published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This thesis surveyed the perceptions and preferences of experienced ESL teachers in British Columbia concerning their second language teacher education (SLTE). The study asked what skills and knowledge were important for SLTE in light of teaching experience, and what experiences and activities for training were preferred in light of past training or personal learning styles. A 92-item questionnaire based on one used by Richards and Hino (1983) was distributed to 412 teachers, members of an ESL teacher association. The response rate was 32.76%. The results of a descriptive statistical analysis indicated that generally, the respondents had not frequently received training for skills and knowledge that they considered to be high priority. In addition, the items for which the respondents had received adequate training were not frequently indicated as high priority items for SLTE. The data was further broken down by levels of training, years of experience, and learner age groups. This analysis also revealed some interesting differences among the respondents. Recommendations were made that SLTE programme planners take trainees' needs into account and that they model what they propose to be good teaching approaches. Finally, possible areas for further research are discussed.

This is a case study of the academic and occupational discourse of immigrant entrepreneurs in a bilingual (Cantonese and English) business and language program which aims to relate the linguistic and managerial knowledge acquired in class to the business operations. This case study raises problematic questions for both LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) research and bilingual code-switching research. There were two purposes: (1) to study the functional variation of discourse in the educational program and the operation of small business; and (2) to investigate the importance of the functional variation of discourse in code-switching. Pursuing purpose one, part one of the study explores two models: an LSP approach based on "genre" and learning tasks(Swales, 1990); and the Language Socialization approach (Halliday,1975; Mohan, 1986; Ochs, 1988) viewing language learning and sociocultural learning as occurring simultaneously in "activities"(social practices or situations). Two issues are raised: (1) Data indicate that the LSP approach does not illuminate the relation between academic discourse and occupational discourse; (2) It does not account for specific connections between tasks in classroom discourse and genres in business practices. The Language Socialisation approach, however, points to important dynamic theory/practice relations which appear in contrasts between business rules and examples, language rules and examples, seminar discourse and workshop discourse, and the English class and service encounter discourse. Pursuing purpose two, part two of the study compares the Language Socialization model with two models of code-switching as it relates to functional variation of discourse: (1) Guthrie (1983), and (2) Faerch (1985). Model (1) misses a large proportion of second language examples while model (2) fails to account for data labelled as "business rules" and "business examples" in the sample. The Language Socialization approach, however, recognises in discourse both theory (e.g., language and business rules) and practice (e.g., language and business examples). Rules are mostly handled in the first language while examples are mostly handled in the second language. A log-linear analysis indicates that, in all cases, "rules/ examples" is the strongest predictor of language choice.