Many second language (L2) teachers are concerned about the use of computers in the classroom and question the value of using them if they do not promote meaningful interaction. Research performed on French as a Second Language (FSL) students’ language interaction at the computer agrees with Mohan's (1986) research on English as a Second Language students' language interaction which suggests that the quantity and quality of interaction is lower during computer tasks compared to conversation. Secondly, analysis of the codeswitching (CS) of the FSL students' interaction suggests that intersentential CS shows functional variation in discourse during computer use compared to conversation. This study examines the use of the computer to facilitate interaction as well as the possible role of CS in second language acquisition. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

While native speakers adjust their speech to accommodate non-native speakers on syntactic and prosodic levels, they also make adjustments on the level of discourse. It has been argued that these interactional adjustments are crucial to the promotion of language learning. A quasi-experimental, factorial study compared the frequencies of nine interactional features used in the speech of four ESL teachers as they taught beginner and advanced level adult classes. It was expected that teachers would change their use of each feature accordingly as students neared native proficiency. Nine two-way analyses of variance were employed to capture three sources of variation in the use of the interactional features: proficiency level, teacher and proficiency level by teacher interaction. As predicted, display questions and self-repetitions were used significantly less often with advanced students than with beginners. High variability in teacher behaviour was discovered, and seemed to be primarily an artifact of lesson content. In fact, discourse usage seemed to vary as a function of lesson content, as well as proficiency level of the students. One result, the marked reduction in use of display questions at the advanced level, was discussed in light of prevailing ESL goals. As research addresses the question of whether and which adjustments do promote language acquisition, there will be implications for teacher training. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

This study tested the hypothesis that students who were identified as possessing an intuitive preference, or cognitive style, on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator would learn most about a series of poetry concepts if they were in an environment which emphasized discovery learning and low levels of structure. Conversely, those students who were identified as possessing a sensing preference, or cognitive style on the indicator would learn most in a more directed and structured environment. Data was gathered on 167 Grade 8 students who had been randomly assigned to two treatment groups. Analysis of variance and linear regression revealed significant disordinal interaction for one of the two treatment methods. The interaction partially supported the hypothesis: "N" students achieved most in a discovery-learning environment (P<.005 and P<.001), while "S" students were not significantly advantaged in the more directed and structured environment. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The ability to read and write academic discourse in a second language often determines an ESL student's scholastic progress. Recent related research has focused on the academic reading of ESL university students at the text level, often at the single or multi-paragraph level (Block, 1986; Carrell, 1985, 1987), and has looked at categories that were general across subject areas. This study explores how first year university ESL students cope with the reading demands of two specific credit courses, English Literature and Introductory Psychology, within the context of the course requirements, the instruction, and the nature of the academic discipline itself. The research method focused on ethnographic interviews with ten students from various Asian countries and their Canadian instructors, on classroom observations, and on the researcher's extensive field diary. Analysis of the findings identified three major coping strategies: self-management, background knowledge and experience, and reliance on the instructors in the disciplines. The nature of the genre, the students' interest in the discipline, and their perseverance in reading comprehension appear to influence their choice of strategies in meeting specific academic objectives. These strategies contributed to the background knowledge component of the academic tasks that the students face. Their efforts at academic tasks were guided by the concern to do what was required to complete course assignments. Essentially, course assignments directed the action component or agenda, of the students' academic tasks. Reading-to-learn involved approaching the genre-specific reading tasks at the whole text level within the context of what was required to successfully fulfil the course requirements of the particular genre. The primary reality of the students was to demonstrate an adequate level of academic proficiency. In contrast with previous research, findings indicated the importance of genre-specific reading tasks at the whole-text level rather than generic reading at the paragraph level, and the importance of relating coping strategies to the context of what was required to fulfil course requirements rather than the study of strategies in isolation. Thus, the findings were consistent with a theoretical model (Mohan, 1986) analyzing academic tasks into an action component and a knowledge component. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

This study aimed to explore the complexity and interrelationships of language, culture and identity from the learners' perspectives. The focus of the study was on the exchange experiences of five Hong Kong students in the Canadian tertiary contexts. The participants were bilingual learners. They came from an educational background which emphasized English as a medium of instruction. In Canada, the students had the language competence to integrate into mainstream courses during their one year stay. This study questioned whether language was also their passport into a new culture. The study was divided into two phases. The first phase was a pilot study (January 1997- May 1997). Emergent themes from the pilot study guided the research questions in the second phase of the study ( October 1997 - July 1998). The methodology employed in this study emphasized a naturalistic inquiry approach and co-authorship with the participants. The research focused on a multiple case study approach with an ethnographic link to highlight the interpretive and sociocultural perspectives of the study. Research strategies included direct and participant observation, home visit, e-mail, phone conversation, informal interview, intensive discussion, secondary informant, artifact and metaphor. Personal narratives were central to the discussions in data analysis. Data collected in the study support the learner agency framework on the issue of social identity. Themes which emerged from the research process suggest multiple voices, multiple interpretations and multiple realities in the process of language socialization. Many interactive variables in the social contexts influence the construction and reconstruction of knowledge on language, culture and identity. Language socialization is a complex interweave of meanings between the individual and the environment. Ambivalence, contradictions and uncertainties are recurring themes in the rites of transition. Learners are empowered by their awareness and agency in their struggle. They are active agents of their identities, roles and status in changing sociocultural settings. This study urges the need for language educators to include voices of the learners in language research and to re-examine the notions of language power, cultural diversity, social access, claim of ownership, learner investment and human agency in language pedagogy. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

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This thesis shows one way of presenting a writing process to students in conjunction with other writing programs which are mandated to be taught by the school district.

Learning to speak a foreign language can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, involving verbal exchanges in a target language. It is a process that includes learning about, understanding, and to some extent identifying with members of another culture who speak a different language. The inclusion of collaborative activities in the language classroom provides a natural setting for conversation and increases the learners' opportunity to use the target language. When working in small groups or in pairs, students are practically forced to communicate to accomplish a learning task. Students learn together so they are subsequently able to perform better individually. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine if a collaborative assessment preparation strategy with immediate feedback used in an intensive adult English language program at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLI) had an effect on achievement, confidence and satisfaction with the learning experience. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationships among students' entry proficiency level, language anxiety, confidence, satisfaction and achievement when DLI students used the collaborative strategy. DLI provides English language training to members of foreign militaries from over 100 countries. This quasi-experimental study included 76 participants from 21 different countries, enrolled in upper-intermediate General English courses at DLI. The instructional intervention used by participants in the experimental group included individual and pair completion of practice quizzes using immediate feedback assessment technique (IF AT) answer sheets. Participants in the control condition went through the same lesson plans as their experimental group peers but without completing any of the practice quizzes. Data were collected over the course of one week using test scores, survey instruments, interviews and classroom observations. Results showed that there was no significant difference between control group and experimental group on the outcome measures. However, the relationship between confidence and achievement was significant. Analysis of learner perceptions of the instructional strategy revealed three overarching themes: (1) students valued collaborating and discussing with peers during quiz completion; (2) the feedback they received; and (3) learning from their mistakes. Students perceived making mistakes and disagreements with their partners as less enjoyable. Instructors mentioned the immediate feedback learners received, the active learner engagement, and learner confidence as the most beneficial attributes of the intervention. The overarching concern of instructors was the time it took to complete the quizzes, due to the already limited time available to cover course content. Limitations of the study include the short data collection period resulting in limited exposure to the intervention, the uniqueness of the participants, and the inclusion of only upper-intermediate level books in the experiment. Future research should include all levels of the General English curriculum, participant scores from practice quizzes, and learner perceptions by culture group. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / February 17, 2015. / Achievement, Anxiety, Assessment, Collaboration, Confidence, Practice Quiz / Includes bibliographical references. / James D. Klein, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeffrey A. Milligan, University Representative; Vanessa P. Dennen, Committee Member; Alysia Roehrig, Committee Member.

This study centers on maintaining motivation in second language learning (SLL), by exploring Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs), a recently conceptualized phenomenon theorized by Professor Dornyei and his colleagues (Dornyei, Muir, Ibrahim, 2014; Dornyei, Ibrahim, Muir, 2015). DMCs are characterized by motivational intensity, goal-directness, and self-propelled progress. They also build on an intricate structure that includes an explicitly laid-out pathway with a clear set of subgoals. These subgoals serve as progress markers and can create opportunities for regular feedback and positive emotionality, resulting from a fruitful cooperation within a supportive discussion group. As a second language learners (SLLs) accomplish their respective goals and subgoals, they solidify their long-term motivation and significantly increase their chances of reaching a high level of second language (L2) proficiency. The aim of this study is to explore the role of DMCs in developing language learning proficiency among Arab heritage learners (AHLs) and Arab ESL learners, as well as to identify the most effective components of DMCs for adult second language learners. The research sample included two groups of students enrolled in language programs at Florida State University: AHLs who were studying Arabic in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, and native Arabic speakers who were studying ESL at the university’s Center for Intensive English Studies. Each group had 3 students. Accordingly, the main queries that guided this research examine the extent to which DMCs exist for these students, how the phenomenological makeup of the DMCs differed between the two groups, and how the DMCs dynamically impacted the participants’ learning processes over the course of one academic semester. Based on a phenomenological method of data analysis exploratory research, data was gathered through in-depth interviews, reflective journals, and observations for the participants of both groups. In addition to providing an empirical validation of the DMC phenomenon, the results revealed what it was like to experience a DMC, how the participants developed DMC structures, and how they maintained individual and group motivation in an academic language learning setting. Findings suggest that developing a DMC structure immediately after a DMC starts is vital to maintaining long-term motivation, due to the effect of a behavioral routine and its role in ensuring the interactive engagement needed to achieve one’s goal. The findings also underscored the central roles of the language institution and the language teacher in altering second language learners’ behavioral routines, and how learners transition from a salient and facilitative recognizable structure to a clear perception of progress. As a result of the positive effect that the individuals received throughout the DMC experience, their efforts were appreciated and effective engagement was maintained until their goals were accomplished. However, this positive effect was not just the pleasure of activity and engagement or the feelings that were associated with simply learning a second language. Rather, it was the high energy that was received due to a sense of happiness associated with a great transformation, which developed the participants’ vision of how to reach the goal, levels of structural development and skills, and individuals’ feelings about how they were developing. The results likewise revealed that DMCs can be experienced not just by individuals but also by groups of learners, when a combined energy becomes directed toward a shared goal. Furthermore, the study shows that groups’ DMCs were based on the ultimate form of the group’s performance, in large part due to the time they invested in learning the L2, and that reaching the goal maintained motivation by letting them use their highest capacity to apply what they learned. In summary, the empirical evidence presented in this study suggests that long-term motivation in a DMC is the outcome of the ideal combination of motivational principles that enable individuals to reach their highest level and to achieve outstanding results in terms of accomplishing their goals. Throughout the DMC and due to the effect of the positive impact and structural functions, the motivational energy was renewed, allowing both long-term progress and autonomy interaction without the need for optional self-regulatory procedures. Once applied in a second language setting, DMCs deliver an exceptionally influential boost to second language learners’ performance as well as their motivation. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / July 9, 2018. / Comparative analysis, DMC, ESLs, HLLs, Motivation, SLL / Includes bibliographical references. / Phil Hiver, Professor Directing Dissertation; Valliere Richard Auzenne, University Representative; Ayesha Khurshid, Committee Member; Kelly Whalon, Committee Member.

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