Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-47).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-47). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1931. / "Private edition, distributed by the University of Chicago libraries, Chicago, Illinois." "Reprinted from Psychological monographs. vol. XLIII, no. 3, 1932."

Since China's accession to the WTO in 2001, China has reformed its higher education system in order to meet the challenges of globalisation. In the era of WTO, China needs more and better English, which facilitates access to modern knowledge and technology and the possibility of communication with the outside world in the process of globalisation. To correspond with this trend, the Chinese government has prioritised reforms in the teaching of English at various levels of the education system. In this context, the change of policy in the foreign language education sector becomes an issue of concern. This research, with a view to informing the ongoing reform of English language teaching (ELT), investigates learners' perspectives of ELT in Chinese universities in the context of current process of globalisation. This thesis argues that the adoption of various ELT curricula in various periods is heavily influenced by broader social and political policies that shape Chinese responses to the process of globalisation. The promulgation in 2004 of the College English Curriculum Requirements (For Trial Implementation) represented an immediate response in the ELT field to China's economic globalisation. It further argues that the Global English model, with its stress on communicative competence and performance should be the ELT priority in Chinese universities to meet the new communication demands of contemporary globalisation. These arguments are advanced based on a study focusing on College English education, which represents ELT in China at the tertiary level, the final as well as most important part in the hierarchy of language education. To investigate the research problem in this project, a multi-faceted methodology was applied, including surveys, classroom observation and document analysis. The following conclusions can be drawn based on the data collected. First, English remains a priority in China's education system and globalisation of English in WTO era is to the benefit of Chinese learners. Second, there has been evident shift of the goal of ELT in China from mastery of pure linguistic knowledge to development of communicative competence and the pedagogy from single skill training, i.e. reading, to integrated development of the four macro skills. Computer-aided and competence-led curricula in English language education are recent trends that contribute to the increasing awareness of both the professionals and students that productive abilities should be the priority. From the perspective of learners, this means a switch to a learner-centred model that allows more autonomy by making the teaching and learning a computer-based process of individualized learning, collaborative learning and hyper-textual learning. Third, the 1999 Curriculum failed to address the emerging issues regarding ELT in the process of China's globalisation. This led to strong dissatisfaction from the learners and strong appeal for ELT reformation in College English education in China. Finally, the College English Curriculum Requirements (For Trial Implementation), while pinpointing the trend and model of future English education development, is confronted with serious challenges in its implementation.

Increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) and diminishing services for those students is resulting in mainstream teachers across the United States taking on the responsibility of teaching ELLs. This demands the preparation of all teachers to teach ELLs. Yet adequate preparation of these educators depends on insight into the beliefs that preservice teachers carry with them to the classroom. These beliefs are critical in their impact on teacher behavior and teacher expectations of ELLs. Remarkably, what preservice teachers believe about ELL issues is overlooked in research. The purpose of the present study was to look beyond these previously explored paths of ESL, bilingual, multicultural, and foreign language education to discover preservice Pre-K through 8th grade mainstream teachers’ beliefs about language learning in order to better inform future teacher preparation programs. The research questions used to accomplish the purpose of this study focused on what beliefs pre-service teachers at Texas A&M University hold regarding second language learning and teaching before ESL coursework, how those beliefs change after ESL coursework, and what variables influence these pre-service teachers’ beliefs about English language learning and teaching? A total of 354 individuals participated in the study. They were involved in ESL coursework during their participation in the study. The data were collected from August of 2006 to May of 2007. This study had a mixed method design. The research instruments included a Likert-scale questionnaire and focus group interviews. The interviews were analyzed according to the constant-comparative method. The questionnaires were analyzed based descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and hierarchical multiple regression. Major findings of the study include that before ESL coursework, preservice teachers largely undervalued ELLs’ L1, yet they were aware of ELLs in mainstream environments and positive about ELLs themselves. Coursework was found to be effective in that after ESL coursework there was an obvious shift toward greater alignment in beliefs with principles of ESL education. Interviews underscored the role of field experience, teacher educators and ESL courses in impacting belief change.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-80).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-106).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 249 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-249).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-80). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-106). Also available in print.