Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-98).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-98). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

In recent years FLE researchers and instructors have become increasingly interested in devising theoretical frameworks and pedagogical materials that prepare learners for the realities of today’s globalized world. Current FLE research suggests that equipping learners with intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is the best approach to achieve this goal. As a result of this, administrators and instructors of foreign language programs are reassessing their curricula to ensure that the cultural content is effective and sufficient for enabling learners to successfully function in a culturally diverse world. This thesis aims to reassess the cultural component of the beginner Arabic curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin by serving two objectives. The first objective is to present the results of a survey that examines the impact of the cultural content in the current beginner Arabic course at the University of Texas at Austin on learners’ ICC development. The second objective is to incorporate these results in a pedagogical framework to further enhance the development of ICC in the beginner Arabic classroom setting. The results were gathered from two student surveys, conducted at the beginning and end of the academic year, and from follow-up interviews administered half way through the study’s duration. The findings indicate that the majority of Arabic learners at the beginner level are predisposed with good general knowledge and positive perceptions with regard to the Arab world, suggesting that they are primed to develop ICC before commencing their study of Arabic. In addition to this, the findings show that the current Arabic curriculum did help to further develop ICC in learners to a certain extent. However, there are some areas for improvement, mainly regarding the organization and selection of topics. These observations were taken into consideration in designing the pedagogical framework that presents learning outcomes specific to the beginner Arabic curriculum. The intention is that such a framework will align curricular goals that will in turn result in learners becoming informed global citizens of the world. / text

Abstract not available

This thesis investigates future English teachers&rsquo / experiences of learning English proverbs in Anatolian Teacher Training High Schools (ATTHS) in Turkey. In order to reveal the situation about proverb teaching in English language classrooms in ATTHS, students&rsquo / opinions are sought and coursebooks are analysed. In doing this, this study aims to find out EFL teacher trainees&rsquo / attitudes towards learning and teaching English proverbs, their conceptualization of proverbs, their thoughts about their knowledge and use of English proverbs, and perceptions about how sufficiently their English teachers and coursebooks at high school taught them English proverbs. This study also aims to uncover how the English coursebooks they used in ATTHS teach proverbs. To achieve these aims, a questionnaire is administered to 187 freshman ELT students / a semi-structured interview is conducted with volunteers and the coursebooks used by the majority are examined using an analysis form and a checklist. As a result, it is found that those teacher trainees have positive attitudes towards learning and teaching English proverbs, think that they do not have enough knowledge of English proverbs and that their English teachers and coursebooks did not teach proverbs sufficiently. Moreover, the participants&rsquo / conceptualization of proverbs reflects traditional definitions. Besides, coursebook analysis reveals that while the examined local coursebooks contain almost no proverbs at all, the analysed international coursebooks include a relatively bigger number of proverbs. However, except for some of the semantic and cultural aspects of proverbs, there is hardly any explicit reference to other aspects of proverbs in all the coursebooks examined.

Thesis (PHD)--University of Montana, 2009. / Contents viewed on December 22, 2009. Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

This Report addresses the importance of intercultural communicative competence among foreign language learners and the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology to achieve this goal in the classroom. CMC technology provides learners a unique opportunity to interact with students of different cultures, a situation that allows for experiential learning to occur and which has been shown to lead to gains in intercultural communicative competence. The work begins with a definition of culture and intercultural communicative competence, followed by a review of general approaches used to facilitate such competence in students, and finally a review of the literature on the positive and negative aspects of using CMC for cross-cultural learning. As the aim of this work is to offer teachers a resource and guidance for implementing intercultural exchanges via the use of CMC tools, the Report concludes with suggestions on best practices for using CMC in the foreign language classroom. / text

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Šiame darbe yra analizuojamas komunikacinės kompetencijos, kuri yra užsienio kalbų mokymo(si) tikslas ir turinys plačiąja prasme, ugdymas. Šio darbo tikslas yra atskleisti, kaip sėkmingai anglakalbėse šalyse socializavęsi žmonės vertina anglų kalbos mokymosi patirtį Lietuvoje, parodyti kalbos mokėjimo svarbą sėkmingai socializacijai užsienio šalyje bei ištirti mokytojų požiūrį į komunikacinės kompetencijos ugdymo efektyvumą, atsižvelgiant į migrantų paminėtus probleminius aspektus. Darbe yra remiamasi tokiomis metodologinėmis nuostatomis kaip kritinė teorija ir socialinis konstruktyvizmas, kurios suteikia galimybę skatinti pačių besimokančiųjų supratimą ir aktyvumą, moko individą suprasti įvykių esmę bei ugdo jo sugebėjimą spręsti problemas. Darbe keliama prielaida, jog anglų kalbos mokymas Lietuvoje yra daugiausiai orientuotas į lingvistinės kompetencijos (pagrindinių gramatinių ir leksinių žinių) ugdymą, egzamino išlaikymą, o to nepakanka norint sėkmingai komunikuoti šia kalba užsienio šalyse, atsiradus poreikiui kalbėti šnekamąja anglų kalba, išmanyti tarpkultūrinio ir socialinio bendravimo aspektus. Ši prielaida pasitvirtino išanalizavus interviu su migrantais ir mokytojais metu gautus duomenis. / In this paper the development of the communicative competence is analyzed. In general, communicative competence is the aim and the content of the foreign language teaching and learning. The aim of this paper is to reveal how people, who have successfully socialized abroad, assess the experience of foreign language learning in Lithuania as well as to show the importance of the foreign language knowledge to the successful socialization in another country and to investigate the viewpoint of the teachers towards the effectiveness of the communicative competence development, bearing in mind the problematic aspects which have been highlighted by migrants. This paper is grounded on the following methodologies: critical theory and social constructivism. These methodologies enable the individual to evolve his understanding and activity; they also teach the individual to understand the essence of various events in his life and foster the ability to find the solution of various issues. The assumption of this paper is that in Lithuania the teaching of the English language is mainly oriented in the development of the linguistic competence (the development of basic lexical and grammatical skills), in the pass of the final exam, and such development is insufficient when the need to have a knowledge of spoken English, of some aspects of multicultural and social behavior occurs. This assumption is confirmed after the analysis of the interviews with migrants and teachers.