Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:25:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2771.pdf: 10882459 bytes, checksum: 801d88f64d272c2fa1574fb040c74758 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-31 / This research was motivated by debates against and in support of grammar instruction in English as Foreign Language (EFL)/ English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching. Some studies, opposed to explicit grammatical instruction, do not believe that formal grammar lessons can develop the ability of using the target-language into spontaneous communication. They also advocate that grammar instruction can only develop short term declarative knowledge of grammar. On the other hand, this investigation aimed to observe the results of a one semester EFL course focused on form, whose purpose was to evaluate participants ability to use target language in communicative activities. The study is based on Batstone s (1994) noticing activities, which means attention to and manipulation of form. We also proposed meaning-focused communicative tasks. It is a qualitative study based on observing the process of accuracy development through multiple tests: before, during and after the grammar-focused intervention. According to Ortega & Iberri-Shea (2005), a 6 month period is enough to classify it as a longitudinal research. The study was developed into a high school first grade classroom of a semi-private school. The 20 participants, aged between 14 and 16, were exposed to grammar as Batstone suggests. The target-language item was the simple present, defined after a diagnostic test. / Este estudo partiu da discussão acerca da inclusão/ exclusão da gramática no currículo de ensino de línguas estrangeiras ou de segunda língua (doravante LE e L2). Algumas propostas, contrárias a qualquer foco consciente na forma, negam a possibilidade de que a atenção à estrutura da língua possa resultar em uso de formas-alvo em situações espontâneas de comunicação. Afirmam ainda que resultados positivos do ensino da gramática só podem ser observados em avaliações que meçam conhecimento metalinguístico em curto prazo. Na contramão a essas afirmações, o objetivo desse estudo foi observar os resultados obtidos em um semestre de um curso de inglês como LE com foco na forma, cuja avaliação mediu a automatização de formas linguísticas específicas, em um contexto de comunicação que requereu, não explicitamente, seu uso. Para tal, seguimos, sobretudo, a proposta de Batstone (1994), denominada pelo autor de noticing, que prevê a atenção à forma e sua manipulação ativa. Além desse enfoque, a intervenção foi organizada a partir da discussão de temas e foram propostas atividades comunicativas, com foco no sentido. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, que observou o processo de desenvolvimento da acuidade linguística em avaliações múltiplas, ou seja, com a coleta de dados em diferentes momentos desse desenvolvimento, a saber: antes, durante e após o período de intervenção, que foi de 6 meses. De acordo com Ortega e Iberri-Shea (2005), esse período de observação parece ser suficiente para caracterizar a pesquisa como longitudinal. O contexto da pesquisa foi o ambiente instrucional de uma sala de aula do primeiro ano do ensino médio de uma escola semiprivada. Os participantes, 20 alunos cuja idade varia entre 14 e 16 anos, foram expostos à estrutura-alvo segundo a proposta de Batstone. Essa estrutura foi o presente simples, estrutura definida como necessária após a aplicação de avaliação diagnóstica.

This essay examines whether a group of adult students of upper secondary school level are instrumentally and/or integratively motivated to learn English as a foreign language. The study also examines if there are any similarities/differences between the students in the different motivation categories classroom experience. This essay is based on a quantitative questionnaire. The questionnaire was answered by adult students who were studying English 5 at upper secondary level in Sweden. The results show that some of the students were instrumentally motivated by factors such as their desire to enter university or get a good job. They were also motivated by the notion that the English language is useful when working abroad. Furthermore, some of the students were integratively motivated by factors such as their desire to develop their language skills so they would be able to use them abroad when travelling. Some of the students, however, were both instrumentally and integratively motivated and the key factors which motivated them were combinations of instrumental and integrative elements. The instrumentally and the integratively motivated students’ classroom experiences were overall positive where the teachers were described in a positive light. The students who were both instrumentally and integratively motivated, however, were less positive than the other students regarding their classroom experiences and their descriptions of their teachers.

This study is an investigation of Libyan English language novice teachers' experiences during their first three years after qualifying. Its aim is to inform the development of an induction framework for supporting newcomers to the profession in secondary schools. In this mixed methods study I employed a two-pronged approach: quantitative methods for mapping the territory and to see the wider picture, and qualitative methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the teachers' experiences and thoughts during their first three years of teaching. Quantitative data were generated by a survey questionnaire, while qualitative data were derived from open-ended questionnaire items and interviews. The vast majority of novice teachers in this study reported serious shortcomings in the quality of their induction. Two hundred and twenty-seven teachers from Alzawia and Al-Niqat Al-Khams districts were surveyed, including 21 teachers who participated in interviews. One hundred and ten had graduated from Faculties of Arts in universities where the main focus of study was to develop research. One hundred and seventeen had completed a degree at a teacher training institution. Findings from this research indicate that they encountered diverse challenges in relation to curriculum delivery, integration into the school community and communication with students’ parents, as well as financial difficulties. The key issues that emerged from this research were:• Support for novice teachers is limited, inconsistent and inadequate.• Teacher professionalism requires further development.• The concept of mentoring warrants further consideration to be of benefit to novice teachers and their pupils. This study provided evidence that support at school and district level is essential in order to assist novice teachers of English as a foreign language in their transition from student teacher to professional practitioner. With the aim of enhancing the quality of teacher induction in Libyan secondary schools, the findings of this study have been used to inform the development of a set of recommendations for novice teachers, school principals, mentors and senior staff in district education departments.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O presente estudo tem por objetivos compilar e analisar percepções sobre o uso de ferramentas web 2.0 no ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira e aliar a análise de atitudes à teoria da Andragogia, que trata do aprendizado de adultos, proposta por Knowles (1973, 1975, 1984, 1990). O assunto parece não contar com estudos coordenados, visto que Thomas (2010) apenas muito recentemente editou um compêndio com trabalhos envolvendo as possíveis aplicações de recursos da web 2.0 no estudo de uma língua estrangeira e as percepções de alunos, embora outros estudos, como os de Rosell-Aguilar (2004), Conole (2008), Kárpáti (2009) e Jarvis e Szymczyk (2010) tenham discutido o assunto isoladamente. Neste trabalho é realizada a compilação das opiniões de alunos adultos e de professores de inglês como língua estrangeira. Como instrumento de coleta de dados optou-se pela utilização de questionários fechados. Tal abordagem possivelmente dá a esta pesquisa um caráter inédito, ao menos no que se refere à coleta de atitudes de alunos adultos e professores brasileiros de um curso de idiomas quanto ao uso de ferramentas web 2.0 no ensino de uma língua estrangeira. A análise dos dados mostrou que aprendizes adultos e professores têm atitudes positivas e estão preparados para a utilização de recursos web 2.0 em sala de aula. Conclui-se, entretanto, que embora a maioria dos participantes desta pesquisa concorde que o uso de tais ferramentas contribui para o ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira, alguns ajustes e procedimentos ainda devem ser implementados para que as ferramentas web 2.0 se tornem não apenas um acessório, mas parte integrante do processo de aquisição do idioma / This study aims to compile and analyse the perceptions of the use of web 2.0 tools in English Language Teaching and associate the analysis of attitude to the Andragogy theory, which deals with how adults learn, advanced by Knowles (1973, 1975, 1984, 1990). This topic does not appear to have a coordination of studies, since Thomas (2010) has only recently edited a handbook with works involving the possible applications of web 2.0 resources in the process of foreign language acquisition and students perceptions, although other works, as those by Rosell-Aguilar (2004), Conole (2008), Kárpáti (2009) and Jarvis & Szymczyk (2010) have discussed the topic isolatedly. This work compiles the opinions of adult learners and teachers of English as a foreign language. Data was collected through closed questionnaires. This approach may provide this research with novelty, at least with as regards the collection of Brazilian adult learners and teachers attitudes towards using web 2.0 in foreign language acquisition in a language school. Data analysis showed adult learners and teachers have positive attitude and are ready to use web 2.0 resources in the language classroom. Nonetheless, albeit most of the participants of this research agree the use of such tools contribute to teaching English as a foreign language, some adjustments and procedures should be implemented so that web 2.0 tools do not become mere accessories, but rather an integral part of the of the language acquisition process

Esta tese investiga, sob a perspectiva da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional (HALLIDAY e MATTHIESSEN, 2004,2014), os processos de retextualização empregados por estudantes de inglês como língua estrangeira na produção de textos em contextos acadêmicos. O conceito retextualização (MARCUSCHI, 2001) constitui-se na produção de um novo texto a partir de um ou mais texto(s)-fonte e trata-se de prática comum em contextos acadêmicos. Tem-se como objetivo verificar as operações de retextualização relacionadas às metafunções da linguagem – ideacional, interpessoal e textual - e como essas se materializam nos respectivos sistemas léxico-gramaticais e no gênero específico no qual se enquadram. O corpus constituise de retextualizações produzidas a partir de diferentes texto(s)-fonte. Os resultados indicam que as estratégias de retextualização estão intimamente relacionadas ao conhecimento da função que etapas e fases dos gêneros desempenham na construção de significados. Procurase contribuir para as práticas de escrita em ILE em contextos acadêmicos, oferecendo uma abordagem sistêmico-funcional dos processos de retextualização envolvidos no desenvolvimento dessa habilidade. / This study investigates, under the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics (HALLIDAY and MATTHIESSEN, 2004, 2014), the retextualization processes learners of English as a Foreign Language use when writing texts in academic contexts. Retextualization (MARCUSCHI, 2001) is understood as the production of a new text based on one or more source-texts and is a recurrent practice in academic contexts. The study investigated the processes of retextualization related to the metafunctions of language –ideational, experiential and textual- and their realization in the respective lexicogrammar structures as well as in the specific genre to which they are related. The corpus comprises retextualizations produced from different source-texts. The results indicate that the retextualization strategies are intimately connected to the knowledge of the function the stages and phases of the genres play in the construction of meaning. The purpose of the study is to contribute to writing practices of English as a Foreign Language in academic contexts, putting forward a systemic-functional approach to the retextualization processes involved in the development of writing skills.

Each year a group of university students from English speaking countries go to Chile and work as volunteers under the National Volunteer Centre Program. The purpose of this case study is to examine how a group of novice volunteer teachers describe their experiences in a foreign country and how these experiences shape their understanding of teaching. Participants went through the process of open-ended questionnaires and one-on-one interviews of their experience. This study was sustained in the literature by the domains of volunteerism, English Language Teaching, and volunteerism and ELT, and a socio constructivist and experiential lens was adopted. Even though volunteer teaching abroad is an increasing worldwide trend, there are few studies that combine these areas, showing that the existing blend of volunteerism and English language teaching needs to be further examined. The analysis of the data showed that novice volunteer teachers experience five types of experiences when teaching English: language teaching experiences, language learning experiences, challenges, general experiences, and volunteering experiences. Novice teachers recalled their expectations before teaching and those were maintained, modified, or unfulfilled. Volunteers stated what teaching means to them after working in public schools, they were able to describe diverse language teaching experiences, and make recommendations to future volunteers.

Previous studies show that explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies is beneficial forpupils’ reading comprehension in EFL. However, there appears to be a lack of studies about the topic in a Swedishcontext. This study investigates how teachers in years 4-6 in one elementary school in Sweden work towardsimproving their pupils’ reading comprehension in EFL. Further, the study explores what perspectives the teachershave on teaching reading comprehension strategies in EFL. The four participating teachers all have a teacher’sdegree and experience with teaching EFL in years 4-6. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteachers and complemented with classrooms observations with two of the interviewed teachers. The results suggestthat the teachers believe teaching reading comprehension strategies in EFL is important. Further, the results indicatethat the participating teachers work with reading comprehension strategies that according to previous studies arebeneficial for pupils’ reading comprehension. In addition, the teachers described working with similar strategiesand teaching methods in the Swedish subject. Therefore, comparative studies between the Swedish subjectand EFL to further investigate if the same reading comprehension strategies are beneficial inboth subjects is recommended. / <p>Engelska</p>

Due to our constantly evolving society and our opportunity to communicate across borders,English language learning is becoming increasingly important for the individual and his/herability to act and live in the world. The importance of learning English as a foreign language(EFL) is also emphasized in the Swedish curriculum, which further states that the teaching inthe lower grades of schooling should focus on communicative skills such as vocabularyacquisition. This is in line with previous research studies which describe that the knowledge ofvocabulary is main key to learn a language. Previous research studies have been done withinthis area of EFL teaching where storytelling has been used as a method for English vocabularyacquisition. The results of these research studies indicate that the storytelling method is verybeneficial to use within EFL teaching in the lower grades of schooling as it creates a teachingcontent familiar and interesting to the students. With the knowledge of the importance ofvocabulary acquisition and, the benefits the storytelling method can contribute with it isinteresting to further investigate how this method is implemented in a Swedish context. As ofthis, the main aim of this empirical study is to investigate how storytelling can be used as amethod for teaching English vocabulary to 1-3rd grade EFL students in Sweden and also, whatteachers think about this method.To collect data to this study six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 1-3rd gradeteachers in Sweden. The results show that the informants have an overall positive attitudetowards storytelling as a method to teach English vocabulary. Additionally, all teacher expressthat they use this method in their own EFL teaching but in various extent. The most interestingfindings were the different approaches the teachers use within the storytelling method and also,how the teachers support their students in order to enhance their comprehension of the teachingcontent. Future research within this area is needed and specifically within a Swedish context.More research on the storytelling method and its possibilities to EFL acquisition could strengthen the argument why this method should be used more frequently to teach vocabulary within EFL education in Sweden. / <p>Engelska</p>

The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of Swedish primary school students’ EFL self-assessments. Self-assessment is an important component of formative assessment, which is the main tool used by Swedish primary school teachers when evaluating EFL proficiency. In the study, a survey and a vocabulary picture test were conducted. The survey consisted of Likert-scale statements and was used for students’ EFL self-assessments. It was followed by an English vocabulary picture test to evaluate students’ English vocabulary. To investigate whether there was a correlation between the results of students’ self-assessments and their results on the vocabulary picture tests, a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was produced. Furthermore, results were also analysed by individual, item, and gender. In conclusion, EFL self-assessments made by the students were found to have a weak correlation of 0.22 to their results on the English vocabulary picture test. Thus, the findings of this study indicate that young Primary School students’ EFL self-assessments should not be used as the sole evaluation of English proficiency.

This study aims at exploring (1) EFL students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) from the perspectives of some English teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools, and (2) the same teachers’ reported strategies for dealing with their students’ WTC. Six teachers from five different upper secondary schools in Sweden, who all teach English in different programs, volunteered to participate in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results of the study showed that teachers perceive both social and psychological factors to influence students’ WTC, and that motivation plays an important role. A natural part of discussing EFL learners’ WTC also seemed to be to discuss their use of the target language. Strategies that were reportedly perceived to enhance EFL learners’ WTC were building respectful relationships within the classroom, using meaningful and relevant topics, creating communicative settings, correcting mistakes cautiously and utilizing digital tools. However, enhancing students’ WTC was considered challenging, and more teacher training in affecting factors of and strategies for enhancing EFL learners’ WTC are suggested to be needed.