Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, August 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Although there is a considerable body of research into various aspects of the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language, there appear to be few studies into the teaching of modern foreign languages (ML) to adolescents in the context of a secondary school setting. This thesis reports the findings of research aimed at identifying the strategies that ML teachers, considered examples of good practice, used to engage secondary school learners in interaction in the target language (TL) with the objective of developing their communicative competence. Four teachers’ lessons with their pupils aged 14-15, in their third year of learning a foreign language at secondary school, were observed and audio-recorded. Three of each of the teachers’ observed lessons were subjected to fine grained analysis with the aim of delineating their TL moves which appeared to influence pupils so that they used the TL themselves readily to communicate meaning ‘naturally’ as well as to practise structures in more controlled exercises. The teachers and a sample of their pupils were subsequently interviewed to provide confirmation or disconfirmation of initial patterns arising from examination of the observational data set. Although the data were analysed predominantly qualitatively, quantitative methods were also employed to provide a clear picture of the teachers’ TL use and the way it was deployed to assist learners in developing effective communicative skills. Goffman’s (1981) production and Wadensjö’s (1998) reception formats, not normally associated with the classroom, were considered appropriate to describe the participation frameworks within which the development of the learners’ communicative proficiency was supported. The findings display ways in which the TL used by the teachers helped to create a secure collaborative atmosphere where pupils were disposed to respond in the TL. The teachers’ use of different ‘types’ of TL, depending on the focus in the lesson, was viewed as supporting learners in preparation for communicating their own meaning in exchanges in ‘real world’ interaction outside the classroom. A particularly successful scaffolding strategy employed by the teachers was the provision of TL cues offered to the learners before they responded to initiations which enabled them to express their meaning in the TL. Revoicing of learners’ incomplete TL utterances also appeared successful in supporting learners to use their limited language resource effectively. Through its close analysis of classroom talk, this thesis offers an important contribution to the understanding of the complex nature of interaction in the ML classroom and the role that teachers’ use of TL plays in assisting adolescent learners to develop TL communication skills in interaction. Beginning teachers, as well as those more experienced practitioners, should benefit from the strategies identified, which appear to highlight the importance of establishing a collaborative classroom ethos which supports the learners, allowing them to contribute in the TL successfully.

This research explores the processes of learning to teach Modern Languages (MLs) in the rapidly changing landscape of teacher education. It employs a postmodern critical ethnographic methodology (Lather, 1991) to examine the experiences of a group of student teachers and me, as their tutor, over the course of a one year PGCE programme. The focus is on how experiences in University and in School shape their emerging professional identities, in particular how these experiences encourage or discourage the development of a creative approach to the practice of language teaching. There is evidence which suggests that ML teaching is often mundane and does not inspire young people to study Languages (The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), 2011). However, the pressures of ‘performative’ requirements which privilege that which is measurable (Ball, 2003) act as a discouragement to creativity. This thesis finds that whilst student teachers express a desire to be more creative, they find it difficult to implement their ideas in School. I draw on postmodern interpretations of Marx and Freud to problematize the notion of ‘professional autonomy’ and to argue that the early formation of professional identity is a process of acquiescence to oppressive external structures over which individuals have no control, resulting in the alienation of the individual from the work they do. I also explore questions concerning the nature of subjectivity and the relationship between the individual and the external world through Romantic philosophy and poetry. As both subject and object of this ethnographic study, I employ a reflexive methodology to explore the evolution of my own professional identity. The critical narrative emerges from the data, which reveals how professional identities are simultaneously constructed and alienated.

Education of programming language is often included in Czech secondary education as a method of implementation of corresponding school standards. By the time of publishing this thesis, these standards are only vaguely defined, so the effect of teaching programming can't be objectively evaluated from the perspective of the standards. This thesis elaborates on the usability of educational programming languages with respect to cognitive level of secondary school students, which may be used as a founded source in defining standards of particular schools.

Les décisions sur les langues, ou politiques linguistiques familiales, constituent le cadre de cette recherche portant sur la transmission de l'anglais dans des familles francophones résidant en France. L'objectif est de mieux comprendre pourquoi et comment ces décisions sont prises par les parents, à travers l'étude de leurs représentations et de la façon dont ils rendent compte de leurs décisions. Les résultats montrent que les représentations des parents sur l'enseignement des langues sont négatives et qu'elles expliquent pourquoi ils sélectionnent un modèle d'enseignement bilingue pour leur enfant. Leurs représentations du bi/plurilinguisme et de l'anglais sont positives : ils souhaitent avant tout transmettre une langue qu'ils affectionnent et qui participe à leur identité en tant qu'individus plurilingues plus qu'ils ne la considèrent utile. Le vécu linguistique des parents, leur désir de bilinguisme pour l'enfant, les questionnements liés à ce qu'implique le choix d'une autre langue que sa langue native, l'investissement ainsi que la place centrale de l'enfant dans ces décisions permettent de mieux comprendre leurs politiques linguistiques. / Decisions regarding languages, or what is called family language policy, is the main focus of the present study which deals with the transmission of English in francophone families living in France. To better understand how their decisions are taken, this research aims at analyzing the underlying parents' representations and the way they account for their choices. The results show how negative their representations of foreign language teaching in France are, which explains why they tend to favor a bilingual education for their children. Their representations of bi/plurilingualism, along with the English language, are positive and point to the fact they want to pass on a language that they are particularly fond of and which is part of their identity as plurilingual individuals. Their experience with languages, the project of bilingualism for their children, the questions raised by what it means to speak a language other than the native language, their investment and the place of the child within their decision making process enable us to better understand their family language policies.

This diploma thesis deals with the education and communication of students with hearing impairment with a focus on the analysis of the level of understanding of information in sign language for students of special secondary schools for the hearing impaired. The theoretical part presents important concepts in this area, such as the definition of communication and communication options for the hearing impaired, as well as educational opportunities for the hearing impaired from a preschool level to a university and last but not least sign languages, their research in the world and Czech sign language as a native language of people with hearing impairment in the Czech Republic. The empirical part describes the research, which was conducted on 65 probands - high school students of the special school for students with a hearing impairment. The research is focused on the differences in the level of understanding of groups of students according to their identification data and also examined whether comprehension is affected by the complexity of the information transmitted (i.e. whether information at the level of ordinary conversation is better understood than a professional information). The research survey was of a qualitative nature and the main research method was a non-standardized questionnaire...

The use of the mother tongue (MT) as a medium of instruction in schools is still a problematic subject of debate in South Africa and the continent at large. In most African countries, English remains the medium of instruction (MoI). This structured research sought to highlight the pros and cons of using mother tongue instruction in schools, specifically Northern Sotho, which is spoken by one of the ethnic groups in South Africa. Currently, in South Africa, children receive mother tongue education from grade one to three. In this study, the researcher argues that mother tongue should be used from grade one to twelve. For this study, the researcher relied on extant literature on mother tongue education. The concept of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) by Cummins (2001) was used to guide this study. The argument for mother tongue education is premised on the fact that it is crucial for the success and progress of children at school. As an example, studies have shown that children who are taught in their mother tongue such as Afrikaans and English, which remain the defacto mediums of instruction in the schools in South Africa, and French, German, Mandarin, etc. in other countries, excel in school and understand subjects such as Maths and Science better. / Ngangišano ya tšhomišo ya polelo ya gae bjalo ka polelo yeo e šomišwago go ruta dikolong e sa le taba ye bothata dinageng tše ntši le mo Afrika Borwa. Dikolong tše ntši mo dinageng tše, Seisemane ke leleme leo le sa šomišwago bjalo ka leleme la go ruta. Tlhamo ya nyakišišo ye e nyaka go gateletša bohlokwa bja go šomiša polelo ya gae bjalo ka polelo yeo e ka šomišwago dikolong, kudukudu Northern Sotho yeo e bolelwago ke ye nngwe ya dihlopha tša MaAfrika Borwa. Gonabjale mo Afrika Borwa, bana ba rutwa ka leleme la gae go tloga go mphato wa 1-3. Mo thutong ye, monyakišiši o nganga gore polelo ya gae e swanetše go šomišwa go tloga go mphato wa pele go fihlela go wa masomepedi. Thutong ye, monyakišiši o ipotile ka dingwalo tšeo di ngwadilwego ka ga thuto ya polelo ya gae. Kakanyo ya “Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)” yeo e tlilego ka Cummins (2001) e tla šomišwa go tlhahla thuto ye. Ngangišano ka ga thuto ya leleme la gae e theilwe godimo ga nnete ya gore le bohlokwa kudukudu go katlego le tšwelopele ya bana sekolong. Bjalo ka mohlala, dithuto di bontšhitše gore bana bao ba rutwago ka leleme la gae bjalo ka leleme la SeAfrikaanse le Seisemane, ao e sa lego maleme a thuto dikolong mo Afrika Borwa, SeForentšhe, Sejeremane, SeMandarini bjalobjalo kua dinageng tše dingwe, ba dira mošomo wo mobotse sekolong gomme ba kwešiša dithuto tša go swana le Thutadipalo le Saense bokaone. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)