The Communicative Approach in language teaching is based on a theory of language as communication. The objective of language teaching, according to this approach, is to develop what Hymes (1972) calls learners' communicative competence. The literature review on EFL primary, secondary, and post secondary teachers' practices in the classroom has shown teachers focusing on form and using traditional methods, e. g. GTM, ALM and TPR, and techniques, e. g. PPP. However, those studies did not examine teachers' practices, teachers' knowledge and the curriculum, including textbooks/materials,a ssessmenat nd teachert raining programmes,a ll at the samet ime and at one point in time. Thus, the purpose of this study is to take Kuwait as a case study of primary EFL to find out whether EFL primary teachers implement a CLTbased, learner-centred method in their classrooms, knowing that education is centralized in Kuwait, i. e. the curriculum, textbook/materials,a ssessmenat nd teacher training are provided by one authority: the Ministry of Education. To achieve this objective, first a classroom observation was conducted on twenty three primary EFL Kuwaiti female teachers using the COLT (Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching) Observation Scheme, with its four categories derived from the literature on CLT to find out whether the methodology used is communicative or not. Secondly, an examination of the curriculum document, textbook/materials,a ssessmenat nd teacher training programmes was conducted to find out whether they work in harmony towards the fulfilment of curriculum goals, i. e. to develop learners' communicative and linguistic competence in using English fluently and accurately. Finally, an interview was conducted on the same twenty three teachers to find out about teachers' knowledge and beliefs of CLT, its practicality, land their perception of their own practice. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data indicated that teachers do not implement a CLT-based learner-centred method for various reasons, e.g. formfocused assessmenat nd textbooks, although teachers'i nterviews and the examination of teacher training programmes have shown teachers know CLT and were prepared to teach communicatively. Implications and recommendations of the study are made in the concluding chapter.

This thesis reports on an investigation of the use of commercial computerassisted language learning (CALL) programs marketed for self-instruction (i.e. learners working with CALL programs alone, without teacher, classroom, or institutional support). To better understand learning in this context, I conducted II case-studies using a primarily qualitative, multi-method design, employing diaries, interviews, observations, and online tracking. Working with one of two commercial CALL programs in one of six languages, fue participants logged a total of 96 learning sessions and approximately 75 hours of study between October 2007 and July 2008. Overwhelmingly, participants were disappointed with their CALL programs, and many chose to drop out of the study earlier than planned. Three research questions were proposed for the purposes of this study: I. What are the experiences of learners working with commercial CALL programs marketed for self-instruction? J What common themes emerge as most relevant to shaping these experiences? 3. What are the pedagogical implications of the learners' experiences for CALL theory and program design? In answer to research question I, I created case files for the participants, bringing together all of the data collected through the various methods. These case files describe each individual participant's experience from inception to conclusion, highlighting the positive and negative aspects that had the greatest bearing on the final outcomes on a case by case basis. In answer to research question 2, I adopted a grounded theory approach to data analysis and identified five key themes as being most relevant across the entire group of II participants (i.e. need for increased selfdiscipline, dealing with technical problems, encountering ambiguity, working outside the program, and questioning the program's ability to teach). In answer to question 3, I used a framework of five criteria for evaluating CALL materials to discuss the key themes in terms of their impact on learner experience with self-instructed CALL and their pedagogical implications for CALL theory and program design. The framework, modified from Chapelle (2001 b) addresses issues of learner fit, authenticity, practicality, construct validity, and impact. Pedagogical implications highlight suggestions for improvement and directions for future research and development.

Empirical research on higher-order questions has shown positive impact on student achievement in L1 and L2 classrooms in western countries and former British colonies. In association, a world-wide increase in teaching thinking has led to a debate about its applicability to L2 settings, especially to Asian learners. In Taiwan speaking has been identified as a problematic area in L2 learning and alongside equipping students with thinking skills has been highlighted as a goal of Higher Education (HE). Therefore, this study undertook a case study of an innovation where Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) approach was used to try and enhance students' L2 speaking proficiency and thinking skills. This approach had two steps. In a teacher-led setting the innovator modelled the tasks to the students which focused on how to answer higher-order questions, interact and comment on others' opinions. Students then practiced the thinking tasks in groups as part of their L2 learning. The impact on speaking and thinking and the effect on students' attitudes were examined to determine the practicability of this approach in a Taiwanese university L2 classroom. Two classes of non-English major freshmen participated in this study: one class received the innovation, while the other class did not. A mixed-method approach was applied and data collected in three phases: pre-, post- and delayed post-test. In contrast to Atkinson's (1997) claim that using a critical thinking pedagogy to teach non-native speakers of English in L2 classrooms is inappropriate, the findings show strong evidence to support the idea that a HOTS approach enhances learners' speaking and thinking performance with the majority of students holding positive attitudes. This indicates infusing thinking skills into the L2 classroom is practicable and students can be trained as active thinkers. A most significant finding was the occurrence of highcognitive interactive talk, which created numerous opportunities for speaking and thinking. This tackled the L2 speaking problems observed and met the goals of HE, i. e. it equipped university students with thinking skills and encouraged active learning

This thesis reports a research investigation into teachers' practices in, and perceptions of, guided reading in the National Literacy Strategy. The study was framed by two connected debates. The first debate concerns reading standards and has resulted in increasing centralisation of the education system, culminating in the National Literacy Strategy in 1998. The second debate concerns polarised models of the reading process. Recently, however, agreement has been reached such that contrasting models have been superseded by a more valid model of reading acquisition. The research design incorporated two strategies - one a survey questionnaire, the other a selection of case studies. A descriptive analysis of the survey data provided a broad picture of teachers' practices and perceptions in relation to guided reading. The findings indicate that teachers' practices in guided reading generally adhere to NLS guidelines. Findings also suggest that teachers are generally positive about the effectiveness of guided reading and report confidence in its implementation. Analysis of the finer detail of guided reading in classroom contexts suggests, however, that there are not only variations in teachers' practices but also differing interpretations of its nature and purpose. Moreover, such are the variations that its effectiveness in raising standards may in some contexts be compromised. Some teachers would benefit from an expanded version of the 'searchlights' to reflect a 'stage' model of reading acquisition. Additional guidance is suggested with regard to: selecting texts that promote productive reading strategies; coaching to fully exploit each part of the guided reading teaching sequence; and help in connecting guided reading with the other components in the NLS reading programme.

It is suggested that there are various social and educational reasons why teachers may be confused about their aims in teaching Literature at the present time. This research investigates whether teachers have clear priorities when teaching Literature to 9 to 13 year old pupils. For purposes of comparison smaller samples of teachers of 13 to 16 year olds are also taken. A questionnaire method of investigation was chosen and preliminary reading and a pupil-teacher investigation were used to collect objectives from which questionnaire items could be selected. One of the few research studies in this area, the Swedish Ligru survey allowed its questionnaire to be adapted. The main sample of 211 teachers was drawn from Junior, Middle and Secondary schools in the North-east, and smaller supplementary samples were drawn from Sheffield Comprehensives and from Public and Preparatory Schools throughout Britain. A high degree of unanimity was found across all school types and sub-groups by sex, age, specialism and experience over what objectives are important in Part I of the questionnaire which covered Literature teaching per se, and in Part II which covered Literature as a means f to achieving other educational 'objectives. In general Creative, Emotional and long-term Functional behaviours were valued over Reproductive, Conative or-Higher Cognitive ones. There was little interest in 'background' or evaluation in Part I. Language objectives I and many Social, Personal and Community objectives were thought capable of achievement with the help of Literature teaching in Part II. Political and religious objectives were rejected by all groups.

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This thesis reports on the findings of four inter-related studies : a pilot study with three Post-graduate student-teachers, a longitudinal case study of a novice teacher, a cross sectional study of novice teachers and experienced teachers, and a study of a mathematics department just beginning to use graphics calculators. Four research tools were used in the main part of this research a: questionnaire lesson observations, interviews and log books. The questionnaire was designed to elicit participants' responses about their beliefs and attitudes about graphics calculators. The data from the questionnaires were triangulated with data collected from lesson observations and interviews. The questionnaire data suggested that the participants' beliefs and attitudes about graphics calculators were relatively stable and remained unchanged during the research. The interviews and observations provided much greater insight into the way teachers use graphics calculators. The fourth strand of the research asked a group of teachers to record their use of graphics calculators in a log book. The log book data were used to identify the types of tasks and activities that teachers present to their pupils. The log book data showed that teachers make limited use of graphics calculators in their teaching. A model to describe the way teachers use graphics calculators is proposed. The proposed model highlights the way that teachers use graphics calculators and describes four levels of use. The model also describes how teachers move from one level to the next by considering their professional development.

There continues to exist a dilemma about how, why and when geometry should be taught. The aim of this study was to examine high school mathematics teachers' beliefs about geometry and its teaching with respect to its role in the curriculum, the uses of manipulatives and dynamic geometry software in the classroom, and the role of proofs. In this study belief is taken as subjective knowledge (Furinghetti and Pehkonen, 2002). Data were collected from 520 teachers using questionnaires that included both statements that required responses on a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Also an intervention case study was conducted with one teacher. A three factor solution emerged from the analysis that revealed a disposition towards activities, a disposition towards an appreciation of geometry and its applications and a disposition towards abstraction. These results enabled classification of teachers into one of eight groups depending on whether their scores were positive or negative on the three factors. Knowing the teacher typology allows for appropriate professional development activities to be undertaken. This was done in the case study where techniques for scaffolding proofs were used as an intervention for a teacher who had a positive disposition towards activities and appreciation of geometry and its applications but a negative disposition towards abstraction. The intervention enabled the teacher successfully to teach her students how to understand and construct proofs. The open-ended responses on the questionnaire were analysed to obtain a better understanding of the teachers' beliefs. Four themes, the formal, intuitive, utilitarian and the mathematical, emerged from the analysis, which support the modal arguments given by Gonzalez and Herbst (2006). The findings reveal a disconnect between some high school teachers' beliefs about why geometry is important to study and the current position of the Standards Movement; and between whether geometry should be taught as part of an integrated curriculum or as a one-year course.