Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Japanese language – Study and teaching – Audio-visual aids'

在科技发展的引导下，现今不少学校或者教育机构都提倡把多媒体引入课堂，而视像教学也在多媒体教学的范畴当中。目前对于多媒体应用于课堂的问题研究已有不少，但是多集中在需要图解分析的科目范畴，在语言教学研究方面相对较少，而在第二语言教学领域中又以英文作为第二语言教学的课题研究占多数。本研究旨在探讨在中文作为第二语言教学中，视像教学否能够有助于学生提高学习成效，同时又能达到活跃课堂，提高学习动机的目的。本研究通过借鉴已有的关于多媒体应用于教学或语言习得方面的相关文献，结合笔者所在实习学校的实验，透过课堂数据收集、对比分析法、问卷法、访谈法、观课等方法对课题进行分析论证，从而得出以下结论：1.学生在不同学习能力要求下的学习成效不一致，记忆型题目比能力型题目的学习成效要好，而两者与学生的先备知识相关性均不显著；2.视像教学中记忆型题目比非视像教学的记忆型题目成效要差，而两者在能力型题目中的成效差异不显著；3.视像教学能够有效提高学生的学习动机及课堂的集中度。 Under the guidance of scientific development, many schools and education institutions are currently encouraging the introduction of multimedia into the classrooms, with video teaching as one of the methods under multimedia teaching. There have been a lot of researches on the multimedia application into classroom, but most of them focused more on the subjects which need graphic analysis but the language teaching relatively. While the research on the Teaching English as a Second Language mostly account for the research in this field, this study aims to explore whether the video teaching could be helpful to improve students’ learning effects in Teaching Chinese as a second language, as well as enlivening the classroom and improving students’ learning motivation. Using some related literature review about the multimedia application into language teaching or acquisition for references, the author has designed an appropriate experiment fit for the teaching-practicum school, then adopted some methods such as data collection, comparing analysis, questionnaire, interview and class observation to proceed the analysis and demonstration and finally drew a conclusion as follows: 1. Students has different effects under different capability requirements, additionally, they performed better in memory-oriented tests than capability-oriented tests, both of whom have no significant co-relation with prior knowledge; 2.The effect of memory-oriented test in video teaching is worse than that in non-video teaching, but both in the capability-oriented tests have no significant effects; 3.Video teaching can improve students’ learning motivation and concentration in class effectively.
published_or_final_version
Education
Master
Master of Education

In this project an educational DVD about the life and writing styles of John Steinbeck was developed for use in high school freshman classrooms at Yucaipa High School. Additional activities to stimulate students' writing and composition in the style of Steinbeck were created to match educational theory and state standards.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of computer-assisted practice on English grammar and mechanics achievement of third grade students. Specifically, it investigated whether or not there was a significant difference when one group received traditional instruction with practice provided by means of workbooks and worksheets while another group received traditional instruction with practice provided by utilizing a computer.The subjects consisted of 74 students from Chapter I schools from a large, midwestern school corporation in an industrial community. The groups were from four intact classrooms with 41 students in the experimental group and 33 students in the control group.The instrument used was the Language Mechanics and Language Expression subtests of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS), Level E. Ability levels were determined by grade equivalent pretest scores. An analysis of covariance and a post hoc univariate analysis of covariance were used to determine results at the p<.05 level of significance.FindingsStatistical analyses revealed the following results:1. The experimental group made significantly greater gains than the control group in language mechanics and language expression achievement.2. There was no significant difference in language mechanics and language expression achievement with regard to gender or ability levels of the experimental group and the control group.3. There was a significant difference in language mechanics achievement, but not of language expression achievement, between the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group made greater gains in language mechanics achievement than the control group.ConclusionsBased on the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn:1. Computer-assisted practice significantly improved English grammar and mechanics scores of third grade students in this study, according to the Language Mechanics and Language Expression subtests of the CTBS.2. Computer-assisted practice did not significantly improve English grammar and mechanics of third grade students with regard to gender or ability.3. Computer-assisted practice significantly improved language mechanics scores, but not language expression scores, of third grade students.

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study involves a qualitative and quantitative investigation into the promotion of reading by means media reading instructional strategies to Afrikaans grade 7 learners at one school. The research methodology used is a case study supported by a literature study. The aim of this study is five-fold. Firstly, based on the literature study, the study sets out to establish a theoretical framework for reading at school. This is related to three problem areas: poor reading comprehension, limited fluency in reading, and a negative attitude to reading. Underlying assumptions are that reading problems occur even in learners with above-average intellectual ability and that many learners cannot function optimally in society because they are poor readers. Instructional models and different approaches to teaching reading are explored. This study questions the efficacy of traditional approaches to reading instruction and makes a strong case for a balanced approach in which both topdown and bottom-up approaches are integrated in an interactive approach. Secondly, drawing on the literature survey the study provides a theoretical framework for using the media and technology in developing and improving reading. The role of visual literacy in the development of reading is also examined. It seems that learners have a strong interest in the media as well as technological aids so educators who have access to these should use them in the classroom. Thirdly, the study sets out to design media reading instructional strategies based on learners' interest in mass media, as well as technological aids. This is so that learners can be empowered with strategies that will enable them to successfully address their reading problems. The use of media reading instructional strategies is applied as an alternative to the traditional approach to reading instruction. The case study explores the use of media reading instructional strategies developed for grade 7 learners studying Afrikaans as a primary language and the extent to which this is successful. The learners are exposed to an instructional reading programme consisting of media reading strategies (designed by the researcher) for a period of 16 weeks. Data generation comprises individual diagnostic reading tests for learners, interviews with educators and learners and questionnaires administered to educators and learners. The literature study provides evidence that poor readers do not necessarily lack the intellectual ability to make sense of what they read or to read independently. Results from the case study support the findings that these learners have the ability to learn a variety of reading strategies which help them to apply the reading skills that enable them to read successfully. Although the learners in the experimental group still experienced problems with comprehension, they had made significant gains in reading fluency and developed a more positive attitude towards reading. The main conclusion is that interactive media reading instructional activities can make a meaningful contribution to learners with reading problems. According to the findings of this study, learners are more likely to read successfully and follow a successful academic career if their problems are diagnosed early and they receive the necessary help and support.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie was 'n kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe ondersoek na die bevordering van lees in Afrikaans by die graad 7-leerders van een skool deur die daarstelling van media-leesonderrigstrategieë. Die navorsingsmetode was 'n gevallestudie ondersteun deur 'n literatuurstudie. Die doelwit van die ondersoek was vyfvoudig. Ten eerste het die studie gepoog om op grand van die literatuurondersoek 'n teoretiese begranding van lees te verskaf. Dit sluit drie problematiese aspekte van lees in, naamlik gebrekkige leesbegrip en leesvlotheid en 'n negatiewe leeshouding. Die studie wys daarap dat leesprobleme manifesteer ten spyte van 'n bo-gemiddelde intellek en dat baie leerders nie optimaal in die samelewing kan fungeer nie omdat hulle swak lesers is. Verskillende benaderings tot die onderrig van lees is ondersoek. Die studie bevraagteken die effektiwiteit van tradisionele benaderings tot leesonderrig. Dit word ten sterkste aanbeveel dat 'n interaktiewe benadering gevolg word waar beide die top - down en bottom - up -benaderings geïntegreer word. Tweedens het die studie gepoog om vanuit die literatuurandersoek 'n teoretiese begranding van katalisators wat lees kan bevorder, naamlik media en tegnologiese hulpmiddele, te ondersoek. Die rol van visuele geletterdheid in die onderrig van lees is ondersoek. Die uitgangspunt was leerders se belangstelling in die media en tegnologiese hulpmiddele en dat opvoeders vandag toegang het tot 'n verskeidenheid media en tegnologiese hulpmiddele wat hulle van hulp kan wees met leesonderrig. Opvoeders moet hulself hiervan vergewis ten einde dit sinvol by die bestaande leesonderrigprogram te kan integreer. Derdens het die studie ten doel gehad om media-leesonderrigstrategieë te ontwerp wat gebaseer is op leerders se belangstelling in die media en tegnologiese hulpmiddele wat die swak leser in staat sal stel am sy / haar leesprobleme suksesvol aan te spreek. Die gebruik van die media-leesonderrigstrategieë is derhalwe aangewend as 'n alternatief tot die tradisionele benaderings van leesonderrig. Vierdens is hierdie media-Ieesonderrigstrategieë by wyse van 'n gevallestudie op die vlak van graad 7 in die vak Afrikaans geïmplementeer om die sukses daarvan te bepaal. Leerders is vir 16 weke aan 'n intervensie, 'n program bestaande uit media-leesonderrigstrategieë, in die Afrikaansperiode blootgestel. Datagenerering tydens hierdie tydperk van ses maande het behels individuele diagnostiese leestoetse vir leerders, onderhoude met opvoeders en leerders, en vraelyste wat deur opvoeders en leerders voltooi is. Uit die literatuurstudie was dit duidelik dat daar geen probleem was met die intellektuele vermoëns van die leerders nie en dat hulle wel oor die vermoë beskik om met begrip en onafhanklik te lees. Die resultate van die gevallestudie ondersteun hierdie bevinding dat die swak leser wel die vermoë het om strategies aan te leer wat hulle in staat sal stel om hul leesvaardighede te verbeter en met sukses te lees. Ten slote is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat media-leesonderrigstrategieë wat deur middel van 'n interaktiewe benadering onderrig word, 'n betekenisvolle bydrae kan maak tot die bevordering van lees by leerders met leesprobleme. Alhoewel die leerders steeds met leesbegrip gesukkel het, het hulle leesvlotheid heelwat verbeter terwyl hulle ook 'n meer positiewe houding jeens lees gehad het. Daar is bevind dat ten spyte van leerders se leesprobleme hulle 'n baie goeie kans het om met sukses te lees en 'n suksesvolle loopbaan te volg, mits hulle betyds die nodige hulp en ondersteuning ontvang.

Thesis (MA) -- Stellenbosch University, 1998.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During my work as a lecturer in "German as a foreign language" at the University of Zululand I have experienced that African students often understand German texts in a different way than I, coming from a European background, would have expected. According to the research on text reception, differences in understanding texts are the result of different reader characteristics of which the socio-cultural background forms an important component. This thesis examines the socio-cultural background of Zulu students and aims to show how it influences their understanding of German texts. The necessary data is obtained by way of a comparative empirical investigation which is enhanced by personal observations made while teaching German to African learners. The investigation is based on a German advertisement. The control groups consist of South African students at the Universities of Natal/Durban and Stellenbosch as well as students in Germany at the University of Kassel. The investigation is concluded by a discussion of the implications that the socio-cultural background of Zulu students can have on the teaching of "German as a foreign language" and on intercultural communication.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende my werks,aamheidas dosent in die vak "Duits as vreemde taal" aan die Universiteit van Zululand het ek ondervind dat Swart studente dikwels Duitse tekste heeltemal anders verstaan as wat ek, as iemand met Europese agtergrond, sou verwag het. Navorsing oar teks-resepsie skryf resepsieverskille toe aan verskillende lesereienskappe waarvan die sosio-kulturele agtergrond 'n belangrike komponent vorm. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die sosio-kulturele agtergrond van Zoeloe-studente en probeer aantoon hoe dit die resepsie van Duitse tekste be'invloed. Die nodige inligting hiervoor word verkry deur middel van 'n vergelykende empiriese ondersoek. Dit word aangevul deur persoonlike waarnemings wat ek gedurende die onderrig van Duits aan Swart studente gemaak het. Die ondersoek is gebaseer op 'n Duitse advertensie. Die kontrolegroepe bestaan uit studente aan die universiteite in Natal/Durban en Stellenbosch in Suid- Afrika en in Duitsland aan die Universiteit van Kassel. In die slotgedeelte word die implikasies uitgewys wat die sosio-kulturele agtergrond van Zoeloe-studente op die onderrig van "Duits as vreemde taal" as oak op interkulturele kommunikasie kan he.

The purpose of this project is to create a guide for planning effective use of visuals. Recent studies demonstrate the effectiveness of using visuals in classroom instruction, including the fact that English language learners benefit from using this tool.

The use of videotapes has become widespread in ESL classes in recent years. The decline in cost of tapes and VCR equipment has assisted in the spread of this technology. These tapes are often used in listening comprehension classes and may replace or supplement the use of audiotapes. However, research has not established that the addition of the visual element, especially in the movie or TV type context of many videos, is an advantage to the language learner. A total of seventy-six students participated in a listening comprehension recall exercise. Thirty-nine students viewed a videotape segment, and the remaining thirty-seven students listened to the audio portion of the same segment. Each group viewed or listened to the tape two times. Then the groups were given twenty minutes to write a recall. Each paper was scored for total idea units recalled, macropropositions, elaborations, and distortions .

This study was meant to provide empirical evidence to support or challenge the assumption that a nonfiction video narrative will be better comprehended by students of ESL if it includes a variety of relevant visual information compared to only seeing a single speaker or "talking head" reciting a narration. The overarching goal of this study was to give teachers of ESL greater knowledge and confidence in using video materials to develop the listening skills of their students. It compared two video tapes which contained the identical soundtrack but different visual information. The first tape (also called the "lecture tape") showed a single speaker, standing behind a lectern, giving a speech about Costa Rica. The second video (also called the "documentary tape") contained the identical soundtrack of tape one, but included documentary video footage actually filmed in Costa Rica which complemented the narration. A questionnaire of 45 true/false questions was created based on facts given in the narration. Thirty-nine advanced and fifty-five intermediate university ESL students took part in the study. Approximate! y half of each group viewed the lecture tape while the other half watched the documentary tape. All students answered the 45 - item questionnaire while viewing their respective video tapes. A thorough item-analysis was then conducted with the initial raw scores of all 94 students, resulting in fifteen questions being omitted from the final analysis. Based on a revised 30 - item questionnaire, the scores of the video and documentary groups were compared within each proficiency level. The hypothesis of the study was that the documentary tape would significantly improve listening comprehension at the intermediate level but that no significant difference would be found between the advanced lecture and documentary groups. In other words, it was predicted that the documentary video would have an interaction effect depending upon proficiency level. However, the results of a 2-way ANOV A did not support the hypothesis. In addition to the ANOV A, a series oft-tests also found no significant difference between the mean scores of the documentary and lecture groups at either the intermediate or the advanced levels This study was intended to be a beginning to research which may eventually reveal a "taxonomy" of video images from those which enhance listening comprehension the most to those that aid it the least. It contained limitations in the testing procedures which caused the results to be inconclusive. A variety of testing methods was suggested in order to continue research which may reveal such a "video" taxonomy. Given the plethora of video materials that ESL teachers can purchase, record, or create themselves, empirical research is needed to help guide the choices that educators make in choosing video material for their students which will provide meaningful linguistic input.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model in which video materials are effectively used to develop students' listening communication ability. In order to reach this goal, the researcher designed the study procedure. In phase one, literature was reviewed to establish the theoretical framework for the model. In phase two, the validity of the model was tested using the Delphi technique. In phase three, the model Was field tested in two high schools in Japan with 251 11th grade students and 3 Japanese teachers of English participating. In addition, there were 12 teacher observers. Two sets of data, one from the student questionnaire and one from teacher questionnaire, were collected and analyzed along with the researcher's observations. The lesson, based on the model, was well-received by the students and teachers. Almost 80% of the 249 students responding to a 5-point Likert scale question rated the lesson as excellent or very good. Among 15 teachers, 12 rated the lesson as excellent and 3 rated it very good. To an open-ended question to the students, "What was the part you liked best in today's lesson?", 108 students responded "the use of movie/video materials." Teachers were also favorable toward the use of video as a teaching material. Both the students and teachers responded that they thought learners would improve their listening comprehension through this type of lesson. Based on the findings from this study, the researcher has concluded that this model can be utilized in the classroom and will improve listening comprehension of Japanese learners of English. Even though this type of lesson can be taught by any teacher of English in Japan regardless of his/her English language skill, it can be implemented more effectively if teachers are appropriately trained. Therefore, a three-phase workshop for teachers was recommended.
Graduation date: 1993

This two-part study employed an experimental design and interviews to examine the effects of videos on adult English as a Second Language (ESL) student listening comprehension. The purpose of the first part of the study was to compare the effects of video in two pre-listening activity conditions on beginner and upper-beginner adult ESL listening comprehension. The participants were 49 Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) students enrolled in two beginner and two upper-beginner ESL classes The beginner classes were randomly assigned either to the audio only (AO) condition or the audio with written script (AW) condition. The upper-beginner classes were similarly assigned to the two conditions, the AO condition or the AW condition. In the AO condition, the students listened to a tape recording of four pre-listening questions prior to viewing the video. In the AW condition, the students listened to the same tape recording and, in addition, were shown the same questions that were printed on large sheets of paper and held up at the front of the class by the teacher. The same pre-test was administered to all four classes. Twelve exercises including pre-listening questions, videos, and comprehension questions were completed. The beginner classes viewed videos from Learning English in the Community LINC 2 (Cameron et al., 1995), and the upper-beginner classes viewed videos from Learning English in the Community LINC 3 (Cameron et al., 1995). The same post-test was administered to all four classes. Results indicated that the written script in the AW condition significantly improved the listening comprehension ability of beginner and upper-beginner adult ESL students. The second part of the study was aimed at gaining insights into the pre-listening questions, the videos, and their value on teaching listening comprehension. All of the students were individually interviewed. Overall the students were positive about the showing of videos as aids for enhancing listening comprehension, the content of the videos, as well as the questions. Some of the students, however, found some of the instruments difficult to understand. They found that the vocabulary was unfamiliar or the speed of delivery was too fast. This lack of comprehension may have affected the results of Part One of the study.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts in English Education for the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. December 1997
This research explore whether a theoretical justification can be made for using video in teaching English as an additional language, as it looks at ways in which video can best be used in this context. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]
GR 2016

Ng Wai Chuen.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-126).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
ABSTRACT (English version)
ABSTRACT (Chinese version)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1.1 --- Overview --- p.1
Chapter 1.2 --- Significance of the study --- p.3
Chapter 1.3 --- Organization of the thesis --- p.4
Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW
Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.5
Chapter 2.2 --- Theory: Video and L2 acquisition --- p.5
Chapter 2.3 --- Selection and preparation of lesson materials --- p.8
Chapter 2.4 --- Film in the L1 classroom --- p.10
Chapter 2.5 --- Film in the L2 classroom --- p.11
Chapter 2.5.1 --- Listening comprehension --- p.11
Chapter 2.5.2 --- Oral skills --- p.14
Chapter 2.5.3 --- Writing --- p.15
Chapter 2.5.4 --- Critical thinking --- p.17
Chapter 2.5.5 --- "Language: Vocabulary, idioms, slang" --- p.21
Chapter 2.5.6 --- Communicative performance --- p.22
Chapter 2.5.7 --- Cross-cultural issues --- p.24
Chapter 2.5.8 --- Complementing literary works --- p.25
Chapter 2.5.9 --- Movie tie-in novels --- p.26
Chapter 2.6 --- The Hong Kong context --- p.27
Chapter 2.7 --- Conclusion: The need for further study --- p.30
Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- METHODOLOGY
Chapter 3.1 --- Research design: The case study approach --- p.33
Chapter 3.2 --- Research questions --- p.34
Chapter 3.3 --- Subjects --- p.35
Chapter 3.3.1 --- The course ELT 3104 --- p.35
Chapter 3.3.2 --- Instructor A --- p.37
Chapter 3.3.3 --- The students --- p.37
Chapter 3.4 --- Data collection --- p.38
Chapter 3.4.1 --- Questionnaire survey --- p.38
Chapter 3.4.2 --- Semi-structured interviews --- p.39
Chapter 3.4.3 --- Naturalistic classroom observation --- p.40
Chapter 3.4.4 --- Text analysis --- p.41
Chapter 3.5 --- The pilot study --- p.41
Chapter 3.5.1 --- Classroom observation --- p.42
Chapter 3.5.2 --- Pilot questionnaire survey --- p.43
Chapter 3.6 --- Conclusion --- p.44
Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- RESULTS
Chapter 4.1 --- Questionnaire survey --- p.45
Chapter 4.1.1 --- Pre-course questionnaire --- p.45
Chapter 4.1.2 --- Post-course questionnaire --- p.47
Chapter 4.2 --- Interviews --- p.48
Chapter 4.2.1 --- Instructor A's interviews --- p.48
Chapter 4.2.2 --- Brief student profiles and interview summaries --- p.50
Chapter 4.3 --- Classroom observation --- p.55
Chapter 4.4 --- Text analysis --- p.57
Chapter 4.4.1 --- Course syllabus and schedule --- p.57
Chapter 4.4.2 --- Lecture handouts --- p.57
Chapter 4.4.3 --- Presentation handouts --- p.58
Chapter 4.4.4 --- Final term paper --- p.59
Chapter 4.5 --- Conclusion --- p.59
Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Chapter 5.1 --- Revised research questions --- p.60
Chapter 5.2 --- Film and ESL: Students' past experience --- p.61
Chapter 5.2.1 --- Authentic and natural language --- p.62
Chapter 5.2.2 --- Benefits of using English captions --- p.63
Chapter 5.2.3 --- "Listening, speaking, and conversation" --- p.65
Chapter 5.2.4 --- Doorway to other cultures --- p.65
Chapter 5.2.5 --- Analytical and critical thinking --- p.67
Chapter 5.3 --- The course ELT 3104: Factors affecting the learning process --- p.68
Chapter 5.3.1 --- The instructor --- p.69
Chapter 5.3.1.1 --- "Personality, interest, philosophy, and approach" --- p.69
Chapter 5.3.1.2 --- The role of the facilitator --- p.70
Chapter 5.3.1.3 --- Students' views of Instructor A --- p.71
Chapter 5.3.2 --- The students --- p.73
Chapter 5.3.2.1 --- Cinematic sophistication --- p.73
Chapter 5.3.2.2 --- English proficiency --- p.74
Chapter 5.3.2.3 --- Personal interests --- p.75
Chapter 5.3.2.4 --- Grouping --- p.77
Chapter 5.3.2.5 --- Motivation --- p.80
Chapter 5.3.3 --- Student-centered approach --- p.83
Chapter 5.3.4 --- Choice of film --- p.86
Chapter 5.3.5 --- Cultural differences --- p.90
Chapter 5.3.6 --- Film knowledge covered --- p.94
Chapter 5.3.7 --- Workload and other classroom factors --- p.98
Chapter 5.3.7.1 --- Assignments --- p.98
Chapter 5.3.7.2 --- Classroom atmosphere --- p.99
Chapter 5.3.7.3 --- Lesson time --- p.100
Chapter 5.4 --- The effectiveness of the course --- p.102
Chapter 5.4.1 --- Students' self-assessment --- p.103
Chapter 5.4.2 --- Instructor A's comments --- p.107
Chapter 5.4.3 --- Students' term papers --- p.110
Chapter 5.5 --- Conclusion --- p.114
Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- IMPLICATIONS & CONCLUSION
Chapter 6.1 --- Summary of research questions and findings --- p.115
Chapter 6.2 --- Pedagogical implications --- p.116
Chapter 6.3 --- Limitations of the present study --- p.118
Chapter 6.4 --- Recommendations for further studies & conclusion --- p.121
BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.123
APPENDICES --- p.127

This dissertation investigates how four half hour viewings of an authentic German television serial over the course of one fourth semester intermediate course in German affect foreign language (FL) students' perceptions about German culture. In recent years, filmic media have become popular learning instruments. However, how they affect the attitudes of the FL learner about the lifestyles, behaviors, and characteristics of that FL culture has remained largely unexplored. This study triangulates questionnaires, classroom protocols, and assessment of student essays to see in what ways students' discuss and write about cultural differences and similarities at the onset of viewing and after the final viewing of a German video serial. Additionally, it investigates whether English or German language class discussions following student viewing of the program are more effective in fostering critical thinking about a foreign culture. Participants in this study were 69 students (24 female and 45 male) enrolled in four fourth-semester classes of the lower-division curriculum of the Germanic Studies Department at the University of Texas at Austin. After reading biographies and related information about characters, all four classes watched four episodes of the popular German television program, Lindenstrabe, without subtitles. While all classes viewed and wrote about the television serial in German, two classes conducted post-viewing discussion activities in German and the other two classes in English. The investigator visited and took notes on all classes and provided instructors with guidelines to enable consistent approaches to relevant materials and assignments. The resulting data were analyzed using statistical (pre- and post-questionnaires) and qualitative analyses (student response papers and classroom protocols). Two central findings were identified: 1) Fourth-semester German students increased their ability to identify and critically discuss cultural issues and their related social implications when exposed to repeated viewings of the television serial Lindenstrabe and when reacting to the program and its content orally and in writing during in- and out-of-class assignments; 2) Students' gender and the language of the classroom discussions influenced the content and analytical style of students' on their essay analyses of the video. These and other findings are assessed in light of classroom variables, in conjunction with suggestions for future research, and implications of these findings for media use in FL classrooms.
text

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies)
This study deal s with the effective usage of media in communicative language teaching within the guidelines laid down by the TED, with regard to the aims of the teaching of Afrikaans as a second language. Firstly, the theoretic fundamentals of the communicative approach is discussed, along with the didactic implications thereof. Following this is a discussion of the role of media in the classroom-experience, with particular reference to language teaching. In addition, there is a discussion of opportunities and experiences conducive to the learning experience and the possible utilisation of video recordings and pictures therein. There is finally, a discussion and setting out of lessons with a view to integrating media - particularly video recordings and pictures in the teaching of communicative language.

M.Ed.
The subject English is compulsory in the researcher's students' field of study. The researcher offers the subject English for the National Teacher's Diploma Technical and the National Higher Diploma : Post-School Education. The students come from many different cultural backgrounds and for many of them English is a second or third language. The researcher has observed that there are social affects with which students have to contend, and has detected a definite need amongst students for more certainty pertaining to communication in distance education. The researcher has also perceived definite distinguishing features amongst cultural groups in her subject field English. A definite need arose to examine problems experienced by students studying through teletuition, such as trying to interact with a distant institution, problems concerning the study of English as second or third language and social effects experienced by students in distance education. After having done theoretical research, the researcher included an empirical questionnaire survey in which she attempted to gain biographical and other background information. Respondents were asked questions which concentrated on methods by which they had learned English, whether they experience an intrusion of their home language on English language performance and whether culture impinges on the acquisition of English. The research also attempted to determine whether students experience demotivation, fear of failure and situational problems, amongst others. In the light of the literature study, the questionnaire survey and interviews, the findings summarily were that students * have a need for more contact with their lecturers * revealed a need for emotional support from relatives and lecturers * are demotivated by the negative tone of comments on assignments * experience situational problems * experience fear of failure * experience an intrusion of their home language on English language performance * experience a cultural intrusion in the study of English * experience too many cross - cul,tural contrasts which have an effect on the understanding of English. If the educator in a distance education institution is aware of the students' needs and problems, it would result in a greater understanding of this didactic responsibility in helping students realize their full potential.

This qualitative research aims to present students' beliefs about the role that culture plays in language learning and to understand their responses towards the use of authentic multi-media materials. Based on the results of the study, this dissertation describes the impact that authentic multi-media materials had on students' cultural knowledge and their overall language learning experience. The implications discussed in this study are based on students' responses and are relevant to foreign language instructors who are interested in the areas of culture teaching, authentic multi-media materials, students' perspectives, and autonomous learning. In particular, the dissertation presents a link between authentic multi-media materials and motivation based on Ryan and Deci's Self-Determination Theory (2000). The results found in this study suggest that authentic multi-media materials are resources that could be utilized in the early stages of instruction in order to capitalize on students' inherent interest in the Italian culture, which in turn serves to motivate students to persist in their language study.
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My identity as a white woman ESL teacher has been structured partly through movies I saw in my youth. More recently in the late 1990s, a film with ESL, The King and I (1956), was on Japanese television two years in a row while I was teaching there. I found that very interesting and began asking questions regarding the influences that popular film may have on real ESL teachers and students. The study questions how films contribute to ESL in terms of teacher and student identities and desires. To explore this question, I collected three forms of data: 24 films with ESL; post-secondary ESL teacher and student responses to watching two films with ESL; and memories of films from my youth. A framework of critical and feminist pedagogy, including work in identity and ESL, and postcolonial, cultural, and feminist studies informed the analysis. I analyzed the data in relation to discourses of desire and the body as a socially constructed site of racial and gender identification. From the film data, I made the case that particular tropes, initiations, and signs construct reel ESL, such as white female teachers as upholders of particular colonial identities. From the teacher and student data, I found that readers engage with cinematic meanings in a space of liminality, that is, not quite in the movie but not quite in themselves. Readers by-pass their race, gender, age, and occupation to access the cinematic body as politically engaged and disrupting the status quo. From the memory data, I argued that through the seemingly innocent practice of watching movies, a world of racialized and gendered desire was settling in and making itself comfortable. The study is positioned in a critical feminist pedagogy of multiliteracies. Here, diverse sites of meaning-making strengthen and disrupt the desires and identities of ESL.
Education, Faculty of
Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Graduate

Exploring the teaching of Grade 1 – 3 English spelling using the Sound Reading System: A case of a Namibian primary school Spelling is crucial for literacy development in children and therefore needs to be taught effectively during the primary grades. A plethora of studies on spelling instruction have been carried out to shed light on the importance of applying scientifically based methods. This study investigated the implementation of the Sound Reading System (SRS) for teaching spelling in Grades 1, 2 and 3 in Namibia – a country where English is mostly acquired as a taught subject. A qualitative design was used to examine the application of the SRS in whole-class instruction in the Erongo region of Namibia. Using observations, interviews and document analysis, data was obtained from one school where the SRS was used to teach spelling. Three teachers were observed and subsequently interviewed on the teaching of English spelling. The findings revealed that, after using the SRS, teachers felt their own alphabetic knowledge had improved and their approach to teaching spelling had changed, leading to an awareness of what meaningful spelling activities entail. They felt that the methodology had provided a systematic approach to their teaching. The teachers were convinced that there is a link between spelling and reading and the methodology provided an opportunity to teach these skills simultaneously. In terms of the SRS, an integrated approach is applied whereby the target sound becomes the focal point of language development to provide an opportunity for skill transfer. However, the teachers found it challenging to slot in all the activities in a timetable that does not cater specifically for spelling. Another challenge perceived by the teachers was the effective teaching of sight words. This study recommends teamwork between teachers and parents to ensure that all SRS activities are completed successfully at home. Furthermore, it emphasises the importance of applying scientific methods in classroom practice. It further suggests that teaching the full range of spellings in the SRS be continued in Grades 4 and 5 to reinforce a deeper understanding of English orthography. Lastly, it is suggested that higher institutions link teacher training to curricular outcomes.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)