Qatar’s education system has recently been subjected to a process of deep structural reform. One of the beliefs which underpins this reform is the assumption that learner-centred pedagogy is more effective than traditional teacher-centred pedagogy. However, there is limited empirical evidence from a Qatari classroom context regarding the effectiveness of using learner-centred pedagogies. This lack of empirical evidence extends to the teaching of English as a foreign language. This study employed Vygotskian sociocultural theory as a lens to investigate the effects of working collaboratively on learners’ longer-term performance of two grammatical structures, the simple past passive and the present continuous passive, as well as the cognitive processes involved. Interventionist dynamic assessment was used to quantify the linguistic performance of male Arabic undergraduate EFL learners (N = 52) three times (pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest) over a 12-week period. In-between the pretest and the posttest, six form-focused treatment tasks were administered. The experimental group (n = 20) completed the treatment tasks collaboratively; the comparison group (n = 16) completed the treatment tasks individually; and the control group (n = 16) did not complete the treatment tasks. In addition, the genetic method was employed to trace the linguistic development of four participants in the experimental group. These four participants were audio-recorded as they collaboratively completed each treatment session. Mood’s median test (Mood, 1954) found a pretest to posttest statistically significant difference (M = 7.70, df = 1, p = 0.01) between the performances of the experimental and control groups for the structure of the simple past passive which is moderate to large in size (Cramér’s V = 0.46). However for both target structures, no statistically significant difference was found between the experimental group and the comparison group, suggesting that the treatment condition of working collaboratively was not more effective in promoting learners’ linguistic development than the treatment condition of working individually. Additionally, the descriptive statistics revealed high levels of individual variation. Of the four participants who were audio-recorded, the journey of one learner is presented. This data was analysed using a microgenetic approach with LREs (Swain and Lapkin, 1995, 1998, 2002) as the unit of analysis. The microgenetic analysis shows how working collaboratively provides learners with access to a shared cognitive space. Within this space, they can employ language as a cognitive tool to access other-regulation from their peers and deploy their own self-regulatory strategies. The experience of an individual was explored within the context of the linguistic gains made by the collective to whom he belongs. Thus, even though the statistical analysis of the results suggests that working collaboratively is not more effective in facilitating learners’ linguistic development than working individually, the process of language learning has been connected to the outcome of language learning through the results of the descriptive statistics and the microgenetic analysis. This study contributes to a better understanding of: the types of pedagogies that may be effective in a Qatari undergraduate context, why collaborative learning can be effective, how knowledge which is initially social can take on a psychological function, and how the Vygotskian sociocultural methodologies of the genetic method and dynamic assessment can be integrated into an SLA design.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-08-24T14:49:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Julia Oliveira Osorio Marques_.pdf: 1525914 bytes, checksum: cc4201589412414b4a2c61e5f2004925 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-24T14:49:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Julia Oliveira Osorio Marques_.pdf: 1525914 bytes, checksum: cc4201589412414b4a2c61e5f2004925 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / FAPERGS - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / Estudar o silêncio implica considerar o que está além das palavras obviamente enunciadas e trazer à tona a não-insignificância do silêncio em sala de aula de língua adicional (LA). Partindo-se do pressuposto de que interagimos com o mundo de forma mediada e de que precisamos aprender para que possamos nos desenvolver, este estudo baseia-se na teoria vigotskiana no que se refere à aprendizagem. Com esse intuito, utiliza-se o viés da perspectiva sociocultural para relacionar o silêncio a contextos de construção de conhecimento em LA. Para isso, neste estudo, de natureza qualitativa, interações entre alunos de inglês como LA foram observadas e analisadas em uma universidade do sul do Brasil durante a realização de tarefas colaborativas. Para análise de dados foram analisados protocolos verbais sob a ótica da teoria sociocultural. Este trabalho visa problematizar os possíveis sentidos, influência e, em especial, as funções do silêncio na aprendizagem de LA. Com base na literatura, optou-se por categorizar as funções do silêncio como: cognitiva, interativa e social. A função cognitiva do silêncio está relacionada a questões internas, intra-relacionais, como escolhas lexicais e planejamento semântico; a função interativa do silêncio está ligada à conexão micro-relacional entre os interlocutores, como proximidade e evitação de face; e a função social do silêncio tem a ver com questões macro-relacionais, como estilos pessoais, questões de gênero social e afirmação de identidade cultural. Neste estudo investiga-se como as participantes explicam o uso do seu silêncio no contexto de sala de aula de LA durante a realização de uma tarefa colaborativa; como as participantes explicam o silêncio da sua interlocutora na interação em sala de aula de LA durante a realização desta mesma tarefa colaborativa; e quais as funções de silêncio observadas pela pesquisadora durante essas interações. Assim, almeja-se auxiliar professores de línguas e demais profissionais da Linguística Aplicada a refletirem sobre o ensino/aprendizagem de maneira mais ampla, enxergando as interlocuções em aula de modo mais global, incluindo o silêncio, para que se possa oferecer novas contribuições no que se refere a processos de construção de conhecimento. / Studying silence means to consider what is beyond obviously enunciated words and bring up its non-insignificance in additional language (AL) classrooms. Departing from the presupposition that we interact with the world in a mediated way and that we need to learn in order to develop, this study is based on the Vygotskian theory in terms of learning. Therefore, the Sociocultural Theory view is used to associate silence to contexts of AL knowledge building. In this study, of qualitative nature, interactions between students of English as an AL were observed and analysed in a university in the South of Brazil during the realization of collaborative tasks. For data analyses verbal protocols from the sociocultural theory were used. This paper aims to problematize the possible meanings, influence and, especially, the functions of silence in AL learning. Based on the literature, the silence functions were categorized in three major groups: cognitive, interactive and social. The cognitive function of silence is related to intra-relational, internal questions, such as lexical choices and semantic planning; the interactive function of silence is linked with the micro-relational connection between interlocutors, such as proximity and face avoidance; and the social function of silence has to do with macro-relational questions, such as personal style, gender and cultural identity affirmation. It is studied how the participants explain the use of their own silence in the AL classroom context during the realization of a collaborative task; how the participants explain their interlocutor’s silence in interaction in the AL classroom during this same collaborative task; and which functions of silence were observed by the researcher during these interactions. Thus, it is aimed to help language teachers and other Applied Linguistics professionals to reflect about teaching/learning in a broader sense, looking at the interactions in AL classrooms in a different manner, including silence, so that new contributions to the processes of knowledge building can be offered.

The widely acknowledged doctor shortage in Canada has recently motivated a more critical look at the licensure rates of International Medical Doctors (IMDs), also known as International Medical Graduates (IMGs). However, very little research has been conducted on the experiences of IMDs before they enter the Canadian medical system. This qualitative study collected interview data from 15 diverse IMDs seeking licensure in Ontario, Canada. The participants varied with respect to age, country of origin, English language proficiency on arrival, and time in Canada. In addition, two bridging support programs were observed, and interviews were conducted with three educators from the programs. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis (Boyatzis, 1998; Miles & Huberman, 1994). An analysis of metaphors used by the IMDs to describe their experiences during the licensing process supported the use of poetic representation for key findings, resulting in three poems that are interspersed in the body of the thesis (Ellingson, 2011; Glesne, 1997; Richardson, 2002; Richardson & Adams St. Pierre, 2005). The theoretical framework of the research was informed by Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory, which views learning as inseparable from social interaction and context (Vygotsky, 1987). Third-generation Activity Theory (AT), which has descended from Vygotsky’s work, was applied to highlight the higher-level systemic issues related to medical licensing. Results of this study indicate that IMDs with lower English proficiency face substantial difficulties on arrival, with limited access to the type of medically-relevant language instruction needed to support them. In fact, all pre-licensure IMDs struggle to access the interactional learning opportunities (i.e., Vygotskian “mediational means”) to support their entry into the system. Licensing challenges include limited exam preparation resources that support acquisition of Canadian cultural content; unequal access to clinical observerships; and a selection process which lacks transparency and emphasizes a screening tool unfamiliar to IMDs, the residency interview. Implications of this study include the revisiting of immigration policy; increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the selection process/residency interview; reviewing the role of clinical observerships in the selection process and exploring the potential of observerships to function as a licensure portfolio assessment.

The widely acknowledged doctor shortage in Canada has recently motivated a more critical look at the licensure rates of International Medical Doctors (IMDs), also known as International Medical Graduates (IMGs). However, very little research has been conducted on the experiences of IMDs before they enter the Canadian medical system. This qualitative study collected interview data from 15 diverse IMDs seeking licensure in Ontario, Canada. The participants varied with respect to age, country of origin, English language proficiency on arrival, and time in Canada. In addition, two bridging support programs were observed, and interviews were conducted with three educators from the programs. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis (Boyatzis, 1998; Miles & Huberman, 1994). An analysis of metaphors used by the IMDs to describe their experiences during the licensing process supported the use of poetic representation for key findings, resulting in three poems that are interspersed in the body of the thesis (Ellingson, 2011; Glesne, 1997; Richardson, 2002; Richardson & Adams St. Pierre, 2005). The theoretical framework of the research was informed by Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory, which views learning as inseparable from social interaction and context (Vygotsky, 1987). Third-generation Activity Theory (AT), which has descended from Vygotsky’s work, was applied to highlight the higher-level systemic issues related to medical licensing. Results of this study indicate that IMDs with lower English proficiency face substantial difficulties on arrival, with limited access to the type of medically-relevant language instruction needed to support them. In fact, all pre-licensure IMDs struggle to access the interactional learning opportunities (i.e., Vygotskian “mediational means”) to support their entry into the system. Licensing challenges include limited exam preparation resources that support acquisition of Canadian cultural content; unequal access to clinical observerships; and a selection process which lacks transparency and emphasizes a screening tool unfamiliar to IMDs, the residency interview. Implications of this study include the revisiting of immigration policy; increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the selection process/residency interview; reviewing the role of clinical observerships in the selection process and exploring the potential of observerships to function as a licensure portfolio assessment.