The focus of this study was to describe childrens literacy learning in multicultural home and school contexts and identify and explore the intersection between the home and school literacy learning environments. Participant families and their teachers described various aspects of home and school literacy learning. Through interviews, photography, and journals, participants answered the following research questions: How do school institutions understand and encourage literacy practices outside the school and how are these practices used to support diverse literacy learners? How do learning experiences within the home and community differ from learning experiences within the school?<p> Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and researcher observations within the home and school contexts. Additionally, parent participants were asked to capture literacy and learning events through the use of cameras and daily journaling. The qualitative nature of the study allowed the researcher to record participants literacy experiences and understandings in the authentic environments of the home and school.<p> This research study reflects the theory of literacy as a socio-cultural phenomenon. This theory recognizes that literacy learning in any environment cannot be separated from its context and recognizes that literacy is more than individual skills, but rather a community resource that is developed through interaction with others. Although all families possess useful knowledge and understandings that allow them to arbitrate their daily lives, unfortunately, as this study demonstrates, literacies are often ranked as more or less legitimate by school institutions. Literacy practices which are in close alignment with the schools are more widely accepted, and those outside the realm of the school may be undervalued or ignored.<p> Based on this qualitative study, numerous characteristics of home and school literacy were illuminated. School based literacy was more formal and based on measurable goals for each grade, defined by the school, division, and curriculum. Literacy of the school was viewed in a more traditional sense, as a set of skills which could be measured and recorded. Home literacy, in contrast, was more informal and spontaneous and based on the needs and interests of the learner. Learners within the home were apprenticed by their parents in learning practical, hands-on skills which were used to help mediate their daily activities. Additionally, the study highlights the literacy understandings of both the parents and the teachers of the immigrant learners. Both parent and teacher views of literacy and learning were influenced by their prior knowledge and learning experiences. The learning experiences of the parent and teacher participants were in sharp juxtaposition. Parent participants recalled larger social issues in literacy and learning such as poverty, self-sacrifice, and education as a social mobility agent. Teacher participants recalled early learning experiences based on traditional Euro-centric understanding of literacy which emphasized the importance of early skills such as phonics, word recognition, and storybook reading. The teachers did not include larger social issues which affect learning.<p> The research found that students authentic home literacy experiences were used in the home and community to aid children to problem solve and mediate every day activities. The literacy activities were purpose driven and had practical applications. In the school context, home literacy experiences were incorporated into oral literacy learning activities and narrative and creative writing assignments such as journal and story writing. Despite the incorporation of home experiences in student assignments, these experiences were not used to inform teaching and learning in the classroom. Teaching methods and evaluation techniques were not regularly adapted to meet the needs of the English as Additional Language (EAL) learners. Students who struggled to meet the demands of the curriculum were often removed from the classroom setting to work on specific skills or referred to the resource room with learning challenged students. The teachers revealed reasons which they felt impeded them from delivering more culturally responsive programs and teaching methods including time restraints, large class sizes, and inadequate resources.<p> This study identified several broad issues in literacy practices and understandings. There is an evident disconnect between home and school literacy and their uses. This is partially due to the varied experiences and understanding of parents and teachers. Closing this gap means incorporating educational reform on many levels. Teachers must be aware of student and family backgrounds, experiences, and understandings in order to create a truly inclusive learning program for diverse learners. Culturally responsive teaching means using the wide knowledge bases of all families to inform instruction and evaluation.<p> Teachers need to be provided with adequate education in preparing them for the realities of todays classroom. Culturally and linguistically diverse modern classroom have challenges which many teachers do not feel prepared. Providing adequate pre-service education on EAL learning and student diversity seeks to prepare teachers. Additionally, in-service education experiences on literacy practices for teaching in the culturally diverse classroom are essential in providing teachers with current information and resources. Furthermore, in examining existing parental engagement strategies, teachers can learn to create engaging opportunities for families to participate in their childrens learning.The broadest issue within the study is the multicultural reality for the immigrant and EAL student. The education system needs to move away from multiculturalism as a Canadian catch phrase involving foods and celebrations toward culturally responsive teaching which uses students linguistic and cultural knowledge to inform learning.

The focus of this study was to describe childrens literacy learning in multicultural home and school contexts and identify and explore the intersection between the home and school literacy learning environments. Participant families and their teachers described various aspects of home and school literacy learning. Through interviews, photography, and journals, participants answered the following research questions: How do school institutions understand and encourage literacy practices outside the school and how are these practices used to support diverse literacy learners? How do learning experiences within the home and community differ from learning experiences within the school?<p> Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and researcher observations within the home and school contexts. Additionally, parent participants were asked to capture literacy and learning events through the use of cameras and daily journaling. The qualitative nature of the study allowed the researcher to record participants literacy experiences and understandings in the authentic environments of the home and school.<p> This research study reflects the theory of literacy as a socio-cultural phenomenon. This theory recognizes that literacy learning in any environment cannot be separated from its context and recognizes that literacy is more than individual skills, but rather a community resource that is developed through interaction with others. Although all families possess useful knowledge and understandings that allow them to arbitrate their daily lives, unfortunately, as this study demonstrates, literacies are often ranked as more or less legitimate by school institutions. Literacy practices which are in close alignment with the schools are more widely accepted, and those outside the realm of the school may be undervalued or ignored.<p> Based on this qualitative study, numerous characteristics of home and school literacy were illuminated. School based literacy was more formal and based on measurable goals for each grade, defined by the school, division, and curriculum. Literacy of the school was viewed in a more traditional sense, as a set of skills which could be measured and recorded. Home literacy, in contrast, was more informal and spontaneous and based on the needs and interests of the learner. Learners within the home were apprenticed by their parents in learning practical, hands-on skills which were used to help mediate their daily activities. Additionally, the study highlights the literacy understandings of both the parents and the teachers of the immigrant learners. Both parent and teacher views of literacy and learning were influenced by their prior knowledge and learning experiences. The learning experiences of the parent and teacher participants were in sharp juxtaposition. Parent participants recalled larger social issues in literacy and learning such as poverty, self-sacrifice, and education as a social mobility agent. Teacher participants recalled early learning experiences based on traditional Euro-centric understanding of literacy which emphasized the importance of early skills such as phonics, word recognition, and storybook reading. The teachers did not include larger social issues which affect learning.<p> The research found that students authentic home literacy experiences were used in the home and community to aid children to problem solve and mediate every day activities. The literacy activities were purpose driven and had practical applications. In the school context, home literacy experiences were incorporated into oral literacy learning activities and narrative and creative writing assignments such as journal and story writing. Despite the incorporation of home experiences in student assignments, these experiences were not used to inform teaching and learning in the classroom. Teaching methods and evaluation techniques were not regularly adapted to meet the needs of the English as Additional Language (EAL) learners. Students who struggled to meet the demands of the curriculum were often removed from the classroom setting to work on specific skills or referred to the resource room with learning challenged students. The teachers revealed reasons which they felt impeded them from delivering more culturally responsive programs and teaching methods including time restraints, large class sizes, and inadequate resources.<p> This study identified several broad issues in literacy practices and understandings. There is an evident disconnect between home and school literacy and their uses. This is partially due to the varied experiences and understanding of parents and teachers. Closing this gap means incorporating educational reform on many levels. Teachers must be aware of student and family backgrounds, experiences, and understandings in order to create a truly inclusive learning program for diverse learners. Culturally responsive teaching means using the wide knowledge bases of all families to inform instruction and evaluation.<p> Teachers need to be provided with adequate education in preparing them for the realities of todays classroom. Culturally and linguistically diverse modern classroom have challenges which many teachers do not feel prepared. Providing adequate pre-service education on EAL learning and student diversity seeks to prepare teachers. Additionally, in-service education experiences on literacy practices for teaching in the culturally diverse classroom are essential in providing teachers with current information and resources. Furthermore, in examining existing parental engagement strategies, teachers can learn to create engaging opportunities for families to participate in their childrens learning.The broadest issue within the study is the multicultural reality for the immigrant and EAL student. The education system needs to move away from multiculturalism as a Canadian catch phrase involving foods and celebrations toward culturally responsive teaching which uses students linguistic and cultural knowledge to inform learning.

This thesis examines the responses of the educational system of Cyprus to increasing student diversity. The study it reports was set in a sensitive socio-political context, within which the previously homogenous Greek-Cypriot society faced an unprecedented and unanticipated rise in net migration rates from the mid-1990s. The need to respond effectively to the challenge of increasing population diversity and to issues of ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversification was evident within the wider Cypriot society, and was reflected within the educational system. Despite this, there is an identified gap in knowledge and research on the topic of increasing student diversity in Cyprus. With these concerns in mind, the research focused on exploring the experiences of secondary school students of ages 11-14, who had recently arrived in Cyprus and were categorised as foreign-speaking. The aim was to explore factors hindering and promoting these students’ inclusion in schools through identifying barriers and resources to their presence, participation, achievement and socialisation. The study used a qualitative exploratory case study design. Data were collected in three secondary schools through a multi-method approach that considered the views of various school stakeholders, particularly the “voices” of foreign-speaking students regarding their school experiences. Data analysis involved the constant comparative method which allowed the consistent scrutiny of findings from various research methods using a theoretical framework based on the idea of inclusive education. A model was developed and used to discuss the perceived barriers and resources to foreign-speaking students’ inclusion. Barriers and resources were identified as stemming from educational policy, educational practice in schools and classrooms, students’ traits and characteristics, and finally students’ home and community environments. The barriers created a context of inequality of opportunities for foreign-speaking students’ school experiences and future life achievement in comparison to their other classmates. The findings of the study provide a basis for evaluating exclusionary pressures that prevent foreign-speaking students from engaging meaningfully with their school lives equally to other classmates, and propose that inclusive education within the Cypriot educational context can have a wider scope that does not rest only with traditional research on special needs education. It also confirms the importance of conducting contextualised educational research on issues of inclusion, as relevant literature presents inclusive schools as organisations that should address challenges in reflection to their own cultural and political context. The thesis also suggests that the identified barriers and resources have implications for policy and practice that need to be addressed in order to adopt more inclusive educational pedagogies for foreign-speaking students, and considers it important that the formulation of any response should be informed in reflection to similar international studies. Its implication lies with identifying unused resources that could otherwise be mobilised to enhance schools’ response to increasing diversity. Finally, it makes recommendations for future research on the identified resources for promoting inclusion. Such research should be directed at further exploring the factors contributing to providing equal educational opportunities for all learners within an approach that promotes respect for diversity and considers diversity as a source of inspiration and learning.

This study investigates awareness and use of communicative language teaching methodology (CLT) in a foundation programme at an institution of higher learning in the Sultanate of Oman, where rapid expansion and a reliance on expatriate skills has resulted in the employment of predominantly native English teachers, many with inadequate formal teacher training. The qualitative research methodology employed involved a core of five teachers using three data-gathering instruments and ten additional English language teachers who responded to a questionnaire. The study finds that the majority of teachers have inadequate knowledge of the CLT approach and do not use it in the classroom. The findings suggest that an adapted version of CLT which embraces local contextual and sociocultural conditions may be pedagogically viable. The study draws comparisons between the idea of a hypothetical, “adapted” version of CLT and the notions of “particularity, practicality and possibility” as suggested by Kumaravadivelu (2006). / English Studies / M.A. (Specialisation in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL)

This study investigates awareness and use of communicative language teaching methodology (CLT) in a foundation programme at an institution of higher learning in the Sultanate of Oman, where rapid expansion and a reliance on expatriate skills has resulted in the employment of predominantly native English teachers, many with inadequate formal teacher training. The qualitative research methodology employed involved a core of five teachers using three data-gathering instruments and ten additional English language teachers who responded to a questionnaire. The study finds that the majority of teachers have inadequate knowledge of the CLT approach and do not use it in the classroom. The findings suggest that an adapted version of CLT which embraces local contextual and sociocultural conditions may be pedagogically viable. The study draws comparisons between the idea of a hypothetical, “adapted” version of CLT and the notions of “particularity, practicality and possibility” as suggested by Kumaravadivelu (2006). / English Studies / M.A. (Specialisation in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL)