bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autonomy and Agency in Curriculum Decision-Making: A Study of Instructors in a Canadian Adult Settlement ESL Program
Authors: Fleming Douglas
Published: May 2016

This study examines the views of five adult ESL instructors about their processes of curriculum implementation in a settlement language program about to adopt the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Its central research question is: How do these instructors assess the value of their own autonomy over curriculum decision-making? Drawing on theoretical definitions of autonomy and agency prominent in general education literature, autonomy has been defined here as the degree to which teachers have the desire to make curriculum decisions using personal initiative and intellectual engagement. Interview data related to the views held by the instructors regarding curriculum processes were then analyzed. The study reveals their concerns in regard to classroom activities, curriculum guidelines, linguistic elements, teaching materials, needs assessment, assessment of learner proficiency, professional development, relations with other staff, and settlement theme content. It makes the case for developing program supports for instructor autonomy and demonstrates the usefulness of this concept theoretically.
Professional Training to Develop Content-Based Instruction in Higher Education
Authors: Sagliano Michael , Stewart Timothy , Sagliano Julie
Published: May 2016

Many TESL professionals have not had training specifically in content-based instruction (CBl) methodology. The lack of professional training in CBl is increasingly problematic as the number of programs adopting some content-based methodology continues to rise. One obvious response to this gap in pedagogical training could be for institutions engaging in CBl to create their own professional orientation programs for experienced faculty members. This article describes one such response at a Japanese university. Drawing on our four years' experience in developing a specific CBI teacher training program, we suggest a number of training points that could be used by teacher trainers to help college faculty to overcome the major hurdles encountered in implementing a CBl approach in higher education.
Negotiated Interaction in Teacher-Led versus Peer Group Adult ESL Discussions
Authors: Shi Ling
Published: May 2016

This study investigated how teachers and learners negotiated meaning in three teacher-led whole-class and nine peer group pre-writing discussions in a pre-university ESL program. By analyzing various interaction features such as comprehension and confirmation checks, clarification and feedback requests, self- and other-corrections, and self- and other-completion, the study found that although peer discussions had high frequencies of negotiation, these negotiations were restricted compared with the extended negotiations in teacher-led discussions. Also, peer groups, where students showed more initiation to modify syntax, lexis, and meaning were limited compared with the target like forms in teacher-led error corrections. Students' feedback suggested that they perceived peer and teacher talk to complement each other to meet various needs of the learners as useful language learning experiences.
A Case Study of Employee Participation in a Workplace ESL Program
Authors: Valeo Antonella
Published: May 2016

This article reports the findings of a study undertaken in the spring of1997 of a workplace ESL program offered at a rubber parts manufacturing plant in Toronto. The purpose of the study was to recommend changes in program delivery that might facilitate and encourage employees to enroll in the ESL program. The premise of the study was the belief that given appropriate circumstances and conditions, all employees can be motivated to participate. This premise was supported by similar research in the field that explored how various factors beyond the desire to learn may affect an individual's decision to participate in formal learning opportunities. In order to explore these factors, a questionnaire was distributed to employees. Based on the findings from this survey, the following recommendations were made. First, classes should be held during the working day and that part of the class time be paid for. This was to replace the cash incentive provided by the employer at the end of the program year. Second, the location of the lessons should be moved from the existing location, the cafeteria, to a meeting room. Last, the program should be strengthened by greater involvement of employees and employer in program development.
E-mail Exchanges: Teaching Language, Culture, and Technology for the 21st Century
Authors: Ruhe Valerie
Published: May 2016

How can e-mail be integrated into a college preparatory ESL curriculum? Classroom e-mail exchanges between the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, BC and the University of Wisconsin, the University of Northeastern fllinois, and Carleton University demonstrate that e-mail can be effective in teaching intercultural awareness, creating a more positive affective climate by providing greater privacy and intimacy, and in making the EAP curriculum more relevant to the needs and aspirations of young people looking ahead to the 21st century.
Peer Response in ESL Writing
Authors: Tang Gloria M.
Published: May 2016

This article explores the value of peer response groups in English as a second language (ESL) writing classes. It reports on some of the findings of a study (Tithecott, 1997) conducted in a small university college in Western Canada with 12 international students from Asia to investigate: (a) what the perceptions of students were with regard to peer response and whether their perceptions changed over time; (b) what kind of activities students engaged in during peer response sessions; and (c) whether and how students changed their writing as a result of participating in response sessions. Research methodology included examining and analyzing student journal entries, audiotapes of peer response sessions, and the drafts and final versions of student writing. Results show that Asian ESL students tended to be positive about peer response and that they became somewhat more positive as the semester progressed. Although they appreciated the benefits of peer response, they had some concerns about peer feedback. Some students revised their writing using peer comments. During the peer response sessions students engaged in a variety of social, cognitive, and linguistic activities as they worked to accomplish the assigned task.
To Homestay or to Stay Home: The Canadian-Japanese Experience
Authors: Crealock Erin , Derwing Tracey M. , Gibson Martha
Published: May 2016

The experiences of 19 Japanese high school students in a homestay program are described. They were interviewed three times during their academic year in Canada; 13 of the students were interviewed again in Japan four months later. Although students made gains in English proficiency, several expressed dissatisfaction with the organization of the homestays. They were distressed by the lack of information provided prior to departure and the inaccurate representation of their homestay environments. Students complained about lack of access to counselling promised. Despite significant agency fees, no tuition was paid to schools, no stipend was paid to homestay families, and the students felt that little program money was spent monitoring their progress. Although the problems associated with this particular program may be isolated, there should be no tolerance for homestays that do not safeguard the students' interests. The authors make suggestions for stricter regulations regarding agencies offering homestay experiences.
Feedback on Feedback: Preservice ESL Teachers Respond to Evaluation Practices
Authors: Kouritzin Sandra G. , Vizard Carol
Published: May 2016

Although a number of studies have examined the role of teacher feedback in ESL students' learning, equal attention has not been paid to how ESL teachers make feedback decisions based on their preservice preparation. In this article, preservice ESL teachers respond to various forms of feedback that they received in their TESL Methodology course, and offer insights into how these individual responses will shape their own evolving feedback practices. Quoting from students' journal entries and audio taped group discussions, this action research project reveals that preservice ESL teachers were pleased with the wide variety offered back formats and sources used in this course and that they intended to replicate this variety in their own classrooms. In general, this small group of preservice ESL teachers liked feedback that was immediate, detailed, ungraded yet critical, and focused. They preferred feedback to come from credible and authoritative sources.
Adjunct Support for High School ESL Learners in Mainstream English Classes: Ensuring Success
Authors: Roessingh Hetty
Published: May 2016

The demographic profile of Alberta is changing rapidly. As the new millennium approaches, new patterns of immigration to Canada, and hence Alberta, are emerging and are forcing educators to rethink the goals of ESL instruction. The current wave of immigrants has expectations for academic success. Educational attention must be focused on programmatic responses that will ensure that ESL learners develop the level of English language proficiency necessary for academic success in high school and post-secondary study. Adjunct ESL instruction that complements the demands of high school English literature courses can result in the development of English language proficiency, and in turn academic success for ESL learners.
Preparing a Questionnaire for a Business Report
Authors: Bukowski Roz
Published: May 2016

In my business writing classes, I usually use imaginary situations for the writing assignments. When a real-life situation arose, I was glad to challenge my students with preparing a questionnaire to be used by the ESL program. Furthermore, the students used this questionnaire as an important part of their report assignment. The steps simulated the procedure followed in many business situations and hence helped students develop knowledge of business procedures and related language skills. The students worked through all the steps, experienced problems, solved the problems, and wrote a real business report in their writing course.
Culture in ESL Instruction: An Analytic Framework
Authors: James Mark
Published: May 2016

The English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classroom for adult immigrants in Canada is often culturally diverse. From an instructional perspective, the role of culture can be complicated. This article presents a framework for examining culture in an ESL instructional context. An explanation of the rationale behind the framework is followed by a description of the way the framework was applied to the LINC Curriculum Guidelines (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ontario Region, 1997) to test its usability as an analytical tool. Suggestions are made for directions for further research.
Teaching Writing in Rural Thailand: Considering New Perspectives
Authors: Toh Glenn
Published: May 2016

This article reports on a practical writing workshop for Thai teachers of English in a rural Thai setting. The teachers were participants in a Certificate in TEFL course sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA and taught by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Regional Language Centre (SEAMEO RELC). The genre approach to teaching writing is proposed as a way of helping teachers look beyond structural elements like vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling. The social functions and language choices of three important genres of writing, Description, Anecdote, and News Item, are examined in the article. The principles and practices may be generalizable to similar situations, that is, places where English is taught as a foreign language.
Gender Positioning in Education: A Critical Image Analysis of ESL Texts
Authors: Millard Derek J.
Published: May 2016

This article is adapted from a project report prepared for the author's MA in Education, the objective being to report the use of an adapted analytical technique for examining the images contained in contemporary ESL textbooks. The point of departure for the study was the identification of the trend in mass-market ESL materials from textual to visual communication, a trend discussed in the text. Together with this semantic shift, a political-economic agenda has been identified in the existence of organizations such as the British Council; the objective of the analysis was to discover whether the increasingly predominant images used in ESL texts convey a particular vision of and/or positioning of gender reality as part ofa wider-reaching agenda. The article provides background to the evolution of critical image analysis, followed by a rationale for the project based on the current realities of the global ESL market. There follows an outline of the data selected for analysis and the results of the image interrogation. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the ramifications of the study and the potential for further research work.
Fostering Learner Autonomy in an ESL Classroom
Authors: Li Guofang
Published: May 2016

This article reports on an action research project on ways and means of promoting learner autonomy in an ESL classroom. It focuses on the implementation of an autonomy-based English program with a group of first-year university students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The context and objective of this autonomy-based program are presented, classroom procedures and group learning tasks are described, and suggestions are provided for teachers to adapt these procedures and tasks to suit the needs of their particular students.
Lives on Hold: ESL in a Restructured Society
Authors: Cooke David
Published: May 2016

A survey of ESL in Auckland, New Zealand, in the light of the pervasive restructuring of society and education in the last 15 years finds that the lives of adult immigrants are difficult and precarious. Many realize their previous training and experience are unsuitable for their chosen occupations, and so they have to make drastic career changes. Their main contact with fluent English is largely limited to ESL classes rather than the English environment around them. New Zealand government immigration policies seem opportunistic and discriminatory. Institutions face difficulties in funding some ESL programs and so encounter problems in planning and continuity.
Pronunciation Teaching Practices in Canada
Authors: Breitkreutz Judy , Derwing Tracey M. , Rossiter Marian J.
Published: May 2016

We surveyed 67 ESL programs in Canada to determine to what extent pronunciation is taught and which resources are most often used. The survey also requested demographic information about the respondents and their ESL programs, classes and students, methods of teaching, and participants' attitudes. The respondents from approximately half the programs offer stand-alone pronunciation courses, and the balance reported that they integrate pronunciation teaching in their general ESL classes. The majority of respondents said that it was important to teach pronunciation at all levels, although few teachers have special training in this area. Resources preferred by the participants are discussed with regard to their emphases on segmental and suprasegmental aspects of pronunciation.
A Case Study of the Revision Process of a Reluctant ESL Student Writer
Authors: Sze Celine
Published: May 2016

This case study investigated the revision process of a reluctant ESL student writer. It focused on revisions made at the in-process stage and at the between draft stage of the writing process in which the student revised in response to written feedback. Two writing assignments were given, and the topics varied in their degree of familiarity to the participant. Some findings corroborated those of earlier studies: the participant made more surface-level revisions than those related to structure and content; he made more revisions and high-level revisions in response to written feedback than when working on his own. Although familiarity with the topic seemed to have no effect on the revision patterns of the student, the classroom teacher's focus on form in responding to and evaluating his writing was seen to affect his attitude toward revision and use of revision strategies.
English Language and Life
Authors: Bond-Stewart Kathy , Cooke David
Published: May 2016

This section features: (I) reactions of readers to articles and reviews published in the Journal and the replies of authors to whom the comments are addressed (if forthcoming) and (2) viewpoints and opinions expressed in the form of a report, commentary, or interview on issues or topics of current interest.
Putting Reality into Role Play
Authors: Piper Terry
Published: May 2016

Role-plays, simulations, and improvisations are all teaching techniques which are often subsumed under the single term roleplay. Role-play and simulation are generally considered to involve the assumption of fictitious roles while improvisation requires only a fictitious situation. It is argued in this article that fictitious roles and situations, particularly if too far removed from the students' experience, contribute to the failure of these activities. An alternative view of role-taking is offered together with eight principles to guide teachers in their selection and adaptation of role-play materials.
The Teacher's Guide for an EAP Course in Business Administration: Curriculum Design as a Problem Solving Activity
Authors: Morrison George
Published: May 2016

This paper presents a case study in curriculum development: the preparation of a program for Chinese learners coming to Canada to study Business Administration. Constraints imposed by the project administration resulted in a teacher's guide for writing materials, rather than student materials. However, this solution is not presented as a compromise. On the contrary, the administration's requirements forced us to recognize the novel and dynamic nature of every curriculum development project which must integrate student needs within a program that is consistent with ESL specialists' ideas about language teaching. The teacher's guide for writing materials is a solution which extends the notion of the dynamic nature of curriculum development by making teachers an integral part of the curriculum development process. This has advantages for the students and for the teachers.
Telefun Activities in an Elementary Level Classroom
Authors: Curcin Ranka
Published: May 2016

This section presents descriptions of teaching techniques or practical classroom activities.
Formulaic Language Acquisition and Production: Implications for Teaching
Authors: Wood David
Published: May 2016

Formulaic language units, ready-made chunks and sequences of words, have been the subject of a large and growing body of research. Although formulaic language has been largely overlooked in favor of models of language that center around the rule-governed, systematic nature of language and its use, there is increasing evidence that these multiword lexical units are integral to first- and second-language acquisition, as they are segmented from input and stored as wholes in long-term memory. They are fundamental to fluent language production, as they allow language production to occur while bypassing controlled processing and the constraints of short-term memory capacity. This article defines and describes formulaic language units and surveys the research evidence of their role in language acquisition and production. The implications of this knowledge for classroom teaching are considered, with particular emphasis on attending to input and fostering interaction to facilitate the acquisition of a repertoire of formulaic language.
Improving Pronunciation of Adult ESL Students
Authors: Van Loon John
Published: May 2016

This article describes a classroom technique for improving the pronunciation of adult ESL learners. The technique is based on using stress and pausing in the same manner as native speakers of English. Dramatic improvement in pronunciation may be quickly achieved by showing learners how stress and pause are related to parts of speech and sentence structure. The article describes how a classroom teacher can develop an awareness of the relationship between grammar and pronunciation for learners.
Storyweavers: Holistic Education for ESL/EFL Learners
Authors: Suave Virginia L.
Published: May 2016

In an L2 classroom that is taught from heart to heart, story takes on a different role than in the classroom that is primarily about the conveying of information and the development of linguistic skills. In the latter classroom, stories have been about reading comprehension and the acquisition of new vocabulary. In a classroom where the teacher recognizes education as the drawing forth of the individual and the shaping of a community acting on the world, story assumes a central role. In this article the author explores the realm of story in such a classroom and shares many of her own stories. When story is the medium of learning rather than just the end thereof, we come to see that the learners' real needs are much greater than vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. We also see that in such a classroom, community emerges.
Experiential Learning in Second-Language Classrooms
Authors: Knutson Sonja
Published: May 2016

This article is a discussion of some of the issues surrounding experiential learning in the second-language classroom. Experiential learning is defined by the inclusion of phases of reflection designed to help the learner relate a current learning experience to past and future experience. The author seeks to establish a theoretical foundation for incorporating experiential phases into the second-language classroom by exploring past methods of teaching English as a second language, as well as looking at research in the field of second-language acquisition in the light of experiential methodology. The implications of experiential learning to second-language acquisition, in particular the aspects of motivation and investment, are explored, and some pitfalls of the experiential curriculum and their possible solutions are discussed. Finally, some possible projects adaptable to experiential methods are outlined, and areas needing further research, especially in the area of student voice and empowerment, are proposed.
Thinking Languages in L2 Writing: Research Findings and Pedagogical Implications.
Authors: Hu Jim
Published: May 2016

This article reports the findings of part of a major study exploring the disciplinary writing processes and perceptions of 15 Chinese graduate students in sciences and engineering at a major Canadian university. The findings relate to the thinking languages of the participants in writing disciplinary assignments. The study reveals that whether an L2 writer thinks in L1 or L2 may not depend on one factor as proposed in earlier studies (Friedlander, 1990; Qi, 1998), but on a number of factors including the language of knowledge input, the language of knowledge acquisition, the development of L2 proficiency, the level of knowledge demands, and specific task conditions. It is the interplay among these (and possibly other) factors that determines the writer's choice of the thinking language, which may switch back and forth between L1 and L2. Further, although translation may be a positive strategy for a student with limited L2 proficiency, it may gradually phase out as the student thinks more in L2 and writes L2 in approximation to the language of native writers. Thus a thinking language continuum may exist along which the use of translation varies.
Targeting Language Support for Non-Native English-Speaking Graduate Students at a Canadian University
Authors: Cheng Liying , Myles Johanna , Curtis Andy
Published: May 2016

Universities and colleges in Canada and other English-speaking countries have become increasingly concerned with linguistic and cultural diversity and internationalizing their campuses, both to enhance local and international students' experiences on campus and to prepare them to function in their careers and the larger society. Most international students are non-native English-speaking (NNES) and need support to develop the English language proficiency required for engagement in the academic demands of the Canadian university milieu. This small-scale study at a Canadian university, by way of a survey and follow-up interview, addresses the gap in our understanding between academic skills that are required at the graduate level and those that learners of English find difficult. The findings suggest that by targeting academic skills that are both required and difficult, efficiency can be achieved in the design of programmatic supports for developing English for academic purposes (EAP). The findings further suggest that international students may lack independent strategies for advancing their English-language proficiency and that these too can be targeted in an EAP program.
Selecting and Using Computer-Based Language Tests (CBLTs) to Assess Language Proficiency: Guidelines for Educators
Authors: MacDonald Kim , Nielsen Jean , Lai Lisa
Published: May 2016

With the growing demand for and use of computer-based language tests (CBLTs) comes the need for clear guidelines to help educators as they attempt to select appropriate tests to assess their students with respect to their second- and foreign-language (L2/FL) teaching-learning goals. The purpose of this article is to provide guidelines to educators who are seeking appropriate CBLTs to assess language proficiency in the classroom. We being with an introduction that includes a brief word about our intended audience, our rationale for creating this set of guidelines, and the development procedure used. We continue with a discussion of some relevant assessment criteria and conclude with a few summary remarks. Finally, we present a 'CBLT Selection and Use: Guidelines Summary Table' composed of questions to ask and an accompanying checklist.
Book Reviews
Authors: Pilon Ellen , Hildebrandt Phyllis
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Writing Games: Multicultural Case Studies of Academic Literacy Practices in Higher Education,' by Christine Pearson Casanave; and 'Critical Applied Linguistics: A Critical Introduction,' by A. Pennycook.
A Review of the Reading Section of the TOEIC
Authors: Daza Carolina , Suzuki Manami
Published: May 2016

In 1979, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an English proficiency test for people working in international environments, based on a request from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry. The Chauncey Group International, a subsidiary of ETS, currently develops and publishes the test. Over two million people per year take the TOEIC (www.toeic.com). According to the TOEIC Report on Test-Takers Worldwide, 1997-98, 63% of the TOEIC results were used in Japan, 29% in Korea, and 8% in other countries. Most reviews of the TOEIC have been descriptions of the test (Gilfert, 1996; Perkins, 1987). The TOEIC comprises the listening and reading section. Buck (2001) reviews only the listening section. For the reading section of the TOEIC we could find only one critical review (Richards, 1992) published over the two decades since the test was developed. Therefore, our purpose in this article is to review critically the reading section based on recent studies of language assessment, particularly for construct validity and content validity, which are considered by language testing researchers (Backman, 1990; Cumming, 1996) as fundamental for validation of language tests.
Integrating New Technologies into Language Teaching: Two Activities for an EAP Classroom
Authors: Ramachandran Subhadra
Published: May 2016

In its position statement, the International Reading Association states that technology needs to be an integral part of literacy instruction. This article describes two ways of integrating technology into an EAP curriculum that focuses on building students' reading and writing skills. . In essence, the goal of the article is to demonstrate that teachers can quite easily integrate the existing content with assignments and activities that involve the use of technology without necessarily adding new pieces to the curriculum.
Book Reviews
Authors: Pilon Ellen , St. John Jennifer , Wihak Christine
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Lexical Phrases and Language Teaching,' by Jeanette S. DeCarrico and James R. Nattinger; 'Language Testing,' by Tim McNamara; and 'Negotiating Bilingual and Bicultural Identities: Japanese Returnees Betwixt Two Worlds,' by Yasuko Kanno.
Multiple Perspectives on Educationally Resilient Immigrant Students
Authors: Chen Louis , Gunderson Lee , Seror Jeremie
Published: May 2016

This study explores in an innovative manner the notion of resilience in a group of immigrant students. Structured interviews were used to explore resilience issues with immigrant students enrolled in university. Two interviewers collected and recorded data together, but conducted separate and independent analyses to explore differences in results due to their own cultural backgrounds. Findings suggest that the traditional concept of resilience - one based on studies of students from lower socioeconomic classes in school in inner-city neighborhoods that identify social competence, problem-solving ability, autonomy, and satisfaction with school as significant resilience factors - is limited. The findings in this study suggest that immigrant students represent a different pattern of resilience related to a strong cultural belief in the value of education and the support, often financial, provided by their families. Interesting differences in interpretation related to the first culture of the researches suggest that "mirrored reflections" offers one way to capture differences in data interpretation resulting from researchers' backgrounds.
Alphabet Blocks: Expanding Conceptions of Language With/in Poetry
Authors: Leggo Carl
Published: May 2016

As a poet and language educator, I invite and encourage writers to take risks in their writing, to engage innovatively with a wide range of genres, to push boundaries in order to explore creatively how language and discourse are never ossified, but always organic; how language use is integrally and inextricably connected to knowledge, identity, subjectivity, and being in the world. I invite writers, whether English is a first language or an additional language, to know themselves in poetry, to know themselves as poets. We live in a contemporary culture that mostly ignores poetry. This is unfortunate because poetry invites alternative ways of knowing and being and becoming. I encourage all writers to write poetry, because poetry is a capacious genre that opens up endless possibilities for expression and communication. In this essay I offer a series of poems about language, discourse, epistemology, and pedagogy. I hope these poems will invite language educators and scholars from diverse perspectives and experiences to consider how writing poetry stimulates the imagination and inspires the heart to ask questions about our lives and the world we live in.
Book Reviews
Authors: Froese Joanne , Lobchuk Lori , Maniar Jayesh , Pilon Ellen , Takagaki Toshiyuki , Thompson Sandee
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners,' edited by A. and M. Jordan; 'Vocabulary,' by John Morgan and Mario Rinvolucri; 'Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and other Problems,' edited by Michael Swan and Bernard Smith; 'Putting Language Into Practice,' series by B. Vizard and C. Vizard; 'Test It, Fix It Pre-Intermediate (English Grammar),' and 'Test It, Fix It Intermediate (English Grammar),' by Kenna Bourke; and 'American Headway 3,' by Mike Sayer, John Soars and Liz Soars.
A Report of an ESL Classroom Observation in Two Language Schools in Auckland
Authors: Yang Hong
Published: May 2016

This article reports an empirical study of classroom observation of two general English lessons that examined the effects of teachers’ referential questions on learners’ responses in two ESL classrooms. The study found that in both classes, the teachers asked many more referential questions than display questions, contrary to earlier findings. Moreover, the teachers’ referential questions elicited longer and syntactically more complex utterances from the learners. The reasons for this are discussed in the light of the objectives and pedagogic tasks of the lessons. Findings confirm the value of teachers’ referential questions on learners’ responses and are discussed in the context of the characteristics and functions of both referential questions and display questions.
Perspectives From Japanese Staff in Canadian ESL Schools Regarding Japanese Students’ Groupism
Authors: Kobayashi Yoko
Published: May 2016

The present study, which stems from a critical approach to common perceptions about ESL learners in the TESOL community, examines the perspectives of Japanese-speaking staff in Canadian ESL institutions on their students’ school performance. From September 2003 to April 2004, qualitative data were gathered from 11 staff members through mail survey, on-line communication, and interviews. These voices were found to be instrumental for a contextual understanding of the tendency of Japanese students toward passivity and groupism, which is partly attributable to the interplay between students and the outside world. As an awareness-raising study, it provides a detailed description of the research process.
Professionalism and High-Stakes Tests: Teachers’ Perspectives When Dealing With Educational Change Introduced Through Provincial Exams
Authors: Turner Carolyn E.
Published: May 2016

The effect of high-stakes tests on classroom activity (commonly called washback) is an issue that is receiving heightened attention in the literature. It is yet one more element that teachers need to deal with in their professional contexts. This article focuses on the perspectives of ESL secondary teachers as they experience curriculum innovations introduced into the educational system via provincial exams. Survey results from 153 teachers are reported. The survey is part of a larger washback study that also triangulated classroom observation and teachers’ and students’ perception data in a longitudinal study. The survey results suggest that teachers would like to do their part in moving the system into a position where curriculum, their teaching and assessment, and the system’s high-stakes exam correspond. They achieve this, however, according to their beliefs and professional stances, which may not present a unified performance across teachers.
Why Didn't They Show Up? Rethinking ESL Parent Involvement in K-12 Education
Authors: Guo Yan
Published: May 2016

When I visited Canadian elementary and secondary schools over the past 10 years, many teachers told me that it was difficult to get English-as-a-second language (ESL) parents involved in K-12 education. I was often asked by teachers, "Why don't they show up at school?" The absence of ESL parents from school is often misinterpreted as parents' lack of concern about their children's education. However, many ESL parents indicated that they cared passionately. Instead of assuming that ESL parents do not care, educators need to understand the barriers that hinder some parents from participating in their children's education. This article explores the barriers affecting ESL parent-teacher communication based on relevant literature and the author's reflections. It goes on to identify parents' and teachers' varying perspectives on ESL learning, followed by indication of successful strategies to improve ESL parents' participation. The article concludes that schools and teachers must take the initiative itthe resource of ESL parent participation is to be fully utilized.
University Students' Beliefs and Attitudes Regarding Foreign Language Learning in France
Authors: Piquemal Nathalie , Renaud Robert
Published: May 2016

This study is based on a survey of 1,305 university students enrolled in English and other foreign-language classes across year levels in four major universities in France. It explores the factors that promote or hinder multilingualism, with special attention to the following questions: What are the beliefs and attitudes of students enrolled in various postsecondary institutions across France toward learning a foreign language? How do these beliefs and attitudes change as students progress from beginning first-year students to upper years? The results suggest that the reasons first-year students typically have for studying a foreign language have more to do with internal factors (e.g., personal attitude) than with external factoars (e.g., social value). Moreover, this trend becomes more pronounced with upper-year students whose motivation to learn a foreign language compared with that of first-year students is influenced less by perceived societal beliefs and more by intrinsic reasons.
Toward Quality ESL Education
Authors: Van Ngo Hieu
Published: May 2016

This article draws on the results from 18 round-table discussions and a symposium that involved community, education, and government stakeholders in building a vision for quality, equitable ESL education. The findings suggest six pillars of effective ESL education: comprehensive programming; responsive funding allocation; cultural competence; networking, collaboration, and coordination; capacity-building and advocacy; and effective leadership. Also examined in this article are the notion of the educational entitlement of ESL learners and the roles of community, education, and government stakeholders in building effective ESL education.
Is Field Dependence or Independence a Predictor of EFL Reading Performance?
Authors: Salmani-Nodoushan Mohammad Ali
Published: May 2016

In this study it was hypothesized that field dependence or independence would introduce systematic variance into Iranian EFL learners' overall and task-specific performance on task-based reading comprehension tests. One thousand, seven hundred, forty-three freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior students, all majoring in English at various Iranian universities and colleges, took the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). The resulting 582 field-independent (FI) and 707 field-dependent (FD) students then took the 1990 version of the IELTS. Using SPSS commands for collapsing continuous variables into groups and participants’ IELTS scores (based on the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles), four proficiency groups were identified for each cognitive style. From each proficiency group, 36 FD and 36 FI individuals were selected through a matching process. The resulting sample of 288 participants took the Task-Based Reading Test (TBRT) designed for the study. Data analysis revealed that individuals’ cognitive styles resulted in a significant difference in their overall test performance in the proficient, semiproficient, and fairly proficient groups, but not in the low-proficient group. The findings also indicated that cognitive style resulted in a significant difference in participants' performance on true-false, sentence completion, outlining, scanning, and elicitation tasks in all proficiency groups.
Diary of an Edu-Tourist in Costa Rica: An Autoethnographical Account of Learning Spanish
Authors: Lotherington Heather
Published: May 2016

This article presents an autoethnographical account of my foray into Spanish immersion education in Costa Rica as a professor of multilingual education at a university in Canada. This language-learning journey was inspired by curiosity about the growing trend for Internet marketing of second-language learning as a form of tourism, which I label edu-tourism. I map the course of my edu-tourism experience, contemplating second-language learning in a local context, describing professionalism in private language teaching institutes, comparing pedagogical practice across various Spanish-as-a-second-language teachers, and documenting my experiential sociopragmatic acquisition of textbook Spanish.
Process and Product: Creating Stories With Deaf Students
Authors: Enns Charlotte , Hall Ricki , Isaac Becky , MacDonald Patricia
Published: May 2016

This article describes the implementation of one element of an adapted language arts curriculum for Deaf students in a bilingual (American Sign Language and English) educational setting. It examines the implementation of writing workshops in three elementary classrooms in a school for Deaf students. The typical steps of preparing/planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing were carried out by all students in both languages to create stories and produce final products in both videotaped American Sign Language and written English. The effective practice of writing workshop was adapted to meet the learning needs of Deaf students by including visual processing, meaning-based teaching strategies, and bilingual methods. By having opportunities to create and revise stories in their first language (ASL), students experienced an increased sense of ownership of their work and developed some of the metalinguistic skills that are essential to becoming effective writers.
Inscribing Identity: Insights for Teaching From ESL Students' Journals
Authors: Miller Jenny
Published: May 2016

Linguistic minority students in schools must acquire and operate in a second language while negotiating mainstream texts and content areas, along with negotiating an emerging new sense of social identity. This article presents journal data from an Australian ethnographic study that explored the relationship between second-language use, textual practices in school, and the representation of identity. Such texts normally lie outside dominant school discourses, but for students they are a powerful means of negotiating identity and gaining vital language practice. For teachers journals provide critical insights into the experiences of their students and into their developing language competence.
Identities and Beliefs in ESL Writing: From Product to Processes
Authors: Li Xuemei
Published: May 2016

Studies investigating cultural influences on second-language writing have been mainly product-oriented. Moreover, research on writing processes has mostly focused on the strategies of writing and learning to write. Writing processes where we can see the evolution of the writer's identity and beliefs have been less adequately addressed. Therefore, this article focuses on the dynamic relationship of culture, identity, and beliefs with regard to the writing process (the micro-process) and the process of learning to write (the macro-process) in the ESL context. A study consisting of two cases was undertaken to examine the reconstruction of the writer's identity and the evolution of the learner's beliefs in an ESL context. Data for Case A include writings by and interviews with a first-year ESL student; data for Case B include class observations of and interviews with students and their teacher in an ESL writing class. It has been found that the notions of culture, identity, and beliefs are interwoven they work together to reshape learners' beliefs in terms of education and writing and to reconstruct a writer's identity that incorporates multiple influences and multiple intentions. Recommendations are offered for guiding ESL students in the exploration of their first and host cultures and for facilitating the evolution of beliefs and the reconstruction of identities.
Book Reviews
Authors: St. John Jennifer , Giesbrecht Tracey , Bunk Aylin
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'From the Classroom: Grounded Activities for Language Learning,' by Miles Turnbull, Jill Sinclair Bell, and Sharon Lapkin (Eds.); 'English for Academic Study: Vocabulary Course Book,' by Colin Campbell; and 'Linguistic Diversity and Teaching,' by L.N. Commins and O.B. Miramontes.
Toward Exploring Errors in Grammar: A Systematic Approach for Language Teachers
Authors: Ho Caroline M.L.
Published: May 2016

This article focuses on an attempt by a teacher education institute to empower non-English majors to teach English at the primary level, drawing on a preservice English-language teacher education program for undergraduates at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. The course, which has been running for three years, aims to develop student teachers' skills in analyzing grammatical features in primary-level writing, based on a three-step approach designed by the author specifically for non-English majors. The article also explores the difficulties that student teachers face in learning to identify, classify, and explain various types of errors, including suggestions on how to empower student teachers to help primary-level pupils understand and use grammar rules effectively.
Book Reviews
Authors: Pilon Ellen , Pajoohesh Parto
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Storybuilding,' by Jane Spiro; and 'How to Teach Grammar,' by Scott Thornbury.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lessard-Clouston Michael , Hyland Theresa Ann , King Jim
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Focus on Vocabulary,' by Paul Nation and Peter Yongqi Gu; 'Research in Applied Linguistics: Becoming a Discerning Consumer,' by Fred L. Perry, Jr.; and 'The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition,' by Zoltan Dornyei.
Semantic Prosody and ESL/EFL Vocabulary Pedagogy
Authors: Zhang Weimin
Published: May 2016

There is evidence that semantic prosody, a novel linguistic theme, should attract much attention in ESL/EFL (English as a second/foreign language) vocabulary learning and teaching. Research suggests that inappropriate word choice arising from ignorance of semantic prosody is common among ESL/EFL learners (Wei, 2006; Xiao & McEnery, 2006). This article introduces the notion of semantic prosody and provides an overview of studies of semantic prosody from five perspectives: monolinguistic, cross-linguistic, register, lexicographical, and interlinguistic. Based on this overview, the article suggests that semantic prosody be integrated into ESL/EFL vocabulary pedagogy. Finally, implications on integrating semantic prosody into ESL/EFL vocabulary pedagogy are discussed.
Early Language and Literacy Development Among Young English Language Learners: Preliminary Insights from a Longitudinal Study
Authors: Roessingh Hetty , Elgie Susan
Published: May 2016

This article reports on the preliminary findings of a two-staged empirical study aimed at gaining insights into the variables salient in the early language and literacy development of young English language learners (ELL). Increasingly, young ELL, whether foreign-born or Canadian-born, arrive at school with little developed English-language proficiency. They must acquire oral language and literacy synchronously. Stage one of this study consists of time series data for reading and vocabulary scores using the Gates MacGinitie reading tests. Stage two consists of an early literacy screen and vocabulary profiles generated from an oral storytelling task for 65 kindergarten-aged ELL and a comparison group of 25 native speakers of English (NS). The findings suggest that although reading and vocabulary are closely interrelated in the stages of early literacy development, over time ELL youngsters face the greatest learning challenges in the area of vocabulary development. Implications for the design of early literacy programs are offered
A Case for Faculty Involvement in EAP Placement Testing
Authors: James Cindy , Templeman Elizabeth
Published: May 2016

The EAP placement procedure at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) involves multiple measures to assess the language skills of incoming students, some of which are facilitated and all of which are assessed by ESL faculty. In order to determine the effectiveness of this comprehensive EAP placement process and the effect of the faculty factor, a placement validity study was conducted at TRU. The results revealed that with faculty involvement, the accuracy of course placement ranged from 81% to 84; without it the accuracy of the placement would have decreased to between 44% and 66%, depending on the skill area.