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.

This paper describes a case study of a non-native speaking (NNS) dental hygienist in her work environment. The subject learned English by learning to become a dental hygienist rather than through formal language education. Participant observation and discourse, event/network, and componential analyses were the methods used to analyze the subject's communication in her work setting. The philosophical question as to how ESP differs from ESL is raised and elements of the work setting and the NNS workers' communication with interlocutors in that setting are identified to aid educators in teaching ESP courses. Questions ESP educators might address in designing and teaching ESP courses are given as well as suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the Portland (Oregon) public school district's ESL/bilingual program on the academic performance of limited English proficiency (IEP) students. The study attempted to correct a statistical bias that might lead to underestimating the effectiveness of ESL/bilingual programs. This statistical bias is caused by a negative correlation between student achievement and the characteristics which result in a student being placed in the ESL/bilingual program. Several variables and proxies representing characteristics of the school, the neighborhood, and the student's personal background were examined for their contribution to explaining the academic progress of LEP students in reading, mathematics, and English language usage. This dissertation attempts to answer the following major questions: 1. Is the Portland school district's ESL/bilingual education approach effective in increasing LEP students' academic progress in reading, mathematics, and English language usage? 2. Does the amount of FSL/bilingual instruction influence the academic achievement of LEP students in reading, mathematics, and English language usage? 3. Do the personal background characteristics of LEP students influence their academic gains in reading, mathematics, and English language usage? 4. Do neighborhood factors influence LEP students' gains in reading, mathematics, and English language usage? 2 Achievement gains of LEP students in Grades 3-11 from the Portland (Oregon) Public School district were examined. Data on pertinent characteristics relating to school, neighborhood, and personal background information were collected. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis and instrumental variable estimation. Instrumental variable (IV) estimation was found to be appropriate to deal with the serious problem of "selection bias" in evaluating achievement gains of LEP students in ESL/bilingual programs. The problem of selection bias occurs when learners are selected for a program or for evaluation study because of characteristics which will also influence their scores on a test. Subsequent effects of this type of selection, and possible solutions to this type of problem, are discussed. The findings suggest that the ESL/bilingual education approach had a strong and statistically significant impact in improving mathematics achievement. '!he program's impact on language usage achievement was weak, and it showed no consistent results relating to reading achievement. The findings indicate that the greatest impacts are in academic areas rather than in language areas. The results were not strong, but the ESL/bilingual program appeared to have some positive benefits in terms of achievement gain in mathematics and language usage which simpler statistical techniques tend not to show. However, because of the statistical problems and the methods used to address them, confidence in estimates of the specific parameters is not great. Studies covering different geographic areas and longer periods of time are recommended.

Virtually all future teachers _of ESL/EFL have been foreign- or second-language learners themselves. However, reflection on their own past language-learning experiences is usually not integrated into the coursework of professional TESOL preparation programs and there has been little published research in TESOL in which students in professional TESOL preparation programs reflect on their past language learning experiences. The purpose of this research was to explore the effects on TESOL Methods students of revisiting a past language-learning experience. The subjects were students in a TESOL Methods class. This study examined an assignment given to these students to write a short "language learning narrative" (LLN) describing a past language learning experience. The data base of this qualitative study included included thirty-one LLNs, thirty-one free-writes and eleven interviews with these TESOL students. The results indicate that the students' memories of affective factors such as nervousness about speaking in class and feeling successful or unsuccessful as language learners were prominent in their minds, as was a strong focus on the teacher. The benefits to the TESOL students of writing the LLNs included increased sensitivity to the perspective of the learner, willingness to engage in reflection, and an understanding of the connections between their past experiences and the kinds of experiences they wanted to create in future language classrooms. While the TESOL students seemed to have mastered the latter skill, they did not see their past language learning experiences as a resource that could give them insights into particular teaching dilemmas. Also, they tended to make direct generalizations based on their own past reactions as language learners to what they imagined their future students' reactions would be. They wanted to recreate for their future students experiences that had been positive for them and do the opposite of what the teachers of language classes they had experienced as negative had done. The study concludes that the LLN assignment is recommended for use in other professional TESOL training programs, with modifications that would encourage the students to become aware of variations in learner preferences and to view their past language learning experiences as a continuing resource.

Since its publication in 1898, The Turn of the Screw has been the focus of diverse critical interpretation. It has reflected shifts in critical theory that include the Freudian, psychoanalytic, mythological, structuralist, reader-response, linguistic, and new-historical schools. The majority of critical interpretations have focused on the governess's narrative and have excluded the prologue, or frame narrative, that begins the novella. The critics who did examine the prologue overlooked James's departure from the traditional use of frame narration and the importance of the structure of the frame in creating a text of insoluble ambiguity. James departed from traditional frame narration in four ways. By using only an opening frame, the reader is forced to rely on the prologue in order to determine narrative reliability. By creating a condition of reciprocal authority between the unnamed narrator and Douglas, the opening frame denies the possibility of using either character to substantiate the reliability of the other. The condition of reciprocal authority is constructed through a dialogue pattern in which the narrator and Douglas interpret each other's gestures and comments and finish each other's sentences. It is the use of the pattern in the prologue that prepares the reader to accept it in the governess's narrative. The governess repeats the dialogue pattern with Mrs. Grose and Miles. Their discussions appear to validate the governess as a reliable narrator when in fact her reliability is as impossible to determine as the reliability of Douglas or the frame narrator. The result of these departures from traditional frame narration is the construction of a text of insoluble ambiguity.

The purpose of this study was to identify the preferred learning styles of Greek EFL students and teachers in Greece. The learning styles examined were visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, group and individual. The study was conducted at a private English language school in Piraeus, Greece. Ninety-two Greek EFL students (33 male and 59 female) ranging in age from 13 to 22, and 11 Greek EFL teachers (3 male and 8 female) ranging in age from 22 to 52 constitute the sample. The study used the self-reporting learning style questionnaire that Reid (1987) developed to measure the preferred learning style preferences of ESL students in the U.S., and is a partial replication of Reid's study. The instrument was used to determine the major, minor and negligible preferred learning styles of Greek EFL students and teachers. Data from the learning style questionnaires were analyzed using paired t-tests, unpaired t-tests, single-factor and two-factor ANOVAs. Statistical analysis indicated kinesthetic learning as a major learning style for students, and visual, kinesthetic and tactile learning as major learning style preferences for teachers. No negligible learning styles were reported for either group. Students tended to prefer teacher-centered learning styles (visual, auditory and individual learning) slightly more than student-centered learning styles (kinesthetic, tactile and group learning). Furthermore, teachers tended to prefer student-centered learning styles slightly more than teacher-centered learning styles. Data from both groups (teachers and students) suggested interaction effects for age and gender. The results of this study raise questions concerning the reliability of Reid's instrument. Neither subject groups in this study, nor subjects in Hoffner's (1991) or Pia's (1989~ studies, identify negligible learning styles on the part of the subjects. This raises questions related to the reliability of Reid's instrument. It suggests that further study needs to be conducted in measuring learning style preferences in culture specific studies.

Recent research has found that the use of good language learning strategies can affect students' chances of gaining proficiency in a second language. The purpose of this study was to see if there is a relationship between strategy use and language learning proficiency. It sought to answer these questions: (1) Does a successful learner use different strategies on specific tasks than does a less successful learner? and (2) Will the successful learner use more metacognitive and affective strategies while doing tasks than will a less successful learner? For the first part of the study, 17 students in an ESL program at an urban university in the northwest were selected. Using the results from a self-report survey, the Strategy Inventory for Language Leaming (SILL), and the students' scores from standardized examinations, these students were divided into two groups, a proficient group and a less proficient group. For the second part of the study, two subjects from the first part (one proficient and one less proficient) were selected to participate in a Think-Aloud protocol as they completed three tasks. The objective was to see if these two students used different strategies as they completed specific tasks and if the proficient learner used more metacognitive and affective strategies that the less proficient learner. Mean scores were computed for the subjects on the first part of the study. Two-tailed probability tests were computed to determine if differences existed between the proficient and less proficient group. A significant difference was found between the two groups strategies from the memory strategy group. Analysis of the second part of the study revealed that the successful student used more of the appropriate strategies on two out of three of the tasks than did the less proficient learner and only slightly less of the appropriate strategy on the other task. The successful learner employed more metacognitive strategies on two out of three of the tasks and she used more of these strategies overall. The successful learner also used more affective strategies on all tasks. The practical benefit of the study is that student awareness of good strategy use, tailored to specific tasks could lead to improved second language acquisition.

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.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language Education)) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / This dissertation investigates the challenges that history learners in rural black schools are faced with during examinations with the use of English as a language of learning and teaching. The aim of the research is to investigate whether English, which is used as a language of learning and teaching in schools, is a barrier to the learning and teaching of history. It is believed that the use of English has implications on the results that learners obtain during summative assessment. The literature revealed that any language of learning and teaching, which is not the mother tongue of learners, has an impact on the process of learning. Assessment, which determines whether the learning outcomes have been attained or not, is affected by factors such as the type of assessment, for example, formative or summative, the purpose of assessment and the rules and regulations that go along with assessment. In order to gain a greater insight and comprehensive understanding of the research problem, that is, the challenges that are faced by learners during summative assessment, both the qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. A case study design was adopted. The research techniques employed were interviews, document analyses and observations. The findings indicated that the environment in which the learners are learning second language has impact on the learners’ language proficiency. They further indicate that assessment in itself poses challenge to learners, in addition to the challenges caused by the language barriers. It was also indicated that the educators and the learners prefer to use English as the language of learning and teaching, despite all the challenges they face when they use English. The important findings were discussed with the aim of arriving at conclusions, shortcomings recommendations.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language Education)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research reported in this study firstly sought to examine the effects of First Language (L1) on sentence transformation among grade 12 learners studying English First Additional Language (EFAL). Secondly, it endeavoured to recommend possible measures that could be implemented to eliminate the consequences of such effects, since available research on errors, resulting from L1 interference, offers no feasible classroom solutions to this problem. The significance for this study rests in the sense that it pursued to provide a meaningful soluble contribution to the problem, taking into cognisance South Africa’s multilingual and multicultural realities. Thirdly, the study also attempted to ensure that the recommendations made, acknowledged the reality of the fact that a majority of South Africa’s EFAL teachers are themselves Second Language (L2) speakers. To achieve the above, the study employed the mixed method model of research design to answer the question ‘What are the effects of L1 interference on sentence transformation among grade 12 EFAL learners?’ The findings of this study revealed that learners, who participated in this study are exposed to various sources of language input. In addition, the results indicated that a majority of the learners listen to a predominantly Xitsonga language radio station. Thus, there is very little exposure to English L2 input from this media. With regards to television, however, most of the learners watch SABC 1 and in particular, Generations, a multilingual soapie (localism for soap opera) dominated by the use of Black South African English (BSAfE). On the issue of the effects of L1 on sentence transformation, the findings showed a number of levels at which sentence transformation is affected by L1. Given the findings of this study, the researcher strongly recommends that in order to relieve the problem underlying this study, the education system should consider responding to the call by authors in this field, that BSAfE be accepted as an institutionalised variety, which offers an innovative and unique identity to the South African linguistic context. Thus, the study is of practical importance to various sectors. It contributes invaluable information for curriculum developers and implementers. It also contributes vital knowledge for teacher training programmes.