Call number: LD2668 .T4 1933 G41

The study revolves around the delivery of an ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) program on conflict management in the workplace to a small group of adult learners studying in a private educational institution in Sydney, Australia. The program was of four days???? duration, and was delivered over a four-week period. It involved both in-class and out-of-class tasks, and required learners to analyse their own discourse practices, those of other learners, and those of the speech community in which they were living. The program had two principle objectives. Firstly, it asked whether learners are able to modify their discourse practices at will in order to achieve successful negotiation outcomes. Secondly, it explored the effect of deliberately altered discourse styles on perceptions of learners held by speech community members. The methodology employed to achieve these objectives was ethnographic in nature and involved the following processes: 1. Learners were video-taped negotiating with other learners before and after the program. 2. Learners undertook the program aimed at increasing their ability to negotiate in business environments using culturally appropriate spoken language in conjunction with compatible prosodic and paralinguistic features as well as conversation management strategies. Learners kept diaries of their experiences and self-evaluation, and were interviewed following the course. 3. A group of nine native speakers of English viewed the 'before' and 'after' video-tapes and completed a survey aimed at collecting and quantitatively measuring (change in) their perceptions of the learners. This change was statistically analysed using a repeated-measures t test. The effect proved statistically significant overall; t(80) = 1.990, p&gt.01, two-tailed. 4. The 'before' and 'after' negotiations were then analysed by the researcher using ethnomethodological Conversation Analysis, modified to include some aspects of facial expression. The implications of the findings for teaching 'Business English', 'Global English' and 'Speaking' more generally are then discussed.

This study investigated the use of English in Quebec offices; it further examined the knowledge and strategies used by francophones as they perform various business-related tasks in English. A sample of 26 offices located in a primarily francophone community were surveyed regarding what tasks employees were required to perform in English. Results showed that all but one required some level of English proficiency. It is to be noted that 46% of the offices surveyed conducted all of their business within Quebec's borders. These findings led to the conclusion that English is a requirement in the majority of offices and therefore should be taught in Quebec's secretarial and accounting programmes. / In the second phase of this research, concurrent and retrospective verbal reports were used to examine two of the tasks frequently reported as being performed in English in the offices surveyed. Six volunteers (3 experienced and 3 inexperienced) performed role plays of each task and the strategies they used in the preparation and execution of the role plays were coded into previously determined categories which were based on the work of Bachman and Palmer (1996) as well as that of Tarone (1980). All participants showed evidence of having used Bachman and Palmer's goal setting, assessment and planning strategies in preparation of their role play performances, and they all used at least some of Tarone's compensatory strategies in the actual execution of the role plays. / Further research is suggested in the area of strategy-based English second language instruction within the business programmes offered by the Quebec Ministry of Education.

The study revolves around the delivery of an ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) program on conflict management in the workplace to a small group of adult learners studying in a private educational institution in Sydney, Australia. The program was of four days???? duration, and was delivered over a four-week period. It involved both in-class and out-of-class tasks, and required learners to analyse their own discourse practices, those of other learners, and those of the speech community in which they were living. The program had two principle objectives. Firstly, it asked whether learners are able to modify their discourse practices at will in order to achieve successful negotiation outcomes. Secondly, it explored the effect of deliberately altered discourse styles on perceptions of learners held by speech community members. The methodology employed to achieve these objectives was ethnographic in nature and involved the following processes: 1. Learners were video-taped negotiating with other learners before and after the program. 2. Learners undertook the program aimed at increasing their ability to negotiate in business environments using culturally appropriate spoken language in conjunction with compatible prosodic and paralinguistic features as well as conversation management strategies. Learners kept diaries of their experiences and self-evaluation, and were interviewed following the course. 3. A group of nine native speakers of English viewed the 'before' and 'after' video-tapes and completed a survey aimed at collecting and quantitatively measuring (change in) their perceptions of the learners. This change was statistically analysed using a repeated-measures t test. The effect proved statistically significant overall; t(80) = 1.990, p&gt.01, two-tailed. 4. The 'before' and 'after' negotiations were then analysed by the researcher using ethnomethodological Conversation Analysis, modified to include some aspects of facial expression. The implications of the findings for teaching 'Business English', 'Global English' and 'Speaking' more generally are then discussed.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine and analyse student achievement as a result of the use of an experimental edition of a programmed business English textbook in selected classes. The participants in the study were 202 post high school and junior college students distributed in seven classes in four states. The textbook used was the experimental edition of Programmed Business English, developed by Harry Huffman of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia, and Syrell Rogovin, a linguist at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Yorktown Heights, New York. The students took a pretest before initiating their study of the textbook. Four interim tests were taken during the study, and a posttest was taken at the conclusion of the study. A comparison of posttest over pretest achievement represented students’ business English achievement as a result of their study of the textbook. Specific problems and findings in the study were: 1: Problem: Reliability of the pretest and the posttest used in the study. Findings: By using Tests A and B (pretests and posttests) the investigator found a .66 positive correlation between Tests A and B. By using the split-half method on Tests A and B the investigator found a .82 positive correlation on Test A and a .87 positive correlation on Test B. 2: Problem: Business English achievement of students before they used the program business English textbook. Findings: The achievement of individual students before they used the programmed business English textbook ranged from a low of 23 percent for a student in Class 1 to a high of 82 percent for students in Classes 3 and 7. 3. Problem: Business English achievement of selected classes of students after they used the programmed business English textbook. Findings: The achievement of individual students after they used the programmed business English Textbook ranged from a low of 31 percent for a student in Class 2 to a high of 99 percent for a student in Class 3. 4. Problem: Analysis and interpretation of the business English achievement of each class after the programmed business English textbook had been used. Findings: The mean gains in points were 20.41, 24.39, 25.00, 22.31, 19.09, 36.18, and 19.14 for the seven classes who used the textbook. 5. Problem: Comparison of the business English achievement among the classes that used the programmed business English textbook. Findings: Class 6 had the highest mean achievement (88.41) after completing the textbook used in the study, and Class 1 had the lowest mean achievement (64.59). The mean posttest achievement for all the classes was 74.11 percent. 6. Problem: Participating instructors’ opinions as to the strengths and weaknesses of the programmed business English textbook. Findings: Five of the six instructors who returned questionnaires to the investigator had favorable opinions of the textbook. They stated that it was beneficial for more detailed work and left the teacher free to work with slower students. All the replies stated that the textbook provides for more hours or periods of instruction than were used. The major objection to the textbook was the testing program. The tests, according to the instructors, were too infrequent and covered too much material. The advantages the instructors cited were: the provision for individual differences, the immediate verification of response, and the opportunity provided the teacher to work with individual students. / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Wang, Yanyan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 333-352). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; Includes Chinese.

This work questions the usefulness of heuristic procedures, within composition in general writing in business in particular, as an effective aid to the generation of written, non-fiction discourse.

A growing number of American businesses are offering ESL courses at the work site; likewise, more and more textbooks designed specifically for teaching ESL in the Workplace (EWP), are being written and published. The need for an evaluation of these new texts with regard to current teaching methodology, the particularities of EWP, and the social implications of EWP is a vital one. A good EWP text, besides serving as a guide and resource for learners, can also facilitate intercultural understanding, increase awareness of workers' rights and unions, and promote participation in training programs for job flexibility and promotion. Most importantly, a good EWP textbook can develop the skills necessary for learners, not simply to fit into the American world of work, but to become active participants in their workplaces. This study was intended to determine what EWP texts are currently available, and to evaluate them in light of three primary concerns: the social implications of their contents, their portrayal of workplace culture and relationships, and their effectiveness in exploring issues of conflict and unfairness at work.