Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-194). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-113). Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Education))--Rhodes University, 2006.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jul. 28, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

<p> This dissertation examines how critical thinking skills are addressed in university-level intensive language programs for international students in the United States. The theoretical framework for this study was built upon Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural theory. Three research questions inquired about language instructors&rsquo; ability to conceptualize critical thinking, integration of critical thinking into intensive language programs curricula and assessment tools, and obstacles in implementation of critical thinking in language instruction. Twenty-one instructors from intensive language programs for international students at six research universities in the Northeast part of the United States participated in this study. The data collection instruments were a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. A qualitative data analysis using a coding scheme revealed that the majority of the participants did not have a strong conceptualization of critical thinking and had difficulty in articulating critical thinking as a cultural construct. The analysis also revealed that the instructors from intensive language programs with re-designed curricula that included critical thinking as learning and instructional objectives reported a high success rate in preparing international students for academic challenges unlike the instructors from language programs that follow a traditional structure-oriented approach to language teaching. Some instructors from structure-oriented language programs reported that they developed their own critical thinking materials to infuse language instruction with critical thinking instruction. Other than their programs&rsquo; focus on language assessment, obstacles in implementing critical thinking into language curricula listed by the instructors included a lack of textbooks encouraging critical thinking, resistance from administrators and other instructors to re-design language curricula, students&rsquo; lack of motivation to learn critical thinking, and difficulty of teaching and evaluating critical thinking. With no other studies existing on teaching critical thinking in intensive language programs in universities in the U.S., this study offers pioneering evidence and implications for (a) stronger implementation of critical thinking skills in language support programs for international students planning to pursue academic degrees, (b) reconceptualization of the notion of academic literacy to include critical thinking, (c) development of critical thinking instructional materials and textbooks for language instruction, and (d) training in critical thinking instruction in teacher education programs and professional development initiatives.</p><p>

Amid a recent wave of revived interest in citizenship and citizenship education, foreign language education is emerging as an important but under-researched site for the education of citizens under conditions of globalization and massive social, economic, and political changes. This qualitative study deconstructed the concept of good citizenship embedded in China's and America's foreign language curricula during the past decade. The study presented a comparative critical discourse analysis of four interwoven data sets: (a) foreign language policies and/or curriculum standards bounded by the two contexts of this study: Shanghai in China and Utah in the U.S.; (b) EFL (English as a foreign language) and CFL (Chinese as a foreign language) instructional materials developed for the 1st through 3rd and 10th through 12th graders in Shanghai and Utah, respectively; (c) media accounts relating foreign language education with citizenship education in the two countries; and (d) relevant academic publications. Together with a body of critical literature on ideology in curriculum, a two-dimensional citizenship matrix consisting of nationalism, cosmopolitanism, neoliberalism, and Confucianism assisted in the identification and comparison of the country-specific sociopolitical and sociocultural meanings associated with being a good citizen in China and the U.S. Three sets of findings were reported in response to the three research questions. First, among a jumble of meanings and expectations, the most widely shared imaginary embedded in China's EFL curriculum is an individual whose allegiance is to the nation and the market, whereas the second popular perception is someone who observes Confucian moral principles and adopts a global perspective. Second, the dominant good citizenship notion embedded in America's CFL curriculum is characterized by a marked neoliberal orientation. Third, the two cases demonstrated two chief differences and two major similarities. Due to the unique social contexts, cultural institutions, and global power differentials of China and the U.S., the good citizenship discursive fields of two cases were qualitatively different both in terms of intent and belonging. The discursive fields were similar in that the neoliberal-nationalism discourse was prevalent and the officially preferred good citizenship notion was oppressive in nature in both cases.

The thesis explores the place of culture in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The study originally set out to investigate the ways in which teachers understand culture and deal with it in their teaching of English. A survey of teachers found that while the teachers had sophisticated understandings about culture and its relationship with language at a general level, they did not have clear understandings about how cultural teaching can be enacted in the classroom. This conundrum was also evident in the literature on teaching culture in TESOL. An extensive survey of the literature found that while there are a number of different perspectives on how culture can be understood and dealt with in TESOL, none of these provide a comprehensive basis for the understandings teachers need for the practicalities of teaching. The focus of the study shifted from an investigation of professional development to the articulation of a conceptual framework to inform teachers in the way they can manage the teaching of culture. The framework draws on some significant insights of one of the perspectives in the literature, Intercultural Language Teaching, as well as some insights from other perspectives. The framework identifies dimensions in which teachers need to understand how culture can be manifest and managed in TESOL. For each dimension a number of factors on which decisions need to be made are identified. The framework also identifies a number of principles to guide teachers in their decision-making about the teaching culture. The potential of the framework to inform the teaching of English to adult immigrants in Australia, as well as students studying English in a university in Vietnam is explored. The capacity of the framework to inform TESOL teacher education, research and theory building is also evaluated.

This study aimed to reveal the perceptions of teachers and students about the implementation of the new 8th grade English language curriculum (NEC) in public primary schools and the challenges and/or problems faced by the teachers and students in the implementation process. This qualitative study was conducted in 9 public primary schools in Polatli town of Ankara. A total of 10 English language teachers and 73 8th grade students participated in the study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with the English language teachers and focus group interviews with the 8th grade students. The data were analyzed through utilizing Nvivo 8, qualitative data analysis software. The results indicated that the participants had negative views about some aspects of the new English language curriculum due to the challenges and/or problems that they encountered during the implementation. It was found out that the teachers did not implement the suggested alternative assessment and evaluation techniques and learner-centered instructional methods and strategies in their classes. The challenges and/or problems hindering the effective implementation of the new English language curriculum were revealed as lack of necessary materials and equipments, large class size, insufficient class hours, lack of gradual implementation of the NEC, lack of guidance and support for the teachers in implementing the NEC and Level Determination Exam (SBS).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

The current study examines the implementation of one computer-assisted language learning program (CALL) called Technology Assisted Language Learning (TALL) in a pilot language curriculum at the LDS Missionary Training Center. Because CALL implementation is determined in large part by how successfully users are able to use the computer program to learn language, a primary purpose of this study was to investigate which implementation issues affected the language learning success of the missionaries that used TALL in the pilot curriculum. A survey was, therefore, designed and administered to 86 missionaries from French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin language areas in order to determine which CALL user characteristics were predictive of TALL user success. Through a regression analysis , this study found that the most highly predictive factors on TALL user success were (a) a high indication of pro-activity on the part of the learners in figuring out how to use TALL to their advantage, (b) a high indication of goal-orientation in approaching TALL use with a specific purpose in mind, and (c) a high indication of interaction with the TALL program through frequent use of the electronic glossary feature, the "listen to your voice" feature, and the strategy of repeating out loud the words and phrases encountered while working on TALL. The missionary survey was also analyzed descriptively, and results from this analysis revealed that missionaries in the pilot curriculum felt that more training on how to use TALL effectively would have helped them to be more successful. Focus groups with the missionaries were also conducted in order to better understand their experiences with the TALL program. The analysis of these focus groups revealed that although many missionaries reported liking TALL, there were many who did not sufficiently understand how to successfully use it within the pilot curriculum; a lack of training seemed to be a big contributor to this lack of user success. Additionally, focus groups found that missionaries believed the TALL listening activities to be the most helpful TALL activities. A teacher survey was also designed and administered to the 19 teachers who taught missionaries in the pilot curriculum. Results of the teacher survey revealed a desire for more formal training on how to train missionaries to use the TALL program effectively. In conclusion and based on evidence in the literature and from this study, suggestions are provided for more effective teacher and learner training on TALL.