bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Actual and Self-perceived Spelling Accuracy in Kuwaiti EFL Students: Some Practical and Theoretical Implications
Authors: Haggan Madeline
Published: May 2016

A spelling elicitation test on common English spelling errors already collected from native Arabic-speaking students was devised and administered to 25 Remedial and 25 Fourth Year students from the English Department of Kuwait University. In addition to providing the targetted words, students were also required to score each response as follows: 4 if they were sure they had spelled the word correctly, 3 if they felt it was probably correct, 2 if they felt it was probably wrong, and 1 if they felt it was definitely wrong. Results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups on the self-ratings, with both showing a high level of confidence over IN1RODUCTION the accuracy of their spelling whether they were spelling words correctly or incorrectly. Since, in general, both groups' actual spelling accuracy was far lower than their self-perceived spelling accuracy, this points to a situation in which students do not know that they do not know. A personality test administered to the students showed a strong bias towards extra-version and a correlation was found between scores on spelling confidence and degree of extraversion. The findings are discussed from the point of view of their implications for (a) methods of collecting spelling errors for analytical study and (b) the Monitor model.
Appropriating Arguments: Academic Reading and Writing
Authors: Corbett John
Published: May 2016

Tertiary education courses, especially those in the arts and social sciences, generally require students to write compositions based on prescribed readings. Although students with poor skills in "appropriating" arguments contained in such readings are at a disadvantage, and may even be accused of plagiarism, this aspect of writing has been relatively neglected in published teaching materials for English for Academic Purposes. This article describes various techniques for promoting academic competence by helping students to summarize, synthesize and evaluate prescribed readings legitimately.
Linking Home, School and Community Literacy Events
Authors: Early Margaret , Gunderson Lee
Published: May 2016

This article examines the social and cultural value of literacy within home communities. It then considers ways of linking classroom instruction to ways of "doing literacy" in the home/community first by viewing the classroom and school as communities and second by designing classroom instructional practices that reach out to the broader community. Such practices can not only provide a way to link the organization of instruction to the social world of the child but a way to promote respect among children, and between home and school community members.
An ESP Speaking Course of International Graduate Students
Authors: Balcom Patricia , Kozar Seana
Published: May 2016

A critical issue in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), is whether a "wide-angle" or more discipline-specific approach should be taken (Johns & Dudley-Evans, 1991). If a course attempts to address students' needs in their area of study, even an EAP-trained teacher cannot be conversant with the concepts, issues, vocabulary, and discourse in a variety of scientific fields, especially with students at the graduate level. This article describes an academic speaking program in which international graduate students are grouped according to their academic discipline (e.g., hydrology, chemistry, pharmacy) and participate in activities that simulate situations where they need to use English in their academic programs. In such a situation the peer group members are the content experts, providing discipline-specific guidance and discussion, whereas the ESL teacher is the language expert, helping the students in the areas of organization, grammar, pronunciation, and presentation skills.
ESL Teacher Education and Intercultural Communication: Discomfort as a Learning Tool
Authors: Johnson Ruth
Published: May 2016

This article reports on a simulation used in a course in intercultural communication in an ESL/EFL teacher education program at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The simulation was designed to create an unfamiliar and uncomfortable atmosphere, culturally, for the students, similar to what one would experience were he or she in a foreign environment. For three weeks of the semester the students were required to greet one another at the opening and closing of class in a particular manner, modeled after the greetings used in the Yoruba (West Africa) culture. The focus of the simulation was at the affective level, to help students recognize themselves as cultural beings whose cultural beliefs would influence the learning process of their own students. Also reported are excerpts from students' journals and students' evaluations of the simulation.
Adding Grammar in a Communicatively Based ESL Program for Children: Theory in Practice
Authors: Herman Rececca L. , Flanigan Beverly Olsen
Published: May 2016

In an effort to improve the quality of young students' second language production, classroom teachers regularly search for more efficient ways to address grammatical form under the time pressures of a content-based school curriculum. If self-correction can be increased through"consciousness raising" (Rutherford & Sharwood Smith, 1985), then learners would seem to benefit from form-focused instruction. For the present study, 11 elementary school students aged 7-14 were pretested and then given daily formal instruction for two weeks in the use of past tense and plural noun forms in an otherwise content-based and communicatively oriented ESL program, after which they were post-tested twice. A significant difference was found between this instructed group and a matched control group receiving no instruction in the successful detection and correction of noun plural forms, but not in a similar test of past tense forms. Furthermore, the instructed group continued to perform well on noun plurals after one month of no focused instruction, suggesting that attention to form had some lasting beneficial effect. Possible reasons for the differential results are discussed.
Teaching Canadian Culture: Teacher Preparation
Authors: Courchene Robert
Published: May 2016

With the transformation of cultural content from an add-on to an integral part of the K-Adult ESL classroom, L2 specialists must come to grips with three separate but related issues in the Canadian context: What is Canadian culture? How do we prepare teachers to teach Canadian culture? How do we teach about culture in the classroom? After presenting a new vision of Canadian culture that is to serve as a framework for deciding what to teach in the L2 classroom, I discuss three important pedagogical issues: (a) consciousness raising-making both teachers and students more aware of the origins and role of culture; (b) teacher preparation- how adequately to prepare teachers to teach Canadian culture in a multicultural classroom; and (c) tolerance and conflicting visions-how to strike a balance between the dominant cultural paradigm and the new cultural knowledge and experience that arrives with each new Canadian.
Combined Assessment Model for EAP Writing Workshop: Portfolio Decision-Making, Criterion-Referenced Grading, and Contract Negotiation
Authors: Wilhelm Kim Hughes
Published: May 2016

An assessment model that combines portfolio decision-making with criterion-referenced grading is described as applied in an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) pre-university ESL writing program. In this model, portfolio decision-making is combined with criterion-referenced assessment. The portfolio concept is valuable in that learners are encouraged to "own" and to make decisions about their work. At the same time, criterion-referenced assessment allows teachers to set meaningful, consistent standards while encouraging learner self- and peer assessment. Learner involvement may be further encouraged through the use of contract grading and collaborative revision of grading criteria. For academically oriented adult ESL learners, in particular, this assessment scheme encourages learner control while keeping performance-based standards at desirable levels.
Graphics and Listening Comprehension
Authors: Ruhe Valerie
Published: May 2016

How effective are graphics as lecture comprehension supports for low-proficiency ESL listeners? In an experiment conducted with 103 college-level Asian students, a group that heard an audiotape while looking at a page with an organizational graphic performed better on a comprehension test than a control group (no words or graphics provided), whereas the participants in two vocabulary conditions (one with vocabulary from the lecture listed in alphabetical order and the other with vocabulary listed in the order in which the words occurred in the text of the mini-lectures) performed no better than the control group. The findings indicate that the graphics enhanced listening comprehension. Suggestions for using graphics to teach academic listening skills are provided.
The Development of Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment
Authors: Peirce Bonny N. , Stewart Gail
Published: May 2016

In this article the authors describe the development of a new language assessment instrument that will be used across Canada to place adult newcomers in instructional programs appropriate for their level of proficiency in English. The development of the instrument represents one step in a lengthy process of federal and grassroots initiatives to establish a common framework for the description and evaluation of the language proficiency of adult newcomers who speak English as a second language. The authors, who were the test developers on the project, provide an introduction to the development of the instrument, referred to as the Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CLBA). They describe the history of the project and challenges they faced in the test development process. In addition, they give an account of how the instruments were field tested, piloted, and scored. They conclude with a brief discussion of work in progress on the ongoing validation of the instrument.
Professional Characteristics and Concerns of Instructors Teaching English as Second Language to Adults in Non-Credit Programs in Ontario
Authors: Sanaoui Razika
Published: May 2016

A survey was conducted to describe professional characteristics of instructors teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults in non-credit programs in Ontario. This province-wide survey was the first data-gathering phase in a three-phase project leading to the establishment of a protocol and uniform standards for the certification of instructors teaching non-credit Adult ESL in Ontario. The study was initiated by the Teachers of ESL Association of Ontario (TESL Ontario) and conducted in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. Findings provided detailed descriptions of professional characteristics of1,196 respondents, including their age and gender, educational backgrounds and professional qualifications, teaching experience, employment, conditions of employments, and opportunities for professional development. Professional issues of concern to the instructors and their recommendations for addressing these issues were also summarized.
The Foresee Approach to Integrated ESL Instruction
Authors: Kidd Richard , Marquardson Brenda
Published: May 2016

This article describes the Foresee Approach to integrating academic content, language, and learning strategy instruction in K-12 ESL or mainstream/part-ESL classrooms. An extension of Chamot and O'Malley's CALLA, the Foresee model was developed in Manitoba to assist teachers in implementing a CALLA based style of integrated ESL instruction. Like CALLA, Foresee includes both theoretical and practical constituents, although these differ somewhat from their CALLA counterparts. The Foresee Theoretical Model guides the formulation of instructional objectives in the three target categories, especially academic language. The Foresee Application Process provides teachers with a practical scheme for designing effective integrated lessons and units. Included in this constituent is a set of systematic, straightforward, and adaptable lesson techniques (not part of CALLA) that teachers can use to plan the procedures sections of Foresee lessons. Five such techniques are described, one in detail and the others briefly, with emphasis on learning strategy instruction.
Pocket Electronic Dictionaries for Second Language Learning: Help of Hindrance
Authors: Tang Gloria M.
Published: May 2016

This article reports on a study that addresses the concerns of ESL teachers about their students' use of pocket bilingual electronic dictionaries (EDs). The purpose is to communicate to content and language teachers: (a) the features of the ED, (b) the uses secondary level ESL students make of the pocket ED as a tool for learning English, (c) the effectiveness of the ED in helping ESL students' comprehension and production of English, (d) students' perception of the usefulness of the ED, and (e) the strengths and weaknesses of the ED as perceived by ESL teachers. The findings indicate that not only do a large number of Chinese ESL students own EDs, but they also make consistent use of them during reading comprehension and writing classes. Examples are given of the students' successful and unsuccessful attempts using the ED, and recommendations are made for ESL teachers to teach dictionary skills.
Age and Second Language Acquisition in Adulthood: The Learning Experiences and Perceptions of Women Immigrants
Authors: Wang Wendy
Published: May 2016

Although considerable evidence indicates that age of onset for second language acquisition is related to second-language proficiency outcomes among adult learners Jew studies have actually looked at how adult learners of different ages experience and perceive second language acquisition. This study presents 30 women immigrant learners' accounts of their experiences and perceptions of learning English as a second language in the Canadian context. Findings from this study reveal the complexity of adult L2 acquisition, which involves factors pertaining not only to the learners themselves, but also to the social context in which the second language is learned. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the second language curriculum development and classroom practice.
Play: A Fundamental Equalizer for ESL Children
Authors: Silver Allen
Published: May 2016

The findings in the following article were gathered from a qualitative study designed to elicit the impact of providing play opportunities for children in the upper elementary school grades. One of the major themes that the researcher discerned was that play had a significant influence on ESL children by facilitating communication and socialization at the same time as it nurtured independence and self-esteem. This report, then, (a) rationalizes the use of play in classes for children 9-11 years of age, (b) defines play, and (c) describes how play influences ESL children specifically.
Developing Program Standards for Adult ESL
Authors: Myers Clare
Published: May 2016

The following article is a summary of the process undertaken by the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) in developing standards for adult ESL programs across the province. It outlines the various stages involved in this government1unded project, highlights the outcomes and learnings from each stage, and raises some questions related to the future implementation of program standards.
Bringing Life to Research: Life History Research and ESL
Authors: Kouritzin Sandra G.
Published: May 2016

Despite its potential, life history methodology has seldom been used in TESL research. This article first defines what is meant by life history research methodology, and then examines how it might benefit our research in TESL. Answering the question, What are the benefits of life history research? the author examines how life histories in other fields and in her own research have shifted focus from the extraordinary to the mundane, and from the universal to the singular, while simultaneously adding previously marginalized perspectives, challenging and informing theory, allowing for comprehensive reinterpretation, locating research historically, and encouraging the production of invitational texts. The author further argues that participants in life history research benefit from being listened to and from framing their stories in terms of overcoming adversity, while the researcher benefits from becoming critically involved with her or his participants. The final section of the article addresses some of the potential pitfalls of life history research, including reliability, verifiability, the tendency toward exoticism, difficulties with translation and authorship, and the "afterlife" of research. The article concludes by asserting that life history is one methodology that is powerful enough to begin recording the complexities of race, class, language, history, and cultures in our classrooms.
Exploring Culture in Texts Designed for Use in Adult ESL Classrooms
Authors: Ilieva Roumiana
Published: May 2016

This article examines the presentation of culture in texts designed for adult learners of English as a second language in Canada. Guiding the analysis is a view of culture as a process of making sense of the world and a site of struggles of people with multiple and shifting identities over meaning and representation. The article discusses the role of texts as culture bearers in second language classrooms. It also addresses aspects of the method of critical discourse analysis, which is employed to tackle the following questions: What is considered cultural knowledge in the selected texts? Whose views of culture are presented in the texts? Do these texts allow students to explore and negotiate their own cultural experiences in the new Canadian environment? The article concludes that in the selected texts culture is constructed as a national attribute consisting of sets of stable values and behavior patterns, a construction that ignores the conflicts and fluidity of cultural forms that characterize human encounters.
Time, Timing, Timetabling: Critical Elements of Successful Graduation of High School ESL Learners
Authors: Giaschi Peter
Published: May 2016

As we begin the new millennium, it is clear that the classrooms of today are unlike those of the past. The most visible change has been the diversity now present in our high schools, reflected in the large numbers of students who are learning English as a second language. These students are in the process of developing English language proficiency at the same time as they are pursuing high school graduation requirements. School administrators can apply what is known about the process of developing English language proficiency when making decisions about deployment of staff and building their school timetable. When time, timing, and timetabling converge in a school plan that permits the development of English language proficiency while ESL students are in the mainstream, the success of ESL students can be greatly enhanced.
Collaboration to Explore Teaching: A Case Study Report
Authors: Chan Victoria
Published: May 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the collaborative efforts of two EFL teachers to explore teaching with a view to solving problems in their respective classes. In so doing the study also attempted to investigate whether this process of collaborative reflection would lead to a change in these EFL teachers' instructional practices and attitudes toward teaching. The results of this qualitative research study indicate that during the process of collaboration, the participants formulated their own agenda for developing strategies to cope with their problems and for a possible change in their classroom practice. Moreover, the dialogue between the teachers seemed to affect their perception of an ideal teacher, although there was no change in their beliefs concerning to the extent to which they themselves had these characteristics of an ideal teacher.
Using the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) to Benchmark College Programs/Courses and Language Proficiency Tests
Authors: Epp Lucy And
Published: May 2016

In this article the authors describe a process developed by the Language Training Centre1 (LTC) at Red River College (RRC) to use the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) in analyzing: (a) the language levels used in programs and courses at RRC in order to identify appropriate entry-level language proficiency, and (b) the levels that second language (L2) students need in order to meet college or university entrance requirements based on tests of language proficiency. So far 19 programs and four courses have been benchmarked at RRC. The benchmarking of the programs and courses involved gathering data from various sources at the College and analyzing them by means of CLB descriptors. In addition, a process was developed for using the CLBA and CLB descriptors to benchmark tests: the Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST, 1991) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In conclusion, the authors summarize some benefits realized by the benchmarking process. They also address the need to continue to evaluate the results and advise prudent use of the results of these projects.
Client Analysis in Teacher Education: What Some Canadian and South African Teachers Identify as their Professional Development Needs
Authors: Epstein Ruth
Published: May 2016

The client analysis conducted in this study explores the professional development needs of11 language teachers, five in South Africa and six in Canada. The study employs a questionnaire and interviews to discover how each teacher's background and context affects his or her perceived professional development needs. Interviews show that teacher educators cannot necessarily predict teachers' professional development needs based on their backgrounds and contexts alone. A variety of inputs from recipients over an extended time is desirable and would yield more accurate predictability of an individual's professional development needs. This would result in teacher education programs that more accurately meet a teacher's real needs.
Living With Ambiguity: Toward Culture Exploration in Adult Second-Language Classrooms
Authors: Ilieva Roumiana
Published: May 2016

On the basis of personal experiences with immigration and current conceptualizations of culture in anthropological and culture teaching literature, this article outlines an approach to cultural instruction in adult second-language education, named "culture exploration," which calls for the recognition of ambiguity embedded in cross-cultural encounters. Culture exploration consists of employing techniques of ethnographic participant observation in and outside the classroom and holding reflective, interpretive, and critical classroom discussions on students' ethnographies. It is argued that through culture exploration students can develop an understanding of humans as cultural beings, of the relationship between language and culture, and of the necessity of living with the uncertainty inherent in cross-cultural interactions. Through this process of naming their experience of the target community culture and reflecting on it, it is hoped that students will be in a position to develop their own voice and will be empowered to act to fulfill their own goals in their new environment.
Working With Younger-Arriving ESL Learners in High School English: Never Too Late to Reclaim Potential
Authors: Roessingh Hetty , Kover Pat
Published: May 2016

Younger-arriving ESL learners often come to high school ill prepared for the demands of English literature courses. Although they may have acquired the phonological and grammatical system of English with relative ease and developed a basic vocabulary, they lack the breadth and depth of vocabulary and the related concepts that are necessary to engage with the abstract nature and cultural embeddedness of literature study. In probing behind this linguistic facade, we have been able to help our students make gains in the development of cognitive academic language proficiency as reflected in standardized achievement measures of academic writing. The acquisition of the cultural capital necessary for success in literature studies, however, is more problematic. New questions arise about student identity and cultural understandings that are central to the success of ESL learners in high school.
From Context to Curriculum: A Case Study of Communicative Language Teaching in China
Authors: Sun Guangyong , Cheng Liying
Published: May 2016

This article discusses the implementation of communicative language teaching methodology in the EFL context in one institution in China. The context and curriculum development of the English teaching program at Private Pui Ching Commercial College is used here as a case study. The article suggests that a preliminary stage of context-based communicative curriculum development is necessary. Such a preliminary stage aims to investigate first the context of an English language teaching program, and then the process of adapting the program to its context for implementation. A framework for such a context investigation is proposed. Three key questions regarding the integration of the context study into curriculum design are also discussed.
Exporting Language Teaching Methods from Canada to China
Authors: Sampson Gloria Paulik
Published: May 2016

ESL specialists at the present time have no conceptual framework to guide them in deciding whether teaching methods developed in one country are appropriate for the educational systems of other countries. Because of the lack of such a framework, three problems are emerging as Canadian and Chinese ESL specialists wrestle with the difficulties involved in exporting Canadian teaching methods to the People's Republic of China. These problems stem from not seeing development as multidimensional, from confusion about the relationship between scientific and educational theories, and from the worldwide presence and ac- THE NEED FOR A FRAMEWORK ceptance of technocratic imperialism. Some responses are suggested to the educational practices of modelling and memorization in China. It is suggested that these practices are not dysfunctional within the current educational theory in China that places high value on certain types of teacher-student interactions and on human interactions mediated by shared values which inhere in the canon of texts known as Marxism Leninism-Mao Zi-Dong thought. It is suggested that the teaching practices ESL teachers observe in China are not trivial or accidental, but inherent and important in the fabric of Chinese society.
Learner Needs, Teacher Skills and Classroom Resources
Authors: Byrne Donn
Published: May 2016

One of the key factors in language teaching is getting the right balance between teacher/learner input, whole class teaching/small group work, and teaching language as "form" or "function" (i.e. focussing on either accuracy or fluency). A model is proposed providing four main types of language learning activity which takes these factors into account. Regardless of the amount of language control and teacher intervention, activities are communicative. Finally, the model is used to illustrate key roles in the classroom for both teachers and learners.
Music Hath Charms: Music and Student-created Stories in the ESL Classroom
Authors: Magahay-Johnson Wendy
Published: May 2016

This section presents descriptions of teaching techniques or practical classroom activities.
TESL Canada's Six Principles Position Paper and an Optimal Time for ESL Training
Authors: Adamowski Eleanor
Published: May 2016

The position paper of TESL Canada's Action Committee, The Provision of ESL Training to Adults: Six Principles Toward a National Policy (1982), recommends early access to English language training, and this paper looks for linguistic justification for it in the theories of Schumann (1974, 1976), Brown (1980), and Krashen (1976, 1977, 1982). Considered together, these theories may complement one another in pointing toward a theory that there is an optimal time for immigrants to learn a language. They may help to explain the phenomenon of certain language errors (fossilized errors) which seen to become immune to correction after a certain period of time. While the TESL paper stresses the practical necessity of learning English for employment and social adaptation, these theories and some recent research may suggest that the time when immigrants learn English is critical for satisfactory progress. Tollefson's (1981) paper on the role of planning in second language acquisition is also examined to see if it has relevance for immigrants learning English.
Teaching Language for Specific Purposes
Authors: Ho Laura E.
Published: May 2016

We are witnessing a tremendous increase in the demand for special English programming. Most teachers, however, are trained as language specialists and few of us have the background to cope with technical vocabulary and concepts in great detail. This article addresses the fundamental need for language development in special English contexts and offers practical suggestions for the development of specific materials.
Canada-China Language Link
Authors: Swanson David , Cooke Davie
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.
Japanese Exchange Students' Writing Experiences in a Canadian University
Authors: Shi Ling , Beckett Gulbahar H.
Published: May 2016

This study investigated the learning experiences of 23 Japanese students in a one-year Academic Exchange Program at a Canadian university. The participants wrote either an opinion task or a summary task at the beginning of the program using two preselected source texts. They then revised the drafts at the end of the program and were interviewed to comment on what they had learned about English writing during their study in Canada. Analyses of the interview data and comparisons of the original and the revised texts indicate that participants revised their drafts to use more words of their own and to follow the more direct English style and linear rhetoric pattern. The narrative of how these students adopted English writing conventions and their perceptions of whether they would continue to use them when they returned to Japan suggests an impact of English training not only on their English but also on their Japanese academic writing.
The Lecture Buddy Project: An Experiment in EAP Listening Comprehension
Authors: Mendelsohn David
Published: May 2016

This article describes a study of the listening comprehension of first-year, non-native speakers of English (NNSs) in a large North American university. The goal was to find out how the students, all economics majors, were coping with listening to economics lectures and to try an experiment in mentoring by linking them with a "lecture buddy": a native speaker in their course who would meet with them weekly and help them with note taking. The lecture buddies kept journals of their meetings, made copies of their lecture notes, and wrote a final report on their experience. In addition, the author interviewed the informants at the end of each semester, and these interviews were transcribed. The study confirms that these students were having substantial difficulty with their lectures, were taking poor notes, and were doing poorly in the courses as a result. The mentoring project was judged to be helpful to the informants, and the help that the lecture buddies gave went far beyond working on note taking. The article ends with a list of recommendations about what the university and the professors could do to make it easier of the NNS students and what the students themselves could do.
On the Horns of a Dilemma: Is Reading Aloud Bad Pedagogy?
Authors: Goulden Rick
Published: May 2016

In this anecdotal article, the author asks whether reading aloud in the classroom is an appropriate student-centered method of teaching reading. To answer this question, the article describes how using this method to study Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men provides structural, sociolinguistic, cultural, and stylistic knowledge through a combination of explanation (in which the teacher provides necessary background information) and active engagement (in which the students answer questions and perform tasks). The author concludes that his initial concerns over the theoretical appropriateness of reading aloud are unfounded as the method encourages students to be active participants in the reading and learning process.
A Word from the Editor
Authors: Canada TESL
Published: May 2016

Editorial Policy, Table of Contents and a word from the Editor.
Variability of ESL Learners' Acquisition of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: What Can We Learn From Achievement Measures?
Authors: Roessingh Hetty , Kover Pat
Published: May 2016

With the revamping of the Canada Immigration Act in 1985, the demographic profile of new arrivals to Canada took a marked shift to place a priority on better educated, business-class immigrants. Most of these immigrants are from the Pacific Rim, and they have high expectations for the academic achievement of their children in the Canadian school system. The purpose of this study was to look at age on arrival and first-language proficiency of these children, as these factors interact with instructed ESL support on achievement measures in grade 12. Analysis of the data reveals that although all learners benefit from structured ESL support, it is the younger-arriving ESL learners who have the most to gain, even after many years of little or no support. We note that all ESL learners, regardless of age on arrival, struggle to acquire the cultural and metaphoric competence that is beyond the linguistic threshold required for success, but nevertheless central to successful engagement in a literature-based program of studies.
The Revision Patterns and Intentions in L1 and L2 by Japanese Writers: A Case Study
Authors: Takagaki Toshiyuki
Published: May 2016

This case study investigated the revising patterns and intentions in L1 and L2 of Japanese writers with various writing experiences. Three participants were selected through purposeful sampling to do within-case comparisons. One participant was an experienced writer in both Japanese and English; one was an experienced writer in Japanese, but not in English; the other was an inexperienced writer in both Japanese and English. Using think-aloud protocols, these participants produced two revised essays in Japanese and two revised essays in English. The revised texts, think-aloud protocols, and retrospective interviews were analyzed to identify revision patters and revision intentions. first, it was found that all three writers produced many more revisions in Japanese than in English. Second, it was found that these writers showed similar revising intentions across languages. These findings were interpreted in terms of revision control structure, which is gained through writing experiences.
How is Pedagogical Grammar Defined in Current TESOL Training Practice?
Authors: Wang Wendy
Published: May 2016

This article reports on the results of a survey of pedagogical grammar courses in MATESOL programs in the United States and Canada. An analysis of 39 self-reporting questionnaires and 23 course syllabi provides much-needed information about the content and emphasis of the courses and how pedagogical grammar is defined in current TESOL training practice.
Locally Developed Oral Skills Evaluation in ESL/EFL Classrooms: A Checklist for Developing Meaningful Assessment Procedures
Authors: Ishii David N. , Baba Kyoko
Published: May 2016

This article explores how teachers, students and other stakeholders collaboratively develop classroom-based assessment procedures for the evaluation of oral skills. By considering crucial issues in assessment such as validity, teacher-learner collaboration, and contextual factors, the authors provide a checklist that will help ESL/EFL teachers develop meaningful assessment procedures for their own classrooms. The checklist addresses 16 questions worth considering in five test-developing stages: (a) identification of course objectives; (b) identification of skills, strategies, tasks and content; (c) design of rating procedures; (d) interpretation of learner performance; and (e) reflection on the impact of the assessment procedure. In all the stages the authors emphasize the significance of involving students in the assessment process, which promotes students' responsibility for their own learning.
The 'Third Place': Investigating an ESL Classroom Interculture
Authors: Li Xuemei , Girvan Anita
Published: May 2016

This study focuses on a multicultural ESL classroom with the purpose of exploring the creation of new individual and cultural identities and the formation of interculture. Through on-site observations and interviews with second-language learners and their teacher, the study presents findings about the dynamics, quandaries, complexity, and diversity of classroom interculture. The metaphor of the 'third place' (Kramsch, 1993) aptly captures the nature of this interculture in its fluidity and ambiguity. Perceiving language-learning in this way allows one to look beyond the traditional dichotomous views and approaches to culture and identity in ESL settings and to describe properly the enriching process of creating new identity and new cultural space that is greater than the sum of individual cultures.
Teacher Prepared Materials: A Principled Approach
Authors: Johnson Carla , Roessingh Hetty
Published: May 2016

The language-through-content movement of the past decade has promoted the use of authentic texts for language-learning purposes. Content-based instruction, however, has had the effect of emphasizing content as the driver of curriculum rather than language-learning objectives in the language-through-content equation. Longitudinal studies of ESL learners' achievement on standardized measures suggest that it is in the intermediate-level proficiency range that these students are most in need of materials that are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct from authentic text. These distinct materials are needed in order to promote the development of English-language proficiency. Using various computer tools, teachers can prepare materials for intermediate-level learners following a principled approach, thus supporting them through a stage in their language development when they are at risk of failure. This article provides information and examples of how this may be accomplished. We conclude that preparing materials may also contribute to teachers' professional development.
What Four Skills? Redefining Language and Literacy Standards for ELT in the Digital Era
Authors: Lotherington Heather
Published: May 2016

Over the last 15 years, the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has facilitated a revolution in how we use language. Online environments have facilitated creative and variable spelling using code hybridization and stylistic use of mechanical conventions such as punctuation and capitalization, lexical coinages, new genres and conversational shapes, new social networks, and digital identities. The traditional four-skills paradigm of text-based grammar study framing English-language teaching curricula no longer adequately describes language and literacies in the Information Era. This article examines changing language conventions in English used in online environments, theorizing directions for new and variable language conventions. The article makes the case that understanding relative language standards in digital environments is essential for teaching and testing appropriate and contemporary English language literacies.
Trapped in the Realm of the Body: Normative Bodily Practices in ESOL Pedagogy
Authors: Motha Suhanthie
Published: May 2016

This article examines processes of gender identity construction in the classrooms of two ESOL teachers living in their first year of teaching. Drawing from a year-long study of beginning teaching, the author explores the complex relationship among the physical body, language pedagogy, and socially constructed understandings of beauty, then goes on to problematize the pedagogical location of the body and ask how the gendered body can be mediated in classroom contexts. The article contrasts the two teachers' pedagogical approaches to the intricate work of locating the body in the ESOL classroom and discusses the range of possibilities available for the exploration, negotiation, and expression of gender identities in relation to the physical body.
Folklore, Literature, Ethnography, and Second-Language Acquisition: Teaching Culture in the ESL Classroom
Authors: Gholson Rachel , Stumpf Chris-Anne
Published: May 2016

Recognizing that to learn about culture will aid the new Canadian in attaining cultural awareness, this article argues that it is imperative to develop strategies for teaching about culture. Using folklore as a critical methodology in the ESL classroom is such a strategy. Because folklore is an intrinsic part of everyday life, its use promotes and enables cross-cultural understandings and the understandings of North American cultures. Moreover, through the use of folklore, students and instructors come to recognize that their expectations are mutable or living elements of culture.
Developing Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: The Journey
Authors: Roessingh Hetty , Kover Pat , Watt David
Published: May 2016

This study tracks the development of cognitive academic language proficiency of 47 academically competent high school ESL learners of differing age on arrival (AOA) who received instructed ESL support and one comparison group of six young arrivals who received little if any ESL support during their educational experiences. Although intake and outcome measures appear similar on the surface for all 47 students, variability in the subscores of the outcomes measure provided the catalyst for taking a closer look at progress during the ESL program. The outcomes provide a refined understanding of the development of cognitive academic language proficiency, and in particular the role of underlying proficiency and structured ESL support. The data suggest that the youngest arrivals (i.e., those aged 6-11) remain at risk in their postsecondary education. The outcomes also suggest that the acquisition of cultural capital and metaphoric competence remains a challenge for all learners.
Prejudice in the ESL Classroom
Authors: Stuart Janie
Published: May 2016

This article about issues and strategies looks at the need for teachers to recognize prejudice among students in Canadian ESL classrooms. The author notes the lack of information on this topic in TESL courses and publications. A sampling of responses from ESL teachers interviewed about the issues is included and serves to highlight the need for more training and other forms of assistance. Finally, a collection of classroom activities is presented as ideas to encourage learners to honor diversity.
Our Responsibilities as Antiracist Educators
Authors: Fleming Douglas
Published: May 2016

On racism and responsibility for educators.
Effects of Peer Feedback on EFL Student Writers at Different Levels of English Proficiency: A Japanese Context
Authors: Kamimura Taeko
Published: May 2016

A study was conducted to explore the nature and effectiveness of peer feedback in EFL writing classrooms. High- and low-proficient Japanese EFL learners participated in the study where they exchanged comments with peers after receiving training in peer feedback. The two groups were compared in terms of their pre and post-tests, original drafts and rewrites, peer comments, and responses to the comments. It was found that peer feedback had overall positive effects on the compositions for both the high- and low-proficient students, with different patterns observed in the relationship between the comments and revisions that characterized the two groups.
Book Reviews
Authors: Pilon Ellen , Thompson Sandee , Yeager-Woodhouse Deborah
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Dimensions of Literacy: A Conceptual Base for Teaching Reading and Writing in School Settngs,' (2nd ed.) by Stephen B. Kucer; 'Language Learning: A Lifelong Process,' by Joseph Foley and Linda Thompson; 'Second Language Writing Research: Perspectives on the Process of Knowledge Construction,' edited by Paul Kei Matsuda and Tony Silva.
Individual and Social-Contextual Factors Affecting the Learning and Use of ESL: A Case Study of a Visiting Korean Physician
Authors: Kang Su-Ja
Published: May 2016

This case study examined factors that affected a Korean physician's learning and use of ESL in an English-speaking country, using data from interviews, observations, notebook memos and e-mails. The findings indicated that individual factors- personality (perfectionism and extroversion), occupation, beliefs, and motivation-and social-contextual factors-lack of contact with native speakers and insecurity about speaking English in the presence of other Koreans-influenced the participant's learning and use of ESL. The findings also revealed that the participant's motivation and extroversion played a role in overcoming the social-contextual obstacles limiting learning opportunities, which illustrates interactions between individual and social-contextual factors.
Book Reviews
Authors: Birrell-Bertrand Joan , Pilon Ellen
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Topics in Language and Culture for Teachers,' by Steven Brown and Jodi Eisterhold; and 'Sociolinguistic Variation and Change,' by Peter Trudgill.
Helping Preservice Content-Area Teachers Relate to English Language Learners: An Investigation of Attitudes and Beliefs
Authors: Pappamihiel Eleni
Published: May 2016

In the United States and Canada, as in many other countries, it has become common for teachers not specifically trained in English as a second language (ESL) to have immigrant and minority language students in their classrooms. These students, who are generally learning English along with the culture of their new countries, present many challenges for their teachers, who are often not appropriately trained to meet their needs. Often teachers of mathematics, science, and other content-area courses feel less than prepared for these students and lack the skills needed to accommodate instruction to their unique needs. In addition, these same teachers often harbor attitudes and beliefs about immigrant students that are not conducive to the development of a safe learning environment and are difficult to alter. This article describes how a community-based service-learning project (CBSL) was used to begin to investigate the attitudes and beliefs of preservice content-area teachers toward English language learners (ELLs). In this study many participants exhibited some level of change in their attitudes about working with ELLs.
Book Reviews
Authors: Morgan Lucy , Pilon Ellen , Reynolds Brett
Published: May 2016

Reviews of: 'Bridge to the Classroom: ESL Cases for Teacher Exploration,' Volumes I-III with Teacher's Guide, Volumes I and II by Joy Egbert, Volume III by Joy Egbert and Gina Mikel Petrie; 'Oxford Basics: Activities Using Resources,' by Heather Westrup and Joanna Baker; and 'Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: Bringing Scientific Research to Practice,' by Elfrieda H. Hiebert and Michael L. Kamil (Eds.)