Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Also available in print.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

Thesis (M.A.T.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2009. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

This study examined the beliefs about English teaching and learning of six Chinese secondary school EFL teachers, whether any changes occurred in their beliefs during the first three years in the profession, and why beginning teachers changed or did not change their beliefs. Data were collected over a period of 10 months using semi-structured interviews, concept mapping, and journal entries. The findings showed how teachers’ learning in the workplace influenced change or no change in beliefs, how their schools supported learning, how teachers elected to engage in activities and how these affected the nature of their beliefs.

This research enquiry explores the life-history narratives of three Pakistani female expatriate tertiary-level English language teachers at Gulf Coeducational University (GCU). The study was conducted in order to investigate the participants’ journeys as learners and how they perceive themselves as teachers. The historical, educational, and linguistic background of Pakistan is provided along with an overview of GCU, where all the participants presently teach. Harré’s conception of personhood (1983) is related to the identity formation of the participants. Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital in society (1986, 2001), applied to the hierarchical status of languages in Pakistan (Rahman, 2004a; Mansoor, 2004), serves as a theoretical framework. A discussion of what Pakistani identity may entail, with emphasis on the significance of language on cultural identity, is given. Narrative research methodology is utilised (Clandinin and Connelly, 1996, 2000), to conduct three in-depth semi-structured interviews with the participants. Emerging themes are explored and research findings discussed with reference to relevant literature. The significance of their cultural capital, experiences of teacher-centred approaches in Pakistan and abroad, and the gender-based constraints the participants experienced during their educational trajectories are analysed. The implications of the study: for professional development, teacher training programmes and for the internationalisation of education can be explored in further research.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-59).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-59). Also available in print.

The research recorded in this thesis examined the experience of eight foreign teachers who have taken up residence in China as teachers of oral English language. The study grew out of my reflections on my own challenging, yet rewarding, journey as an international student in New Zealand, and aimed to investigate and unfold the reality of foreigners living and working experience under the influence of traditional Chinese culture, specifically in Pan Yu district, Guang Zhou City, Guang Dong Province. I was interested to find the cultural differences that the teachers struggled to accept or understand. I wondered whether the foreign teachers would reshape their personal beliefs and values, especially about teaching, because of the cultural differences they encountered in China. A sample of eight foreign teachers, from Australia, America, Canada and New Zealand, took part in semi-structured interviews in which I hoped to capture critical incidents in their inter-cultural experience. I was also able to undertake two observations of classroom practice. The data collected was then analysed using Boyatzis' (1998) system of thematic analysis. The research found that participants had similar experiences during their residence in China. For instance, the majority of participants showed a long period of cultural adoption and they all defined their experience as challenging. All participants refused to reshape their moral beliefs about teaching in response to traditional Chinese culture, but that they all, to some extent, eventually adjusted to a Chinese way of thinking. However, issues that direct connected to their own cultural heritage remained unchanged. An interpretation of the findings was that perhaps, on one hand, while the environment and cultural difference initiated various forms of difficulties, on the other hand, participants are trying to reset their personal limits. Most likely, their desire to introduce their Chinese students to a different style of learning convinced them to hold on to personal beliefs about effective teaching and learning, hoping to pass this on to a new generation of Chinese. My research, however, focused on only very small proportion of foreign teachers in China. Further research should be pursued with an expanded focus, to find the potential of the implementation of cultural awareness programmes and support groups for foreigner.

This case study is conducted in order to observe and investigate the critical reading discourse of twenty seven freshman pre service teachers of English at the department of foreign language teaching at METU. In addition, it attempts to answer the question how the critical reading discourse of the students&rsquo / are shaped through feedback, instruction and time. The extensive data (both written and audio-visual data) is collected in the Advanced Reading and Writing I and II courses which are offered to the first year students at the FLE department. The results of the analysis of the data indicate that the critical reading discourse of the freshman pre-service teachers of English at METU involves interpretive, evaluative and responsive discourse. Evaluative discourse is found to be limited in students&rsquo / written work and discussions when compared to interpretive and responsive discourse. The students also usually tend to evaluate the content of the texts rather than form of them. It is also found that instruction on academic writing foster critical thinking but it is not sufficient to encourage critical reading.

Dissertation (Ed.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2008. / Directed by Diane Gill; submitted to the Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jan. 28, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-111).