The number of learners of Japanese as a second or other language has increased rapidly worldwide over the past several decades. The objectives of their study have largely changed from pursuing purely academic research interests to acquiring the communicative skills needed for business or leisure purposes. There are five language competency skills needed to master foreign languages: reading, writing, listening, speaking and intercultural competence. Students, particularly those studying outside Japan, depend more on textbooks for learning how to speak than their peers in Japan; and speaking is studied formally through analysis of model discourses in selected textbooks. In particular, if the learner’s first language is very different from Japanese, which in fact almost all other languages are, the complexity of the spoken language, including gender difference and respect forms, presents most learners with certain challenges that require adequate explanation to be comprehended. Likewise, the larger the cultural gap between learner and target language, the greater are the challenges for acquiring intercultural competence, which is closely interrelated with the production of ‘natural speech’. It is, therefore, crucial for learners from other cultures who have little opportunity to speak in Japanese to learn from a textbook of good quality which provides appropriate explanation of the social and cultural context of the model dialogues they employ as exemplars. The present study aims to analyse and evaluate the appropriateness of model dialogues contained in intermediate level textbooks for learners of Japanese as a second or other language. The findings suggest that none of the selected textbooks included satisfactory explanation about the model discourses, so there seems to be much room for improvement in this regard. It is anticipated that the results of this study will contribute to the design concept of foreign language textbooks in future.

Education plays a vital role in shaping social structures and influencing social mobility in a society, and thus educational equality is a concern for many societies. Considering the compulsory status of English from basic to higher education in China and its symbolic meaning in Chinese society, this study regards it as a window to explore educational inequality and its association with social structures. This study investigates the roles played by family, geographic divide, and institution, and the way in which the three interplay in structuring the educational pathways of individuals and shaping educational inequality. This study describes a qualitative case study of 36 students of different social milieus in an elite university. Data from the case interviews is complemented by classroom observation of three secondary schools within the educational system hierarchy, classroom observation of the elite university, teacher interviews from the four educational institutions, and collected documents. I draw on Bourdieu's conceptual tools of different types of capital, field, and habitus in order to understand the complexity of educational inequality in China. The data present striking differences in the educational trajectories between social groups. The success of higher-SES students is partly ascribed to the richer volume and types of their families' cultural capital, and the inclination for their families to transfer abundant economic capital to their children's embodied cultural capital. The interview data suggest that disadvantaged students rely heavily on formal education and are inscribed with institutional habitus due to the scarcity of educational resources obtained from family. More importantly, for advantaged students, their family, secondary schools (previous field) and the elite university (current field) work together in a consistent way, resulting in a positive momentum that contributes to a sense of belonging and fitting-in to the elite university. On the contrary, for marginalised students, contradictions and disconnections are found between secondary schools and the current elite field in terms of institutional habitus and practices, which to a large extent can be ascribed to the stratified school system and geographic divides. This situation leads to a negative momentum for them, which causes feelings of alienation and a sense of disorientation when encountering the elite field. This academic disorientation is evident in their transitional period. Their habitus is identified by a transformative tendency with easier access to dominant cultural capital and habitus. However, the transformation is circumscribed by their huge efforts made in overcoming the initial difficulties and their families' lack of capital. Some special cases in my study suggest a more equal admission policy and the critical role that institutions play in compensating for a family's lack of capital. This thesis concludes with suggestions for more inclusive practices for institutions and policy makers in China to achieve a more equal educational context.

This study engages with the domains of second language teaching and learning (L2TL), drama-based teaching and learning (DBTL) and embodied cognition in order to establish how the effective implementation of DBTL may contribute to the efficacy of L2TL practices. There are shortfalls in second language (L2) classrooms and there is a need for a L2 teaching approach, which promotes social interaction in varied sociocultural contexts wherein learners are encouraged to make meaning in order to convey their message. The L2 learning processes created by this approach could overcome the shortfalls of L2TL and offer what is required by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) to acquire a L2. This study proposes that the use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) could overcome these shortfalls. However, CEFR can only be effective if the approach that is utilised in its implementation aligns with CEFR’s principles. This study argues that a drama-based teaching approach could adhere to CEFR and address the shortfalls of L2TL. This study explores drama as a facilitation tool and uses elements of process drama to create an approach to DBTL that could create learning experiences which may enhance the efficacy of L2TL and adhere to CEFR. This study argues that for a DBTL approach to be effective in L2TL, it has to foreground embodied cognition. Embodied cognition theories state that in order to create optimal learning opportunities, social, affective learning experiences should be created wherein learners interact with other humans and their environment in order to make and convey meaning. By critically engaging with embodied cognition theories, this study establishes which components of embodied cognition should be considered for DBTL to be effectively implemented in L2 classrooms. Subsequently, this knowledge ensures that the proposed approach to drama-based second language teaching and learning (DBL2TL) could allow for effective implementation. This study argues that a hypothetical DBL2TL programme based on this DBL2TL approach, which is steered by embodied cognition and adheres to CEFR, could overcome the shortfalls of L2TL. Furthermore, the programme could offer insight into how DBTL could effectively be implemented in L2TL, which in turn could enhance the effectual implementation of DBTL in L2 classrooms. Therefore, the hypothetical DBL2TL programme could enhance the efficacy of L2TL. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria 2020. / Drama / MA / Unrestricted

Effective ELL teaching and learning is profoundly influenced by the teachers’ personal experiences and personalities (Farrell, 2016), their experience as language learners as well as language teachers (Farrell, 2007), and their beliefs about learning and teaching a second language (Farrell, 2015; Farrell & Ives, 2015). This study honored and examined in-depth the often-discounted stories/reflective narratives of our teachers. This paper reports a qualitative cases study that explores three veteran teacher’s reflection on their personal and professional experiences with ELLs for self-discovery over years (Cirocki & Farrell, 2017) so that they can further reflect for their future actions with ELLs (Burns & Bulman, 2000; Farrell, 2007; Farrell & Vos, 2018). Data analysis revealed the teachers’ different strengths and needs in working with ELLs. Four major dimensions (language, culture, culturally and linguistically sensitive pedagogy, and collaborative community) were identified as critical to effective teaching of ELLs and preparation of second language teachers.

From the 1960s to the present, the Swedish school has undergone quite a few major reforms, including three new national curricula. The aim of this literature review is to investigate what previous research says about curriculum reform regarding second language teaching and learning in general, and English as a second language in particular. Through analysis of the chosen seven sources, there is some evidence that curriculum reform has affected second language learning and teaching. Especially when it comes to the implementation of curriculum, a subject syllabus plays an essential role in the process of transmitting knowledge, and the dynamic of the classroom is changing, which entails that both teachers’ role and students’ roles are shifting. The teacher is not the only source of knowledge any more, and students do not just sit in the classroom and listen to the teacher. Students’ influence is highlighted both in the curriculum and in the classroom. Communicative competence has become the focus of the teaching and learning of a second language.

O propósito desta pesquisa é analisar e compreender a angústia vivenciada por professores de língua inglesa (LI) que atuam tanto em instituições de ensino privadas como em cursos de idiomas, ao se depararem com o aparente desinteresse dos alunos das escolas regulares públicas, mesmo quando as aulas são ministradas por professores que possuem uma formação diferenciada e que também atuam na rede privada, onde o ensino parece ser bem mais significativo. A partir de minha prática pedagógica, alguns questionamentos foram formulados e mobilizam o presente estudo: a) O que nós (professores de LI) podemos fazer para motivar a nós mesmos como professores da rede pública? b) Por que as aulas ministradas pelo mesmo professor parecem funcionar e serem significativas em instituições privadas e não públicas? A partir do problema de pesquisa observado, levantamos a hipótese de que o professor da rede pública, mesmo que tenha uma formação diferenciada e seja proficiente na língua inglesa, parece ser expropriado do seu saber-poder, na escola regular pública, onde, muitas vezes, não se verifica o desejo de saber a LI. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é contribuir para um processo de ensino e aprendizagem de LI mais significativo na escola regular pública e fornecer subsídios para os demais estudos desenvolvidos em Linguística Aplicada. O objetivo específico é destacar, nos depoimentos dos professores das redes públicas e privada de ensino, representações acerca da LI, de modo a compreendermos a resistência do sujeito-aluno, sobretudo da rede pública diante da disciplina de LI e como despertar o desejo de saber essa língua. Buscaremos, nas formulações postas, os discursos e vozes que produzem efeitos de sentido, de modo a desnaturalizarmos verdades sócio-historicamente construídas sobre o ensino e a aprendizagem da LI. Como material de pesquisa foram analisados recortes das entrevistas realizadas com professores de ambas as instituições de ensinos. A partir da análise dos dados, a hipótese de pesquisa se ratificou, pois o mesmo professor, com a mesma formação e experiência se subjetiva diferentemente, dependendo do espaço em que está atuando e das formações imaginárias que permeiam as práticas discursivas. Ou seja, na escola privada (ou de idiomas), onde a LI é valorizada e desejada, o professor assume uma posição de poder-saber diante dos alunos, mas seu poder-saber parece ser posto em xeque ou subestimado pelos alunos da rede pública. / This research seeks to analyze and comprehend the anguish suffered by English language teachers that work in private teaching institutions, such as language courses, when encountering with the apparent disinterest of the regular public student, even when classes are given by teachers with a different formation who also work in a private institution, where teaching seems to be more significant. From my teaching practice, some questioning was formulated and they mobilize the present study: a) What can we (English language teachers) do to motivate ourselves as part of public teaching? b) Why classes given by the same teacher seem to work and be significant in private institutions and not in public ones? From this problem, it is possible to hypothesize that the public teacher, even possessing a different formation and proficient in English language, seems to be dispossessed of his knowledge-power, in public teaching, where, many times there is not the wish to know the English language. The main goal of this research is to contribute to a more significant teaching-learning process on what concerns English language on public schools and also provide support to other studies involving Applied Linguistics. The specific goal is to highlight teachers statements, in both public and private teaching environments, representations about the English language, in order to comprehend the subject-students resistance, particularly the public teaching on what concerns English language, and also, how to awaken the wish to know this language. We will seek, in proper formulations, the discourses and voices that produce meaning effects, in order to denature social-historical truths built about teaching and learning of English language. As survey material were analyzed interviews pieces fulfilled with teachers of both teaching institutions. Through data analysis, the research hypothesis has been confirmed, for the same teacher, with same formation and experience is subjective differently, according to the space he is in and the imaginary formations which permeate the discursive practices. In other words, in private school (or language course), where the English language is valued and wished, the teacher assumes a power-knowledge position before the students, though his power-knowledge seems to be cast aside or underestimated by public teaching students.

This study investigates how different educational activities affect students’ motivation and how teachers can induce students’ motivation to learn English as a second language (ESL) in Swedish lower secondary schools. Data was gathered through a questionnaire and analyzed through a sociocultural perspective. In the questionnaire, which was handed out to students in ages 13 to 15 at three different schools, the participants had to indicate if they become motivated or unmotivated by certain activities or if the activities do not have any impact on their motivation. The results indicate that the activities which most students become motivated by are likely to also be encountered outside school. These are activities such as watching a film, playing Monopoly, listening to a song, chatting online, playing a computer game or video game, or having a conversation with a close friend. In contrast, the activities which most students become unmotivated by are task- or fact-oriented activities which are likely to be encountered inside school or in work-related situations in their future adult life, such as holding a presentation, writing news articles, doing work-sheets and reading word lists with grammar exercises and glossary, or participating in job interviews. The results also show that students in Swedish lower secondary schools have positive attitudes towards ESL learning in general and that there are many similarities between the different schools regarding what students find motivating and non-motivating. Thus, the results do not encourage eliminating certain educational activities from the learning process. However, in order to induce students’ motivation for ESL learning, teachers could increase the use of activities that many of their students find motivating and decrease the use of activities that many of their students find non-motivating.

The aim of this study is to investigate what educational approaches and strategies that are used by five teachers of English as a second language (ESL) and how they differ between three different schools. This was done through reviewing literature about educational approaches and strategies in ESL and analyzing the responses from a questionnaire given to five teachers in grades seven to nine at three different schools. The results showed a wide usage of the following approaches and strategies: using computers, including drama and role-playing, watching films and TV programs in English, listening to radio, news, or songs in English, using code-switching, encouraging pupils to speak like native speakers, teaching about cultures where English is spoken, and promoting discussions and social interaction.   The results of this study showed that most of the differences exist between the individual teachers rather than between the schools, when it comes to the use of and attitudes towards these approaches and strategies. However, the two which differed the most, judging from the responses, were: using code-switching and encouraging pupils to speak like native speakers. In these two cases it was possible to see differences both between specific schools and teachers.

Esta pesquisa, por meio da análise de um livro didático de língua inglesa, propõe o diálogo entre o campo de ensino-aprendizagem de língua inglesa e a perspectiva enunciativa de linguagem de Émile Benveniste. O estudo procura comprovar a hipótese de que há livros didáticos em língua inglesa que apresentam atividades que envolvem interlocuções possíveis de serem abordadas em sala de aula por uma perspectiva enunciativa da linguagem. Com o diálogo entre os estudos linguísticos de Émile Benveniste – reflexões sobre linguagem, língua, enunciação e discurso, presentes em textos pertencentes aos Problemas de linguística geral I e Problemas de linguística geral II – e os estudos voltados à aquisição de segunda língua, tornou-se possível operar deslocamentos, que resultaram em um novo conhecimento sobre essa relação enunciação e ensino-aprendizagem de segunda língua, com a consideração dos seguintes aspectos: a) a intersubjetividade na linguagem; b) a situação de discurso e a atribuição de referência; c) a relação forma-sentido; d) os valores culturais impressos no discurso. Tais aspectos, tratados teoricamente nos dois primeiros capítulos, foram norteadores da metodologia no terceiro capítulo e da análise no quarto capítulo. Na análise, foram selecionados quatro grupos de atividades do livro didático de língua inglesa Alive! 8, obra distribuída para a rede pública de ensino por intermédio do Plano Nacional do Livro Didático no ano de 2017. Observou-se que as atividades analisadas: a) apresentam marcas de intersubjetividade, visto que o livro didático prevê que a comunicação intersubjetiva se concretize em sala de aula; b) atuam como provocadoras de referência e permitem que o locutor-aluno atribua essas referências pelo discurso; c) consideram forma e sentido como instâncias interdependentes, permitindo aos locutores-alunos que eles compreendam e reconheçam as unidades da língua inglesa em sala de aula como integradas umas às outras; d) abordam questões relacionadas a costumes e valores das duas línguas envolvidos no processo de aprendizagem da segunda língua. Todavia, foi possível verificar que algumas das atividades analisadas necessitam ter seu escopo ampliado no contexto de sala de aula de língua inglesa. Dessa forma, a pesquisa aponta, na conclusão, que o professor é o responsável por garantir que as atividades presentes no livro didático possam ser abordadas por uma perspectiva enunciativa da linguagem, trazendo contribuições ao processo de aprendizagem de inglês como segunda língua. / This research, through the analysis of an English textbook, proposes the dialogue between the field of teaching and learning of English and Émile Benveniste’s enunciative perspective of language. The study aims to prove the hypothesis that there are textbooks in English that present activities that involve possible dialogues to be addressed in the classroom through an enunciative perspective of the language. With the dialogue between Émile Benveniste's linguistic studies – reflections about language, utterance and discourse present in the texts belonging to Problems of general linguistics I and Problems of general linguistics II – and studies on second language acquisition, it became possible to operate displacements, which resulted in a new knowledge about this relation between enunciation and second language teaching and learning, considering the following aspects: a) the intersubjectivity in language; b) the situation of discourse and reference attribution; c) the form-meaning relationship; d) the cultural values printed in the discourse. These aspects were considered theoretically in the first two chapters, and they guided the methodology in the third chapter and the analysis in the fourth chapter. In the analysis, four groups of activities were selected from the English textbook Alive! 8, a book distributed to the public school system through the National Program of Textbook in 2017. It was observed that the analyzed activities: a) present marks of intersubjectivity, since the textbook predicts that intersubjective communication is materialized in the classroom; b) act as reference provocateurs and allow the student to assign these references through discourse; c) consider form and meaning as interdependent instances, allowing students to understand and recognize the units of language in the classroom as integrated to each other; d) address issues related to customs and values of the two languages involved in the process of learning the second language. However, it was possible to verify that some of the analyzed activities need to have their scope expanded in the context of English classroom. In this way, the research indicates, in the conclusion, that the teacher is responsible for ensuring that the activities in the textbook can be approached by an enunciative perspective of language, bringing contributions to the process of learning English as a second language.

Esta pesquisa, por meio da análise de um livro didático de língua inglesa, propõe o diálogo entre o campo de ensino-aprendizagem de língua inglesa e a perspectiva enunciativa de linguagem de Émile Benveniste. O estudo procura comprovar a hipótese de que há livros didáticos em língua inglesa que apresentam atividades que envolvem interlocuções possíveis de serem abordadas em sala de aula por uma perspectiva enunciativa da linguagem. Com o diálogo entre os estudos linguísticos de Émile Benveniste – reflexões sobre linguagem, língua, enunciação e discurso, presentes em textos pertencentes aos Problemas de linguística geral I e Problemas de linguística geral II – e os estudos voltados à aquisição de segunda língua, tornou-se possível operar deslocamentos, que resultaram em um novo conhecimento sobre essa relação enunciação e ensino-aprendizagem de segunda língua, com a consideração dos seguintes aspectos: a) a intersubjetividade na linguagem; b) a situação de discurso e a atribuição de referência; c) a relação forma-sentido; d) os valores culturais impressos no discurso. Tais aspectos, tratados teoricamente nos dois primeiros capítulos, foram norteadores da metodologia no terceiro capítulo e da análise no quarto capítulo. Na análise, foram selecionados quatro grupos de atividades do livro didático de língua inglesa Alive! 8, obra distribuída para a rede pública de ensino por intermédio do Plano Nacional do Livro Didático no ano de 2017. Observou-se que as atividades analisadas: a) apresentam marcas de intersubjetividade, visto que o livro didático prevê que a comunicação intersubjetiva se concretize em sala de aula; b) atuam como provocadoras de referência e permitem que o locutor-aluno atribua essas referências pelo discurso; c) consideram forma e sentido como instâncias interdependentes, permitindo aos locutores-alunos que eles compreendam e reconheçam as unidades da língua inglesa em sala de aula como integradas umas às outras; d) abordam questões relacionadas a costumes e valores das duas línguas envolvidos no processo de aprendizagem da segunda língua. Todavia, foi possível verificar que algumas das atividades analisadas necessitam ter seu escopo ampliado no contexto de sala de aula de língua inglesa. Dessa forma, a pesquisa aponta, na conclusão, que o professor é o responsável por garantir que as atividades presentes no livro didático possam ser abordadas por uma perspectiva enunciativa da linguagem, trazendo contribuições ao processo de aprendizagem de inglês como segunda língua. / This research, through the analysis of an English textbook, proposes the dialogue between the field of teaching and learning of English and Émile Benveniste’s enunciative perspective of language. The study aims to prove the hypothesis that there are textbooks in English that present activities that involve possible dialogues to be addressed in the classroom through an enunciative perspective of the language. With the dialogue between Émile Benveniste's linguistic studies – reflections about language, utterance and discourse present in the texts belonging to Problems of general linguistics I and Problems of general linguistics II – and studies on second language acquisition, it became possible to operate displacements, which resulted in a new knowledge about this relation between enunciation and second language teaching and learning, considering the following aspects: a) the intersubjectivity in language; b) the situation of discourse and reference attribution; c) the form-meaning relationship; d) the cultural values printed in the discourse. These aspects were considered theoretically in the first two chapters, and they guided the methodology in the third chapter and the analysis in the fourth chapter. In the analysis, four groups of activities were selected from the English textbook Alive! 8, a book distributed to the public school system through the National Program of Textbook in 2017. It was observed that the analyzed activities: a) present marks of intersubjectivity, since the textbook predicts that intersubjective communication is materialized in the classroom; b) act as reference provocateurs and allow the student to assign these references through discourse; c) consider form and meaning as interdependent instances, allowing students to understand and recognize the units of language in the classroom as integrated to each other; d) address issues related to customs and values of the two languages involved in the process of learning the second language. However, it was possible to verify that some of the analyzed activities need to have their scope expanded in the context of English classroom. In this way, the research indicates, in the conclusion, that the teacher is responsible for ensuring that the activities in the textbook can be approached by an enunciative perspective of language, bringing contributions to the process of learning English as a second language.