There are a myriad of factors that influence the teaching and assessment of English as a foreign language in Israel. One such factor is the change in perception of how the mind collects and processes information. The transition from behaviorist theories of learning to constructivist and cognitivist theories has resulted in a new concept of learning that recognises the pivotal role of the learner in the learning process. Another instrumental factor is the creation of standards in education that are intended to raise the level of academic achievement and provide equitable educational opportunities for all learners. Both of these factors have impacted the study of English as a foreign language. Countries around the world have assumed monumental changes in the way they approach foreign language study. Following the examples of foreign countries Israel has recently implemented a standards-based curriculum that supports alternative assessment. Since this is a relatively new concept, the principles underlying standards and assessment are unfamiliar to many EFL teachers. Novice teachers, as well as experienced teachers, are experiencing difficulty incorporating standards and alternative assessment into their lessons. In the light of the above it was clear that a need existed to investigate how English foreign language teachers relate to assessment and to examine the extent to which they implement alternative assessment in their teaching. The aim of the study is to explore teachers' understanding of alternative assessment and find out how teachers incorporate alternative assessment in their EFL classes. Against this background, an empirical investigation was undertaken. It comprised a textual analysis of ten assessment packages and two focus group interviews. The research produced a wealth of descriptive data that illuminated the subject. The findings magnified the disparity between the theory behind alternative assessment and actual practice. It was apparent that the assessment activities which EFL teachers employed, were not in sync with the principles that were being promoted by the new curriculum for EFL teaching and assessment in Israeli schools. The study discusses the results of the investigation, suggests the implications and presents recommendations. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

In classrooms all over the world, there are students who fear the attention of both teachers and peers alike. Anxiety is a cause for such fears and in foreign language classrooms it can be prevalent. Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is a concept developed by Horwitz et al (1986) to describe the unique anxiety that arises in a foreign language learning situation. Anxious students are less prone to use their target language and feel less motivated in their language studies, both of which have a negative effect on their learning. The aim of this study was to measure and compare anxiety levels among Swedish lower and upper secondary school students, identify major sources of anxiety and gain understanding of individuals’ perception of foreign language anxiety. 49 subjects from two classes participated in the study. Their anxiety was measured with the foreign language classroom anxiety scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz et al (1986). Interviews were used to gain insight into the subjects’ perception of foreign language anxiety. The results showed that a majority of the subjects were anxious and that students in the lower secondary school class were more anxious than the upper secondary school class. The identified major sources of anxiety were teacher-induced anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and general anxiety. / I klassrum över hela världen finns det elever som är rädda för både lärarens och sina klasskamraters uppmärksamhet. Nervositet är en orsak till en sådan rädsla och kan vara vanligt i främmandespråkklassrum. Språkängslan inför främmande språk är ett begrepp utvecklat av Horwitz m. fl. (1986) för att beskriva den unika nervositet som uppstår vid lärande av främmande språk. Nervösa elever är mindre benägna att använda språket de lär sig och känner sig mindre motiverade att lära sig och båda sakerna har en negativ effekt på deras inlärning. Syftet med studien var att mäta och jämföra nervositetsnivåer bland svenska högstadie- och gymnasieelever, identifiera de största källorna till nervositet och få förståelse för elevers uppfattning av nervositet. 49 elever från två klasser deltog i studien. Deras nervositet mättes med skalan för språknervositet i samband med undervisning i främmande språk, utvecklad av Horwitz m fl (1986). Intervjuer användes för att få insikt i deltagarnas uppfattning om språknervositet inför främmande språk. Resultatet visade att en majoritet av deltagarna led av språknervositet och att högstadieeleverna i högre grad var nervösa än gymnasieeleverna. De största källorna till nervositet som identifierades var lärarorsakad nervositet, rädsla för negativt omdöme och generell nervositet.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-12-19T13:18:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Aline Ribeiro Pessôa_.pdf: 1289142 bytes, checksum: f4e7f7469fb96423567c077ffa03dbf5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-19T13:18:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aline Ribeiro Pessôa_.pdf: 1289142 bytes, checksum: f4e7f7469fb96423567c077ffa03dbf5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-10-31 / Nenhuma / O feedback corretivo oral, em uma perspectiva sociocultural, é entendido como um elemento central para professores de línguas estrangeiras ajudarem o aprendiz a alcançar a autorregulação. Uma vez que o feedback corretivo possibilita a construção conjunta de uma zona de desenvolvimento proximal (ZDP), enfatiza-se a importância de variar os tipos de feedback oferecidos, reformuladores e elicitativos, favorecendo a estes, pois ajudam o aprendiz a assumir a responsabilidade pela correção de seus próprios erros. Este estudo objetiva contribuir para o desenvolvimento profissional de docentes de inglês como língua estrangeira e, conforme a perspectiva sociocultural, abordar e desenvolver conceitos científicos sobre o feedback corretivo oral. A investigação envolveu duas professoras de língua inglesa de uma escola pública em uma pesquisa-ação colaborativa, durante um semestre letivo. O estudo explora a pesquisa-ação colaborativa, estreitamente relacionada aos conceitos socioculturais da mediação e da ZDP, e propõe a zona de desenvolvimento proximal de docentes de língua estrangeira (ZDPD-LE), definida como a distância entre o que um professor de língua estrangeira faz em sua sala de aula e o que pode fazer quando estrategicamente mediado. A pesquisa fez uso da triangulação para a coleta e a análise dos dados, os quais foram coletados por meio de entrevistas individuais semi-estruturadas, observações em sala de aula, gravações em áudio e vídeo das aulas observadas, sessões autoscópicas e uma entrevista em grupo não estruturada. A análise dos dados foi orientada pela análise de conteúdo e pela análise da interação. Os resultados evidenciaram que, antes da pesquisa-ação colaborativa, as duas professoras utilizavam, predominantemente, feedback reformulador, especialmente recast, e eram contrárias ao fornecimento de feedback corretivo imediato. Além disso, elas ofereciam apenas alguns dos vários tipos de feedback corretivo. Os resultados do estudo revelaram que as professoras participantes internalizaram conceitos científicos e, como consequência, alteraram suas compreensões e o modo como fornecem feedback corretivo oral. Os resultados desta investigação ressaltam a importância da implementação de oportunidades, tais como as propiciadas por uma pesquisa-ação colaborativa, para professores em serviço se engajarem e refletirem sobre suas práticas de feedback corretivo oral, como forma de apoiar e promover o desenvolvimento profissional de professores de inglês como língua estrangeira. / Oral corrective feedback, from a sociocultural perspective, is understood as a pivotal element in how foreign language teachers can assist a learner to achieve self-regulation. As corrective feedback enables the joint construction of a zone of proximal development (ZPD), it is emphasized the importance of varying the types of feedback offered, reformulations and prompts, favoring the latter, as they help learners assume responsibility for correcting their own errors. This study aims at contributing to English as a foreign language teachers’ professional development and, within a sociocultural perspective, intends to approach and develop scientific concepts about oral corrective feedback. The study engaged two teachers of English as a foreign language, from a public language school, in a collaborative action research, during a school semester. The study explores collaborative action research, as closely related to the sociocultural concepts of mediation and ZPD. It thereby proposes the zone of proximal foreign language teacher development (ZPFLTD), defined as the distance between what a foreign language teacher does in his/her classroom and what he/she can do when strategically mediated. The study used a triangulation design for data collection and analysis. Data were collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews, classroom observations, audio and video recordings of the observed lessons, teacher stimulated recall interviews, and an unstructured group interview. Data analysis was informed by using content analysis and interaction analysis. The results showed that prior to the collaborative action research, both teachers predominantly used reformulations, especially recast, and were against the provision of immediate oral corrective feedback. Furthermore, they provided only some of the various feedback types. The results of the study revealed the participant teachers internalized scientific concepts, and therefore, changed their understanding and the way they furnished oral corrective feedback. The findings of this study highlight the importance of implementing opportunities, such as those propitiated by a collaborative action research, for in-service teachers engage with and reflect on their oral corrective feedback practices, as a supportive and effective way to promote the professional development of teachers of English as a foreign language.

As the English language holds the status of a Lingua Franca, being able to master it has become necessary in our globalised society. In Sweden, the English subject has been assigned a place along with Swedish and Mathematics as a core subject. However, of these three subjects, only English does not have specified knowledge requirements at the end of third grade. This has led to the start of English instruction varying around the nation. This thesis investigates the factors involved in the decision-making processes regarding the start of English instruction and what attitudes lower primary school teachers have regarding the age at which the English instruction should start. An empirical study was carried out by interviewing a few stakeholders in the context of schools and sending out questionnaires to lower primary school teachers. The results indicate that a large majority of the participants were in favour for early English instruction, as according to many of them, an early start results almost exclusively in advantages for the young children. However, the results also imply that the English subject, in some cases, might be less prioritised, due to the lack of specified knowledge requirements. Based on these results, further research on how different schools interpret these non-specified knowledge requirements is suggested. / <p>Engelska</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:45:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thais Marchezoni da Silva.pdf: 3119851 bytes, checksum: 07b6547aaff57d6da20ea0ee7cc9e7c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work aims at questioning the graduation of professionals in Curso de Letras, São Paulo - Brazil, who teach English as a foreign language (EFL) to children from 6 to 10 years old. To begin with, we considered legal texts and studies from well-known researchers which sustain our judgment about the existence of peculiarities towards the processes of teaching that age group, therefore the importance of that course provides didactic-pedagogical disciplines about child development. In order to understand and analyze the experience of teachers of English, who teach children, we applied a questionnaire which included questions about: their graduation, teaching materials, the classes, the child as a learner, among others. Based on information we obtained, we present considerations which will hopefully make agencies in charge of the country's education and teachers of English aware of some implications at teaching that language to children due to shortcomings in these professionals' graduation. / O presente trabalho visa à análise da formação do profissional de Letras atuante como professor(a) de inglês para crianças entre 6 e 10 anos de idade. Num primeiro momento da pesquisa, examinamos textos legais, estudos de teóricos e pesquisadores que sustentaram nosso julgamento de que há peculiaridades em relação ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem da faixa etária em questão, por isso a importância de o Curso de Letras oferecer disciplinas didático-pedagógicas específicas sobre o desenvolvimento infantil. A fim de conhecer e analisar a experiência docente de professores de inglês, que lecionam para crianças, aplicamos um questionário que consta de perguntas relacionadas: à formação, ao material didático, às aulas, à criança como aprendiz, dentre outras. Com base nas informações obtidas apresentamos algumas considerações que, esperamos, contribuam para conscientizar os órgãos responsáveis e professores de inglês a respeito de possíveis implicações no ensino do idioma para crianças devido às carências na formação deste profissional.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:46:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Elen Del Sole.pdf: 1119476 bytes, checksum: 222fa8bddb42e6cbb98ff7e00436c997 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-22 / This study aims at adding some considerations on the development of intercultural competence in teaching English as a foreign language teaching (TEFL). The corpus under analysis has consisted of the observation of a group of adult students linguistical behavior in English as a foreign language classes within a 12 months &#769; period of time. The programme content has been elaborated in such a way that dynamic activities should take place and provide the subjects &#769; interaction, that is, the researcher and teacher on one side and the students, on the other side, as the participant group. The purpose has been to analyze students intercultural abilities on the basis of research-action methodology. Intercultural pieces of reality from Western countries, as well as the emphasis on multicultural thought, have been presented to the students. The technique adopted to introduce distinct intercultural pieces of reality has used authentic material and the criterion has involved themes related to politics, economics and creative thinking. Observation of the students linguistical behavior has resulted in subcategories such as generalization, which has been analyzed under the parameter of foreign language teaching as the third space. / O presente trabalho visa a contribuir com reflexões sobre o desenvolvimento da competência intercultural no ensino das línguas estrangeiras. O corpus para a análise constituiu-se na observação do comportamento linguístico de um grupo de alunos adultos de aulas de inglês como língua estrangeira (LE) no período de 12 meses. O conteúdo programático foi especialmente elaborado para que ocorressem dinâmicas que propiciassem a interação dos sujeitos envolvidos a saber, a professora como pesquisadora e os alunos enquanto grupo participante, com a finalidade de analisar as habilidades interculturais dos alunos, dentro dos pressupostos da metodologia da pesquisa-ação. Foram apresentadas aos alunos realidades interculturais provenientes de países do Ocidente, além de ênfase no pensamento multicultural. A técnica adotada para a apresentação de realidades interculturais distintas serviu-se de material autêntico, cujo critério de seleção foram temas relaciona dos à política, à economia e ao pensamento criativo. O resultado da observação do comportamento linguístico dos alunos trouxe subcategorias como a generalização, que foi analisada tendo como parâmetro o ensino de língua estrangeira enquanto terceiro espaço de enunciação.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao CRISTINA GAGLIANONE.pdf: 669352 bytes, checksum: e026d4d49fe702daa968d791054de99b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-10-17 / This research aims at investigating what are the representations about teacher education during the classes of the module Repensando a Fonologia do Inglês: da conscientização à ação, part of the course Reflexão sobre a Ação. The research was carried out in a course for professional development for English teachers from the Public Schools of the State of São Paulo during the first semester of 2004. The theoretical framework on which this research was based was the concept of representation Barcelos (2001) and social representation Moscivici (1984) and Lessa & Freire (2003) looking at language theory (Bakhtin 1929/1995); theories of learning and teaching (Vygotsky, 1934/2000); the concept of teacher education Dewey, 1959; Schon, 1987/1992 and Celani 2003, 2004 until the theories of critical reflection (Freire, 1970; Kemmis 1987, Smyth,1989,1992; Zeichner,1992; and Brookfield, 1995) and the role of phonology (Lieff, 2003). The data were collected during two classes of the module Repensando a Fonologia do Inglês: da Conscientização à Ação. For the analysis and interpretation of the data, I used Spradley s (1980) cultural domains, based on the participants lexical choices. The categories analysed were the representations about language, teaching and learning, critical reflection and the role of phonology in the module under study. The results of the analysis indicate that there is a clash between the teacher s representations and that of the students, which hinders the achievement of the module s objectives / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo verificar quais as representações dos envolvidos sobre formação de professores durante as aulas do módulo Repensando a Fonologia do Inglês: da conscientização à ação, parte do curso Reflexão sobre a Ação. A investigação foi desenvolvida em um curso de aprimoramento profissional para professores de inglês da rede oficial de ensino do Estado de São Paulo durante o primeiro semestre de 2004. Os pressupostos teóricos que fundamentaram a investigação foram: o conceito de representação Barcelos (2001), e de representação social Moscivici (1984) e Lessa e Freire (2003) ao olhar a concepção de linguagem (Bakhtin 1929/1995); teorias de ensino-aprendizagem (Vygotsky, 1934/2000); o conceito de formação contínua na formação de professores de Dewey, 1959; Schon, 1987/1992 e Celani 2003, 2004 até chegar ao conceito de reflexão crítica de (Freire, 1970; Kemmis 1987, Smyth,1989, 1992; Zeichner,1992; e Brookfield, 1995 e o papel da fonologia (Lieff, 2003). Os dados foram coletados em duas aulas do módulo Repensando a Fonologia do Inglês: da Conscientização à Ação. Para a análise e interpretação dos dados, foram utilizados os domínios culturais de Spradley (1980), com base nas escolhas lexicais dos participantes: a professora-formadora e os professores-alunos. As categorias analisadas foram as representações sobre a linguagem, o ensino-aprendizagem, a reflexão crítica e o papel da fonologia no módulo em estudo. Os resultados indicam que há um embate entre as representações da professora formadora e as dos professores-alunos, o que dificulta que os objetivos propostos pelo módulo sejam atingidos

No description available.

Attrition among students in online courses worldwide is well-documented at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. However, little is yet known about the reason for attrition among in-service teachers in online training. Online education aims to provide access to education for the masses, but with higher attrition rates, it may be viewed as less effective than traditional education. This study explored factors that influenced attrition and persistence among teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in an online teacher training environment. Tinto's Community of Inquiry framework and Short, Williams, and Christie's Social Presence Model provided the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study to address the research question. Six participants in Latin America from 4 online courses, selected through criterion and convenience sampling, participated in the study. Data sources included online questionnaires, personal narratives, and a focus group interview. Each data set was analyzed using open coding to identify emerging themes, selective coding for purposes of analysis, and finally axial coding to confirm overarching themes. Findings indicate that social, teacher, and cognitive presence are key to engagement in online learning and persistence, while lack of such presences can demotivate and lead to attrition. Thus, it is important to design online training that fosters all 3 types of presence. Results also included recommendations for designing more engaging online teacher training curricula. This study contributes to positive social change by providing online course designers with a deeper understanding of factors which influence attrition and persistence.

År 2003 utnämnde UNESCO årtiondet 2005-2014 till decenniet för utbildning i hållbar utveckling och även andra internationella och nationella beslut togs för att föra in utbildning för hållbar utveckling (Education for Sustainable Development) i skolans alla ämnen. ESD syftar till att eleven ska utveckla sin förmåga att kritiskt granska olika såväl ekologiska, sociala och ekonomiska perspektiv samt kunna ta ställning till dessa genom ett aktivt deltagande i olika demokratiska processer för att stödja hållbar utveckling. Forskning på området har dock visat att integreringen i skolans alla ämnen inte har fungerat på det sätt det har varit avsett. Denna uppsats syftar till att ta reda på om ESD förekommer inom engelskaundervisningen på gymnasienivå (inom Skaraborgs län). Den försöker också att identifiera vilka hinder och möjligheter det kan finnas för att arbeta med ESD i engelska A/B. Detta har gjorts utifrån en teoretisk litteraturstudie och en semistrukturerad enkätundersökning. Frågeformulär skickades ut till alla engelskalärare på tre gymnasieskolor i länet. De viktigaste resultaten som framkom var att ett av de största hindren för att arbeta med ESD i engelska var bristande kännedom om både skolans uppdrag gällande ESD, men också om vad begreppet innebär innehållsmässigt och didaktiskt. Även litteraturen speglar fortfarande uppfattningen att ESD till största del handlar om miljöfrågor och det finns mycket få praktiska råd vad gäller ESD i språkundervisningen. Det framkom dock framförallt att det verkar finnas stora möjligheter för att föra in ESD i engelskaämnet, eftersom det finns både intresse och motivation för detta bland majoriteten av de tillfrågade lärarna. / In 2003 UNESCO proclaimed the years 2005-2014 as a global decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Likewise other resolutions stated that ESD should be integrated in all school subjects. ESD focuses on developing the students’ ability to critically examine different ecological, social and economical perspectives and to participate actively in democratic processes in order to support sustainable development. Nevertheless, research has shown that the integration of ESD into all subjects has not been accomplished successfully. This degree project aims at examining if ESD occurs in English language lessons at three Swedish upper secondary schools. It also attempts to identify which impediments and possibilities there might exist for working with ESD in English lessons. This has been done by a literary review and a semi-structured questionnaire. An inquiry form was sent to all English teachers at the schools mentioned above. The most important results derived from this study were: Firstly, one of the biggest obstacles for working with ESD in English lessons was insufficient knowledge about UNESCO’s and the Swedish Education System’s commission as well as insufficient knowledge about what the concept ESD implies, both on a content level and on a didactical level. Secondly, literature reflected the common misconception that ESD is primarily concerned with environmental issues and modern research did not provide much information about how to teach ESD within language lessons. Above all, though, the results showed that one very important condition for integrating ESD into English lessons is fulfilled, since the majority of the teachers involved in this study seemed to be motivated to do so.