<p dir="ltr"><a href="" target="_blank">ABSTRACT</a></p><p dir="ltr">This dissertation delves into postmodern wordless picture books, employing a multimodal content analysis across twenty-eight titles. It stands on a theoretical framework amalgamating concepts from multimodality grounded in social semiotics, critical literacy, and postmodernism. Among the corpus, three titles— <i>Alien Nation</i> (Bassi, 2021), and <i>The Rabbits</i> (Tan, 1998) and <i>The Other Side</i><i> </i>(Bányai, 2005)— emerge as principal subjects of analysis, with the remaining twenty-five titles providing contextual support. Guiding this journey is Barthes' (1977) tripartite model of visual textual meaning at the literal, symbolic, and personal levels, illuminating the intricate layers of the analyzed picture books.</p><p dir="ltr">The analysis unveils distinguishing features of these books: 1) Disruption of boundaries of story worlds and reality; 2) Disruption of space and/or time; 3) Multiple levels of intertextuality; 4) Visual incongruity, visual metaphor and 5) Personal Narratives. Such characteristics are found to challenge narrative conventions, blur reality-fiction distinctions, and implore readers to cultivate personal narratives and critical interpretations.</p><p dir="ltr">However, the research's significance extends beyond feature identification. It births a postmodern literacy pedagogy that encompasses visual, critical, and postmodern dimensions. This pedagogy advocates for embedding postmodern wordless picture books in pre-service teacher curricula. The aim surpasses genre acquaintance, aspiring for a profound grasp of the books' visual nuances and ideological layers. As these visual dynamics play a pivotal role in shaping a reader's experience, they bolster critical reading and foster personal and emotive connections to narratives. By engaging with such books, pre-service teachers gain multifaceted insights into intricate social and historical issues. They're empowered to question prevailing narratives, embrace diverse perspectives, and champion social justice and educational equity. Viewed through this prism, postmodern wordless picture books serve as powerful tools, guiding future educators to see the world from diverse perspectives, navigate uncertainties, foster empathy, and empower varied voices, ultimately becoming advocates for change and inclusion.</p>

This study is situated in the field of cultural intelligence (CQ) research. It involves expatriate teachers employed at a college for Emirati women in the United Arab Emirates who are all EFL trained native English speakers with a minimum of 5 years overseas teaching experience. This interpretive study explores these teachers’ understandings of cultural intelligence through individual interviews and focus groups. In so doing it contributes to the discussion on expatriate teachers constructs of what it is to be culturally intelligent, and augments knowledge on the cultural intelligence construct itself through rich qualitative data. The research design and subsequent data analysis are informed by Sternberg and Detterman’s (1986) multi-loci of intelligence theory, and Earley and Ang’s (2003) multi-factor construct of cultural intelligence; metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioural CQ . Results suggest that these four factors of CQ feature in the respondents constructs of cultural intelligence. Metacognitive CQ is evident in the importance placed on being alert to the cultural context and of consciously assessing and reassessing cultural knowledge before making decisions about how to proceed appropriately. Cognitive CQ is displayed in the significance cultural knowledge has for the participants; the data suggest that cognitive CQ is evident in the willingness and the effort made to learn specific cultural information pertaining to the context. For the respondents the desire to travel and engage with different cultures and a confidence in their own ability to manage successfully in novel cultural settings is clear evidence of motivational CQ. The results show that not only do the participants demonstrate behavioural CQ in their actions, they also employ strategies to facilitate accurate acquisition of cultural norms of behaviour through adopting a non-threatening observe and listen approach. In addition the study produced some interesting findings related to the context and attitudes to Arab culture such as the idea of the Arabic language as a cultural ‘gate-keeper’. Other findings that warrant further study include the strong association the respondents made between language learning and CQ, close personal relationships and CQ, age and ‘stage of life’ influences on CQ development, and the correlation these respondents felt exists between EFL teacher qualities and CQ capabilities.

<p>In order to comfortably and effectively function in U.S. classrooms, both international students and domestic students benefit from the development of interactive and intercultural communication skills. At Purdue University, a large, public, R1 institution with a substantial international population, the internationalization of the student body is a priority. To examine the relationship between academic and social integration of international and domestic students on campus, international (ESL) undergraduate students (L2 English, n=253) from the Purdue Language and Cultural Exchange Program (PLaCE), and domestic undergraduate students (L1 English n=50) from the first-year composition program (ICaP), participated in a voluntary survey. The framework for investigating students’ interaction with peers and teachers was derived from Severiens and Wolff (2008). Four aspects of new, incoming students’ adaptation (Global Perspective, Intercultural Competence, Acculturation Mode, and Willingness to Communicate) were addressed by the survey. Although there were similarities between international and domestic students, the results revealed international students had more opportunities to interact with peers from diverse language backgrounds in formal academic contexts, including classroom activities, peer-group work in first-year programs and language programs. However, in informal, social contexts, neither international nor domestic students took advantage of opportunities to interact with each other. The tendency to prefer social interactions with co-nationals may contribute to social isolation and limited integration of international and domestic students within broader social contexts outside of classrooms. Yet, rather than resisting this trend, instructors and administrators might enhance opportunities for interaction in academic contexts where both groups are most willing to participate. Findings from this study can contribute to the development of first-year programs that provide realistic solutions for the enhanced internationalization of both domestic and international students on campus. </p>

This study is an investigation of the contribution of second language learning experience to the professional knowledge and beliefs of teachers of ESL to adults. The literature reveals that very little has been written about the language background of the ESL teacher who teaches English through English to adult immigrants. The thesis proposes an explanation for this based on the historical development of the profession, and argues that despite vast changes in second language acquisition theory and pedagogy in the last fifty years, an English-only classroom fronted by a teacher who is monolingual or who is encouraged to behave as if he or she is monolingual, has remained the dominant practice in Australia. The research study is not a consideration of the merits of bilingual teaching versus monolingual teaching in English-only. Instead, it seeks to understand whether teachers who do have another language draw on it in ways relevant to the teaching of English, and to suggest reasons why teachers' languages are disregarded in the profession. In doing so, the thesis draws on key bodies of literature in bilingualism, second language acquisition, teacher cognition and critical studies in an attempt to provide a framework for considering the research questions. The study employed a qualitative, interpretive research design involving semi-structured interviews and the taking of detailed language biographies from a total of thirty-one practising teachers of ESL. Language biographies were analysed and categorised along several parameters, and the major distinctions made were between circumstantial bilinguals, elective bilinguals and monolinguals. Three key themes emerged: teachers' beliefs about learning a second language, the contribution made by teachers' language learning experience to their reported beliefs and practices, and teachers' beliefs about the role of the first language in second language learning. Bilingual teachers, both circumstantial and elective, appeared to have more realistic and optimistic beliefs about the nature of language learning than did monolingual teachers. Bilingual teachers appeared to see language learning as challenging but achievable. They recognised the dynamic nature of learning as incorporating progress, stagnation, attrition and re-learning. Monolingual teachers tended to see second language learning as almost impossible, and fraught with the potential for loss of self-esteem. Both groups talked about their own language learning as a private undertaking unrelated in any public way to their professional lives. The contribution made by language learning background fell into two groupings: of insights about language and language use, and about language learning and language teaching. Four key aspects of the former were insights about language in general deriving from knowledge of more than one; insights from contrasting LOTE and English; insights about the language-using experiences of bilinguals and biculturals, and insights about the possibilities of LOTE as a pedagogical tool in the ESL class. The second grouping included insights into learning strategies; insights about the affective aspects of being a language learner; knowledge of different teaching approaches from experience, and insights from different teaching contexts made possible by bilingualism. Overall the broader and richer the language background, the more sophisticated and developed were the insights which appeared to be relevant to teaching ESL. The third data chapter analysed teachers' expressed beliefs about the role of learners' first language(s) (L1) in the ESL class. Here little difference was found between bilingual and monolingual teachers, but overall L1 was characterised as an undesirable element in the ESL class. Teachers' discourse regarding L1 was analysed and found to be heavily characterised by negative and pejorative terms. This finding, combined with the teachers' generally weakly-articulated rationales for the exclusion of L1, led to the conclusion that beliefs and practices regarding L1 are a consequence of the monolingual focus of the ESL profession. The findings of the study in general are that ESL teachers draw on any language learning experience as a resource in teaching, and 'experiential knowledge' seems to be readily available to them in the ways they represent their own knowledge and beliefs in talk. It appears to be important in informing and shaping their conceptions of their practice as language teachers. There are differences between bilingual and monolingual teachers in that the former have much richer resources on which to draw. There are added insights which come from circumstantial or elective bilingual experience, from being a non-native English speaker, and from formal and informal learning experience. In general, the more and varied the language learning experience, the deeper and more sophisticated the resource it is to draw on in teaching. It is argued that the teaching of ESL is constructed as "the teaching of English" rather than as "the teaching of a second language", meaning that the 'experiential knowledge' (Wallace 1991) of bilingual teachers is unvalued. It appears to be accepted and unquestioned that a monolingual teacher can teach a learner to be bilingual. These propositions are discussed in the light of the writings of critical theorists to give a wider perspective on the monolingual discourse of the ESL profession. Bourdieu's notion of 'habitus' as strategic practice which is structured by a sociocultural environment (Bourdieu 1977a) is the basis for Gogolin's (1994) idea of a 'monolingual habitus' in education. Their work, and that of Skutnabb-Kangas (2000a) who refers to 'monolingual reductionism', suggest a social, political and discursal explanation for the invisibility of teachers' languages in the ESL profession. It is suggested that teacher language learning background should become a legitimate topic for discussion and further research.

This study examines the problems involved in oral English teaching in the Chinese tertiary institution Erwai (the Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute). In the study the author analyses oral English teaching in China based on his experience as a teacher of English in China, his two-year study experience as a student in Australia, interviews with colleagues, and class observation of oral English teaching by Australian teachers in the C.C.A.E. Special English Programme. Some materials from Erwai are also drawn on in the study, such as Erwai-compiled textbooks and the Erwai teaching curriculum. During the study the author has referred to many books and journals on TESOL in various libraries in Canberra. The theoretical knowledge and teaching techniques learned in the TESOL Programme at the Canberra College of Advanced Education have also helped the author carry out this study. Chapter One introduces the background to the problems which exist in oral English teaching in China. It emphasises the importance of Chinese teachers' having a clear understanding and a good command of a wide range of techniques in teaching oral English. Chapter Two examines some approaches now used in oral English classes at Erwai. This chapter also analyses students' motivation to learn oral English, the teachers' performance in oral English classes as well as when and how to correct students' mistakes in their oral English. Some practical oral activities which Erwai has arranged for present students and is thinking of arranging for future students are also discussed in this chapter. Chapter Three identifies and analyses in more detail theories of teaching oral English such as the audiolingual method, counselling learning, the direct method and the eclectic approach. In Chapter Four some activities are suggested to make oral classes more enjoyable. In second year oral English classes, repetition and situational dialogue are far from enough for teaching oral English. Short plays and skits can be used to enrich the oral English classes. This chapter also discusses the observation of oral English classes by Australian teachers in the C.C.A.E. Special English Programme. Chapter Five considers the choice of materials and the application of materials in class. Oral English materials used at Erwai at the moment mainly come from two sources: home-produced materials compiled by Erwai or other foreign language institutes in China, and some commerciallypublished materials imported from foreign countries. There is another source which can be used in teaching oral English - materials compiled on the basis of authentic materials such as excerpts from magazines and newspapers. In the conclusion it is pointed out that many suggestions have been made in the study about oral English teaching techniques and materials. It is hoped that such suggestions have practical value in improving the level of oral English in China in line with the country's present needs. At the same time new techniques require ample opportunity for trying out in practice before their full effectiveness will become apparent.

The English language occupied a specially important status in the increasing development of science, technology, culture and international relations in Vietnam, which has resulted in a growing demand for English Language Teaching (ELT) all over the country. The Hanoi Foreign Languages Teachers' Training College in general and its Department of English in particular plays a very important role in this by producing as many teachers of English as possible for high schools as well as for other Colleges and Universities in Vietnam as a whole. Unfortunately, ELT in Vietnam is still far from satisfactory. There exists a common problem of communicative competence in Vietnamese students, even in Vietnamese teachers of English. ELT at HFLTTC is taken to illustrate the fact that even after five years' training, graduates remain deficient in the ability of language use as well as understanding its use in normal communication. This being the case, how can they carry out effectively the teaching of English to high school pupils or students at other institutions? In this situation, we need to take a serious look at ELT in the Department of English at the HFLTTC so as to suggest suitable materials and methods which will enable the Institution to function more effectively. This project makes an exploratory study of the problem. To provide a context for the study, the background to ELT in the Department of English is reviewed. This is followed by a detailed description of different approaches used in ELT with the reference to the actual activities of teaching and learning in the Department of English. A special emphasis is placed on the difference between conventional approaches and the currently influential one - The Functional- Notional-Approach to language teaching and learning. The basic notions of this approach will be covered and also different categories of functions and categories of situations which the students of English often encounter in using English. Different techniques of teaching functional spoken English will be suggested with an aim to improving the teaching of spoken English in the above-mentioned setting. It is hoped that this project may become a contribution to solving some of the existing problems of inadequate communicative competence of Vietnamese students of English and to teaching and learning English with effective communication skills in the Department of English at the HFLTTC.

This thesis explores how learner independence was implemented as a curricular goal at a tertiary level Preparatory Programme (PP) in the United Arab Emirates. This exploratory-interpretive case study shows how students and teachers at the English programme responded to an Independent Learning Log (ILL) and how they interpreted learner autonomy with respect to the ILL. The study analyzes how various interpretations of autonomy affected the students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the ILL. The interviews and the surveys used in this study were conducted between 20122014. The data was examined using Critical Discourse Analysis and was coded with NVivo software. As a result of the data analysis, the researcher identified themes related to student and teacher roles in the promotion of autonomy, learner representations in TESOL, and issues of control and agency, in the language classroom and out-of-class. The findings suggest that, in the teachers’ discourse, students are assigned passive roles and are often represented as lacking, deficient, and in need of control. Furthermore, the teachers are represented as the agents and controllers of education. These findings are supported by other studies from different cultural settings. This suggests that the US and THEM divide is not unique to the context of this study, but, rather, that it reflects a broader issue that is characteristic of TESOL discourse. In the discussion section, the researcher demonstrates how the themes identified in this study draw on a Social Order perspective in education. It is argued that this conceptual model remains ingrained in teachers’ and students’ group consciousness as the default model for learning. We conclude that learner independence as an educational goal is incompatible with this way in which students and teachers conceptualise education. In order for autonomy to become a feasible educational goal, we need to re-think how we organise language learning and what roles teachers and students assign each other. Overall, this case study reveals the problems that educators may face when promoting autonomy in a language programme. An understanding of these issues may help future language programmes develop better strategies towards fostering learner autonomy at an institutional level.

<p>This four-year study centers on identity research, exploring a two-year student success program in a midwestern school. The program follows a “school-within-a-school” model (Indiana Department of Education website, 2020) as it is housed on the same grounds as the main school but in a different building. The student-to-teacher ratio is lower than traditional schools and the English class covers less material, but in more depth, than parallel 9th and 10^th grade classes. The study follows two students as they progress through the two-year program and integrate into the main student body for 11^th and 12^th grade, to understand how they narrate their journey through high school. The 9th and 10th grade teachers provide a sense of the impact of teacher identity on the student participants. A narrative approach (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990) is used to examine individual’s perspectives- rooted in their experiences- to dig into my participants’ stories, framing them within an equity literacy context (Gorski, 2014). Using equity literacy allows for the exploration of biases and inequities that student participants may face in our education system. The findings of this dissertation study have three major implications: 1. Home identity has a significant effect on student identity. As such, an awareness of what high school students bring to the classroom and how this affects their thinking and motivation to participate in class is critical; 2. The importance of not only making lessons relevant to student lives, but also helpful. Both student participants appreciate being given space to write what they <i>want</i> to write, rather than being <i>told</i> what to write. As a result, writing becomes a means of processing events happening in their lives, and has a positive effect on self-efficacy; 3. Given the second implication, teacher educators need to provide space for preservice teachers to explore ways to make lessons helpful to their students by encouraging them to tell their own stories through discussions in a safe space, while modeling behaviors such as showing vulnerability in the classroom.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Although young children from low-income families may (or may not) have fewer quality literacy experiences at home before attending preschool or kindergarten, instruction from an exemplary teacher matters most for emergent comprehension development. This single, intrinsic case study describes how one exemplary teacher’s interactions with her low-income preschoolers promote their emergent comprehension during read-alouds, while on Zoom, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic required interviews with the teacher and observations of read-alouds to be conducted via Zoom. Socio-cultural, social constructivist and semiotic theories framed this study’s design as a case study. Data analysis utilized Cambourne’s Model of Learning (Crouch & Cambourne, 2020) and Dooley & Matthews (2009) Model of Emergent Comprehension. Key findings were that the teacher formed positive relationships with and among her children, getting to know their families and cultural backgrounds. She used this knowledge along with what she observed during read-alouds to engage her students and personalize both academic and social-emotional instruction for them. Her young students’ responses during read-alouds evidenced how they constructed meaning by making connections between school- and home-based interactions.</p>

An interdisciplinary approach to learning styles and teaching styles among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students (NHPI) and Western teachers, this thesis suggests specific learning components necessary for academic success for Oceanic learners. This was accomplished by examining academic literature in the fields of anthropology, history, intercultural communication, linguistics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and Hawaiian studies. The thesis blends the current literature with qualitative research findings from questionnaire results of university students from the Pacific Islands and questionnaire results from Western university faculty. The results of this research provide insight to addressing tactile learning, natural environments, spirit/core wisdom, and awareness of the differences in communication styles for NHPI students in a U.S. university. The results also provide insight on two major themes that inhibit learning: first, that NHPI students face fear and a lack of confidence on a daily basis in the general class environment, and second, that their teachers also have a low regard of the NHPI student because of unmet expectations that are culturally relevant to Western education systems, but that are in direct contrast of Oceanic values. This thesis suggests that both teachers and students often miscommunicate by unknowing conflicting value systems.