Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'English language Study and teaching (Higher) Foreign speakers Australia'

In the last 20 years or so, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of international full-fee paying students applying to study in Australian universities, The revenue provided in this way has helped to address the problems faced by cash-starved universities facing recurring funding cuts over the same period. Furthermore, the presence of such students on any university campus provides immeasurable enrichment to the student body in terms of cultural diversity and research potential, and indeed it is very tempting in an ever,-increasing global market, to be as flexible as possible with prospective international students. However, the process of admission also demands careful consideration on the part of the various stakeholders involved. Although several factors need to be taken into account, the most obvious and certainly of primary importance would be the need to prove proficiency in the English language, Given that English is the dominant means of communication in the university, all students are required to draw from a complex web of linguistic resources to construct meaning and to complete the range of tasks required of them during their tertiary studies, This volume deals :with the overarching theme of issues of English language proficiency for overseas students studying in an Australian university. This focus can be viewed from many angles, and there are certainly many key facets involved, a selection of which is explored in the papers of the portfolio. These include the following broad areas: recruitment and admissions, language testing and technology, curriculum and inclusivity, English language support, academic conduct and finally the specific needs of international students, as viewed from their own perspective.

Writing for an academic purpose is not an easy skill to master, whether for a native English speaker (L1) or an English language learner (ELL). In order to better prepare ELL students for success in mainstream content courses at the university level, more must be known about the characteristics of student writing in the local context of an intensive English program. This information can be used to inform ELL writing instructors of which linguistic features to target so that their students produce writing that sounds appropriate for the academic written register. Two corpora of 30 research essays each were compiled, one of L1 student writing done in various departments at Portland State University, and the other of ELL writing produced in an advanced writing course in Portland State University's Intensive English Language Program. The corpora were compared for the frequencies of 13 linguistic features which had been previously found in significantly different frequencies in L1 and ELL essays (Hinkel, 2002). The tokens of each feature in each essay were counted, and the frequency rate was calculated in each case. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test found 6 features with significantly different frequency rates between the two corpora. The following features were more frequent in L1 essays than in ELL essays: modal would, perfect aspect, passive voice, reduced adjective clause, and it-cleft. In addition, the type/token ratio was found be significantly higher in L1 essays than in ELL essays. An analysis of how each of the significant features was used in the context of ELL and L1 essays revealed the following: Both student groups were still acquiring the appropriate use of modal would; the majority of students in both groups did not utilize it-clefts; the lower type/token ratio in ELL essays meant that these students used a more limited vocabulary than did L1 students; and ELL students were still acquiring the accurate and appropriate uses of perfect aspect, passive voice, and reduced adjective clauses, whereas L1 students used these features grammatically and for the standard uses. To apply these findings to the ELL writing classroom, instructors should help students raise their awareness of these six features in their own academic writing by leading students in identifying grammatical and ungrammatical uses of these features and providing practice in differentiating between uses which are standard to the register of academic writing and uses which are appropriate only in conversation. Two sample activities are included to illustrate how to implement these recommendations.

This thesis was a critical analysis of students academic second language writing at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Student writing in English as a second language in higher education has excited much interest in the English as a Second Language writing research and discussion in Tanzania. The interest was motivated by frequent criticisms from examiners regarding students literacy performance in the English as a Second Language writing in the post primary and higher education where the language of instruction is English as is configured in the Tanzanian language policy.

This thesis follows two international freshman students in an English composition class at California State University, San Bernardino. The results indicate that the students generally experienced feeling challenged and overwhelmed about the unfamiliar topic, but detailed assignment guidelines played a key role for students to progress in understanding the assignment.

Beginning with an analysis of current problems in English education in South Korea, this project is intended to suggest various ways to implement effective English education, especially for writing instruction. The project is designed for students who have low English proficiency in South Korean colleges and universities.

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.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of students and lecturers at the University of Namibia about teaching and learning. The study specifically determined the views of students and lectures in relation to language, teaching, learning and assessment as well as what we might learn from analysis of these views to assist in improving teaching, learning and assessment.

A group of 101 ESL learners ranging in the mid to upper intermediate level was randomly distributed among two groups--experimental and control. They were given three tests prior to the experiment and three tests after treatment. Both groups were given the same contextualized materials. However, the experimental group was taught gerunds and infinitives using the Bolinger principle whereas the control group was taught gerunds and infinitives by list memorization. Two hypotheses were posed: 1. Teaching ESL learners gerunds and infinitives using the Bolinger principle will result in significant improvement in discrete point tests. 2. Teaching ESL learners gerunds and infinitives using the Bolinger principle will result in significant improvement in the use of gerunds and infinitives in writing.

As more international students who are not expert users of English come to the United States to study at university, the field of teaching English for Academic Purposes grows. There are many important skills these international students must learn to become successful university students in America, but writing for academic purposes is of particular importance for these students to join the academic conversation in their respective disciplines. Corpus research has identified the grammatical features which are frequently found in different registers, and from this work it is known which structures are important in different types of academic writing. Grammatical structures frequently found in the academic register must be taught to these university-bound students. However, many English Language Learners (ELLs) are infrequently using, or inaccurately using, some of these grammatical features in their writing when compared to L1 writers. This study focuses on three of those under-used, and/or inaccurately used structures: passive voice, reduced relative clauses, and modal would. At an Intensive English Language Program (IELP) in the Pacific Northwest, an experimental group of advanced ELLs were given extended instruction--extra time and practice--on these three features. The control group received the standard amount of time and practice students typically receive at this IELP. 25 essays from the experimental group and 44 essays from the control group were tagged for presence, accuracy, and appropriacy of the three grammatical features (passive voice, reduced relative clauses, and modal would). The experimental and control group essays were compared to see if the treatment instruction had a significant effect on the frequency, accuracy, and/or appropriacy of these features. Results from an independent t-test on the frequency of passive voice showed no significant difference between the experimental group essays and the control group essays. Results from a Mann-Whitney U test on the frequency of reduced relative clauses and modal would showed no significant difference between the two groups. In regard to accuracy and appropriacy, a Mann-Whitney U test found no significant difference between the experiment group and control group. The analysis of the two groups showed that students in the treatment group did use passive voice on average more than students in the control group, but it was not enough to be significantly different. The frequency of reduced relative clauses and modal would was low, yet accuracy and appropriacy of these features was very high for both groups. These findings reveal that different, or perhaps more focused, approaches must be taken beyond extra time and practice to increase ELLs' use of passive voice, reduced relative clauses, and modal would in their writing.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 1994.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 1986 a new English Second Language syllabus for the Junior and Senior Secondary Course was introduced in the Cape· Province. The overall aim of the syllabus is communicative competence and it advocates a communicative approach (CA) to teaching English Second Language. At the inception of the communicative approach most teachers were i~rnorant of what it comprised and this study undertook to determine whether teachers understood what Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was and if they applied it in their teaching. At first the demands of society and how this had influenced language teaching through the ages was investigated. Communicative competence was demanded at different stages in history and it is at these different stages where the CA has its roots. Many of the principles of the CA, it was discovered, had been applied by teachers and theorists many centuries ago. Teachers and theorists who teach language for communication see language in a different light. Language and its unique properties are investigated, and with an emphasis · on language as communication. Different ways of using language to communicate are investigated and questions like ''Where does meaning reside? What are the kinds of meaning?" and "How can we control meaning?" are discussed. Prior to the introduction of the CA, second language teaching had been devoted to mastery of structures. However, with the new insights gained about language and meaning, the focus shifted to meaning in coherent discourse rather than on discrete forms. With the shift in focus teachers also had to adjust their teaching to meet the demands. At this stage a brief discussion of the CA and the essentials of a communicative curriculum is provided. The comparison between traditional and communicative approaches is made. An account of CLT methodology is given, including exploration of communicative competence. Many practical examples of CLT are explained. In the empirical study a questionnaire was distributed to the ESL teachers at thirty schools in the Boland and Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. The aim of the research was to determine whether ESL teachers teach communicatively. The findings of the study were that teachers who were trained before 1986 and those trained subsequently have a limited view of the CA. Consequently they cannot apply it to their teaching and seem to revert to a structural interpretation of the syllabus. This study then, confirms that teachers do not have a full understanding of what the CA comprises and consequently teachers do not teach "communicatively".
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In 1986 is 'n nuwe Engels Tweede Taal sillabus vir die Junior en Senior Sekondere Kursus ingestel vir die Kaapprovinsie. Die oorhoofse doelstelling was kommunikatiewe bevoegdheid en dit stel voor 'n kommunikatiewe benadering (KB) in die onderrig van Engels Tweede Taal. Met die bekendstelling van die benadering was die meeste onderwysers onbewus daarvan studie onderneem om te bepaal of die kommunikatiewe taalonderrig behels en onderrig toegepas het. en is daar met hierdie onderwysers verstaan wat of hulle dit in hulle Eerstens is die eise van die gemeenskap en hoe van taal deur die eeue beinvloed het, bestudeer. bevoegdheid is op verskillende tye deur die dit die onderrig Kommunikatiewe loop van die geskiedenis vereis en dit is juis aan hierdie verskillende tye wat die kommunikatiewe benadering sy ontstaan te danke het. Dit is ontdek dat van die beginsels van die kommunikatiewe benadering al van vroee tye toegepas is deur onderwysers en teoriste. Onderwysers en teoriste wat taal onderrig vir kommunikasie sien taal in 'n ander lig. Taal en die unieke eienskappe daarvan word ondersoek en taal as kommunikasie word beklemtoon. Verskillende wyses waarop taal gebruik kan word om te kommunikeer word ondersoek en vrae soos: "Waar is betekenis gesetel? Wat is die soorte betekenis?" en "Hoe kan betekenis beheer word?" word bespreek. Voor die bekendstelling van die KB is taalonderrig beperk tot die bemeestering van taal strukture. Helaas, met die nuwe insigte wat verkry is van taal en betekenis het die klem verskuif na verb~ndhoudende diskoers eerder as op sinsontleding. Met die klemverskuiwing moes onderwysers ook hul onderrig aanpas om aan die eise te voldoen. 'n Bondige bespreking van die kommunikatiewe benadering en die voorvereistes van 'n kommunikatiewe kurrikulum word gegee. Daar word ook onderskeid getref tussen tradisionele en kommunikatiewe benaderings. 'n Kommunikatiewe taalonderrig-metodologie word voorsien en kommunikatiewe bevoegdheid word ook bespreek. praktiese voorbeelde verduidelik. van kommunikatiewe taalonderrig Baie word In die empiriese studie Engels Tweede Taal in is 'n vraelys aan die onderwysers van dertig hoer skole van die Boland en Noordelike voorstede van Kaapstad gestuur. Die doel van die studie was om te bepaal of Engels tweede taal onderwysers kommunikatief onderrig. Die bevindinge van die studie was dat be ide onderwysers wat voor 1986 opgelei is en daarna, 'n beperkte siening van die kommunikatiewe benadering het. Gevolglik kan hulle nie die benadering toepas nie en wil dit voorkom of hulle 'n strukturele vertolking van die sillabus volg. Die studie bevestig dus dat onderwysers nie die kommunikatiewe benadering ten volle verstaan nie en gevolglik kan die onderwysers nie kommunikatief onderrig nie.

This study unravels the connector patterns and mental activities that the Chinese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) and native-English speakers display/perform upon the adoption of adversative, causal and temporal connectors while writing English argumentations, descriptions and narrations. It focuses on the ways in which the Chinese ESL learners’ thinking and connector production recursively interact in meaning-building processes. To elicit information of the writers’ mental processes, three English writing tasks with concurrent verbal reports were used as main elicitation tools. Chinese university students from Low, Mid and High proficiency levels and native-American-English users (Native) were asked to speak out their thoughts while writing English argumentations, descriptions and narrations. Data were also elicited from the retrospective verbal reports and following-up interviews which were conducted right after each writing and concurrent verbal report. Comparison of connector patterns in English texts produced by the Chinese and native-English writers suggests that the Chinese Mid and Low groups use significantly more connectors than the Native group while connector frequencies between the Chinese High and the Native group reveal no significant difference. It has been argued that the High-level students, being more linguistically skilled, can use connectors as well as other cohesive devices to form textual connections as their native-English-speaking counterparts. However, the Mid and Low-level writers, lacking abilities of manipulating other cohesive devices, tend to rely mainly on connectors. Moreover, comparison between the three Chinese groups indicates that the Mid uses significantly more connectors in English texts than the High and Low groups. The Mid group, on the one hand, is not linguistically mature enough to use various cohesive devices as skillfully as the High group, but, on the other hand, has more knowledge on the connector usage than the Low. When connectors were analyzed by category, it is found that the Chinese students use fewer adversative connectors in argumentations and narrations than the native-English writers. This pattern is found to have arisen from the Chinese students’ rigid textual development. ESL learners, due to their poor second language (L2) proficiency, cannot develop sophisticated argumentative and narrative structures. Instead of resorting to counter-arguments and reverse-order narration, they tend to simply list ideas. This could result in lower occurrences of adversative connectors in their argumentations and narrations. The data that are extracted from concurrent verbal reports reveal that the Chinese students use their first language (L1) for five mental activities: (1) initiation, (2) revision, (3) comment-making, (4) decision-making, and (5) monologue-conducting while using L2 for only two: initiation and revision. Examinations on the cognitive demand of the mental activities show that ESL learners rely more on their L1 to perform the cognitively more demanding activities such as comment-making, decision-making and monologue-conducting. Furthermore, the verbal data show that the L2 proficiency levels affect ESL writers’ mental activities in two ways. First, proficient ESL learners report larger linguistic units than the less proficient ones. Second, proficient ESL learners report higher proportions of cognitively more demanding activities than the less proficient ones. These two patterns are argued to result from the different working memory capacities of the proficient and less proficient ESL writers as well as the different ways of processing information in their working memory. Finally, a model of L2 writing process is developed to delineate how L2 proficiency, working memory and cognitive process interact and contribute to L2 writing process. Theoretically, this L2 model refines the L1 model and enriches the current understanding of the L2 writing process in three ways. First, mental activities are classified according to how much cognitive workload they demand. Such categorization is necessary because it explains ESL learners’ language choice while doing verbal reports and also explains the difficulties the learners encounter in L2 writing. Second, the L2 model separates the composing process as pre- and post-stage, which allows us to see how frequencies and types of mental activities differ in the two phases. Third, by including language choice, the L2 model addresses a wider interpretation of the mental activities in writing process. Pedagogically, the comprehensive and explanatory accounts of the connector patterns and mental activities address the problems that ESL learners have when using connectors in L2 writing. This will definitely facilitate the teaching of L2 writing.

Self-repairs have been the subject of investigation in a number of research areas, notably psycholinguistics and conversation analysis. This study has aimed at the examination of self-repairs in second language classroom presentations. Specifically, it has sought to gain insight into self-repairs in naturally occurring talk and to explicate the possible relationships between the variables of age, sex, and educational background and self-repair behaviour of L2 speakers as well as the possible link between self-repair and proficiency. Accomplishing these required a scrutiny of individual self-repairs and their classification. However, the classifications which have traditionally been used in the psycholinguistic approach suffer from a number of shortcomings, as they are usually based on the analysis of surface forms of self-repairs. Because of the subjectivity involved in this process, there has been considerable variation in terms of classes of self-repairs and also the decision as to where a given self-repair belongs. An in-depth analysis of self-repair data revealed that self-repairs do cluster into categories. This analysis also yielded a set of features which are relevant to the study of self-repairs. In addition to showing that the established categories are mutually exclusive, comparison of major categories of self-repairs according to these features, which characterise the trajectory of self-repairs, resulted in the explication of a number of regularities in the way L2 speakers carry out self-repairs. Having established a data-driven classification of repairs, an attempt was made to see whether learner variables of age, sex and educational background have any significant effect on self-repairs. It turned out that none of these variables have a significant effect on self-repairs. In addition, it became clear that while beginning, intermediate, and advanced L2 speakers have been shown to demonstrate significant proficiency-related differences, these differences fade away when they come from the same proficiency level.

The purpose of this study is to define and delineate the factors which influence the decision by non-English speaking background migrant Muslim women to access or not access their eligibility for English language tuition, as set out by current policies governing the eligibility of migrants to participate in Adult Migrant Education programs. As such, the study is of particular interest to both key informants: teachers, community workers, coordinators, and to the target population themselves-Migrant Muslim women. It is also of benefit to those who are concerned with implementing language programs as it will provide them with an understanding of the issues facing Muslim women that may prevent them from accessing such classes. It is also of particular interest because it delves into and explores an• area where much speculation has taken place, but where little research of significance has been directed. The target population is defined as adult (over age 16) Muslim women from a non-English speaking background who are currently residing in the Perth metropolitan area. Two groups within this target population have been included in the study, the first being those women who have accessed migrant language tuition in a formal class setting (excluding those who have accessed the home tutor scheme). The second being those women who have not, with the objective of drawing a typology of the kind of Muslim women accessing classes-age, country of birth, family, socio-economic status, perceived need to learn English, level of education and aspirations and other relevant variables that were brought to light through the research process. Data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative research methods which involved the analysis of figures pertaining to the numbers of women from Muslim countries of birth who have accessed English language classes through the Adult Migrant Education Program in order to arrive at conclusions about the relative absence of Muslim women in these programs. Qualitative data was collected using a structured interview with twenty three women from the target population as well as interviews with three key informants. The purpose of the key informant interviews was to gain an understanding of the external factors accessibility, availability of information and practical considerations such as child care transport and provision of special arrangements that may affect the decision or the ability of Muslim women to attend classes.

The aim of this project is to address the need for effective English learning and develop an English curriculum which practically meets learners' needs. The project is for students who study business English in Korean community college. This project presents effectiveness of English learning in the content concerning with English for specific purposes, project-based learning, cooperative learning, computer-assisted language learning, and technological literacy. These ideas are incorporated into the project to develop the unit, Creating a Company, which consists of six lesson plans.

This study applies Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory to the comprehension of figurative language in poetry. Students' understanding of metaphor as a linguistic category and comprehension of metaphorical texts are analysed in terms of the principle of relevance. Patterns of comprehension in English first language (Ll) and English second language (ESL) students' analyses of metaphorical texts are discussed and through an analysis of similarities and differences in these patterns of comprehension an attempt is made to develop a pedagogy around relevance theory. Relevance theory's particular emphasis on the role played by "context" in cognition is seen to have significance for the teaching of literature in South African universities. Relevance theory's account of cognition generates a range of educational principles which could be specifically applied to the teaching of metaphor. An appraisal of the strengths and difficulties students experience in expressing their understanding of metaphor in an academic context is included. This was done to further develop relevance theory into a pedagogical approach which takes into account the academic context in which writing occurs. The investigation of the particular difficulties that English metaphor poses for ESL students entailed acquiring a working knowledge of the ways in which metaphor is taught and assessed in DET schools. The interpretations of students of different linguistic, social and educational backgrounds reveal unifying elements that could be incorporated into a pedagogy based on relevance theory. Such a pedagogy would be appropriate to the multilingual/multicultural/multiracial nature of classes in South African universities and would be a more empowering approach to the teaching of English metaphor.

This research is observational and descriptive. Its primary purpose is to provide data on the extent to which, and how, Non-Native Speakers (NNSs) of English engage in error correction of their peers when participating in classroom oral group work. In addition, it shows to what extent these learners self-correct their own errors in the same situation. The over-arching focus of the study is to examine the role of second language learners to determine whether they possess the potential to play a more active and productive part in their own language learning. Nine beginning level adult university ESL students are the subjects of this research. They were placed in small groups and asked to perform specified classroom tasks designed to generate maximum oral interchange among the participants. The ensuing discussions provided the basis for the data which were collected via tape recording each group's proceedings. The data samples were listened to and coded per an error typology and any correction that took place. The data were then statistically analyzed via SYSTAT. The findings are consistent with the results of other research and indicate that while many errors are not treated, a significant number of them are corrected clearly and accurately. These results lend credence to the idea that second language learners may have much more to learn from each other than they think, and that they do have the potential to play a greater role in their own language learning. Much more research is indicated in order to better understand the multi-faceted phenomenon of second language learner error and its treatment.

This thesis presents an in-depth, qualitative study that examines how a group of English teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and various sociocultural and institutional factors affect their integration practices of CALL in a private university in China. An activity theory (AT) perspective is adopted as both the theoretical and analytical framework for the research. AT in essence postulates that human activities shape and are mediated both at the individual and social levels, with the mediational tools and artifacts that link the processes together. Four College English teachers in a private university (two part-time teachers and two full-time teachers) participated in this one-year study. Adopting a qualitative multi-case study approach, data were collected from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, stimulated recall interviews and related documents and artifacts. A key finding is that the teachers each espoused unique, compatible and incompatible systems of pedagogical belief regarding English teaching and CALL. While commonalities among the teachers’ reported beliefs about English teaching and learning are noticeable, there are significant divergences existing among their beliefs with regard to CALL. In contrast with the divergences in the teachers’ reported beliefs, however, classroom observations reveal a very similar pattern in the teachers’ CALL integration: CALL was applied primarily as a tool of input to support their teacher-centered and linguistic-knowledge-oriented method of instruction. With activity theory as the analytical framework employed for interpreting the mechanisms that link the teachers’ integration of CALL, their cognition and the sociocultural settings, the research findings suggest strong contradictory relationships among the various elements in the teachers’ CALL-integration activity systems. The cross-case analysis (in terms of the identified object and contradictions in the teachers’ activity system in particular) suggests that, regardless of their expressed pedagogical beliefs, the teachers’ practices in CALL were also strongly affected by their situated concerns for learners and for meeting the institutional expectations that they act as “qualified teachers”. In addition, their practices in CALL were also evidently shaped by the institutional part-time and full-time personnel structure, a fact manifested in the teachers’ unsystematic teaching arrangements, their heavy workload and the lack of community communication and professional development. The long-established teaching and learning culture in the Chinese context also had a role to play. In such a context, teachers are considered the major source of knowledge imparted to students, while computers as a distraction from learning. The significance of this study is threefold. First, the findings provide a comprehensive understanding of why and how College English teachers in a private university setting in China integrated CALL in their instruction. The findings suggest the institution needs to direct its efforts in promoting change in teachers’ conceptual and pedagogical beliefs while integrating CALL, and to emphasize alignment among teachers’ belief systems, curriculum design, pedagogy, technology affordances and the learning context. Second, the research findings provide pedagogical and policy implications for CALL integration in higher education in China. In addition, the findings may facilitate the development of teacher preparation and development programs in the area of educational technology in language education in higher learning institutes in China.
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Education
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

Many deaf students who seek post secondary education need some sort of developmental education in reading and writing to ensure success in college. These students often end up in college preparatory or remedial classes that are designed for native speakers of English. For many of the deaf students entering college, English is a second language or a first language that they have failed to achieve fluency in. This study describes the experience of two deaf students enrolled in English as a Non-Native Language classes for the first time at an Oregon community college. The Office of Students with Disabilities and the ENNL department cooperated in this trial to determine whether the ENNL program is an appropriate place for American deaf students needing developmental education in English. Observations, interviews and writing sample analysis were used to provide a multi-layered description of the experience from several perspectives. The deaf students were found to display similar errors in their writing samples as traditional ENNL students at the same level and benefited from instruction geared to non-native speakers of English. The rehabilitation counselor and ENNL instructors agreed that placement of the deaf students in ENNL classes is appropriate and the program continues in fall term. The deaf students of this study stated that they were better served by ENNL classes than by Developmental Education Classes. Curriculum and methodology used in ENNL classes were found to meet the educational needs of the deaf students, and only minor modifications were made to accommodate the students. The experience from these classes has convinced the ENNL department to continue accepting deaf students to the program and enrollment of deaf students in ENNL classes is expected to increase.

This study focuses on student listening needs in the context of the English for Academic Purposes program taught by distance education at the University of the South Pacific. It explores the relationship between learners� awareness of the learning strategy they use for developing their listening skills and their teachers� knowledge of the strategy use and listening needs of learners. Using an ethnographic case study approach, the study was conducted at various campuses and centres of the University of the South Pacific. Interviews were conducted with five EAP/study skills teachers, five subject/course teachers, 19 past learners and 10 present learners of the EAP/study skills course. Questionnaire data was also obtained from 19 past learners and 153 present learners. In addition, a course material analysis was carried out. The study confirms and adds weight to the conclusions of earlier researchers such as Berne (1998), and Mendelsohn (2001) who explain that discrepancies exist between L2 listening research and practice. The findings of this research indicate that teachers differ from their learners in terms of learners� knowledge and understanding of listening skills and learning strategies in use. The findings also indicate that even though learning had taken place in this distance education context some face-to-face teaching would have been desirable. A combination of distance teaching with longer teacher-learner contact for distance teaching of listening skills is recommended, since regular contact between teachers and learners is seen by learners as very beneficial and more likely to lead to a better development of listening skills. It also helps create an awareness of learners� present and future listening needs. The nature of distance teaching at the University of the South Pacific, and the challenges faced by both teachers and learners are discussed in this study, and the requirement for further needs analysis in regard to distance EAP courses are noted. The study concludes with recommendations for strategy training for distance learners as well as for raising teacher awareness about the importance of strategy teaching. It is also recommended that similar studies be undertaken in other language skills courses offered by distance at universities like USP such as reading, writing and speaking courses.

The study examines the life and educational experiences of five Generation 1.5 students at California State University, San Bernardino and analyzes how the first cultural socialization affects later English academic language learning. The study used three methods of gathering data: a survey questionnaire, participant-observation, and one-on-one interviews. The study also reviews other case studies that describe life and educational experiences as well as the language and cultural connections of Generation 1.5 students. An analysis of lexical, structural and interactional differences of the spoken and written modes of the English language is also included. The study's findings indicate that learning the vocabulary of the written language was a key factor in being a member of the academic community.

This project offers a strategy-based curriculum designed to increase academic competence in technical reading for Taiwanese students of English as a foreign language. Strategies include acquiring specialized vocabulary words, enhancing background knowledge, and increasing metacognitive awareness.

This study centered on the expectations of a non-native English-speaking undergraduate student and her teacher in a general education course at Portland State University during winter term 2012. This was a qualitative case study, where I collected data throughout the duration of the course by means of interviews, classroom observations, and written assignment sheet data. I triangulated verbal data from interview transcripts from the two participants, along with data from the observation notes and the assignment sheets in order to gain a better understanding of the expectations each participant had about writing assignments. Data from four sources were collected and analyzed: interview transcripts, assignment sheets, the course syllabus, and classroom observation notes. Interview transcripts were the primary source of data, and were triangulated with the other abovementioned data sources. The themes that emerged from verbal interview data were categorized and then subcategorized according to theme. The first category that emerged was Assignment Expectations. This was subcategorized into: Summarize, Examples, Reflect, Critical Thinking, and Theory Application. The second category was Evaluation, which was comprised of the themes Grading and Rubric. The third category that emerged was Student Interaction With Assignment, in which six subcategories emerged: Process, Experience, Time, Reading, Preparation, Understanding, and ESL. Lastly, the category background emerged, which contained the subcategories History and Background. The findings of this study showed that due to the student's extensive background with various academic writing assignments prior to entering the course, she had similar expectations of specific assignment sheet attributes as the teacher. However, there were more salient differences in expectations between the teacher and the student in terms of how the student interacted with the assignment at the individual level. Likewise, expectations of assessment illustrated the murky nature of evaluation, even in a situation where the student had had extensive experience with academic writing assessment in the past.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The writing of this thesis has been an attempt to respond to the problem of students who do not seem to be able to express themselves succinctly and clearly in English. Madadeni College of Education enrols students who have passed grade twelve, at least most of them have passed English. Their passing English at grade twelve presupposes that they can use English freely during the teaching and learning situation, for all courses are studied and presented through the medium of English. On realising this serious handicap the researcher decided to come up with something that can probably help contribute in shaping good prospective English teachers who will in turn teach many generations to come. There was decided on co-operative learning as the possible technique that can be used in higher education with the view to influencing students to use English practically. It needs to be stressed that co-operative learning is a learning technique or strategy (not a teaching method) that is used to make participants use English practically. The central problem of this thesis therefore is that students fail to express themselves clearly in English. This means the sample of sixty student participants who were drawn from the primary section of teacher training got involved in practical co-operative learning activities in order to practice English in small manageable co-operative learning groups. Co-operative learning is a special type of group work where each participant is given a specific function or task to do. Chapter 1 of this thesis explores the problem of the research and is followed by the hypothesis. The purpose of the research is spelt out that it is to examine and diagnose how co-operative learning can be used as an instrument for improving students' English-speaking skills through active and participatory learning. The research methodology, which uses a descriptive approach becomes part of this thesis. It outlines the activities that are part of this research. Student participants became involved in practical co-operative learning for three weeks. After these activities had been completed, a questionnaire was developed and constructed. The purpose of the study was to examine and diagnose how co-operative learning can be used as an instrument for improving students' English-speaking skills through active and participating learning. Student respondents or participants were respondents. Chapter 2 deals with a critical review of the literature which was completed mainly to identify possible solutions and effective ways to educate the next generations about the problem. Chapter 3 focuses on the research and the research methodology where a research design, which spells out the population sample, research procedures and the design of the questionnaire are central. Chapter 4 deals with the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the results. As a penultimate chapter, the researcher is able to evaluate (from student participants' responses) the success or the shortfalls of the research. Chapter 5 focuses on the synthesis of findings, conclusions, recommendations and the conclusion of this research.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die skryf van hierdie tesis was 'n poging om die probleem aan te spreek van studente wat dit moeilik vind om hulle duidelik en bondig in Engels uit te druk. Die meeste studente wat met die vereiste graad 12-kwalifikasie tot Madadeni Onderwyskollege toegelaat word, het ook in graad 12 in Engels geslaag. Dit veronderstel dat hulle tydens die onderrig-en-Ieerproses Engels met gemak behoort te kan gebruik, maar dit is ongelukkig nie so nie. Alle kursusse by genoemde kollege word deur medium Engels aangebied. Hierdie ernstige leemte ten opsigte van Engels waarmee die studente te kampe het, het die navorser gemotiveer om 'n bydrae te maak tot die ontwikkeling van goeie Engelse onderwysers wat vir vele toekomstige geslagte waardevolle onderrig kan gee. Daar is besluit om kooperatiewe leer in die navorsing te gebruik as In moontlike tegniek wat in hoër onderwys aangewend kan word ten einde studente aan te moedig om Engels te gebruik. Daar word beklemtoon dat kooperatiewe leer 'n leertegniek of -strategie is (nie 'n leermetode nie) wat gebruik word om deelnemers te motiveer om Engels in die praktyk te gebruik. Die kernprobleem waarmee hierdie tesis te make het, is dat studente hulle nie duidelik in Engels kan uitdruk nie. Die steekprroef van 60 studente wat vanuit die primêre afdeling van onderwyseropleiding getrek is, het betrokke geraak by praktiese kooperatiewe leer-aktiwitete, om sodoende in klein, beheerbare kooperatiewe groepe Engels te praat. Kooperatiewe leer is 'n spesiale soort groepwerk waar elke deelnemer 'n spesifieke funksie vervul, of 'n besondere taak het om uit te voer. Hoofstuk 1 van hierdie tesis ondersoek die navorsingsprobleem. Die hipotese volg daarop. Die doel van navorsing word uiteengesit, naamlik om te ondersoek en te diagnoseer hoe koëperatiewe leer aangewend kan word om studente se taalvaardigheid in Engels te verbeter deur aktiewe en deelnemende leer. Die navorsingsmetodologie, wat 'n beskrywende benadering volg, is deel van hierdie tesis, en dit skets die aktiwiteite wat deel uitmaak van hierdie navorsing. Deelnemende studente was vir drie weke lank betrokke by praktiese koëperatiewe leer. Daarna is 'n vraelys geïmplementeer. Die doel van die studie was die ondersoek en diagnose van hoe koëperatiewe leer as instrument gebruik kan word om studente se "engels-sprekende" vermoëns deur aktiewe en deelnemende leer te bevorder. Hoofstuk 2 is 'n kritiese oorsig van die literatuurstudie, wat hoofsaaklik gerig is op moontlik oplossings en effektiewe maniere om nuwe studente aan die probleem bloot te stel. Hoofstuk 3 belig die navorsing en die navorsingsmetodologie. 'n Navorsingsontwerp wat die steekproef, navorsingsprosedures en die vraelysontwerp uiteensit, staan sentraal. Hoofstuk 4 behandel die aanbieding, ontleding en interpretasie van die resultate. Uit die deelnemende studente se reaksie poog die navorser om die suksesse en tekortkominge van die probleemgebied te bepaal. Hoofstuk 5 sluit die tesis af met 'n sintese van die bevindinge, afleidings en aanbevelings van die navorsing.

The importance given to vocabulary in second language instruction and in theories of second language acquisition has increased greatly in the last fifteen years. It is thus important for second language teachers/researchers to have valid, useful methods of assessing the vocabulary needs and vocabulary knowledge of their students as well as valid and useful methods of assessing the efficacy of various methods and techniques of teaching and learning vocabulary. This study examines the usefulness and validity of a relatively new type of checklist vocabulary test method known as the 'YES/NO' method. In the YES/NO method, nonsense words are listed together with real test words. A subject's test score is calculated by applying both the percentage of real words checked and the percentage of nonsense words checked to a mathematical formula. Sixty-six students enrolled in a college-level Englishfor- academic-purposes (EAP) program took three vocabulary tests. Correlation was calculated between the participants' scores on the 'Structure' and 'Listening' subsections of the Comprehensive English Language Test (CELT) and the participants' scores on all three vocabulary tests scored both as YES/NO tests and as simple-checklist tests. The following three findings were noteworthy: (1) correlation between CELT subtest scores and vocabulary test scores was more consistent and stronger when the vocabulary tests were scored as simple-checklist tests compared to when they were scored as YES/NO tests, (2) few students scored above recommended exit-level scores on the CELT subtests but below 5,000 on the vocabulary tests, and (3) a 120-real-word vocabulary test correlated more consistently and strongly with the CELT subtests than either of two 60-real-word vocabulary tests. Three conclusions were made: (1) adult EAP students preparing to study at English-medium institutions of higher education need knowledge of the 5,000 most-frequent words [lemmas] of English, (2) the YES/NO method of testing the L2 vocabulary knowledge of adult EAP students is not better than the simple-checklist method, and (3) a good direction for work on the improvement of tests intended to measure the L2 vocabulary knowledge of adult EAP students may be to explore how to elicit valid responses on long simple-checklist tests.

The purpose of this research is to investigate if there is a significant difference in literacy skills between Level-Two extroverts and introverts after three years of English instruction at the community-college level.

Planning for foreign students in institutions of higher education takes many forms. This study set out to find out how this planning takes place within and between three particular units in five universities and colleges in Oregon. The three units chosen as the focus of this study work closely with foreign students in the initial admissions process, in the orientation, visa status and services area of their stay, and thirdly in academic coursework in English as a second language programs. The titles of the units are, the admissions office, the international student services office and the English as a second language program. This is a descriptive study and as such employed an interview format to gather current data on this topic. Interviews were held with the officers in charge of the each of the three units at each of the five institutions. The objective of the interviews was to find out the nature of planning for foreign students in each unit as well as the extent of coordination between units in planning for the enrollment of foreign students. The literature on planning for foreign students in institutions of higher education suggests that although the numbers of foreign students attending institutions in the U.S. continue to increase, there is not an indication of institutions setting policy for foreign students. In addition, planning for foreign student enrollment has not been an integral part of the admissions office planning framework, as formal enrollment planning for domestic students is still in the early stages. The results of this study reflect some consistency between the literature and the state of enrollment planning in the five institutions participating in this study. The nature of planning for foreign students in the admissions unit, the international student services unit, and the English as a second language program unit are distinctively characteristic of the individual programs and also of the university or college with which the units are affiliated.

Phrasal verbs are a pervasive and distinctly Germanic part of the spoken English language that has been alive for centuries. They have preceded American history, and yet considered to be "the most active and creative pattern and word formation in the American language" (Meyer, 1975). Distinctly colloquial, idiomatic and varying in shades of literalness and figurativity, phrasal verbs are largely dominant in casual usage, such as conversation, while the Latinate verbs of English are dominant in formal usage, such as in making reports (McArthur 1989). While foreign educators and their students, such as from Chinese countries, are found to emphasize English study for formal and academic purposes, the acquisition of phrasal verbs may not be considered instrumental to the purposes of the students coming to the United States in pursuit of academic degrees. Because of the pervasiveness of phrasal verbs in spoken English language, and because of the largely conversational nature of American lectures, this study is intended to answer the following research questions: 1. In university classrooms, are the phrasal verbs spoken by native English speaking lecturers? 2. Are figurative phrasal verbs in academic lectures significantly greater in frequency than non-figuratively classified phrasal verbs in the academic lectures? 3. Do certain academic subjects tend to generate a significant increase in the number of phrasal verbs spoken by instructors, of either figurative phrasal verbs, or the more literal non-figuratively classified phrasal verbs?

The site of this research is the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). The research was undertaken to investigate first year students' perceived English language needs in order to study successfully at KIST. The research was intended to pave the way for differentiated English language syllabuses for students of varying English proficiency. It sought to answer the following questions: (1) what are students' perceived language needs in order to study through the medium of English at KIST? (2) To what extent does the current English language programme address these perceived needs? And (3) what are the differences in students' perceived language needs at different levels of proficiency? The research was carried out in an interpretive paradigm using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It took the form of a case study utilising questionnaires to collect data. Questionnaires were administered to students, mainstream subject lecturers and English lecturers. The student sample consisted of 212 students chosen from the four previously identified levels of proficiency (beginner, elementary, intermediate and advanced). The lecturer samples consisted of seven subject lecturers and eleven lecturers in English. The research tools used to collect data were administered questionnaires and document analysis. The chi-square statistical test was used to analyse quantitative data especially in establishing differences that appeared between dissimilar proficiency levels. Findings have shown that, although English is no longer a credit-bearing course, students are still interested in learning it. Students expressed a high positive perception for learning language structures, listening and speaking, and a need for reading and writing. However, although it was possible to establish stakeholders' (students, subject lecturers and lecturers in English) perceptions of students' needs, it was not easy to establish what students' real needs and difficulties in English are. Attempts to get valid answers to my questions were not conclusive. Although this research has implications for the future of English language teaching/learning at KIST there is a need for further investigation of students' needs. An important starting point would be to begin a debate at KIST about the whole issue of students' needs. Such research would exploit research tools/methods not used in this research (e.g focus group interviews and observations).

Over the past ten years, the use of student writing journals has become increasingly widespread in the TESOL field. Such journals serve a wide variety of purposes: a cultural diary, a free writing exercise, a forum for reaction or comment on readings or classroom discussions, in addition to a form of teacher/student dialogue. The main purpose of this study has been to determine the relationship of topic assignment to the quantity and quality of resulting entries. The data, 144 journal entries generated by ten adult ESL students over a period of ten weeks, were measured for length, in terms of total words and total number of T-units, and quality as assessed by the Jacobs profile (1981) which considers the following areas: content, organization, vocabulary, language use and mechanics. In addition, student reactions to instructor comments and attitudes toward journal keeping were explored in an end of term questionnaire. It was found that, on a group level, the assignment of four specified topic types (A. Topics relating to class lectures and discussions, B. Topics relating class discussions to the students' respective cultures, C. Topics relating to class or personal experiences and D. No topic assignment) did not appear to have any relationship with either the quality or quantity of writing. However, on an individual level, topic assignment did seem to have a relationship with the quantity of writing and in some cases, the quality as well. In considering student reaction to instructor comments, all students reported reading instructor comments, but rarely responded to them. When considering topic assignment, 74% of the students stated preferring an assigned topic, yet 60% actually wrote more when given a free choice of topic. Also, on the individual level, students stated a variety of topic type preferences that roughly corresponded with an increase in entry length. Finally, students seemed to have a positive attitude toward journal keeping as 80% stated they would like to keep a journal next term.

English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education.

A case study approach was adopted for this study. Four Taiwanese students enrolled in the writing program for international students at The University of Arizona were interviewed individually about (1) how they acquired the code of written English and what their L2 writing assumptions were upon entering The University of Arizona; and (2) what writing difficulties they experienced in a university writing program for international students and what their L2 writing assumptions were after completing a university writing program for international students. Findings from this research indicated that the four Taiwanese students did not have sufficient comprehensible input from pleasure reading or other voluntary, extracurricular sources. They acquired the code of written language from reading, participating in varied classroom activities such as small-group and whole-class discussions, peer review, teacher-student conferences, writing texts to different audiences for various purposes, analyzing model essays, practicing sentence combinations, and formal instruction in the composing process. Their writing difficulties could be summarized as follows: (1) not making good use of classroom activities to reshape ideas in terms of readers' expectations and their own writing intentions; (2) lack of experience to develop necessary reading and writing skills; (3) inadequate knowledge of the composing process; (4) inadequate syntax, vocabulary, or mechanics to express themselves in L2; (5) being influenced by their L1 rhetorical convention; (6) no intrinsic motivation to integrate with the target language, culture, or society; and (7) low expectations of success related to negative or weak teacher-student relationships. This research both reinforces and expands Krashen's (1984) model of second language acquisition and writing, showing the critical role of comprehensible input, the significance of natural acquisition over direct teaching of grammar rules and error correction, and the presence of an "affective" filter which is socially and culturally mediated, as well as cognitively and linguistically based.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics & Psychology, Department of Linguistics, 2006.
Bibliography: p. 372-438.
Introduction: the influence of second language teachers' conceptions and the role of interactions in language learning -- Literature review -- Theory and methodology -- Teachers' conceptions of in-class interactions -- Teachers' conceptions of out-of-class interactions -- Differences between EAP teachers' experiences and conceptual development: in-class and out-of-class interactions -- Two categorical frameworks for ICI and OCI context: similarities, differences and relations -- Discussion and conclusion.
Spoken interaction with others is one of the most powerful tools in learning and teaching a second language. This investigation is concerned with uncovering and categorising the ways a group of L2 teachers' describe their experiences and beliefs of two types of spoken interaction; those that occur in the classroom (ICI) and those that occur outside the classroom (OCI). Twenty-eight EAP teachers were interviewed using phenomenographic and ethnographic investigative approaches and asked to describe their experiences and how they thought about and used spoken interactions in the teaching and learning of a situated lesson. The conceptions that emerged as consistent (reported as experienced most frequently across the group and within individual transcripts) were identified and categorised into two sets of categories of description (COD) one for each type of interaction. Across the group of teachers, five stable ICI categories of conceptions were identified and four stable OCI categories of conceptions were identified. These categories describe the range of conceptions that emerged across the group as a whole and do not attempt to rate the understandings of individual teachers. -- The conceptions of interactions in both sets of categories followed a hierarchal pattern of development from less complete to more complete understandings of these interactions. These descriptions formed two frameworks that are supported by similar patterns describing less complete and more complete understandings of various concepts in sets of categories published in other education settings (Marton & Booth, 1997). Exploration into the teaching and learning approaches reported in the teachers' experiences of ICI and OCI indicated that the utilization of interactions was constrained by the ways these interactions were conceived. Relations between more developed conceptions of both phenomena emerged in situations where more developed conceptions were reported. In these situations both ICI and OCI were simultaneously present in the teachers' awareness and perceived as different aspects of the same teaching/ learning situations. Across the group the teachers reported less powerful ideas of how to utilize OCI than how to utilize ICI.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
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Ideation, the selection and arrangement of information to build a text, though a necessary skill for tertiary students, is not satisfactorily addressed in writing skills textbooks for English as a Second Language/English for Academic Purposes. To develop a pedagogical approach to ideation, teachers need a theory of language. The most fruitful theory is systemic-functional linguistics, but systemic-functional theory has not yet fully developed a theory of ideation. A related theory, Rhetorical Structure Theory, offers a useful tool to analyse ideation both in well formed model texts and, with slight modification, in not well formed student texts. With Rhetorical Structure Theory, the analyst can separate semantic value from syntax. The resulting analysis indicates with clarity certain problem areas in ideation which teachers need to address. Teachers are thus better equipped to devise teaching approaches to address ideation in the classroom.

Since the political climate in the former Soviet bloc has shifted, there is an influx of East Europeans to the United States. As these refugees enter the U.S. educational system in greater numbers, teachers must adapt to the special needs of this population. The intent of this study is to focus on the composing skills of a Polish student who enrolled in an English for Non-Native Residents (ENNR) program at an urban university. The investigation examines the contextual framework that supports the subject's literacy experiences by means of a longitudinal case study format Several ethnographic and experimental techniques are used to explore three areas of interest: cultural context, the learning situation, and the composing processes. Multiple sources of data are used to investigate culture and learning, and a single elicitation technique is applied to the study of the writing process. Study of the cultural context suggests that the subject's early education and literacy experiences in Poland strongly influenced her development as a writer of English. Investigation of the classroom context at the university revealed both her preferences and frustrations with teaching and learning experiences. The primary focus of this study is exploration of writing process by means of a think-aloud protocol. The subject was asked to speak aloud while composing an essay on a narrative topic. She was instructed to say everything that came to mind while writing, and the session was videotaped for later analysis. A coding system was developed to help identify various components of the writing process, such as planning, commenting, rereading and pauses. Writing strategies, repetitions, fillers, revisions, verbal rehearsing, and quantity of words were identified according to frequency and location within the protocol. The results of the protocol analysis suggest that composing is not a neat and tidy process, but a complex configuration of multiple strategies. In the early stages simple patterns such as comments, planning, and fillers help the subject get started. A cycle of patterns, which seem automatic and deeply embedded, occurs throughout. These patterns emerge as Writing-Rehearsing-Pausing events. Each of these categories contains within a multitude of behaviors, such as pausing to think, rereading, and trying out new ideas. The data reveal numerous efforts at surface editing, yet the final product contains an average of 2.8 errors per sentence. The findings suggest that a writer's strategies and goals may shift during a controlled writing situation, and that initial steps may differ from those needed to attain closure. They suggest that attempts at surface revisions may not, in fact, improve the final product.

One of the major problems faced by speakers of English as a second language (ESL) or non-native speakers of English (NNS) is that when they go to college or university, they find themselves without sufficient academic literacy skills to enable them to navigate their learning successfully, such as the ability to summarize textual material. This thesis examines the summarizing strategies used by ESL first year science students at the University of Botswana. Using multiple data collection methods, otherwise known as triangulation or pluralistic research, which is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, one hundred and twenty randomly sampled students completed questionnaires and summarized a scientific text. In order to observe the students more closely, nine students (3 high-, 3 average- and 3 low-proficiency) were purposively selected from the sample and wrote a further summary. The nine students were later interviewed in order to find out from them the kinds of strategies they had used in summarizing the texts. To obtain systematic data, the summaries and the taped interview were coded and analyzed using a hybrid scoring classification previously used by other researchers. The results from the Likert type of questionnaire suggest that the ESL first year science students are 'aware' of the appropriate reading, production and self-assessment strategies to use when summarizing. However, when the data from the questionnaire were cross-checked against the strategies they had used in the actual summarization of the text, most of their claims, especially those of the low-proficiency students, were not sustained. As a whole, the results show that high-proficiency students produce more accurate idea units and are more capable of generalizing ideas than low-proficiency students who prefer to "cut and paste" ideas. There are also significant differences between high- and low proficiency students in the manner in which they decode the text: low-proficiency students produce more distortions in their summaries than high-proficiency students who generally give accurate information. Similarly, high-proficiency students are able to sort out global ideas from a labyrinth of localized ideas, unlike average- and low-proficiency students who include trivial information. The same trend is observed with paraphrasing and sentence combinations: high-proficiency students are generally able to recast and coordinate their ideas, unlike low-proficiency students who produce run-on ideas. In terms of the discrete cognitive and meta-cognitive skills preferred by students, low proficiency students are noticeably unable to exploit pre-summarizing cognitive strategies such as discriminating, selecting, note-making, grouping, inferring meanings of new words and using synonyms to convey the intended meanings. There are also greater differences between high- and low-proficiency students when it comes to the use of meta-cognitive strategies. Unlike high-proficiency students who use their reservoir of meta-cognitive skills such as self-judgment, low-proficiency students ostensibly find it difficult to direct their summaries to the demands of the task and are unable to check the accuracy of their summaries. The findings also show that some of the high-proficiency students and many average- and low-proficiency students distort idea units, find it difficult to use their own words and cannot distinguish between main and supporting details. This resulted in the production of circuitous summaries that often failed to capture the gist of the argument. The way the students processed the main ideas also reveals an inherent weakness: most students of different proficiency levels were unable to combine ideas from different paragraphs to produce a coherent text. Not surprising, then, there were too many long summaries produced by both high- and low-proficiency students. To tackle some of the problems related to summarization, pre-reading strategies can be taught, which activate relevant prior knowledge, so that the learning of new knowledge can be facilitated. During the reading process students can become more meta-cognitively aware by monitoring their level of understanding of the text by using, for example, the strategy suggested by Schraw (1998) of "stop, read and think". Text analysis can also be used to help the students identify the main themes or macro-propositions in a text, and hence gain a more global perspective of the content, which is important for selecting the main ideas in a text. A particularly useful approach to fostering a deeper understanding of content is to use a form of reciprocal or peer-mediated teaching, in which students in pairs can articulate to each other their understanding of the main ideas expressed in the text. As part of the solution to the problems faced by students when processing information, we need to take Sewlall's (2000: 170) advice that there should be "a paradigm shift in the learning philosophy from content-based to an emphasis on the acquisition of skills". In this regard, both content and ESL teachers need to train their students in the explicit use of summarizing strategies, and to plan interwoven lessons and learning activities that develop the learners' intellectual ways of dealing with different learning problems so that they can make learning quicker, easier, more effective and exciting.

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).

This thesis reports on a critical, ethnographic investigation into the reading practices of a group of 14 foundation year students at Rhodes University in 2002. The university had identified all the student-participants as 'underprepared' for university learning: they were from poor, socio-economic backgrounds, used English as an additional language, and had been educated in township or rural schools. Using the Socio-cultural model of literacy (Heath, 1984; Gee, 1990 & Street, 1993), the study explores the culturally-shaped attitudes and assumptions about reading that the students brought with them into a tertiary learning context from their homes, communities and schools. It reports on their subsequent efforts to become academic readers in the disciplinary context of History. Framing Theory (Reid and MacLachlan, 1994) was employed to analyse the kinds of matches and mismatches that arose between the students' frames about the nature and purpose of reading, and those implicitly accepted as normative by teachers in the History department. It accounts for the students' difficulties in achieving epistemological access in terms of a conflict of frames: both the students and their teachers usually failed to recognise each others' constructions about the nature and purpose of 'reading for a degree'. The study'S critical purpose required that its potential for generating emancipatory consequences needed to be investigated. Thus the study reports on how both sets of participants began to reframe their understanding of academic reading, by describing the ways in which they reflected on the findings in the final stages of the research process.
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Research in the field of second language acquisition in the past five to ten years has focused on individual variation in language learning, and has examined such learner variables as learning styles, personality characteristics, learning strategies, and learner beliefs about the nature of language learning. Recently, research on individual learners has broadened to include a greater focus on the contexts of language learning and to explore the interactions between individual learners and the socio-cultural environment in investigations of these learner variables.This study has two purposes. The first is to investigate the language learning of novice level second language learners in a language and culture immersion program. The six college-age learners of Spanish who participated in an eight-week language and culture immersion program in Mexico are the focus of the case studies. The research focuses on five areas of learner variation: learner beliefs and philosophies about the nature of language learning, approaches to vocabulary learning, classroom behaviors, speaking for communication, and cultural adjustment.The second purpose of the study is to explore the use of multiple approaches to research on individual variation. The research framework for the study is ethnographic and the study employs a multi-methodological approach to data collection over an extended period of time in several language learning contexts. The research procedures used in the studyinclude participant observation, interviews, language learning journals, questionnaires, retrospective analysis of videotaped clips, and standardized instruments such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview.
Department of English

This case study investigated how an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher's cognition has both changed and stayed constant over a period of eight years and the factors to which the teacher attributes changes or lack of changes. The study followed the teacher over the course of a 10-week period and compared videos of the participant's teaching from eight years ago to her current teaching. Interviews, observations, and stimulated recall were used to investigate development over the eight year span. It was found that the teacher did indicate several areas in which she demonstrated change: Teaching with fluidity, automaticity, and intuition; confidence; concerns; management of teaching enthusiasm and relationships with students; support and validation from colleagues; and managing the classroom for learning. She also confirmed several aspects of her teaching that have stayed relatively constant: beliefs and teaching philosophy; reflection; learning from past experiences; knowledge of lesson planning and curricular goals; and students' needs within the learning context. The teacher's development was analyzed through the lens of teacher expertise to determine to what degree the teacher's changes and lack of changes helped her develop into an expert. This study concludes that further research is needed to fully understand how teacher expertise is developed during the course of teachers' careers.

Collaborative writing technologies such as Google Docs is believed to be a helpful tool in supporting the development of constructivist learning environments. However, not much research has been done among special populations outside the United States. This dissertation examines how using google docs can enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students at a university in Oman. A total of 52 students participated in this study, where they completed a collaborative writing activity using Google Docs. This exploratory study yielded quantitative as well as qualitative data. Interviewees shared their experience of using Google Docs for the collaborative writing activity. The research shows that Google Docs promoted collaborative interactions among students, such as learning from each other and communicating with the teacher. Interestingly, the data indicate that students used alternate social media such as WhatsApp to communicate with their group mates regarding the collaborative writing activity. Overall, the results obtained here confirm that the Google Docs can be used to enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students.