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RODRIGUES, RENATA LOPES DE ALMEIDA. "EXPLORATORY PRACTICE IN ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION: REFLECTION AND ETHICS IN PEDAGOGIC PRACTICE." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2014. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=24050@1.
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PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO<br>COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR<br>PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO<br>A capacidade de se desenvolver e aprender com o outro e a natureza inacabada do ser humano são fatores motivadores desta tese. Este trabalho investigativo resgata um desejo de entender e refletir sobre questões relativas à construção reflexiva, ética e afetiva do professor de línguas, através do discurso, a partir da experiência e da interação social. Fundamentada pelos princípios da Prática Exploratória, tais como integrar todos no trabalho, trabalhar para o desenvolvimento mútuo, trabalhar para entender e priorizar a qualidade de vida na sala de aula, e pela teoria sócio-histórica-cultural de Vygotsky, portanto, essa pesquisa busca esses entendimentos sobre questões relativas à formação inicial do professor de línguas. É uma pesquisa qualitativa, dentro do paradigma participativo e colaborativo, realizada com professores em formação inicial que participam de um projeto de Iniciação à Docência, em uma universidade estadual, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Construtos da Sociolinguística Interacional, como as noções de enquadre, footing e pistas de contextualização são norteadores da microanálise de dados gerados a partir de gravações dos encontros do grupo em áudio e de relatórios escritos pelos futuros professores. Esses entendimentos apontam para a construção conjunta de saberes e práticas do professor de línguas como parte do desenvolvimento humano, que é construído na interação social com o outro. Os encontros analisados, os relatórios, a sessão reflexiva e pôsteres apresentados pelos alunos-professores mostram a relevância do trabalho reflexivo e cooperativo, mediado pela construção de andaimes emocionais e de conteúdo, para o desenvolvimento mútuo, de alunos-professores e professoras-orientadoras.<br>The capacity human beings have to develop and learn with others and the unfinished nature of the human being are factors which motivate this thesis. This investigative work rescues a desire to understand and reflect about issues concerning the reflective, ethical and affective construction of the language teacher, through discursive, experiential and social interaction. This research is based on the Principles of Exploratory Practice, such as integrating everybody, work for mutual development, work for understanding and prioritize quality of classroom life, and on Vygotskian socio-historical-cultural theory, thus aiming to enrich understandings of language teacher initial development. It is a qualitative research, within the participatory and collaborative paradigm, conducted with teachers who take part of a project for initial teacher education, in a state university in Rio de Janeiro. Constructs from Interactional Sociolinguistics, such as the notions of frame, footing and contextualization cues are used to analyze the data, which were generated from audio recordings of the group meetings and written reports. These understandings point to the construction of the language teacher identity as part of human development, constructed in the interaction with others. The meetings which were analyzed, the reports, the reflective session and the posters presented by the teacher-learners show the relevance of the reflective and cooperative work, mediated by the construction of emotional and content scaffoldings in order to provide teacher learners and teacher educators mutual development.
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Scherler, Kathy L. "Elementary music teachers instructing English language learners: Reflection on practice." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4933/.
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This qualitative study investigated four monolingual, English-only speaking Caucasian elementary music teachers and their reflections regarding instruction of English language learners (ELL). The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate the teaching practice and curricular decisions of elementary music teachers who instruct Hispanic ELL students. The investigation was conducted during a nine-week period, and data collection included classroom observations, phenomenological interviewing, and teacher audio journals. None of the teachers had prior education or pre-service preparation in teaching music to ELL students. The major theoretical base from which the study was developed was the reflective teaching theory of Donald Schön (1983). The main research question was: "What are the participating teachers' reflections about their curricular and pedagogical decisions when teaching ELL students?" Following a description of the elementary music teachers' reflections on practice with ELL students, the study revealed that the majority of elementary music teachers had a lack of preparation and ELL music curriculum, and negative perceptions of the placement program for ESL students. Despite these factors, the teachers made attempts to include ELL students in all music activities. This study showed that while one teacher accommodated specifically for the ELL students' learning, three out of four teachers did not. This study also suggests that music is a subject by which strong interactions between peers, opportunity for language expansion, and other factors occur which have positive correspondence to recommended ELL instructional strategies. A cross-case analysis revealed that the life history and experience of the elementary music teachers had an influence on the teachers' awareness of ELL students. The analysis suggests a relationship between teacher awareness and accommodation. The study also recognized the need for further inquiry regarding ELL students and issues related to their school placement. This study has implications for music education research including suggestions for music teacher preparation in working with ELL students, ELL music resources and curriculum, and pre-service and in-service ELL music preparation.
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Thayne, Shelby Werner. "Facilitating Language Learner Motivation: Teacher Motivational Practice and Teacher Motivational Training." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2013. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4026.
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This study investigated the connection between teacher use of motivational strategies and observable learner motivated behavior in an adult Intensive English Program (IEP) in the United States. The question of whether teachers would find value in being specifically trained in the use of motivational strategies as part of teacher educations programs was examined. Eight teachers and 117 students were observed over the course of 24 classes using a classroom observation instrument, the motivation orientation of language teaching (MOLT), originally developed by Guilloteaux and Dörnyei (2008) and modified by the current researchers. The MOLT observation scheme allowed for real-time coding of observable learner motivated behaviors and teacher motivational behaviors based on Dörnyei's (2001) motivational strategy framework for foreign language classrooms. Postlesson teacher evaluations completed by both the observer and the teacher formed part of the measure of teacher motivational practice. Additionally, teachers attended up to two training sessions, responded to postlesson interview questions and completed a feedback survey. The results validate the previous findings that teacher motivational practice is strongly related to learner motivated behavior. Additionally, results show that teachers find value in motivational strategy training.
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Karakaya, Serafettin. "Teacher training : a comparison of English and Turkish theory and practice." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35649.
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This study is a comparative analysis of systems and policies for teacher training in England, Wales and the Republic of Turkey. The introduction defines the terms of reference and sets up the framework of the recruitment, appointment and career expectations of trainee students in the two countries. The central sections of the study examine in details the structure and content of the teacher training curriculum in England, Wales, England and the Republic of Turkey. From this examination emerges a picture of two sharply contrasting approaches. The Turkish system is highly centralised with a strong emphasis placed upon students acquiring theories of knowledge. In England and Wales a very decentralised system is gradually becoming more centrally driven by Government and its related agencies. However, the thrust of central documentation and directives does not entirely negate the amount and extent of applied theory which English students acquire in the course of an increasingly school based training. The study concludes by examining the likely future direction of teacher training in the context of the Republic of Turkey joining the European Common Market. Centrally imposed policies, while providing clarity, will need to be tempered by some of the pragmatic flexibility which is a current feature of the English system. A fusion of the strengths of both systems will be necessary for the successful implementation of teacher training in both countries as the twenty first century draws closer.
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Carrera, Hazel Carolyn. "Enhancing Teacher Practice Through Coaching: A Case Study in an English Language Learner Environment." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2010. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/82542.
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Urban Education<br>Ph.D.<br>This study examines the use of instructional coaching in one urban school as a form of professional development for teachers. The use of instructional coaches in the classroom has become more and more popular in many school districts across the nation as they look for ways to improve student performance by improving the performance of their teachers. With higher academic standards placed on schools, there is greater demand on teachers to make certain that all of their students are successful. The need for professional development and coaching for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) is discussed.
The research site for this study, City View Middle School, is located in a large urban school district where approximately 176,000 students are English language learners. The participants include 1 principal, 14 teachers, and 2 coaches. At the school, all students are considered English language learners and 40% are also considered Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). This case study employed qualitative methods in the form of observations and interviews of each participant.
From the teachers' perspective, three themes emerged as their greatest challenges in working with English language learners. These included: student stressors related to adapting to a new country, the wide range of literacy levels in the classroom, and teaching academic language. Even with these challenges facing them, were teachers willing to work with coaches in an effort to improve their classroom practice? Were teachers receptive to the feedback they received from coaches? Were they willing to try new strategies? Were there any signs of teacher resistance? How were coaches able to create change?
The coaches offered a professional development program that included training in the following areas: vocabulary, reading, writing/lesson planning, and cooperative learning strategies. Two types of coaching were implemented at the school: 1) peer observations and group debriefing sessions in Teacher Learning Communities (TLCs); and 2) individualized coaching sessions, which included: a one-on-one pre-meeting, an observation, and a one-on-one debriefing session.
The results of this study suggest that there were several preconditions for change. In order for change to occur there were several interrelated factors that needed to take place in the coaching relationship. The professional and personal qualities of the coaches became key factors in how coaching was established at the school. These qualities affected the ways in which they established trust, how they set the tone for their work at the school, how they provided teachers feedback and opportunities for reflective dialogue, and how they created a supportive and nurturing environment. These elements of coaching allowed teachers to feel comfortable to: ask questions, seek help, change their perceptions about what works and what does not work with ELLs, and the confidence to try something new. The support from the principal was also a key element in creating change. Without the principal's support, coaches would not have been able to accomplish their goals with the teachers. This study contributes to our understanding of how schools can support teachers who are experiencing an increasing number of English language learners in their classrooms and do not have the credentials to effectively teach them.<br>Temple University--Theses
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Daoud, Sada Ahmad. "EFL/ESP teacher development and classroom innovation through teacher-initiated action research." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1999. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/34761/.
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This study is an investigation of the potential of teacher-initiated action research for EFL/ESP teacher development and classroom innovation. The Collaborative Academic Writing Research Project (CAWRP), on which it is based, was carried out at the ESP Centre, Damascus University, in 1996-1997. It was in two phases, Baseline and Main. The researcher, a teacher in the context, assumed a participatory and facilitating role. The pedagogic problem was the teaching of research paper writing to postgraduate students. The CAWRP was proposed to ease this problem and introduce classroom innovation through teacher-initiated action research, the long-term aim of which was continuous professional development. The baseline research aimed at articulating a picture of teacher and context needs and assessing project viability. The proposal was refined in the light of the findings, and a programme of teacher development activities was agreed with the participants. This was implemented in the Main Phase, which had three stages: Orientation, Research and Reporting, and Summative Evaluation and Follow-up. The role of the researcher was to facilitate the teachers to self-direct their professional learning and introduce needed pedagogic innovations. The thesis is in eight chapters and 32 appendices. Chapter One sets the scene and introduces the study. Chapter Two focuses on the baseline investigation: its methodology, findings, and their implications for the Main Phase study. Chapter Three is a review of the relevant literature in the fields of teacher development and classroom innovation. Chapter Four focuses on project design and methodology and gives more details on the principles, values, strategies, and procedures that guided project implementation and how they worked out in action. Chapter Five reports the findings, focusing on the contribution of the Orientation Stage activities to the development of the teacher group as a whole (a total of 20 out of 23 Centre teachers). Its main sources of data are recordings, feedback questionnaires, and participant observation. Chapter Six focuses on the teachers who carried out action research and reported on it (8 out of the 20 Orientation Stage participants). It presents two case studies of frill participants, starting with their entry points and showing how they developed in the Research and Reporting Stage. One case exemplifies the experienced teachers and those who did research individually, and the other the novices and those who worked in collaboration. Chapter Seven reports on the participants' sununative evaluation of the project and the effect of this evaluation on project continuity. Chapter Eight summarises the main findings and evaluates them with reference to the literature, on the one hand, and design principles and methodology, on the other. In this chapter, I have looked critically at the lessons learnt from the study, discussed its significance and limitations, and put forward some recommendations. The appendices include some of the materials and documentary evidence used in the research.
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Sulaiman, Nor 'Ain binti. "An investigation of student teacher development in pre-service English language teacher education in Malaysia." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2019. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/41058/.
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Research suggests that many factors contribute to the formation of the student teachers' reflective practice, including the nature of their teacher education, their experiences in a community of practice, and how they build their professional identity as adult learners. The purpose of this study is to investigate the significance and development of reflection and reflective skills for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) student teachers from a major teacher education institute in Malaysia. The research addressed three questions: To what extent do student teachers use reflection in their lessons? In what ways do their capacities for reflective practice develop over the practicum? What facilitating factors and barriers exist in the development of their reflective practice? Adopting a purposive sampling approach, ten student teachers, three mentor teachers and a supervisor were selected. All of the student teachers were studying for a bachelor's degree in TESL. They attended three phases of semi-structured interviews during the three months of their final practicum; the interviews took place after classroom observations every month. Mentor teachers and supervisors were also interviewed. Adopting an interpretivist approach, the weekly reflective diaries of the student teachers and the transcripts from the final phase of the post-observation interviews provided highly personal information from which vignettes of the participants were drawn. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed four significant issues affecting reflective practice: relational issues, such as how student teachers navigate issues arising within a community of practice; situational issues, for instance how they implement the curriculum; developmental issues, including how the quality of reflection may be judged; and experiential issues, which include how the student teachers construct their professional identities. The findings support most of the existing literature and provide valuable insights into the significance of reflection for these novice teachers, the extent to which they master reflective skills in their practice, and the factors that influence reflection. However, further analysis and discussion revealed that whilst the student teachers' use of reflection during their practicums is evident, the role and quality of this reflection is ambiguous. Similarly, whilst supervisors and mentor teachers may insist that reflection be actively encouraged, the rationale behind how and why it is used goes unexplored. The findings also highlighted the role that andragogy, communities of practice and experiential learning may play in partnership with reflection, serving to reconstruct reflective practice in teacher education. The study concludes by reviewing the implications of the research and putting forth ideas for further study.
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Wu, Kerong. "Professional Development and Change in Teachers' Beliefs and Practice for Teaching English Language Learners." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2021. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/9002.
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To provide quality education to all students, including ELLs, teachers need professional development designed and enacted according to best practice. However, a common problem for professional development is that teachers' practices often do not change. Implemented through the partnership collaboration with university, education, and public school faculty, the professional development designed in this study focused on educating teachers about needed content and engaging them in ways that would increase the likelihood they would enact such practices in their classrooms (Desimone, 2009; Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Penuel et al., 2007). The professional development program comprised six courses that adhered to the Utah State Office of Education's standards for the education of the teachers of ELLs. The study examined the teachers' beliefs and their classroom practices. A total of 197 teachers were surveyed on their beliefs toward teaching ELLs, and a subset of 23 teachers' classroom practices were videotaped. Factor analyses were conducted on the pre- and post-survey. The videos were coded using a protocol based on the SIOP model (Echevarria et al., 2013), and latent variables were created to measure the change of the survey score and practice score. The analysis revealed that teachers' beliefs or knowledge in particular changed from when they began the course of second language acquisition to the time they completed it. In addition, teachers' practice changed from the time they started the professional development program to the time they completed it. However, even though teachers' beliefs and practices changed, there was no correlation found between the belief change and the practice change. This study adds to the literature that educating teachers about second language learning and research-based practices (Baker et al., 2014) using professional development that attends to teachers' practices as well as their beliefs (Desimone, 2009; Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Penuel et al., 2007) resulted in positive changes in teacher's beliefs and practices for teaching ELLs. Future research should add a variable of teacher's beliefs about the context of their teaching practice into the study for this can be a confounding variable that affects the correlation between the change of beliefs and the change of practices.
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Dela, Cruz-Yeh Aiden. "Facilitating teacher professional development in online learning environments : a study of Taiwanese English teachers in private language supplementary schools." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2011. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/3099/.
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This longitudinal research study looks into the attitudes and current practices of Taiwanese teachers in supplementary schools (buxibans) toward professional development. Using the method of triangulation, data from two case studies, survey questionnaire (2004 and 2008), and electronic discourse were gathered and analyzed. A five-point likert scale was used to measure the teachers’ attitudes, Cronbach alpha to measure reliability, Chi-square to test the strength of the correlations between variables, and T-Tests to compare the responses from surveys 1 and 2. An online teacher professional development (oTPD) framework, that integrated the principles of cognitive apprenticeship and informal mentoring in online environments, was used to facilitate 1) the delivery of oTPD over a period of time, 2) the transfer and construction of teacher knowledge and skills that would have direct implications on teachers’ practice and on students’ learning, and 3) the social interaction and collaborative efforts of international teacher-experts (invited mentors) in the oTPD process. Despite some challenges faced during the implementation of new learning activities and/or learning materials adapted from their participation in the oTPD, the results show that teachers who took part in this study benefitted from oTPD through the construction of new knowledge and skills and a positive engagement in professional development.
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Kirsch, William. "Teacher development in a community of practice in southern Brazil." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/172932.
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This dissertation study explored the practices that foster teacher development in a community of practice (Wenger, 1998, 2010) of teachers of English as an Additional Language in a large federal university in the south of Brazil. The community is part of a big internationalization effort in Brazilian universities, named Languages without Borders (LwB). In summary, the goal of the program is to teach additional languages for university students, faculty and staff. For that, the local LwB center has fifteen student teachers, from sophomore to senior year, who are pursuing a teaching certification in English as an Additional Language. Although the community has teaching as its end goal, and not teacher development, teacher development has emerged as an epiphenomenon, for student teachers need to learn how to teach in order for the community’s goals to be attained. The objective of this study was to observe, describe and analyze the practices that foster professional development for these student teachers in order to understand in what ways (and if) the experiences in their everyday life of the community become professional learning. While previous research has shown that communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) can be sites of learning, and has explored communities among teachers and students in a variety of contexts, there is a scarcity of studies about community among these additional language teachers (Costa, 2013; Merril, 2016) With the theoretical framework of Practice Theory (Wenger, 1998; Young, 2009; Ortner, 1983), this interpretative study (Erickson, 1990) examined history-in-person interviews with focal participants as well as intensive participant observation – recorded in the form of field notes, audio recordings and photographs – and collection of artifacts. The research participants consist of fifteen student teachers, two former student teachers, three Fulbright English Teaching Assistants, and two of the three coordinators of the program at this university. Out of these, five student teachers were chosen for the interviews. Results revealed that this community has both formal and informal practices that cultivate teacher development. The formal practices are planned by the coordinator and enacted in weekly pedagogical meetings, and include practices such as microteaching, workshops and lectures. The informal practices emerge from teachers’ everyday interactions in the teachers’ room, and include practices such as sharing materials, requesting help, sharing classroom stories, sharing specialized concepts and literature in the field of AL teaching, and planning classes together. In conclusion, the landscape of practices that student teachers experience throughout their trajectory in the program helps them develop as teachers through the profession (Nóvoa, 1992) and integrate both technical and practical aspects of the job.
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Jamil, M. G. "Technology enhanced teacher-learning in rural Bangladesh : a critical realist inquiry with secondary teachers of English." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2015. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/383975/.
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In this thesis I explore the feasibility of technology enhanced teacher-learning approaches in rural Bangladesh. The secondary teachers of English are my research focus and, apart from them, the core stakeholders include the head teachers and the local teacher trainers. My research questions cover specific inquiries on the learning culture of these teachers, their attitudes about the application of technology in teacher-learning, and realistic pedagogical and management procedures for operationalising technology enhanced teacher-learning in rural Bangladesh. In my investigation I follow the critical realist and mixed-method research approaches by addressing the psychological, social, educational and technological perspectives of the stakeholders. Based on an extensive literature review on learning, pedagogy and technological interventions in professional development, I propose that the post-constructivist approaches (I use this term to refer to social constructivism and connectivism) are appropriate for the teacher-learning programmes for rural Bangladeshi teachers. The approaches are also compatible to various technological interventions. I initially design a technology enhanced teacher-learning framework emphasising the applications of teachers’ experiences and reflections which, based on my research findings, extends to the applied form by incorporating the management, application of teacher-learning in teaching, and monitoring procedures. For collecting the research data I conduct a questionnaire-based survey and a series of six workshop-led focus group discussion sessions in a rural district of Bangladesh. In the process I emphasise the inclusion of different stakeholders and their higher participation to gain relevant indigenous knowledge representing realistic findings. The collected research data and their analysis provide useful baseline information particularly about the learning culture of the stakeholders and their perceptions about technology enhanced teacher-learning approaches. It also provides practical guidelines on the effective and sustainable approaches of technology enhanced teacher-learning in rural Bangladesh context. I expect that the learning from this research would help design and implement effective technology enhanced teacher-learning schemes for rural Bangladesh and, at the same time, provide guidelines to operationalise similar professional development programmes for the teachers of other subjects of other institutional levels representing different educational contexts.
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Silva, Maristela. "Narrativised teacher cognition of classroom interaction : articulating foreign language practice in the Amazonian context." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33696/.
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This thesis investigates teacher cognition of classroom interaction as represented in narratives by Amazonian language teachers. Language teacher cognition has been investigated in the great educational centres in Brazil, but has been overlooked as a research theme in Amazonas, the context of this study. In order to bridge this existing gap in language teacher research, the current study develops a narrative enquiry in the public and private school settings to find the different understandings of interaction in the English as a foreign language (heretofore EFL) classroom as articulated by teachers. The study is grounded in theories of teacher education and cognition, applied and socio-linguistics, socio-cultural theories and discourse analysis to further the understanding of concepts that are of rising importance in the EFL field: teacher cognition, classroom interaction, and narrative research. In brief, teacher cognition refers to teachers’ mental lives and to the ways they perceive their practice. In this research, four constructs (knowledge, thought, beliefs, and decision-making) are considered to represent the broad conceptualisation of teacher cognition. Classroom interaction corresponds to the collaborative moments which happen in the language classroom among students, or between students and teacher, in order to improve learning. Narrative enquiry relates to both the method and methodology which is used to understand diverse knowledge processes. In simple terms, in this thesis, narrative enquiry explores teachers’ stories about their practice and determines the ways in which they can be analysed and interpreted. This qualitative research has been designed from a constructionist epistemological standpoint and an interpretivist theoretical perspective. Because it investigates complex concepts, this research does not follow one specific philosophical background but finds inspiration in critical pedagogy and matters of knowledge in the Brazilian context. The data produced by nine experienced EFL teachers was systematically analysed. Starting from the four individual constructs of teacher cognition, the interpretation of the data develops to concepts and themes which emerged from this initial analysis. The findings generated new understandings of the construction of knowledge as personal practical knowledge (PPK) and its relationship to other constructs of teacher cognition, to experience, to the teachers’ individual contexts and to styles of storytelling. From these main findings, the present study proposes a model of narrativised teacher cognition to better understand the interrelation between the cognitive constructs and discursive strategies, as well as build a new and concrete dimension to teachers’ articulation of their practice.
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Romero, Gloria. "Novice Teachers of English: Participation and Approach to Teaching in School Communities of Practice in Chile." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/36464.
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The first years in the teaching profession are challenging, unforgettable, and shape the professional development of novice teachers. This study aimed at exploring the participation experiences of novice teachers in English teaching communities of practice and examining if this participation influenced their reported approaches to teaching English. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder’s theory of communities of practice was used and data was collected from online close and open-ended surveys, interviews, and staff meeting observations. The findings show that, independently of the social background of students and the financial resources of different school contexts, community support has a direct impact on the quality of the practices of novice teachers in CoPs, their participation and integration in the communities, and their reported approaches to teaching English. Moreover, in supportive contexts, NTEs’ approach to teaching was communicative-focused because their communities allowed them to experiment with language and try new ideas. This study extends the work of Wenger, McDermott and Snyder on organisational and managerial communities by providing insights into the field of second language education. Furthermore, it extends the work of scholars with novice teachers in English language teaching by addressing the socioeconomic aspect of their experiences and by connecting community support directly to the approaches to teaching of novice teachers. This research offers insights to novice teachers on the practices carried out in English teaching communities in the Chilean context and offers experienced teachers the opportunity to reflect on how they treat and work with novice teachers.
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Graham, Nina. "Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5027.
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This work was possible through the support of my personal and professional families. Personally, my husband Brad was my continual encourager through each phase of this journey. This accomplishment is as much his as mine. Also, through this process I feel I have matured at the hands of the Lord through His careful, peaceful leading within the many nuanced steps of completing the doctoral program. Professionally, the ladies forming my doctoral committee have been more than advisors, but mentors. Their thoughtful counsel helped me feel capable throughout the many phases of becoming a researcher and scholar, yet they offered insight always with attention to the aspects of life that keep us whole outside of our work
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Greenwood, Joanne. "Educational professionals' experience of English educational policy : developing and promoting inclusive practice through collaborative action research." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/educational-professionals-experience-of-english-educational-policy-developingand-promoting-inclusive-practice-through-collaborative-action-research(71b447f1-6102-4817-9b61-0b4cf764cfd1).html.
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The focus of this thesis was to explore educational professionals' everyday experience of English educational policies; narrowing its focus to policy which promotes an inclusion agenda. The findings are presented in three sections with the first two papers prepared in accordance with the author guidelines of the journals proposed for submission. The first paper offers a review of literature which represents teacher relationship (see Braun, Maguire and Ball, 2010; Fullan, 2006; Luttenberg, Imants and van Veen, 2013; Luttenberg, van Veen and Imants, 2013; Wexler, 2002) with English educational policies. Teacher perspectives illustrate how the implementation and practice of policy heavily guides practice, both in terms of pedagogy and content, and detail the difficulties teachers have in establishing professional identity whilst trying to accommodate policy into practice. It is suggested that in order for teachers to adopt new educational policies they need to be able to take some ownership of both the policies themselves and of their own professional development; but most importantly, that they need the space to engage in dialogue around their practice to do this. The first paper provided a frame for the second by offering a description of the current climate teachers find themselves in and by discussing what might be needed to bring about the professional development necessary to embed policy into practice. The second paper then presents a description of a collaborative action research project within an English high school; a group of educational psychology, teaching, support and pastoral professionals worked collaboratively to develop person-centred practice through their engagement in an inquiry group. The inquiry group engaged in dialogue around practice; exploring their own personal and professional values as well as the values embedded within person-centred practice. This paper offers an account of the inquiry group's journey, highlighting key themes as identified by the group: ownership of, and confidence in, the learning process; developing reflective practice; and the challenge of engaging others in the learning process. The findings suggest that an action research approach can facilitate the learning and development necessary to embody collaborative person-centred practice. The third paper then offers a critical appraisal of the role that educational psychology can have in disseminating findings and promoting teacher development; in particular through the facilitation of collaborative action research within the school context.
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Hu, Zhiwen. "ICT, EFL teacher development and the reform of college English in China : an implementation study." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2009. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11789/.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate ICT-related EFL teacher development in the context of Chinese national College English reform. Four aims were established. First, to examine the current situation in a specific institution from the perspectives of: 1) teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in the context of College English reform; 2) the integration of ICT in English classes; 3) provision of ICT support within current continuing professional development (CPD) programmes for EFL teachers. Second, to assess the suitability of the CPD policies and practices for EFL teachers as a way of supporting the national College English reform. Third, to identify key issues affecting the effective provision of CPO in relation to ICT for EFL teachers. Fourth, to suggest possible solutions to problems identified and directions for future research. The study employed a case study involving quantitative and qualitative methods in order to give an in-depth account of the process of implementation of the reform at particular point in time. The findings indicated that initially the majority of teachers had held positive attitudes towards ICT use in English teaching and the national reform, but their enthusiasm was waning in the light of inadequate support and training. The national reform had, however, stimulated the improvement of ICT competence of both teachers and students. At the same time, it had challenged EFL teachers to adapt to new teaching materials, student-centred classroom teaching and how to guide students in their autonomous learning. In terms of ICT-related CPD policies and practices, there existed a gap between the current policies in the provision of CPD and demand for this. Recommendations are made for future research and for improvements in policy and practice of ICT-related CPD for EFL teachers in China.
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Zhang, Weimin. "In search of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' knowledge of vocabulary instruction." unrestricted, 2008. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05232008-215235/.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008.<br>Title from file title page. John Murphy, committee chair; Diane Belcher, Gayle Nelson, Sara Weigle, committee members. Electronic text (288 p. : ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed June 9, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-273).
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Lemus, Hidalgo Maria Esther. "Understanding teacher development : case study of knowledge and beliefs in English language teaching in Mexico." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/48597/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis reports on a case study that discusses the interconnection between the knowledge, beliefs and practices of teachers of English as a foreign language in a state university in Mexico. Previous research suggests that there is a knowledge base for teaching that is significant for teachers irrespective of the subject they teach. Research also indicates that teaching practices are shaped by teachers' beliefs about the nature of language, the nature of the learning process and the nature of the teaching act. Nevertheless, it appears that the development of language teachers tends to be focused on increasing the knowledge required for the teaching of English without recognising that teaching practices are also informed by the beliefs that teachers hold. The purpose of this case study was therefore to increase our understanding of how the knowledge and beliefs of the case study teachers intersected to inform their teaching practices, and to draw some conclusions that could be used to further English language teacher development. The case study involved four teachers of English in a state university in Mexico. It was conducted from an interpretivist approach and drew on the perspectives of the participant teachers. The methods used were: observations and video recordings of classes; focus groups, interviews and conversations with the case study teachers; teachers' journals. The words and actions of the teachers were the units of the within-in case and cross-case analysis undertaken. The findings of the study illustrate three main aspects: Firstly, teacher's knowledge plays a supporting role in their teaching practices and appears to be composed of different knowledge categories that are not independent but interwoven. In addition, any category presupposes other knowledge categories since any of them implies knowledge covered by other categories. Secondly, teaching practices are not only informed by teachers' knowledge but also by their beliefs. Moreover, the study suggests that teachers' beliefs have a predominant role in their teaching since teachers claim to use only the knowledge in which they believe. Finally, the case study suggests that the learning and teaching experiences of the teachers are a major source of their knowledge and beliefs, and beliefs that are experientially engrained appear to be more influential than theoretically embraced beliefs. The case study concludes that teachers' knowledge, beliefs and teaching practices interact and inform each other persistently in a dynamic process that could usefully be represented as a gear model of the relationships between the three elements. This model would illustrate the dynamic process more accurately since it represents them within a constant interaction process. It is also argued that the relations between the three elements are pertinent irrespective of the context of the study as this offers a frame of reference for other researchers and teacher educators interested in understanding the interconnection between teachers' practices and their knowledge and beliefs.
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LEITE, ELISANGELA FERREIRA OLIVEIRA. "TEACHERS BELIEFS: A WINDOW TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE - THE CASE OF A TEACHER OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2003. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=3989@1.
Full textAbstract:
PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO<br>Segundo a literatura na área de ensino e aprendizagem, o
sistema de crenças (SC) dos professores constitui
importante mecanismo para o entendimento da prática
pedagógica.
Pesquisá-lo e descobrir as raízes que o originaram
significa entender o porquê das ações dos professores em
sala de aula. Nesta dissertação, podemos investigar: (a)
o SC de uma professora de inglês como língua estrangeira;
(b) a relação entre este sistema, a prática pedagógica e
a identidade da professora-sujeito; (c) a estabilidade
deste sistema ao longo do tempo. Para fazê-lo, observamos
10 aulas da professora-sujeito e realizamos entrevistas
informais utilizando uma abordagem predominantemente
interpretativista para a análise de dados. Confirmando
estudos anteriores, os resultados mostram que o SC da
professora-sujeito começou a ser formado quando esta
aprendia a língua inglesa, e foi sendo refinado pela
experiência docente, pelos cursos de aperfeiçoamento e
de especialização, permanecendo, no entanto, relativamente
estável. Enfim, nossa análise indicou que a prática da
professora-sujeito tem estreita relação com o SC, que a
delineia e é por ele delineada de forma singular.<br>Existing studies indicate that teachers beliefs are a
window toward understanding pedagogical practices. If we
investigate these beliefs and uncover their roots, perhaps
we may be better equipped to understand teachers
decisionmaking processes. This dissertation sets out to
investigate the beliefs of a teacher of English as a
foreign language in a public school in Rio de Janeiro,
their relation to pedagogical practices and identity
processes, and their stability. Following a case study
methodology, we gathered data by observing 10 classes and
interviewing the teacher. The data were analyzed
quantitatively and qualitatively.
Results revealed that the teacher s belief system about
language learning and teaching began to be formed when she
was only an EFLer and that it has been polished by teaching
experience, continuing education and postgraduate courses.
However, the system has remained relatively stable. In a
nutshell, results show that the teacher s practice bears a
symbiotic relationship with her belief system, which gives
practice its shape and at the same time is shaped by
practice.
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Ngwaru, Cathrine. "Improving Pre-Service Teacher Development Practices in English as a Second Language: A case of Secondary School Teacher Preparation at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe." University of the Western Cape, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6373.
Full textAbstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD ( Language Education)<br>Ordinarily, Teacher Development at the level of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) at Great
Zimbabwe University (GZU) comes in two major phases spread over four years - the
theoretical and the practical based phases. The theoretical phase comes in the form of courses
based on pedagogical content and professional knowledge in the initial years at the university
while the practical based phase comes in the form of school-based Teaching Practice (TP)
for real and direct teaching experiences. The initial theoretical phase is often based on the
liberal arts-like education to develop the whole teacher for adaptable life-long service. This
is translated by a number of subject that can vary according the dictates of the focus of a
particular national curriculum. TP on the other hand, provides student-teachers the
opportunity to apply not only the knowledge acquired in the initial phase but also the schoolbased
curriculum they are immersed in plus other contextual experiences they might have.
If well-structured and blended, the two phases may ensure a smooth transition from a novice
student teacher to an expert professional teacher for long-life practice.
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Watson, Annabel Mary. "First-language English teachers' beliefs about grammar and the relationship of espoused beliefs to pedagogical practice." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/3719.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents an investigation into the beliefs held by practising teachers of L1 (first language) English in English secondary schools about the value of teaching grammar. Through case studies, it also relates beliefs to pedagogical practice. The study was conducted in two phases. The participants in the first phase were thirty-one teachers, all of whom were taking part in the ESRC-funded Grammar for Writing? project (grant number RES-062-23-0775). Participants taught three writing schemes to their year eight class over the course of a year, and were observed and interviewed once during each scheme. The interviews elicited their beliefs about the teaching of writing in general and about teaching sentence level grammar in particular. The interview data were inductively analysed to explore the participants’ espoused beliefs. The case-study participants in the second phase were three volunteers from the original cohort. These teachers were each observed for a period of three weeks, teaching their own writing schemes to key stage three classes. Stimulated recall interviews were used to capture their reflections on their teaching practices, and think-aloud protocols were used to capture their thinking as they assessed writing samples. Phase one and two data were analysed to explore some of the different ways in which teachers practise grammar teaching, along with the matches, mismatches and tensions between their practice and their espoused beliefs. The findings are presented using a model which explores teachers’ conceptual, affective and evaluative beliefs about grammar, along with episodic influences. The study is significant in offering an up-to-date picture of teachers’ beliefs and practice in this highly-contested aspect of English, as well as in offering insights into the relationships between conceptual, affective and evaluative aspects of belief, and into some of the causes reported by teachers for mismatches and tensions between beliefs and practices.
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Mahrous, Doaa S. "BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE FOR ENGLISH-AS-A-FOREIGN LANGUAGE TUTORS DURING PRIVATE TUTORING." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/260.
Full textAbstract:
The creation of a community of practice of tutors--a shared practice among a group of people who share the same domain--enables second-language learners to facilitate their acquisition of English by embracing new learning strategies while they learn the target language. The community of tutors’ perspective allows for the incorporation of the individual’s particular second-language-acquisition needs and goals. This presentation presents a proposed study that took place at the Yasuda Center at California State University, San Bernardino in the summer of 2015. Students in the English Language Program housed in the College of Extended Learning were asked to participate in tutoring sessions offered by tutors who participated in a community of tutors. Tutors embraced new teaching strategies that they acquired through participating within a community of practice, sharing their background knowledge and teaching experience, and demonstrating new teaching techniques to each other by using collaborative and hybrid strategies during activities embedded in a rich learning context. The provision of community of practice for tutors in the English Language Program enabled learners to develop meaning-making and communication skills as well as language and literacy skills to address the informational and problem-solving needs of their tasks and assignments.
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Hardy, Sandra L. "Constructing Exemplary Practice in the Teaching of Writing and Professional English Language Arts Standards: Implications for Novice Special Education Teachers." OpenSIUC, 2012. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/467.
Full textAbstract:
This qualitative dissertation research explored the case studies of four novice special education teachers who were the primary instructors for English language arts for students in grades three through eight with an I.E.P. This study addressed the teachers' perspectives, beliefs, practices, and related induction needs concerning their construction of exemplary practice in the teaching of wtiting. Exemplary writing instruction is defined by the inclusion of (a) the professional standards found in the state of Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, Illinois English Language Arts Standards for All Teachers and (b) the Exceptional Needs Specialist Standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Data were obtained over the course of three months from audio-taped, semi-structured interviews, three full class period non-participant observations, and an open-ended written questionnaire addressing the following primary research questions: (1) How do the descriptions by special education teachers of exemplary practice in the instruction of writing align with the professional standards? (2) What do special education novice teachers percieve as the role of teacher educators, mentors, other teachers, administrators, as well as classroom and school contexts, in learning and applying the professional standards in their writing practices? (3) How do novice special education teachers' beliefs about the learning and instruction of writing influence their acquisition of pedagogical knowledge pertaining to the professional standards in their writing practices? All data were transcribed and analyzed from a theoretical perspective of socially situated constructivist learning first by open coding and then coded by research question through cross-case analyses. Data were then analyzed by open-coding, followed by the coding of each research question utilizing a case-by-csae analyses. Data were further analyzed by comparative analyses of data collected by interviews, observations, and open-ended questionnaires to determine emerging patterns, categories, themes, and discrepencies. Findings indicated five emergent themes or issues and associated sub-themes of teacher as learner as common across cases and within- case findings were distributed throughout. These five major themes were (1) k-12 experience in learning to write, (2) learning to teach writing in teacher education programs, (3) learning to teach writing as practicing teachers, (4) preferred ways to learn to teach writing, and (5) novice special education teachers' beliefs about the learning and instruction of writing. The novice special education teachers' need for professional development induction support networks pertaining to the acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge for writing was another emergent category that was addressed in the findings for research question two. The findings were presented and discussed to illuminate the novice teachers' perspectives, beliefs, practices, and needs concerning teacher education, induction, and professional development in constructing exemplary writing instruction. Implications for teacher education, induction, professional development and further research were also discussed.
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Aragon, Laraine A. "The impact of an English language learner professional development program on teacher perception of preparedness and practice." Scholarly Commons, 2010. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/105.
Full textAbstract:
The growing number of English language learners in classrooms today can be seen across the United States. Despite the increase of English language learners in our schools, few teachers have been formally trained to meet their academic and linguistic needs. Training is needed for teachers of English language learners. The purpose of this study was to examine Kern County K-6 public school teachers' perceptions regarding their perceived preparedness for teaching English language learner (ELL) students the skills needed to gain English language proficiency and content knowledge before and after their participation in the SB472 English Learner Professional Development Institute. This study was conducted in June of 2009 in Kern County, California. This quantitative research study used a pre and post survey design to gather data on participants perceptions of their preparedness for teaching English language learners. The survey included 38 participants of the SB472 English Learner Professional Development Institute held in Kern County, California. The major findings of this study indicated participants perceived an increase in their level of preparedness after participation in the SB472 ELPD Institute. Additionally, respondents identified resources, support, and/or professional development needs they believed would help them to teach ELL students the skills to gain English language proficiency and content knowledge. Recommendations for further study include a study on university preparation programs to examine how teachers are being prepared to teach English language learners and a replication study of the perceptions of K-6 public school elementary teachers in California who participate in SB472 ELPD training conducted by a variety of providers.
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Al-Zadjali, Nihad. "ESL teacher identity construction in Omani higher education : an ethnographic case study." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/65764/.
Full textAbstract:
This is an account of qualitative ethnographic case study research investigating the identity construction of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. This study was conducted at a higher education (HE) college, namely, Public High College (PHC) in Oman over a period of six months. In this study, I explore teacher identities in relation to the particular spatial locations of the teachers as well as the ways that networking and social capital and institutionalised cultural capital intersected with their nationalities and linguistic backgrounds to produce complex hierarchies. The thesis provides a rich exposition of teacher identity construction in Omani HE as theorised through the lens of Bourdieu, recognising the different educational practices, such as assessment and teacher evaluation, as well as the influence of space in the field of struggle within which teacher identities were implicated. The methodological approach and research design adopted in this study was dictated in part by the nature of the research questions and the theoretical framework adopted. Because I was interested in the embedded struggles in different educational practices between different groups and how these groups articulated and expressed these struggles, I positioned my research within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm. I adopted a case study approach and drew on ethnographic methods, such as semi-structured interviews, observation, and field notes. Over thirty-five local and non-local ESL teachers from western, Arab, African, and Asian contexts took part in this study. Furthermore, I kept a research diary to record my own experiences and decisions about my research. In addition, I analysed official documents from macro, meso, and micro levels. Both content analysis and thematic analysis were conducted to trace the tensions which were observed during my ethnography of teacher identity construction at Public High College in part produced by the emergence of new assessment procedures, and quality assurance agendas, and the Global North's influence on the Omani HE system. In the analysis chapters (Chapters Five to Seven), I problematise how educational practices were implicated in the production of hierarchical, spatial, and at times, male-female positioning of teachers. In the first analysis chapter, I conduct a documentary analysis of the national standards for the General Foundation Programmes to trace back potential tensions that were embedded in the new assessment processes and teacher appraisal procedures and the potential importance of these for teacher identity production. In Chapter Six, I examine the significance of space in producing hierarchical relations between local and non-local teachers and other hierarchies that cut across these groupings. My analysis shows that research respondents gained social capital from networking and highlights the complexity of this networking. In my final analysis chapter, I examine both assessment and teacher evaluation as the key processes through which teacher hierarchies at Public High College were produced. My analysis shows that assessment was one of the fields where struggle for positioning and legitimacy took place so that teacher identity production was bound up with assessment practices at Public High College. In addition, my analysis focuses on teacher evaluation processes in this chapter as another field where struggles for teacher positioning and legitimacy took place. My analysis interrogates both implicit and explicit teacher evaluation processes and the implications of such processes for the production of teacher identities. Through its ethnographic approach, the thesis shows the tensions, nuances, and power relations that pervade this HE institution, and examines how these were central in the production of teacher identities. It also shows the importance of taking teacher identity construction into account in the expansion and reform of Omani HE.
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Kulavuz-Onal, Derya. "English Language Teachers' Learning to Teach with Technology through Participation in an Online Community of Practice: A Netnography of Webheads in Action." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4713.
Full textAbstract:
The emergence of online learning environments and advances in web-based technologies enable teachers to interact and exchange ideas and experiences in online communities. However, these rapid technological advances also cause such online communities to disband quickly, before they have the opportunity to evolve into a community of practice, in which a group of teachers build a shared history, a shared repertoire of resources and activities, and mutually engage in collaborative professional development, over time. Moreover, rapid advances in technology necessitate on-going collaboration among teachers so that they develop meaningful technology integration practice. While such collaborations have taken place in face-to-face settings, how this might be achieved through participation in an online teacher community of practice has been under-researched. Therefore, the present study examines one long-standing, globally-distributed, online community of practice created by English language teachers, called "Webheads in Action", whose shared domain of interest centers on exploring the pedagogical uses of web-based technologies in English language teaching.
The study employs netnography, or online ethnography, in which the researcher collects data through participant observation, interviews, and archiving, all of which is conducted completely online. The aim of this study was to understand the broader culture of learning, collaboration, and mentoring in this online language teacher community by exploring and analyzing its shared repertoire of resources, and activities; ways members engage in the collective development of this technology integration practice; and the role of participation in such an online community of practice on developing language teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge when designing instruction.
The data for this study comes from various sources of data collected through online participant observation in this community's activities over a year, reflective observational fieldnotes, online interviews, and archived data. Throughout my online fieldwork, I participated in this online community's activities both synchronously and asynchronously. At the same time, I took reflective observational fieldnotes of my participation and observations during these activities, as well as community's spaces and email communications. As for archival data, I archived the email communication that occurred during my time in the field, as well as screenshots of the community spaces and platforms. I conducted in-depth interviews with four key people in this community in order to better understand the organization and background of this community and its activities, and interviewed five individual members in order to learn about their stories with and as Webheads.
Through qualitative data analysis procedures, namely coding, categorizing and finding themes, the study provides a rich and thick description as well as an analysis of this community and its culture in the light of my experiences and observations, as well as the experiences of others. The study reveals insights as to the culture of teacher learning in an online community of practice and the mediation of technological pedagogical content knowledge in online communities of practice.
Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also presented, as well as an in-depth discussion of how ethnographic fieldwork practices are adapted in netnography with online communities of practice.
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Clayton, John. "The Exchange of Power and Cultural Attitudes as Authentic Practice in Japanese EFL Pedagogical Spaces." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1305895854.
Full text
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Jong, Young Ok. "An investigation into the benefits of collaborative writing for the development of EFL children’s communication skills : a reflective report of a teacher researcher." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2009. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/3743/.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the present study is to investigate effective ways of designing taskbased collaborative writing lessons in the EFL classroom in South Korea. In this research, a group of 11/12 year-old children were involved in repeating three different writing tasks three times. In order to examine the effects of task type and task repetition on task performance and outcomes, written texts were measured in terms of fluency, accuracy, and lexical complexity with seven sub-measures and pair dialogues were quantified by the focus on a particular aspect of the language and then categorised into form-focus, lexical-focus, and mechanical-focus language-related episodes. Follow-up interviews were undertaken with the children to examine their perspectives on collaborative writing from their first experience of paired writing. On the basis of self-reflection on my prior learning and teaching experience in the EFL context, a classroom action research project was designed and conducted to promote my personal and professional growth. Classroom observation was undertaken to monitor the children’s performance and engagement when working together. The results of quantitative and qualitative data analysis showed strong effects of task type and task repetition on the products and processes of Korean children’s writing and the pedagogical benefits of collaborative writing. In addition, this teacher research gave me a valuable opportunity to explore ways of becoming a reflective teacher. The research findings may help classroom teachers who want to develop task-based collaborative writing lessons in the classroom and teacher researchers who want to initiate classroom action research to improve their teaching practice.
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Greenfield, Renee A. "Linguistically Diverse Students and Special Education: A Mixed Methods Study of Teachers' Attitudes, Coursework, and Practice." Thesis, Boston College, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/1991.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis advisor: C. Patrick Proctor<br>While the number of linguistically diverse students (LDS) grows steadily in the U.S., schools, research and practice to support their education lag behind (Lucas & Grinberg, 2008). Research that describes the attitudes and practices of teachers who serve LDS and how those attitudes and practice intersect with language and special education is limited (Klingner & Artiles, 2006). Despite varied teacher preparation coursework, all teachers are expected to educate LDS; therefore, it was essential for this study to investigate teachers' attitudes, coursework, and decision-making practices for and about LDS. Using a sequential explanatory research design (Creswell et al., 2003; Creswell, 2009), this study examines the language attitudes and coursework histories of sixty-nine inservice teachers. A subsample of nine teachers participated in an interview and responded to a case study dilemma about a LDS who struggled academically. Quantitative analyses reveal that teachers who completed language coursework reported strong positive language attitudes, compared to teachers without this coursework. Qualitative analyses, however, demonstrate a range of teachers' reflective judgment and desirable practices. Collective analyses of data indicate that teachers' positive language attitudes are predictive of desirable practices. Further, the interactions between teachers' reported knowledge, attitudes, and practice in two domains - language and special education - inform teachers' professional practice. Findings also indicate that teachers' professional practice, including collaboration, reflection, decision making, problem solving, and professional development, vary based on teachers' understanding of and attitudes about policy, assessment, and instructional practices. Most importantly, findings suggest that teachers' actual professional practice is inextricably linked to and contextualized in classroom, school, and/or district structures<br>Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011<br>Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education<br>Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
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Bruhn, Tara Jenkins. ""I Am An Island To Myself": How One Veteran English Teacher's Beliefs, Experiences, and Philosophy Translate into Classroom Practice." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2006. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/msit_diss/7.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the beliefs, philosophy, and experience of a veteran English teacher and how each of these constructs informed her classroom practice. This research, conducted in a metropolitan high school in the South, provides insight into the way a veteran teacher believes, practices in her classroom, and relates to her greater teaching milieu. The study is theoretically framed in Greene's (1971) notion of "doing philosophy" in which a teacher makes meaning from her reflected, lived-through experience, and Applebee's (1996) notion of curriculum as conversation for the teaching of language arts discourse. Research indicates that teacher's beliefs are personal (Munby, 1984; Pajares, 1992; Nespor, 1987), and transactional with practice (Richardson, 1991). Other research shows that beliefs may be tacitly or overtly held without manifestation (Fenstermacher, 1978; Green, 1971) but that they are the best gauges for the choices people make throughout their lives (Bandura, 1986; Nisbet & Ross, 1980). This study seeks to understand what a veteran teacher believes that may explain her practice. Data were collected over 15 weeks of an 18 week semester via observations, formal and informal interviews, and a researcher's log. Using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) the researcher determined recurring themes and structures in the data to explain beliefs into practice. The findings of this study showed that a veteran English teacher's beliefs were overtly held and practiced as a result of personal background, cumulative teaching experience, and certain conditions within the immediate and greater instructional setting. The study further indicated the teacher created personal meaning for herself and students, respectively, through practicing a form of professional autonomy from the greater teaching milieu and by creating a specialized learning community in her classroom. The results of this study suggest veteran teachers form self-inclusive practice based on beliefs and experiences, especially when conditions exist environmentally requiring the teacher be a self-sufficient practitioner.
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Abdullah-Sani, Azizah Siti Zaleha. "An analysis of the development of teacher belief constructs during teaching practice and in the novice year of teaching : a case study of English language teachers in the Malaysian context." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2000. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36424/.
Full textAbstract:
If you ask a group of people "What are the qualities of a good teacher?" they are more likely to say that a teacher must be knowledgeable, compassionate, firm and fair. If you ask the same group of people "How do we prepare teachers to have all those good qualities?" you are more likely to get as many suggestions as there are people in the group. We all seem to agree on the quality teacher we want but we are less in agreement about the ways in which we might achieve those objectives. Over the years several models of teacher education have been suggested. These models testify to the continuous search for the best way to prepare teachers. There are varying viewpoints on whether teachers are better prepared if they spend more time in school so that their knowledge is acquired through practical means or whether teachers should receive sufficient knowledge on campus studies before they are let loose. What is sufficient theoretical and practical knowledge for the beginning teacher anyway? Do we know enough about how the participant on the teaching program makes sense of the knowledge acquired from the program when against his/her life experiences? This study explores the process of learning to teach by eight young women on the B.Ed degree link program as they prepare themselves to become English language teachers for secondary schools in Malaysia. The study follows their progress as they make the transition to beginning teachers. Specifically, the study explores the construct of their beliefs about teaching and learning prior to teaching practice, during teaching practice and in the post-training situation. Discussion of the findings from this longitudinal study is followed by recommendations for improving the preservice program and the support for beginning teachers in the novice year of teaching.
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Struthers, Alison E. C. "Educating about, through and for human rights in English primary schools : a failure of education policy, classroom practice or teacher attitudes?" Thesis, University of Warwick, 2015. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/79548/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis explores the nature and extent of Human Rights Education (HRE) in primary education policy and practice in England. It highlights that the provision of holistic education about, through and for human rights at all levels of formal schooling is required by the international legal framework, and has been included most recently within the UN Declaration on HRE and Training (2011). The UK has signed and accepted most of the international instruments and initiatives that address HRE and therefore ought to be educating in accordance with their requirements. The thesis investigates whether the commitment to educate about, through and for human rights is reflected in English primary education policy, and shows that this is ostensibly not the case. Following this finding, it draws upon quantitative and qualitative empirical research with primary teachers across England to gauge whether the elements may instead be reflected in practice in primary classrooms and schools. This empirical investigation shows that, despite the practice of teaching about values that could have human rights relevance, there is little evidence to suggest that primary teachers are addressing effectively the elements of the tripartite framework. Educational practice is therefore unlikely to be remedying the deficiencies in policy concerning HRE in England. The empirical research identifies a number of the barriers to effective HRE articulated by primary teachers and explores these in detail in light of the academic literature. It therefore fills a gap in the current research by not simply addressing the pragmatic question of whether HRE is being incorporated into classroom practice in a manner consistent with the international framework, but also by delving deeply into the underlying reasons why. It concludes by arguing that stronger government policy and guidance reflecting the international requirements for HRE is needed, but unless the identified practitioner-based concerns are taken into account, the commitment to educate primary school children about, through and for human rights is likely to remain undelivered in England.
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Jackson, P. Pualani. "Teachers' Perceptions of English Language Learners and Reading Instruction." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2662.
Full textAbstract:
The growing population of English language learners (ELLs) in an urban school district in the southwest United States has maintained low achievement scores in the K-5 grades. Students who do not attain reading proficiency at least by the end of 3rd grade are at risk of continued academic failure through high school. Research shows that teachers' knowledge and preparedness to teach reading has an influence on student performance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the readiness of mainstream classroom teachers to teach reading to ELLs. Guided by the sociocultural frameworks of Bruner and Vygotsky, this study explored teachers' perceptions about the adequacy of instructional resources they receive to improve reading instruction. A sample of 12 purposefully selected teachers from 10 different school districts, with at least 3 years of experience teaching ELLs, shared their responses via semistructured interviews. Data sorted through inductive and axial coding showed teachers expressed an inadequacy in preparing to teach ELLs and depended on their experience with ELLs to provide specific teaching strategies in a risk-free environment that would promote positive student outcomes. The participants' responses helped design a professional development initiative to address the need for more training specific for reading teachers of ELLs. Implications for positive social change include providing more training in reading instruction for teachers of ELLs that can result in increased ELL student reading achievement and greater academic success through high school.
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Reed, Marshall Tanji Philicia. "Influence of Language, Culture, and Power on Teacher Instructional Decision-Making with High-Achieving African America Students in Advanced Secondary English Classrooms." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78614.
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This qualitative study was designed to examine the influences of language, culture, and power on teacher instructional decision-making with high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms. The research questions were crafted to address how language, culture, and power influenced: (1) teachers' instructional planning when working with high-achieving African American students in the secondary English classrooms as they use literary and informational texts to support literacy development; (2) teachers' understanding of how language, culture, and power impact instructional decision-making when planning for literacy development with high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms, and (3) teachers' understanding of how language, culture, and power influence learning and achievement for high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms. The framework for this study was grounded in several intersectional theories related to; (a) schools as communities of practice (Wenger, 1998); (b) language as identity shaper and inseparable from culture (Delpit, 2002;Gee, 2005; Labov, 1972; Lee, 2007; Nieto, 2010; Smitherman, 1977; and Thornborrow, 1999); (c) culture as emergent due to human interaction (Carrithers, 1992); (d) power is a force in all relationships and interactions, which creates imbalances and determine the degree to which the language variations and cultures interact freely and equitably (Burbules, 1986; Freire, 1921/1970; Giroux, 1992; Nyberg, 1981; Shrigley, 1986); (e) race is a social construct and racism is normal infiltrating every aspect of US society including the education of marginalized groups (Delgado and Stefancic, 2012; Ford, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 1995); (f) secondary students acquire, develop, and engage with literacy differently from their elementary counterparts and require teachers to deepen their knowledge about the ways adolescents engage with texts (Alexander, 2003; Chall, 1983; Goldman and Snow, 2015; Idrisano and Chall, 1995; McConachie and Petrosky, 2009; Moje, 1996/2002; Piercy and Piercy, 2010; Schoenbach, Greenleaf, and Murphy, 2012; Shanahan and Shanahan, 2008). Participant interviews, lesson plans, and field notes generated data to address the research questions. Findings demonstrated language, culture, and power are intersectional and influence every aspect of the instructional decision-making process. This study provides insight into teacher's thinking about their planning and how the inquiry constructs influence that planning.<br>Ph. D.
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Erdil, Zeynep. "Promoting L2 Motivation via Motivational Teaching Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study in the Turkish EFL Context." Scholar Commons, 2016. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6496.
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The shift toward bilingualism and multilingualism in historically monolingual societies resulting from globalization has positioned second/foreign language (L2) learning research as a significant field. Extensive research in L2 motivation over decades has demonstrated motivation to be a significant determiner of L2 learning achievement and has yielded many sound L2 motivation theories and frameworks. The latest L2 motivation framework is the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) offered by Dörnyei (2005, 2009). Numerous studies have been conducted to validate this theory in different English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts (e.g., in China, Iran and Japan: (Taguchi, Magid & Papi, 2009); in Hungary: (Csizér & Kormos, 2009); in Saudi Arabia: (Al-Shehri, 2009); and in Turkey: (Thompson & Erdil-Moody, 2014). Studies have found the theory sufficiently elaborate to explain the multifaceted L2 motivation in its dynamic nature. This study utilized the theoretical framework of L2MSS to examine L2 learners’ motivation.
Due to the importance of motivation in L2 learning and achievement, research focusing on EFL instructors’ use of motivation-enhancing strategies has gained significance. To fill a longstanding gap in L2 research for a unified and systematic motivational strategies framework for teachers, Dörnyei (2001) offered the Motivational Teaching Practice in the L2 Classrooms Model (MTP) – which offers various strategies that L2 teachers can use to enhance student motivation. The current study used this MTP theoretical framework to investigate L2 teachers’ motivational teaching practice. However, how the L2MSS could be integrated into the motivational teaching practice has not been adequately studied and requires further examination. Moreover, most language teacher education programs lack motivational teaching practice training for pre-service L2 teachers. Consequently, the present study aims to fill the gap in L2 research by examining a) how to promote EFL instructors’ motivational teaching practice through a training program on motivation-enhancing strategies within the L2MSS framework; b) how L2 teachers’ consistent and systematic use of motivation-enhancing strategies within this framework impact students’ motivated learning behaviors.
Another way this study contributes to L2 research is by offering both quantitative and qualitative empirical data in an understudied EFL context, Turkey, concerning the relationship between motivational teaching practice and learner motivation. The study employed a mixed-methods experimental design. The researcher collected data from February 2015 to June 2015, coordinating and delivering the teacher workshops, and analyzing and interpreting the data. The data involve various sources: self-report questionnaires from L2 teachers and students, classroom observations of teachers’ motivational teaching practice and students’ motivated learning behaviors, semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, teachers’ strategy logs and reflective journals.
Quantitative and qualitative data analysis procedures were employed to analyze the data. The self-report questionnaire data were analyzed via exploratory factor analyses, Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive statistics, independent and paired samples t-tests; the classroom observation data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA; strategy logs were analyzed using descriptive statistics; and the qualitative data via classroom observations, reflective journals and interviews were analyzed via content analysis. The researcher coded, categorized, themed, and analyzed the data separately. This study intends to a) contribute to the L2 motivation research, b) offer pedagogical recommendations for motivational teaching practice to promote learner motivation within the L2MSS framework, c) contribute to the pre-service L2 teacher training to promote motivational teaching practice.
The results showed that instructors’ and students’ perceptions of instructors’ use of motivational strategies demonstrated both differences and similarities, indicating that both groups have varying perceptions in regards to instructors’ motivational teaching practice. An overall analysis of the MTP across 25 different EAP classes showed an average use of motivational strategies excluding any of the recently suggested strategies that enhance the L2 self guides (the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self) of learners grounded in the L2MSS theory.
The classroom observation and L2 motivation data that were collected in both experimental and control groups before and after the treatment showed that instructors who received motivational teaching workshop started using more varieties of strategies more often and in a more consistent way compared to the control group instructors who did not receive any treatment. Similarly, experimental group students in the classes where instructors used more consistent and varied motivational strategies demonstrated more motivated classroom behaviors compared to the control group students. Experimental group instructors’ reflective journals and strategy logs also indicated an increased awareness of MTP and more conscious effort in trying to vary their motivational strategy use and develop their own consistent MTP.
The interviews with the experimental group instructors showed that instructors were more confident in their MTP, more conscious in their choice of motivation-enhancing strategies and lesson and material design that address learners’ ideal L2 selves. They all expressed that participating in the study including but not limited to taking the MTP workshop, implementing those strategies in their classes, continuous feedback and discussion sessions with the other experimental group instructors and the researcher, writing the reflecting journals and the strategy logs were altogether helped them to a great deal creating a “transformational experience like a wake-up call” in their teaching.
Interviews with the students revealed that experimental group students were happier in their EAP class this semester compared to their previous pre-requisite EAP class because they were kept more motivated, engaged and active throughout the semester. They found their instructors as the most motivating factor on their motivation and achievement this semester.
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Price, Gaylene. "Scaffolding teacher learning : examining teacher practice and the professional development process of teachers with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners : a dissertation submitted to the College of Education, University of Canterbury at Christchurch in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Master of Teaching and Learning EDTL 904, University of Canterbury /." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Educational Studies and Human Development, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2682.
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Teachers work in complex and demanding times with an increasing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CLD) in classrooms. These students are over represented in statistics of under achievement.
All teachers are teachers of academic language, and while no child is born with school language as a first language, for some students the match between home and school is more closely aligned than for other students. Teachers are expected to be culturally responsive, ensuring the languages and culture of students is visible in the classroom environment and the classroom curriculum.
Despite the increasing knowledge about the specific strategies and approaches that will most effectively support CLD students in classrooms, the teaching of CLD students within mainstream contexts remains far from ideal. Teachers need support to access the principles of effective teaching of CLD learners that are available, and importantly to transfer the knowledge into classroom practice.
Professional development and learning is linked to improved teacher practice and student learning outcomes. When teachers have opportunities to be engaged in successful elements of in-depth professional learning such as in-class modelling, observation and feedback, and co-construction of teaching and planning they are able to demonstrate improved pedagogical content knowledge. Their beliefs may also need to be challenged.
The study was conducted in two schools in a large city in New Zealand where I am employed as an ESOL and literacy adviser. Using an action research method I was able to examine how a professional development and learning process shaped my own knowledge and practice as well as teacher knowledge and practice.
The study fills a research space to gain insights into the effective professional learning processes that impact on teacher strategies and approaches with their CLD learners A central tenet of this research is that teachers can improve their practice of teaching CLD students and they can specifically learn strategies and approaches that are considered effective for them.
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Altendorff, Lorraine Elizabeth. "An exploration of the ‘cultural script’ for teaching and learning mathematics in English secondary schools and its relationship with teacher change." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2012. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/39646/.
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Recent reports on mathematics education in English secondary schools have consistently expressed concern about students' performance and enjoyment as well as their progression into studying mathematics post-16 (Smith, 2004; Ofsted, 2006, 2008a; Royal Society, 2008, 2010; Vorderman et al, 2011). Too often students were expected to follow rules and procedures without mastering underlying concepts and connections, and hence without developing their mathematical understanding (Ofsted 2008a). Boaler (2008a) provides evidence for the introduction of Complex Instruction (CI) as an effective alternative approach to teaching and learning mathematics. The CI pedagogy combines rich mathematical tasks and instructional strategies that foster collaborative group work and problem solving. The approach emphasises effort over ‘ability' and challenges beliefs that only some students can do mathematics and that they should be taught in ‘ability' groups. This thesis explores factors which facilitate or militate against the adoption of such an approach by drawing upon Stigler and Hiebert's (1999) concept of a ‘cultural script' and Dweck's (2000) ‘theory of self and others'. It aims to build a better understanding of what influences teaching in mathematics classrooms in order to inform teacher development. The study combines quantitative and qualitative methods through the use of questionnaires, interviews and a reflective research journal over a two year period and includes: Secondary analysis of interviews with 20 teachers in schools with high numbers of students studying mathematics post-16; Course evaluations from 27 teachers attending a workshop on CI and interviews with a sample who were willing to use the approach; Pre and post study interviews with a lead mathematics teacher at two contrasting schools; one using CI with mixed ability groups and the other not. Questionnaires completed by 221 Year 7 students and their mathematics teachers at the two contrasting schools. Open coding analysis of the teacher interviews was used to produce themes. The questionnaires were statistically analysed to explore teachers' and students' frameworks of intelligence and personality in relation to learning and performance goals in mathematics. The findings support the notion of a ‘dominant cultural script' for teaching mathematics in English secondary schools. Teachers refer to ‘expected national norms', where the expectations are driven by their understanding of National Strategy/Ofsted guidelines and the judgements upon them are based upon students' exam performance. This performance goal orientated model, coupled with teachers' anxieties about unacceptable behaviour in the classroom together with concerns about finding time to plan and resource a different approach, offers strong reasons for teachers' reluctance to change. The findings demonstrate that the teachers using CI still adhered, to some extent, to aspects of the ‘dominant cultural script'. They felt vulnerable in terms of examination results and inspection. The extent to which they deviated from the ‘script' was contingent upon factors such as having a strong supportive department with collaborative sharing of resources; seeing students as actively involved in the learning process and continuing professional development opportunities both within their schools and with university departments of education. Whilst these teachers, though mindful of exam performance and inspection, held other beliefs and goals for their students, these were not necessarily shared by the students. A high proportion of students, particularly amongst the lowest attaining students and girls, were found to hold fixed frameworks of intelligence and personality coupled with a preference for performance over challenge in mathematics. Dweck (2000) suggests that having such beliefs is unlikely to lead to mastery orientated qualities in students, which are the key to improvement in progress. Hence, given a dominant script for teaching mathematics which also emphasises performance goals, the likelihood of all students achieving their full potential in mathematics in such a climate is jeopardised.
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Brett, Aidan. "SEEKING A BALANCE: THE IMPACT OF FOSTERING AUTHORIAL EMPATHY ON TEACHERS AND STUDENTS." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/509326.
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Literacy & Learners<br>Ph.D.<br>This study reports on the impact of the Authorial Empathy Scale (AES), a tool designed to measure responses to literature that balance attention both to authors’ aesthetic choices and to empathetic engagement with the narrative world, on teachers’ instructional practices and students’ written and spoken responses. The research is guided by the following research questions: (1) In what ways, if any, does a literary unit intervention designed to foster readings of authorial empathy shape the teaching practice of two secondary ELA teachers? (2) In what ways, if any, does a literary unit intervention designed to foster readings of authorial empathy shape secondary students’ responses to texts? Data consist of stimulated-recall interviews and discussion transcripts of teachers and students that were analyzed for the goals, tools, and sources of their decisions. The major findings are the use of the AES seemed to facilitate a common approach among teachers and students for generating more balanced responses to texts. However, sustaining the balanced responses faced challenges in the form of institutional rubrics, IRE discussion patterns, and the specific demands of writing tasks. Students who evidenced greater mastery of the conventions of academic writing tended to generate more authorially empathetic responses to texts. During the Authorial Empathy unit, students tended to engage in more extensive and collaborative talk turns during discussion. The results make clear the importance for teachers to select texts, tasks, and tools that support the use of the AES in guiding students to respond with authorial empathy.<br>Temple University--Theses
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Hou, Heng. "Exploring the role of an online learning community in supporting preservice English language teachers’ school placement in a Chinese normal university." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/exploring-the-role-of-an-online-learning-community-in-supporting-preservice-english-language-teachers-school-placement-in-a-chinese-normal-university(b04765c8-db97-470e-94c6-ae37ce474a5e).html.
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In recent years there has been growing enthusiasm among researchers for the promotion of online learning communities designed to support professional learning in preservice teacher education. The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the role of such an online community in supporting student teacher learning during the school placement in a Chinese Normal University, and hence to enrich the understanding of student teachers’ learning experiences in an online ecology. The study’s subjects included a cohort of 42 student teachers enrolled on a four-year preservice teacher education programme, along with two university supervisors at one of China’s teacher-training universities. Primary data were collected from six weeks of online threaded discussions and from semi-structured group interviews. Supplementary data were taken from an end-of-school-placement evaluation and web-tracking logs. Data analysis has been informed and illuminated by the theoretical proposition of communities of practice. The findings of the study indicate that the online learning community is a valuable resource for supporting student teachers both personally and professionally. Findings suggest that online communication not only helps student teachers tackle immediate teaching concerns and technical problems, but, more importantly, provides them with opportunities to reflect collectively, to co-construct new teaching ideas, and to gain professional discourse competence through articulating and negotiating their evolving thoughts on teaching as a profession. In this regard, student teachers are found to be more comfortable with online self-disclosure of their personal and professional encounters and critiquing each other than they are with face-to-face communication. The research also shows that university supervisors experience mixed feelings about the fact that student teachers are more able to take ownership of their learning and therefore become less dependent on supervisor guidance as time wears on. Furthermore, these findings provide evidence suggestive of a possibly reciprocal relationship between Chinese view of learning and the building of online learning communities. Based on the results of the study, I provide recommendations as to how the significance of the school placement can be reinforced in fostering distributed student teachers’ professional growth. The results also contribute to a better understanding of the key factors in the design and implementation of effective online learning communities within preservice teacher education in China. Finally, the analytical approach used in this study provides fresh methodological insight into an alternative means of analysing online postings. It thus contributes both to the theorisation of learning communities in the context of computer-mediated communication, and to the further development of concepts drawn from the communities of practice literature.
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McIntosh, Shona. "Reframing learning to teach as a social and relational practice : an examination of key influences on the trajectory of professional development of secondary school PGCE trainees." Thesis, University of Bath, 2016. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.687313.
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The landscape of initial teacher education (ITE) in Britain is changing (BERA Inquiry, 2014). In England, trainee teachers’ routes to professional qualification are subject to assessment against Teachers’ Standards (Department for Education, 2012), which some argue enshrine the competences trainees require for professional life (Cole, 2008). Competence views of teaching are challenged elsewhere as reductive (Stanley and Stronach, 2012) and counter to the view that teaching (Hobson et al., 2008) and learning to teach (Hodgson, 2014) are complex pedagogical activities (Alexander, 2008). Some argue the competence-view of learning to teach reduces teaching to a “craft-based occupation” (Beauchamp et al., 2015), epitomized in entirely school-based training initiatives such as School Direct (National College for Teaching and Leadership, 2014a) with trainee teachers learning “on the job” (Department for Education, 2010, p23). This study aims to contribute to this debate by examining trainees’ professional development within the historical development of the teaching profession. Whilst undertaking a Post-graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), data on seven trainee teachers’ professional development were gathered throughout three school placements using active interviewing (Holstein and Gubrium, 1998), prior to within- and cross-case analysis (Creswell, 1998). Trainees’ hand-drawn trajectories of professional development show turning points (Vygotsky, 1978) which direct analysis towards key influences on a complex intellectual process of learning about practice (Dreier, 2002), refining indications from earlier analysis using a componential model of professional development (Evans, 2011). Using Vygotsky’s method of developmental study (Vygotsky, 1978), professional development is understood as a historical process whereby practice-related concepts “take shape” (ibid.) and trainees’ learning (about practice) supports their (professional) development. A relational agency interpretation (Edwards, 2007b) emphasises the influence on trainees’ professional development of working jointly with professional colleagues on problem-resolution, contingent on trainees’ learning through tool and sign use during practice (Wertsch et al., 1993). The findings of this small study suggest that trainee teachers’ professional development is only adequately conceptualised as a complex process led by the intellectual activity of learning about practice. The implications of reframing learning to teach as a social and relational practice implies a personalised approach to teacher education which, this study finds, may support the development of responsive practitioners.
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Hall, James M. "A linguistic ethnography of learning to teach English at Japanese junior high schools." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/26002.
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The study examined three Japanese junior high-school English teachers’ initial years of full-time employment. It investigated the type of pedagogical puzzles these teachers experienced, how their practice developed over 18 months, and my role as a Teacher of Teachers (TOT). Drawing on linguistic ethnography, this study took an ethnographic approach to understanding the teachers’ social context and used techniques from discourse analysis to consider how they interpreted their puzzles and constructed their practice. These techniques were also used to analyze my working relationship with the teachers. The purpose of this endeavor was to contribute to the understanding of novice teacher development in an ‘expanding circle’ country. Over the course of the study, I observed the teachers’ classes and interviewed them once or twice a month. Using the coding of interview transcripts and class fieldnotes, I identified Critical Incidents that represented the teachers’ pedagogical puzzles and typical practice, as well as my role as a TOT. Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory(CHAT), I analyzed how elements of the social context brought about the teachers’ pedagogical puzzles and affected their capacity to address them. Coding of the interviews and a microanalysis of the interactions showed my role as a TOT. Overall, the CIs gave an emic portrait of each teacher’s experience and my efforts to support them. The pedagogical puzzles the teachers faced were a result of their personal histories and school conditions. These puzzles did not change, which indicates that teachers will face complex issues that cannot be resolved. Understanding them, however, can promote teacher development. Applying CHAT, I could identify the conditions that helped determine the types of pedagogy in which teachers engaged. I tried to fulfill my role as a TOT by conducting a form of reflective practice (RP). An examination of the RP I conducted with the teachers challenged the notion that it involves the sequential steps of identifying issues, attempting to resolve them, and reflecting on one’s efforts. This dissertation concludes with a discussion about the contributions it has made toward the field of English teacher development: using CHAT to understand the English teaching experiences, the development of an understanding of RP as it can be carried out in the field, an understanding of novice teachers in expanding circle countries, and the value of linguistic ethnography for researching novice teachers.
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Wu, Kam-yin. "Teacher beliefs and grammar teaching practices case studies of four ESL teachers /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B37341893.
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Ou, Chun-Ming. "The Dynamics Among Non-English Speaking Online Learners' Language Proficiency, Coping Mechanisms,and Cultural Intelligence: Implications for Effective Practice for Online Cross-cultural Collaboration." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1338383346.
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Mohd, Nawi Abdullah. "Applied Drama in English Language Learning." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9584.
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This thesis is a reflective exploration of the use and impact of using drama pedagogies in the English as a Second Language (ESL)/ English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. It stems from the problem of secondary school English language learning in Malaysia, where current teaching practices appear to have led to the decline of the standard of English as a second language in school leavers and university graduates (Abdul Rahman, 1997; Carol Ong Teck Lan, Anne Leong Chooi Khaun, & Singh, 2011; Hazita et al., 2010; Nalliah & Thiyagarajah, 1999). This problem resonates with my own experiences at school, as a secondary school student, an ESL teacher and, later, as a teacher trainer. Consequently, these experiences led me to explore alternative or supplementary teaching methodologies that could enhance the ESL learning experience, drawing initially from drama techniques such as those advocated by Maley and Duff (1983), Wessels (1987), and Di Pietro (1983), and later from process drama pedagogies such as those advocated by Greenwood (2005); Heathcote and Bolton (1995); Kao and O'Neill (1998), and Miller and Saxton (2004). This thesis is an account of my own exploration in adapting drama pedagogies to ESL/EFL teaching. It examines ways in which drama pedagogies might increase motivation and competency in English language learning.
The main methodology of the study is that of reflective practice (e.g. Griffiths & Tann, 1992; Zeichner & Liston, 1996). It tracks a learning journey, where I critically reflect on my learning, exploring and implementing such pedagogical approaches as well as evaluate their impact on my students’ learning. These critical reflections arise from three case studies, based on three different contexts: the first a New Zealand English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class in an intermediate school, the second a Malaysian ESL class in a rural secondary school, and the third an English proficiency class of adult learners in a language school. Data for the study were obtained through the following: research journal and reflective memo; observation and field notes; interview; social media; students’ class work; discussion with co-researchers; and through the literature of the field.
A major teaching methodology that emerges from the reflective cycles is that of staging the textbook, where the textbook section to be used for the teaching programme is distilled, and the key focuses of the language, skills, vocabulary, and themes to be learnt are identified and extracted. A layer of drama is matched with these distilled elements and then ‘staged’ on top of the textbook unit, incorporating context-setting opportunities, potential for a story, potential for tension or complication, and the target language elements.
The findings that emerge through critical reflection in the study relate to the drama methodologies that I learn and acquire, the impact of these methodologies on students, the role of culture in the application of drama methodologies, and language learning and acquisition. These findings have a number of implications. Firstly, they show how an English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioner might use drama methodologies and what their impact is on student learning. While the focus is primarily on the Malaysian context, aspects of the findings may resonate internationally. Secondly, they suggest a model of reflective practice that can be used by other ELT practitioners who are interested in using drama methodologies in their teaching. Thirdly, these findings also point towards the development of a more comprehensive syllabus for using drama pedagogies, as well as the development of reflective practice, in the teacher training programmes in Malaysia.
The use of drama pedagogies for language learning is a field that has not been researched in a Malaysian context. Therefore, this account of reflective practice offers a platform for further research and reflection in this context.
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Alsalahi, Saud Mossa A. "Saudi English-language teachers' perceptions and reported practices of teacher leadership." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/27785.
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This interpretive study explored how Saudi Arabian nationals employed as English-language teachers within intermediate and secondary Saudi schools understand the concept of teacher leadership, and how they perceive themselves as teacher leaders. The study also explored teachers’ views of current factors that empower or disempower them in being teacher leaders, as well as the roles and support they desire. The research used an exploratory design methodology encompassing three qualitative research methods: focus groups, one-to-one semi-structured interviews and reflective essays. The participants included nine Saudi English-language teachers from intermediate and secondary public schools. Participants were able to define teacher leadership in relation to: practices inside the classroom, practices outside the classroom and teacher knowledge and professionalism. The participants also perceived themselves as teacher leaders with potential professional capital that would allow them to engage and participate professionally in their school community of practice. The data revealed that teacher leadership is not the general practice in Saudi public schools; however, participants reported practices of teacher leadership that they desired and aspired to. The study also reported the many barriers to teacher leadership that currently exist, such as lack of teacher leadership roles, lack of support from the heavily centralised educational hierarchy, insufficient and inadequate pre-service and in-service training, and lack of voice in decision-making processes. Despite these barriers, the participants were eager to act in teacher leadership roles because they believe these roles carry benefits for themselves, their colleagues, headteachers, curricula and students. Based on the data obtained in the research, the study proposed a model for “professional teacher leadership” that supports teacher leaders as professionals who have professional capital to work with professional agency and autonomy in a positive atmosphere of communities of practice. This model could have benefits if applied in the context of Saudi Arabia and would be transferrable to similar contexts globally. The study concluded with some theoretical and practical recommendations for the Ministry of Education and for teachers in regards to teacher leadership within Saudi Arabia. Through teacher perception and reported experiences, TESOL teachers can challenge policy and provide a basis for developing new ways emerging from them in the context, as in-depth perspectives can give a voice to participants. Based on the literature reviewed and the design of the current research with its underpinning theoretical and conceptual frameworks, additional pathways are suggested for future research.
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Wu, Kam-yin, and 胡錦賢. "Teacher beliefs and grammar teaching practices: case studies of four ESL teachers." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B37341893.
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Cheng, Man-mei Eunice. "Teacher beliefs and instructional decisions and practices in English grammer teaching : a study of experienced and novice teachers /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B21183843.
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Drinnon, Rebecca Lee. "Teacher Beliefs and the Instructional Practices of National Board Certified High School English Teachers." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2008. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1999.
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This mixed-methods study explored the instructional methods that accomplished high school English teachers use in their classrooms to improve understanding of how those methods are influenced by the teachers' beliefs. A survey regarding classroom practices and beliefs was sent to 313 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in English Language Arts--Adolescence and Young Adulthood across the United States with a response rate of 50.8%. From these data, I analyzed the variety and frequency of practices experienced teachers use and the beliefs that influence teachers' instructional decisions. I then conducted follow-up interviews and classroom observations with selected survey participants from North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio and explored further the beliefs and motivations of those teachers who were both typical and outlying according to their survey responses.
The study found that factors such as school setting, educational level, and gender had little impact on teachers' instructional strategies, although a relationship was found between gender and approach to teaching literature. The study also found that reading instruction dominated the classroom instruction of those teachers, with writing instruction a distant second. In addition, those NBCTs were found to be teachers who developed positive relationships with students, created student-centered classrooms, challenged students academically, and were dedicated to being lifelong learners. In the end, 3 distinct teacher types were identified: teachers who focus on English as a discipline, teachers who focus on more generalized educational goals, and teachers who focus on their students' emotional well-being. However, the study suggests that all the teachers who participated in the study formed a fairly homogenous group regardless of their differences and that teachers' own educational experiences in school played a more significant role in determining their classroom behaviors than did their educational beliefs.
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Ong, Ondo Charles Ochieng. "Pedagogical practice and support of English language student teachers during the practicum in Kenya." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2009. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/2156/.
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This study is an analysis of pedagogical practice and support of English language student teachers during a practicum (teaching practice) in Kenya with a view to discerning what they learnt and the issues that influenced such learning. The study was conducted against a background of calls for research that could provide information for reform of teacher education in general and English language teacher education (ELTE) in particular. The practicum is recognised as an important aspect of all professional learning and is part of most teacher education programmes all over the world. Yet, my literature review revealed that very little research exists in this area, more so in ELTE. Of the previous studies on teaching practice (TP), very few are from developing countries and certainly none (that I know of) in Kenya. This was an interpretive qualitative case study involving seventeen participants - six student teachers, six teacher educators and five cooperating teachers. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews, observations and analysis of relevant documents. The findings generally show that the English language student teachers' practice was mainly focused on surviving the practicum and getting the desired grades to enable them graduate successfully. Consequently, though they learnt some procedural pedagogical knowledge, they were not supported to develop pedagogical reasoning, which is supposed to be the main goal of TP. Some of the issues that influenced teacher learning in this manner were: a weak link between coursework at university and practice in schools, the lack of a clear definition of the parameters of practice and inappropriate conceptualisation of support. My study contributes to the field of ELTE by qualitatively analysing the experiences of all the key participants during one TP session and exploring the question of what the student teachers actually learn during their placements, in a more holistic manner than has featured in most previous research on TP in the field. My study also supports some earlier studies that had similar findings on some aspects of TP; for example, that student teacher learning is only effective during the practicum if there is coordination between all the partners on ELTE. I believe the findings of my study are relevant to TP in other subjects in Kenya, and also other Anglophone African countries where the system of the practicum is generally quite similar.
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Cheng, Hsing-Fu. "Motivational teaching practice of Taiwanese English teachers." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.431328.
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