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This classroom-based research examines what key differences occurred when a course using a critical approach to Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), what I call critical TEFL, was inserted into a private English language school in place of a more mainstream conversation class based on elements of communicative language teaching. This research was undertaken to investigate what place a critical approach to language learning, an approach more commonly associated with English as a first and second language teaching, has in EFL. The sixteen-module course specially created for the research, entitled Language and Identity, was conducted at International House Johannesburg, an affiliate member school of a British-based EFL organisation. The study focused on privileged, African, young-adult students and was run as part of their intensive, study-abroad English program. The course was informed by the work of Pennycook and Phillipson and focused on building learners’ awareness of the political issues, power relations, and ideological process inherent in the study of EFL. The primary data was comprised of field notes from classroom observations of two separate classes (thirty-two hours in total) and interviews with the fifteen students and two teachers involved. Drawing on identity theory, Norton’s concept of learner investment and Bakhtin’s notion of voice, the key finding of the research were in the areas of: levels of students’ involvement and the effects of this on language acquisition; accuracy and fluency and issues around error correction; and how student were isolated or included by the materials. The research examined the implications of these findings including a need to reconcile a critical approach to TEFL with the global business of EFL and issues of customer satisfaction. I argue that despite the difficulties with this approach, with careful teaching training and materials development, there is a cautious place for critical TEFL in EFL teaching.

In the 21st century, the UK government, through its immigration policy, has linked the English language proficiency of immigrants with their social integration thus, following an assimilative framework (Blackledge, 2005; Blommaert & Verschueren, 1998). This seven months mixed methods study investigates whether the goal of social integration of immigrants can be achieved through the ESOL for citizenship course and the ways in which this course can affect their identity. It also investigates the effects of the government’s policy on classroom pedagogy. The data was collected in Manchester and Lancashire county using semi-structured interviews with eight participants of Pakistani and Indian origin who were studying ESOL for citizenship courses, and questionnaires from seventy-four learners who had already gained nationality. Thirty-two questionnaires were also distributed among ESOL for citizenship teachers to investigate the effects on classroom pedagogy. A thematic analysis was then conducted on the data. The findings showed that the course does not ensure social integration of immigrants as it depends on various social factors: language use, length of stay in the UK, type of neighbourhood, extended family in the UK, and decisions made by the family. The course does not help in changing the identity of the immigrants as the participants still wanted to identify themselves with their native country and only considered British nationality as a status. The political purpose this provision is serving has negatively affected ESOL teachers and their classroom pedagogy. The limitations of this study are that it was unable to observe the migrants getting involved in the community as well as to conduct interviews with the teachers. Future studies with learners of other nationalities can be conducted using ethnographically informed methods. This study refuted the claims made by the UK government related to immigrants’ social integration thus the need is to separate this provision from immigration and to provide support to teachers and learners.

This study attempts to identify learning opportunities at the Department of English Language and ELT Methodology at Charles University in Prague via a comparison with an Australian institution, The University of Queensland located in Brisbane. The secondary objective of the study is to further thesis writing culture at the Department at CU by cataloging and auditing past TEFL theses. Thus, future students could more easily and efficiently identify new areas for research and benefit from the foundations laid by previous students. The first half of this thesis provides a review of previous works conducted in the field of the history of English linguistics, with a special focus on ELT Methodology at CU. Thus, a list of Prague TEFL theses submitted between 1946-2008 follows. A similar list is created for UQ TEFL theses between 1994-2009 on the basis of research at UQ that was carried out in 2009-2010. This results in a comparison of TEFL theses topics from both universities' intersection 1994-2008. This information is then linked to establishment of areas of strength or improvement at CU. In phase two of this study, MA theses writing guidelines released by CU and UQ are compared. These guidelines are characterised into five categories, i.e. flexibility, structure, academic integrity, conformity, and...

Based on an interpretive paradigm, this study aimed at probing into the perceptions of Egyptian EFL pre-service teachers and their lecturers of the new microteaching course. It investigated a) pre-service teachers and lecturers' perceptions about the course focuses; b) pre-service teachers' and lecturers’ perceptions of the difficulties encountered during course application, and finally c) pre-service teachers' perceptions about the helpfulness of the microteaching course in enhancing their teaching performance during practicum. Moreover, the study aimed at utilising this investigation for developing a framework for microteaching curricula planning and design. Data collection was based on a sequential mixed methods approach, thus in the first phase of the study, the researcher administered a questionnaire to 10 lecturers and 125 EFL pre-service teachers in the third year English department at the Faculty of Education of Menoufia University in Egypt. In Phase Two the researcher conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 7 lecturers and 15 pre-service teachers, who also completed a reflective journal. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings of the current study indicated that that there are nineteen focuses of the microteaching course at Shebin Elkom Faculty of Education. These focuses have been classified into three main themes: lesson planning skills, lesson implementation skills, and lesson evaluation skills. As revealed by data analysis, lecturers devoted less time to practising lesson evaluation skills. Findings also revealed that EFL pre-service teachers and their lecturers encountered the following difficulties during peer group work: modelling the skills, planning a micro-lesson, teaching a micro-lesson, and when giving and receiving feedback. Furthermore, it was found that the course was helpful in enhancing pre-service teachers’ teaching performance at practicum concerning their professional skills rather than their personal qualities. Psychological, socio-cultural, and socio-political factors that affect the implementation of the microteaching course are discussed. Implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

Concerned to comprehend the teaching efficacy of English teachers in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, this thesis investigated contentions by principals, retired teachers and resource personnel that Sri Lankan teachers’ lack of teaching effectiveness (teaching behaviours that influence student learning) accounted for students’ low English attainment; and counter claims by English teachers that their teaching efficacy (beliefs in their abilities to affect student learning) was undermined by classroom and other-related problems. This mixed-method research comprised two stages. In a preliminary study, 298 students and twenty-four teachers from twelve secondary schools participated in a survey designed to understand challenges encountered in the teaching and learning of English. With a similar purpose, thirty-four English lessons involving 320 students and ten teachers were observed. Interviews concerning the aspects underpinning effective English teaching were conducted with five principals, three English resource personnel and three retired teachers. In the main study, sixty-two teachers from thirty-five secondary schools were surveyed and twenty interviewed to identify factors which affected the teaching efficacy of English teachers. Participating schools were categorized vis-à-vis their students’ performance: low-performing and high-performing. Findings support English teachers’ views concerning their teaching efficacy. Teacher perception revealed associations between the lack of teaching efficacy of English teachers in low and high-performing schools, and teacher background/parental duties/self-development, classroom problems and inadequate educational resources. No explicit evidence was found that students’ poor English attainment in low-performing schools was due to their teachers’ lack of teaching effectiveness. Observations showed that students were deprived of external resources which assisted students in high-performing schools to become proficient in English. New insights about Jaffna teachers’ efficacy indicate the need for a more context-specific English language curriculum in Sri Lanka, informed by teachers’ knowledge of their students’ English learning needs at a local level if teaching efficacy and English attainment are to be enhanced.

There has been increasing interest in research on creating word lists in the past decade with more than 60 separate lists being published along with Nation’s (2016) timely Making and Using Word Lists for Language Learning and Testing. However, this focus on word lists has primarily been on creating them and has not necessarily extended to looking at how they are actually used. In order to help answer the question of how these lists are utilized in practice, this exploratory, interpretive study based on interviews with teachers and assessment/curriculum developers looks at how word lists are used at five tertiary English foundation programs in the United Arab Emirates. The main findings include the following. Insufficient vocabulary knowledge was deemed one of the most significant problems that students faced. Additionally, word lists played a role in all five of the institutions represented in the study, and the Common European Framework (CEFR) was used in conjunction with vocabulary frequency lists to help set expected vocabulary learning in some programs. Furthermore, teacher intuition was used to modify lists in three of the five programs and online applications were used in all five programs. The thesis explores a number of areas in depth including: how vocabulary lists are being used in the programs, the use of the AWL in this context and potential problems related to this, the role of teacher intuition in the customization of lists, the role of CEFR related frameworks in these programs, the use of computer applications to assist with list vocabulary acquisition, what the selected vocabulary acquisition activities tell us about beliefs about vocabulary teaching and learning, and some final comments about utilizing a list. One of the key findings was the development of a novel framework for categorizing the use of word lists into four general areas: course planning, teaching and learning, assessment and materials development with sub-categories for each. This framework and the related examples could be utilized to evaluate the suitability of specific lists and to help set developmental targets for the process of adopting a new list and transforming it into something that could be used to direct and support vocabulary teaching and learning. It could also be developed further as more examples of practice emerge in different contexts and hopefully set the stage for more development about how vocabulary lists are used.

This study investigated the effectiveness of two methods of instruction, Teacher-Based Instruction (TBI) versus Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), in improving undergraduate Arab learners' English reading ability in the three aspects of speed, comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. The Experimental Pre-test/Post-test Treatment Group Design was implemented in both experiments carried out in this study. Two samples of 100 and 150 students for Experiments I & II, respectively, were randomly chosen from two higher education institutions in the Arab world. Each sample was divided into two groups depending on learners' pre-instruction preferences for TBI or CALL methods. After eight weeks of instruction using one method, the students of the two groups exchanged instructional methods for another period of eight weeks. In both cases the learners attended three 90- minute reading lectures per week. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis showed that CALL was significantly more effective than TBI for improving the learners' reading ability in the three aspects targeted. Results showed that CALL was more effective due to different reasons: learners were more motivated to read and they enjoyed reading; CALL made learners' reading progress visible to them through immediate feedback; it fostered learner autonomy and their desire to be in control of the program and it offered the learners a large number of different reading activities to work on. Learners' suggestions for improving CALL were mainly related to increasing the time they can use CALL programs in learning to read. Findings of the study should encourage higher education institutions especially in the Arab world to take considerable steps towards utilising computers in instruction. Even at school level this utilisation should be considered, but further research should be carried out with learners at different age levels and in different regions in the Arab world.

The writing of this thesis was guided·by the question "how does one teach English as a second language through theater?" This thesis.contains the pedagogical research basis for teaching English as second language, a script with supporting materials for teaching English as a second language, and a playwright's.journal detailing the writing process for the dramatic work. Within the pedagogical research, there is a comparison between the different founding fathers of modem TESL methodologies, a comparison between the different methodologies, and a practical exploration of teaching English as a second language through Task Based Instruction. The script itself is the lyrical book for a ten day, episodic musical for Spanish speaking 3rd and 4th graders. The dramatic work was written to be performed in a voluntary extracurricular context, such as an ESL summer camp.

Master of Arts / Department of Modern Languages / Earl K. Brown / How to teach phrasal verbs to L2 learners of English has been the subject of debate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses and materials alike. These multi-part verbs, consisting of a verb and one or more particles, convey a new lexical meaning different from their individual parts. Further complicating this is the fact that some transitive phrasal verbs can be separated from their particles to varying degrees by a direct object. Though variables affecting verb-particle separation lie below the level of consciousness for most native speakers, they make the acquisition of particle placement difficult for L2 English language learners. Additionally, the presentation of these verbs in EFL textbooks and university English language programs (ELPs) is inadequate. TEFL textbooks tend to place emphasis on the lexical acquisition of phrasal verbs, ignoring separable versus non-separable distinctions. However, native English speakers separate phrasal verbs from their particles about 66.5% of the time in spoken conversation. In order to determine whether traditional textbook problems associated with phrasal verb presentation persist, I analyzed eleven TEFL textbooks used in Kansas State University’s ELP. I also administered a grammaticality judgment survey in order to find out whether L1 Spanish speakers of L2 English view separation of transitive phrasal verbs and their particles to be grammatical. L1 Spanish Speakers of L2 English are disadvantaged by the fact that their native language is verb-framed, meaning that it does not make use of particles in the same way that English does. It is for this reason that native Spanish-speakers of L2 English constitute the experimental group in this study. The results of the TEFL textbook analysis reveal that none of the eleven textbooks analyzed could stand alone in the classroom to effectively teach phrasal verbs. The results of the grammaticality judgment survey show that L1 Spanish speakers of L2 English differ at a statistically significant level from L1 American English speakers in their acceptability of phrasal verb-particle separation. These findings have pedagogical implications for TEFL instructors, textbook writers, and English language programs, and demonstrate the need for more extensive and authentic phrasal verb instruction.