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Teachers undergo changes in their beliefs, knowledge and practices on an individual level as they learn how to teach. If society undergoes significant change, as Hong Kong did during the transition from British to Chinese rule in 1997, then social groups within society such as teachers are likely to react to change in different and complex ways. The purpose of this investigation is to exam.ine the changes experienced by teachers of English in Hong Kong, with a focus on teachers who received their teacher preparation at one Hong Kong institution during the final years leading up to the transition. The educational, linguistic, social and political context of Hong Kong is first described through a study of the research literature and a number of theories and models of change are presented through which the findings of the investigation are analysed. The main sources of data for the investigation consist of questionnaire responses, interview transcriptions and lesson observation reports of trainee English teachers during and after graduation from a BA course in TESL at a Hong Kong university. The main conclusions of the investigation are: (i) Educational issues and particularly those affecting ELT became more high-profile and politicised in the lead up to and after the changeover. (ii) English teachers in Hong Kong experience conflict between their desired approaches and the realities and constraints of the Hong Kong teaching context. These constraints provide a common justification for lack of innovative behaviour and make it possible for teachers to put off being innovative in the classroom indefinitely. (iii) At the same time, English teachers in Hong Kong are becoming more empowered within the educational system in reaction to challenges to their competency and as they have realised that they can affect educational policy through individual and collective action. The findings suggest that colonial discourses as documented by Pennycook (1998) of English language teaching still persist in Hong Kong, as they have been shown to do in other post-colonial societies, and Hong Kong is undergoing a post-handover period of change as it struggles to synthesise the educational legacies of the colonial period with new initiatives adopted to address Hong Kong's changing educational and social needs. The results of the research are developed into an original model of the factors impacting English language education in Hong Kong. The generic model is then elaborated in two versions, one of which applies before the changeover and the other after it.

Research in the field of second language acquisition in the past five to ten years has focused on individual variation in language learning, and has examined such learner variables as learning styles, personality characteristics, learning strategies, and learner beliefs about the nature of language learning. Recently, research on individual learners has broadened to include a greater focus on the contexts of language learning and to explore the interactions between individual learners and the socio-cultural environment in investigations of these learner variables.This study has two purposes. The first is to investigate the language learning of novice level second language learners in a language and culture immersion program. The six college-age learners of Spanish who participated in an eight-week language and culture immersion program in Mexico are the focus of the case studies. The research focuses on five areas of learner variation: learner beliefs and philosophies about the nature of language learning, approaches to vocabulary learning, classroom behaviors, speaking for communication, and cultural adjustment.The second purpose of the study is to explore the use of multiple approaches to research on individual variation. The research framework for the study is ethnographic and the study employs a multi-methodological approach to data collection over an extended period of time in several language learning contexts. The research procedures used in the studyinclude participant observation, interviews, language learning journals, questionnaires, retrospective analysis of videotaped clips, and standardized instruments such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview. / Department of English

Translation in Teaching English for Specific Purposes at the Tertiary Level The purpose of this thesis is to explore translation as an aid to language teaching from various perspectives relevant to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes at the tertiary level of education. Our intention is to offer the option of incorporating translation activities within ESP courses at universities. The research presented in the thesis is relevant to the context of English as a foreign language, taught in a linguistically homogeneous environment to adult learners of ESP at a tertiary level, with a particular focus on English for legal purposes. The research questions dealt with in this thesis are as follows: 1. Can translation contribute to effective learning of English for Specific Purposes? 2. If the answer to the first question is 'yes,' what forms of translation activities are best suited to make such a contribution? 3. Is translation currently used in courses of English for Specific Purposes, and, more specifically, in courses of English for law taught in the Czech Republic? If so, how is it used? 4. What are learners' perceptions of translation activities? The first two questions are answered through a review of the relevant literature. The third question is answered through semi-structured interviews...

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Extramural English (EE) engagement is common amongst young English as a foreign language (EFL) learner in Sweden. However, the ESL students engage in EE activities to varying degrees and their English proficiency could be positively affected by the amount of time spent on EE activities. The present study therefore aims to increase knowledge about grade 6 students’ EE engagement and its possible correlate with the students’ English grades in a Swedish context. Additionally, the study explores which types of EE activities: receptive, productive, and interactive, the students engage most in, and if there is some correlation between type of EE activity engaged in and English grade. This was investigated through mixed-method research, conducting both a quantitative digital questionnaire with 30 participant sixth graders and two qualitative focus group interviews with a total of five sixth graders participating. The findings show that the grade 6 students with high English grades engage most in interactive EE activities, whereas low-grade English students mostly engage in receptive EE activities. Additionally, the qualitative results indicate that grade 6 students perceive benefits of learning English through EE engagement. However, the present study cannot prove any statistically significant correlation between number of hours spent on EE activities per week and English grades. The present study suggests that EFL teachers consider and incorporate the increasing EE engagement of their students in the didactic choices made for English language teaching (ELT). To comprehensively explore the effects that young ESL learners’ EE engagement has on their English acquisition and grades, further research should focus on longitudinal studies, representing a greater variety and number of students participating.

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This study investigated the factors affecting the teaching of English reading skills in a second language of Grade 3 learners in three primary schools, in Ongwediva town of Oshana Regional Education Directorate in Northern Namibia. It also investigated methods and approaches that were used to promote the teaching of reading in English as a second language and the linguistic environment of the classroom in which the teaching of reading occurs. Classroom environments were observed and telephonic interview was conducted with the circuit inspector of the three schools selected. Individual interviews were also done with the principals, Grade 3 teachers and Grade 3 learners of the three chosen schools. Focus group interview was also done with the same Grade 3 teachers. This study found out that insufficient reading books, poor teaching methods, insufficient teachers’ and learners’ interactions and overcrowded classrooms were some of the factors that made the teaching of reading unsuccessful. From the interviews of the circuit inspector, principals and teachers it was revealed that inadequate teacher training workshops for teachers teaching English reading, lack of parental involvement, low budget allocation to Primary Education and lack of reading capacity in vernacular affected the teaching of reading negatively. The outcome of learners’ interviews indicated that phonemic awareness and lack of comprehension created reading problems. Given the factors referred above, it is recommended that more interesting readers should be purchased to solve the shortage of reading materials. In addition, more effective teachers’ workshops should be given to strengthen the teachers’ approaches to reading skills development for Grade 3 learners. / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Early Childhood Development) / Educational Studies

Submitted by Fabricia Fialho Reginato (fabriciar) on 2015-07-31T00:07:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DéboraBusetti.pdf: 9566819 bytes, checksum: cd52ecc4c69581b16837809ffece48d2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-31T00:07:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DéboraBusetti.pdf: 9566819 bytes, checksum: cd52ecc4c69581b16837809ffece48d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-27 / Nenhuma / À luz da teoria sociocultural (VIGOTSKY, 1978; LANTOLF, 2000,2010), e do conceito de diálogo colaborativo (SWAIN, 2000), o presente trabalho tem como objetivo discutir a relevância do trabalho colaborativo no ensino de língua inglesa e analisar e propor tarefas colaborativas e atividades pedagógicas para um livro didático de uma turma do primeiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola particular da cidade de Farroupilha, Rio Grande do Sul. Tendo como base os critérios para análise de livros didáticos adaptados de Dias (2009) e Ramos (2009), o livro didático foi analisado, e cinco módulos foram selecionados para serem adaptados. O intuito da proposta é estimular a colaboração entre os alunos, considerando que a língua é o fio condutor, e instigá-los a serem curiosos e autônomos para irem além daquilo que é apresentado, e para olharem para o mundo que os cerca com outros olhos, com olhos de quem não aceita definições prontas e prefere refletir e questionar antes de concordar ou discordar de algum conceito. / Based on the sociocultural theory (VIGOTSKY, 1978; LANTOLF, 2000, 2010), and on the concept of collaborative dialogue (SWAIN, 2000), this work aims to discuss the relevance of the collaborative work to the teaching of English, and analyze and propose collaborative tasks and pedagogical activities for a high school English textbook of a first grade class in a private school in Farroupilha, Rio Grande do Sul. Based on the criteria for analyzing textbooks adapted from Dias (2009) and Ramos (2009), the textbook has been analyzed, and five modules have been selected to be adapted. The aim of the proposal is to stimulate the collaboration among the students, taking into account that language is the connecting thread, and instigate them to go beyond what is presented, and look at the world that is around them with another look, with a look from someone who does not accept ready definitions and prefers to make questions before agreeing or disagreeing with any concept.

The study examined three Japanese junior high-school English teachers’ initial years of full-time employment. It investigated the type of pedagogical puzzles these teachers experienced, how their practice developed over 18 months, and my role as a Teacher of Teachers (TOT). Drawing on linguistic ethnography, this study took an ethnographic approach to understanding the teachers’ social context and used techniques from discourse analysis to consider how they interpreted their puzzles and constructed their practice. These techniques were also used to analyze my working relationship with the teachers. The purpose of this endeavor was to contribute to the understanding of novice teacher development in an ‘expanding circle’ country. Over the course of the study, I observed the teachers’ classes and interviewed them once or twice a month. Using the coding of interview transcripts and class fieldnotes, I identified Critical Incidents that represented the teachers’ pedagogical puzzles and typical practice, as well as my role as a TOT. Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory(CHAT), I analyzed how elements of the social context brought about the teachers’ pedagogical puzzles and affected their capacity to address them. Coding of the interviews and a microanalysis of the interactions showed my role as a TOT. Overall, the CIs gave an emic portrait of each teacher’s experience and my efforts to support them. The pedagogical puzzles the teachers faced were a result of their personal histories and school conditions. These puzzles did not change, which indicates that teachers will face complex issues that cannot be resolved. Understanding them, however, can promote teacher development. Applying CHAT, I could identify the conditions that helped determine the types of pedagogy in which teachers engaged. I tried to fulfill my role as a TOT by conducting a form of reflective practice (RP). An examination of the RP I conducted with the teachers challenged the notion that it involves the sequential steps of identifying issues, attempting to resolve them, and reflecting on one’s efforts. This dissertation concludes with a discussion about the contributions it has made toward the field of English teacher development: using CHAT to understand the English teaching experiences, the development of an understanding of RP as it can be carried out in the field, an understanding of novice teachers in expanding circle countries, and the value of linguistic ethnography for researching novice teachers.