This thesis demonstrates the effectiveness of using computer technology and the Internet to enhance classroom teaching. A variety of computer and internet based projects that complement lessons initiated by the classroom teacher provide real life situations for additional practice, reinforcement, motivation and greater student achievement.

With a view to improve English teaching, this project provides creative teaching methods for English teachers of elementary schools in Taiwan. Storytelling, creative writing, and creative drama are interesting and lively activities that are used to motivate students to learn English.

This thesis tackles the issues of foreign language education, with special attention to German as a foreign language, and STEM education in the K-12, and in some cases K-16, educational system. After exploring the societal and national need for improved STEM and foreign language education programs, this thesis suggests methods of integrating STEM education elements and principals in the foreign language classroom. These methods are provided in chapters about integrating state and national education standards in the STEM fields, core academic subject fields, and foreign language teaching, and finally in chapters about the most appropriate and effective pedagogies for successful STEM and foreign language integration. The thesis brings together research about such integration in learning modules and discussion about assessment methods and further areas of research needed. The learning modules and research are answering a call for a need to shift education in the direction of an integrative, interdisciplinary approach that supports deeper learning, meaning making, and student interest.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Sin duda la lectura tiene un papel importante en el aula de segunda lengua. No solo es una manera efectiva de adquirir vocabulario y gramática sino también es un buen instrumento para presentar la cultura de la lengua meta. Por lo tanto, es necesario que los estudiantes puedan leer bien. No obstante, los problemas de comprensión surgen cuando a los estudiantes les falta competencia lingüística o conocimiento previo o, las diferencias en las aptitudes de leer, varían en cada estudiante. Entonces es importante que los maestros les den a los estudiantes los instrumentos que les permitan acceder a las estrategias de comprensión. La meta de este trabajo es probar que entre más conciencia metacognitiva tenga un estudiante de segunda lengua, mejor será su comprensión del texto. En general, los maestros de segunda lengua entienden la importancia del conocimiento de vocabulario y gramática en cuanto al éxito de lectura, pero quizás no se dan cuenta de que la conciencia metacognitiva tiene un papel igualmente importante. Por ello, este trabajo es tanto para los maestros que no están familiarizados con la instrucción de las estrategias de la comprensión de lectura como para los que dudan del valor en el currículo, ya lleno de lecciones y ejercicios comunicativos.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / El propósito del presente estudio es cultivar un entendimiento avanzado de este proceso de construcción identitaria por medio del análisis de un cuestionario diseñado para explorar las relaciones complicadas entre el estudio de lenguas extranjeras, la cultura y la identidad. Específicamente, examinaré los efectos del componente cultural en sus diversas manifestaciones durante el estudio de una lengua extranjera para acertar cómo interactúan varias experiencias culturales en la creación de una identidad L2, qué efectos tienen ciertas experiencias en esta construcción o renegociación identitaria y cuáles son las experiencias culturales que más influyen y contribuyen a la creación de una identidad L2. Además, exploraré las varias combinaciones de tales experiencias culturales para relacionarlas con la fuerza y la profundidad de la identidad L2 construida, estableciendo así patrones preestablecidos si los resultados del cuestionario revelan correlaciones claras. Este proceso de crear, reconstruir y renegociar una identidad L2 por medio de un conjunto de experiencias de exposición cultural es un fenómeno válido con importantes implicaciones pedagógicas tanto para la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras como para el campo de la adquisición de segundas lenguas. Es mi creencia que las conclusiones del presente estudio serán imprescindibles para la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras, puesto que los patrones revelados por el cuestionario podrían influir la formación de nuevos currículos y programas de estudio orientados más a la enseñanza—y exposición—de la cultura de la lengua meta. Con el propósito de ayudar con el proceso de renegociación identitaria ya establecido en la metodología de enseñanza, estos nuevos currículos podrían incorporar los componentes culturales más efectivos en la construcción de una identidad L2. Por extensión, la implementación de estos nuevos programas de estudio quizá cambiará la manera en la que los estudiantes se acerquen al estudio lingüístico y facilitará el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras tanto en el aula como en el extranjero, logrando de este modo mejores resultados y la creación exitosa de más hablantes proficientes.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / El propósito de esta investigación es ahondar más en las expectativas que forman los estudiantes de un programa Máster de la enseñanza de segunda lengua para su experiencia de estudio en el extranjero (EE). El investigador intenta observar la formación y la evolución de estas expectativas y, después del programa, la realización percibida de estas expectativas y sus posibles explicaciones. También espera ver la conexión entre la formación y realización de sus expectativas y estar en programa de enseñanza de segunda lengua. Además, se considera que esta investigación valdrá para evaluar informalmente la experiencia de EE provista por el programa de Másters en la enseñanza de segunda lengua y para arrojar más luz sobre qué expectativas son realistas para un programa de este tipo.

This study was conducted to explore gender differences in language acquisition of adult male and female learners in Qatar. With globalization, English is no longer exclusively being used by the traditional English-speaking world only. It has become the international communicative language, used for commerce and trade, as well as the social media. For these reasons, many learners in Qatar attend an English language centre to acquire the necessary skills to become more fluent in the language. Both male and female learners enter the classroom with a wealth of life experiences, but just unable to communicate effectively in the target language. Therefore, teaching English to adult males and females from different nationalities, including the local Qatari population, should never been considered in isolation. The gender differences in language acquisition of these learners have to be acknowledged, taking their cognitive styles, motivation towards learning, strategies employed, anxieties experienced and the teaching practices into account. English language lecturers have a responsibility to be knowledgeable on the subject they teach, as well as possess the necessary skills to best educate these learners. In this situation, adult language learners do however, also have to accept responsibility for their own actions and seek out every opportunity to acquire English. / Educational Studies / D. Phil. (Adult Educatiion)

Summaries in Engish and Afrikaans / Many learners of Arabic in Southern Africa have been unable to achieve communicative competence. An investigation into a possible link between teaching methodology and Arabic acquisition was undertaken. In the literature study, theories of language acquisition and related teaching methodologies and approaches were scrutinized. A questionnaire was developed to determine current practices in the teaching of Arabic. The results of the empirical investigation indicated that grammar-translation is the dominant teaching method. Majority of the learners are taught in a medium other than Arabic, have inadequate exposure to Arabic native speakers, are given very little opportunity to communicate in the language and spend the largest proportion of time translating to and from Arabic. The educational implications of the findings are discussed, and guidelines regarding methods of improving the acquisition of all four skills in Arabic are provided, both for teachers at schools and at tertiary academic institutions. / Meeste leerders van Arabies in Suidelike Afrika bereik nie komrnunikatiewe bevoegdheid in Arabies nie. 'n Ondersoek na 'n moontlike verband tussen die onderrigmetodes wat tans gebruik word en die verwerwing van Arabies is in hierdie studie ondemeem. In die literatuuroorsig is 'n aantal taalverwerwingsteoriee en verbandhoudende onderrigmetodologiee ondersoek. 'n Vraelys is ontwikkel om huidige praktyke met betrekking tot die onderrig van Arabies te bepaal. Die resultate van die empiriese ondersoek het aangedui dat die grammatika-vertaalmetode die dominante onderrigmetode is. Die meerderheid leerders word nie deur middel van Arabies onderrig nie, word nie voldoende aan Arabiese moedertaalsprekers blootgestel nie, het min of geen geleentheid om in Arabies te komrnunikeer nie en bestee die meeste van hul tyd aan die vertaling uit en na Arabies. Die opvoedkundige implikasies van die bevindinge is bespreek en voorstelle vir die verbetering van onderrigmetodes in Arabies is gemaak vir sowel onderwysers by skole en vir tersiere onderwysinstellings. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The effect of the academic literacy intervention programme on the SATAP English scores was evaluated. This study begins as a longitudinal study in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology (FSET). 120 subjects from the Electrical, Civil, Building and Mechanical departments in the FSET were randomly selected to serve as an experimental group. The research design employed a quantitative methodology. Data was collected using the Standardised Assessment Tests for Access and Placement (SATAP) English Test. The test was administered to the experimental group as a pre- test and post-test measure at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. The SPSS statistical programme with frequency tables and graphs was utilised to analyse the data obtained. The results indicated that the difference between the pre-test scores and the post-test scores was statistically significant. The post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test ones. It was concluded that the academic literacy intervention programme was effective in increasing the SATAP scores and therefore addressed some of the language needs of students. / Language Education Arts and Culture / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The purpose of this research was to explore the ways in which a small, purposefully sampled group of Grade One isiXhosa-speaking children began the process of becoming literate in English as their second language. The research looked specifically for evidence of strategic behaviours in reading and writing which, according to Clay (200 I, 2005), form the foundation for self-extending systems and have the potential to accelerate learning. The research was guided by the principles of Clay's early intervention Reading and Writing Recovery. By Clay's definition, self-extending systems are literacy processing systems that work, that is, they enable children to continue to learn to read by reading and to write by writing. Within this context, the research explored the role of oral language in learning to read and write in English. Consideration was given to the potential for transfer of the principles that underlie Reading Recovery to South African mainstream classrooms in an attempt to raise literacy outcomes for all. This is a particularly urgent need in South Africa where many attempts to tum around poor trajectories of literacy learning do not seem to have the desired long term effects. The results of the research showed that the children began to actively engage in their English literacy learning within a network of strategies, primarily motivated by making meaning of their texts. The findings of the research suggested that a mismatch of needs and instructional procedures was evident here in this formative stage of second language literacy learning. The results suggested that children who were already educationally at risk for a multitude of reasons, were being set back even further by instructional approaches that were unresponsive to their linguistic needs.