensions and the apparent lack of consensus on the definition of the term “quality” are acknowledged alongside the enviable status of English as a “global lingua franca”; the relevance and pervasiveness of the EAP discipline in tertiary educational circles within and without Ghana and the resultant need for quality assurance and enhancement in its teaching and learning. One particular component of quality in higher education: the need for ensuring that programmes and services are fit for the purpose for which they were designed, and that the “clients” (students) are getting value for their money serves as the focus of the empirical research. The QA dimension of the research attempts to answer the question of whether students provide written feedback on their teaching and whether this is acted upon by the case study institutions in order to improve the EAP course. A combination of qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method approaches and documentary research is adopted to provide the framework for exploring QA and quality issues at each of the institutions involved in this study. The study first considers the quality challenges of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana within the context of policy. Subsequently, the unique features of each case study institution are quantified. To enhance the depth of understanding so as to establish each case study institution’s QA mechanisms and processes for enhancing EAP teaching and learning, a comparative/multiple case study approach is adopted. The blend of methods facilitated exploring the issues and the drawing of conclusions as the strengths of each complements the other. The assessment of QA practices used in the teaching and learning of EAP in the case institutions revealed a number of interesting similarities and differences in terms of institutional context, quality culture, quality assurance mechanisms, pedagogy, and curriculum designs. Based on these findings, suggestions for EAP teaching quality enhancement in the case study institutions are subsequently made. Unique practices identified in the institutions are recommended for replication in other tertiary educational institutions. Suggestions for further and future research are also made followed by a brief account of the author’s professional and personal development during the DBA programme.
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Martinez, Dayami. "A Multiple Case Study of the Factors Affecting College Course Enrollment for Students Learning English for Academic Purposes." Thesis, NSUWorks, 2015. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/10.
Full textAbstract:
This applied dissertation provides insight into the various factors affecting persistence and transition to college-level courses for students learning English for academic purposes (EAP). An influx of immigrants who want to continue their postsecondary studies has affected the programs serving EAP students in United States. Scholars have identified some factors that influence persistence and success of immigrant students at postsecondary institutions such as cultural and educational norms, curriculum and career support, and academic and social interactions.
A qualitative approach with a multiple case study analysis allowed in-depth exploration of the factors affecting college course enrollment of EAP students. The researcher interviewed 10 participants who represented the student population enrolled in the EAP program. From these individual case analyses, the researcher identified strategies that could enhance retention and transition to college courses of EAP students. The researcher used NVivo qualitative data analysis software to gain a deeper understanding within textual categories and structural themes as well as to ensure thoroughness and reliability. The results of this study suggest that enhancement in both academic and social integration and curriculum and career support can assist EAP students in their transition to college courses.
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McKenny, John Anthony. "A corpus-based investigation of the phraseology in various genres of written English with applications to the teaching of English for academic purposes." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2006. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/346/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis describes an investigation into the various kinds of fixed expressions or prefabricated language which occur in certain genres of written academic English. A basic premise is that language users, when they write, remember phrases as much as, or more than, they compose them. Although the grammar of a language licenses the use of a variety of forms to express any proposition only a small subset of these grammatically possible locutions are considered natural and native-like. It is demonstrated that prefabs, my preferred term for prefabricated language, serve many functions in written academic discourse. Their use helps the writer to generate idiomatic text which meets the expectations of the reader and shows clearly the writer's discourse community. Prefabs also enable the configuration of writer's stance more explicitly. At the same time, thanks to prefabs the reader is better able to navigate within the text. The main focus of the investigation is the use by non-native speakers of English of prefabs in writing. Corpus linguistics is presented as the most appropriate methodology for this investigation. Two main kinds of corpora are constructed: an experimental corpus of argumentative essays produced by Portuguese `apprentice' English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writers and three control corpora of texts of comparable length, by different categories of native speakers of English. The kinds and frequencies of prefabs in the corpora are measured and tabulated. Finally, recommendations are made on how to use the findings of the research to improve EAP teaching and learning programmes.
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Cabinda, Manuel João José. "Identifying academic reading strategies in a multilingual context." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3866.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDIn this thesis I explore the complexity of FL (Foreign Language) reading through qualitatively and quantitatively analysing the forms, ways, and mechanisms applied by adult readers at tertiary university education level to construct meaning in an ESP/EAP (English for Specific and Academic Purposes) multilingual educational context at the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), in Mozambique
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Zarrouk, Hajer. "The impact of problem-based learning methodology on learners of English for Academic Medical Purpose." Thesis, Le Havre, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016LEHA0025/document.
Full textAbstract:
Le but de cette étude était de considérer la possibilité de la mise en œuvre de l’approche d'apprentissage par problèmes (APP), Problem Based Learning (PBL), comme une méthodologie d'enseignement, épistémologiquement solide, pour enseigner l'anglais de spécialité (ASP), en particulier, dans le domaine académique de la médecine, English for Academic Medical Purposes (EAMP). Dans un premier temps, l'étude a examiné si PBL est compatible avec l'enseignement des langues et a cherché à déterminer les avantages que cette méthode peut apporter à l'enseignement de l'ASP. L'étude a également tenté de résoudre des problèmes d'apprentissage en anglais qui ont été identifiés dans les Collèges de Santé de l’Année préparatoire (Branche Féminine) au sein de l'Université de Hail, Arabie Saoudite. Une analyse des besoins a été menée dans l'institution pour mieux identifier ces problèmes d'apprentissage. En conséquence, PBL a été mis en œuvre pour déterminer si cette approche est capable de fournir une solution possible à la question, puisque PBL a été initialement mis en œuvre en médecine pour faire face à des problèmes similaires. Cela a entraîné un changement dans les niveaux macro-méthodologique et micro-méthodologique, comme Demaizière (1996 ; 66) les appelle. Dans la partie empirique, une étude longitudinale a été menée avec 13 étudiantes qui ont été observées dans une période de 8 semaines au cours de cinq PBL tutoriels, qui a eu lieu pendant quinze séances. En général, les résultats étaient en faveur de la mise en œuvre de cette approche dans l'enseignement de l'anglais médical. Ils ont également montré que PBL peut améliorer l'autonomie des apprenants ; leurs permettre de développer des stratégies d'apprentissage ; les aider à exploiter leurs compétences linguistiques ; et d'apprendre le contenu orienté vers leur domaineThe purpose of this study was to consider the implementation of Problem Based Learning (PBL) as an epistemologically sound teaching methodology to teach English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and particularly English for Academic Medical Purposes (EAMP). The study examined whether PBL is compatible with language teaching and determined the benefits that this methodology can bring to ESP. The study also attempted to solve problems with English learning that were identified in the Preparatory Year Health Colleges (Female Branch) within Hail University, Saudi Arabia. A needs analysis was conducted in the institution to examine the English learning situation and better identify these learning problems. Then PBL was implemented to determine if it provided a possible solution to the issue. This entailed a change in the macro-methodological and micro-methodological levels, as Demaizière (1996) called ‘le niveau macromethodologique’ and ‘le niveau micromethodologique’ (p.66). In the empirical part of this study, a longitudinal study was conducted with 13 students who were observed through a period of 8 weeks and over five PBL tutorials, which took place over fifteen sessions. During these fifteen sessions, learners’ behaviors or indicators of autonomy were observed at the group level for the first and third session of each PBL tutorial and at the individual level in session 2. In general, the results favored the implementation of this approach in teaching English for Academic Medical Purposes (EAMP). They also showed that PBL can improve learners’ autonomy; enable learners to develop learning strategies; help learners harness their language skills; and learn content oriented to their field
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Edmunds, Trevor. "Investigating perceptions of student engagement in class practices of Vietnamese learners of academic English." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/98111.
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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the last 25 years socially-based SLA research has increasingly focused on contextual factors that constitute the local learning environments of learners of English as a second language in attempting to better comprehend the socially embedded nature of learning outcomes. These scholars have largely postulated language learning not only as the acquisition of linguistic knowledge in the abstract but rather as fundamentally constituted by participation in social praxis as situated within local sociocultural and institutional contexts. The emergence of „the social‟ in SLA research is especially significant to academic contexts in which learners belonging to diverse cultural and literacy traditions typically struggle to identify with target literacy practices of their academic communities. Drawing on a sociocultural approach and the community of practice construct, this thesis takes a qualitative approach. Through the analysis of teacher and student focus group data, this thesis sets out to illustrate learner and teacher articulations surrounding what constitutes learner engagement in an academic English program at an international university in Vietnam. The data collected in this study suggests that the focal learners perceived higher levels of learner engagement in learning contexts in which collaborative, dialogic activity was extensively integrated in the acquisition of target academic literacy practices. While the focal teacher articulations surrounding student engagement also took into account the importance of such collaborative class activity, the teachers did not attribute the same level of importance to it that the focal students did. This study concludes that teachers should extensively use activity frameworks within class that encourage group work in the learning of target academic literacy practices, especially academic reading and writing practices. Even where target practices will ultimately be elaborated and assessed on an individual basis, this study illustrates that collaborative dialogic frameworks seemed to provide students with opportunities to pool linguistic, content, and skills-related resources, thus allowing students to overcome learning difficulties associated with academic literacy practices. Ultimately, such activity frameworks appeared to mediate higher levels of student engagement within class activities, which students linked to more effective and enjoyable learning of academic English.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar
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Alvarez-de-Galicia, Maria Guadalupe. "Reading in English for academic purposes (EAP) : the effect of background knowledge, with special reference to schema-directed processes." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/26085.
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Green, Anthony. "Test impact and English for academic purposes : a comparative study in backwash between IELTS preparation and university professional courses." Thesis, Roehampton University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.426189.
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