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Provincial and federal government surveys and commissions have consistently reported that English literacy training for adults with no or limited English is urgently needed and that access to training is limited. The effectiveness of existing literacy training programs and instructional strategies at the adult level has not been well researched. However, at the classroom level literacy training can be easily compromised by instructional strategies that limit the concept of full-literacy by focusing ESL literacy instruction on survival, functional and skill-building reading experiences. English and second language reading research suggests that student self-selection of reading materials and a high exposure to text are effective means of increasing vocabulary knowledge and reading proficiency. This study examined the effect of an Extensive Reading program on reading proficiency and vocabulary knowledge for 2 classes (N=33) of adult low intermediate ESL learners enrolled in a 15 week English language training program at a large Canadian community college. This quasi-experimental treatment group participated in a reading program supplemental to their regular classroom reading instruction. Subjects met weekly with the researcher and self-selected reading material from a collection of graded readers. Data on the frequency of the students' reading, their preferences in reading topics and materials and self-evaluations of their first and second language reading abilities were tallied for subjects in both groups. No statistical significant differences were found for the treatment in the analysis of assessments of reading and vocabulary. However, the experimental group posted higher gains in the group mean score on reading proficiency than the control group. Analysis of the Reading Behavior Survey suggests subjects in both groups were low frequency readers (less than 5 hours of reading time in English per week) who generally evaluated themselves fair to good readers in L2 but good to excellent readers in LI. The inconclusive results for the effect of the treatment on reading proficiency and vocabulary acquisition implies the need for future studies on the effectiveness of extensive reading programs on literacy training in ESL programs where literacy in English is a concern for students and educators.

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This study is concerned with teacher decision-making in the English as a Second Language classroom. Specifically, the study examines the impact of teacher beliefs and perceptions, context factors and second language theory on planning and implementation decisions for the ESL instructional context. Nine ESL teachers in three post-secondary institutions participated in this qualitative study. Data were gathered through classroom observations, postlesson conferences and interviews. These data were examined in terms of what instructional decisions teachers made and the factors that influenced these decisions from the individual teacher's perspective. Second, the data were analysed for internal consistency between stated beliefs and instructional decisions and external consistency between decisions and second language theory. In examining the role of the teacher in the ESL instructional context, this thesis contributes to both research and teaching theory in English as a Second Language. First, while regular classroom research has indicated that the role of the teacher and the ecology of the classroom are central to understanding the instructional context, ESL classroom studies have primarily focused on the learner, the learning process and language learning outcomes in this context. This thesis addresses this gap in the research by investigating the teacher's role in the ESL instructional setting and the factors that impact on teacher decisionmaking. Second, ESL classroom researchers have observed that theoretical ideas are implemented in various ways in the formal setting. While researchers have speculated on the reasons for teachers' eclectic use of theory in practice, there has been little exploratory research conducted to investigate this phenomenon. The findings from this present study indicate that teachers' instructional decisions are centrally influenced by both individually held beliefs about second language learning and teaching as well as experiential knowledge of the ESL classroom. These findings not only contribute to our understanding of the ESL instructional context from the teacher's perspective, but are also significant for the development of instructional theory.

This inquiry is a phenomenological exploration of the development of two student teachers undergoing their practicum experience in my secondary classroom. It examines the changes in identity that the student teachers underwent and how those changes came about. The goals motivating this inquiry were (1) to understand the process through which the transition from student teacher to teacher occurred, and (2) to understand what influence the people surrounding the student teachers, such as the cooperating teacher and the supervisor, had on the process. The analysis closely follows Wenger's (1998) work in Communities of Practice and Schon's (1983, 1987) work in Reflective Practice. The data consists of audio-taped de-briefing sessions attended by the student teachers and the cooperating teacher, the cooperating teacher's Reflective Log, and a student teacher's journal. The inquiry supports the idea that the practicum experience in and of itself is important in the dramatic change in identity that student teachers experience. Also important is the "close accompaniment" of student teachers by the cooperating teacher in order to enact the reflective dialogue by which student teachers learn to become teachers.

The objectives of this qualitative multiple case study are as follows: (a) identify the professional beliefs or representations of two student teachers before, during and after their last practicum in FSL (French as a second language) or in French immersion at a High School; and (b) study the evolution of these beliefs or representations during the student teaching period. / The investigation was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews: of two student teachers; of two associate teachers; of one university supervisor; and of the student teaching coordinator. Other data, taken from the portfolio of the two student teachers, were also analysed. The classroom actions of the two student teachers were observed on a daily basis (three teaching periods during seven weeks), alternating between the two student teachers. The data yielded by this observation were also examined. / The following conclusions were drawn: (a) the student teachers constructed a number of professional beliefs which were then reflected in their classroom practice; (b) social interactions with individuals and groups, personal experiences, former high school experiences, the training program and early field experiences were the basis of these student teachers' professional beliefs or representations; (c) some of the student teachers' beliefs or representations evolved as a result of their awareness of problems which were resolved through discussions and reflexive practice; (d) analysis revealed an inconsistency between certain beliefs or representations and their actualization. These findings were particularly significant in FSL and immersion classes where the two student teachers were in favour of a lot of interaction in view of promoting communicative competence. Yet, observation revealed a rather traditional teacher-centered approach oblivious of the learning process. The results of the research suggest that the evolution of the student teachers' beliefs or representations was impeded due to the lack of a more concerted, coordinated, rigorous support-oriented training program involving both the university and the associate school. / This study suggests a shared individual and collective responsibility of schools, universities and governments for improving the student teaching structure in view of more cohesiveness between all partners involved; a better articulation between theory and practice in the teacher training program; and efficient development of supervised reflexive practice.

This study arises out of research on teacher beliefs and practice with regard to the social, political and economic conditions affecting English Language Learners (ELLS). Specifically, it examines how student-teachers in an introductory course to cross-cultural education at a state university in California reflect on their own beliefs about cultural, linguistic, racial, ethnic and socio-economic diversity; whether they examine the socio-political context of schooling language minority students; their beliefs about appropriate strategies and methodologies for ELLs; and if and how these beliefs have been influenced by the course. Forty-two student-teachers completed pre- and post-course questionnaires, and two completed interviews. The results from this study show that teacher education coursework can change teacher beliefs about issues of diversity in positive ways and can lead to greater teacher awareness about the socio-political context of schooling ELLs. The next step in the research agenda will be to investigate how teacher beliefs about multicultural issues affect their practices in teaching ELLs.

This study investigated the interactional moves of Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and, in particular, how differently they modify their oral output depending on their interlocutor---either a peer or a native speaker (NS). By employing retrospective stimulated recall methodology, this study also explored the participants' feelings and perceptions which arguably determined their interaction patterns during a communicative task. / Participants were eight Japanese first-year university students and four NSs of English. Conversations of eight learner-NS dyads and four learner-learner dyads (six hours in total) were audiotaped, transcribed, and then statistically analyzed. Learners were interviewed two days after the task completion. / Results revealed that learners interacted in significantly different ways depending on whom they interacted with. Specifically, their interlocutor (peer or NS) proved to be a more influential variable than the type of feedback (i.e., elicitation or reformulation) they received. Qualitative analysis of the interview data provides comprehensive explanations for the findings.

The English article system is extremely complex because of its conceptual abstractness and context-dependent usage. For these specific features, some second language learners (e.g., Japanese) find article acquisition to be very difficult. Traditionally, the definite article the is thought to express exclusively the referential function of "identifiability", that is, the is there to identify or pick out the referent so the hearer can identify what is being discussed (Lyons, 1999). This view has been widely accepted and has served as the foundation of research as well as for pedagogical orientations. Recently, however, these traditional notions have been heavily criticized as 'insufficient'. As a result, a cognitive, mental space notion of "accessibility" has been introduced (Epstein, 2002). / This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness in teaching the English article the by comparing two instructional approaches: a traditionally-based approach and a cognitively-based approach. The study hypothesized, first, that article usage is contextually and conceptually configured; therefore, not all definite articles the exhibit the same level of difficulty (some are conceptually more complex than others). Second, the higher the complexity, the more difficult it is for learners to understand. Third, in light of these hypotheses, learners are predicted to benefit more from conceptually oriented instruction than structurally oriented traditional instruction. / In order to measure the effectiveness of these approaches, two comparable, computerized instructional treatments were created. The mental space treatment shows the learners the framework in which 'accessibility' to the object is emphasized, whereas the traditional treatment shows learners the framework in which 'identifiability' of the object is emphasized. / Eighty-three Japanese learners of English (41 in the mental space treatment and 42 in the traditional treatment) were recruited to test the hypotheses. Three lessons were administered individually; each lasted 1.5 to 2 hours (4.5 to 6 hours per participant). As predicted, the results revealed that there is a distinct order of complexity according to the conceptual load of the article the. The study also confirmed that the higher the complexity levels, the more difficult it is for the learners to learn. However, this conceptual complexity can be significantly alleviated when the conceptual framework is taught.