TESL Canada Journal
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A Comparative Genre Study of Spoken English Produced by Chinese EFL Learners and Native English Speakers
No full textPrevious research within the field of argumentation has established that argumen- tation plays an important role in a variety of professions. Written argumentation has been extensively explored and investigated to examine its various aspects, in- cluding argument structures and schemes, argumentative strength, the role of au- dience, the evaluation of argument, argumentative persuasiveness and force, and so on. It appears, however, that few studies have been carried out to address the issues of spoken argumentation. To fill the gap, this article attempts to compare elements of the spoken argumentative genre produced by Chinese EFL learners to those in their native English-speaking counterparts. Findings from the study show that the former group generally produced an exposition genre focusing on one side of the argument, whereas the latter group noted two or more sides of the argument in order to balance the issue. In addition, Chinese EFL learners tended to use a formulaic argument structure, whereas native English speakers used a more discursive pattern. Pedagogical implications and potential directions for future studies on spoken English argumentation are suggested in the conclusion.Des recherches antérieures dans le domaine de l’argumentation ont établi que cette capacité joue un rôle important dans diverses professions. L’argumentation par écrit a été intensément explorée et ses divers aspects bien étudiés, y compris la structure et les schémas, la force des arguments, le rôle du public, l’évaluation du raisonnement, le pouvoir de persuasion, et ainsi de suite. Toutefois, il semble que peu de recherches ont porté sur l’argumentation orale. Afin de combler cette lacune, cet article a comme objectif de comparer des éléments de l’argumentation orale d’apprenants chinois d’ALE à ceux de leurs homologues anglophones. Les résultats de l’étude indiquent que les premiers produisaient, de façon générale, un exposé traitant d’un côté de l’argument alors que les deuxièmes en évoquaient deux aspects ou plus de sorte à équilibrer la question. De plus, les apprenants chinois tendaient à employer une structure argumentative basée sur des formules tandis que les anglophones avaient recours à une structure plus discursive. La conclusion de l’article offre des incidences pédagogiques et des orientations pos- sibles pour la recherche portant sur l’argumentation orale en anglais
Ethical Considerations in Conducting Research with Non-native Speakers of English
No full textThe ethical considerations of three education researchers working with nonnative English-speaking participants were examined from a critical theory standpoint in the light of the literature on research ethics in various disciplines. Qualitative inquiry and data analysis were used to identify key themes, which centered around honor and respect for participants’ voices and the researchers’ perceived limitations of university research ethics boards (REBs) to address adequately their concerns when working with non-native English speakers
Effects of Pre-Reading Strategies on EFL/ESL Reading Comprehension
No full textThis study focuses on two pre-reading strategies: vocabulary pre-teaching and comprehension question presentation. Researchers have claimed that a vocabulary strategy is less effective than any other pre-reading strategy. This study investigates whether their claim is true of Japanese university students. The purpose of the study is twofold. The first goal is to examine the effects of the two pre-reading strategies; the second is to discuss the relationships between students’ English proficiency and their reading comprehension. The participants in the present study were asked to perform a pre-reading strategy, read a passage, and then answer comprehension questions. They read four passages altogether. Three weeks after they read the fourth passage, they were asked to answer a questionnaire. This study indicates that vocabulary pre-teaching is less effective for Japanese students, although students with higher English proficiency outperformed lowerlevel students regardless of which pre-reading strategy they used
Teacher Preparedness for a Changing Demographic of Language Learners
No full textEnglish-language learners (ELLs) are becoming common in classrooms with Ontario’s escalating immigration trends. Elementary school teachers are increasingly becoming responsible for meeting the needs of linguistically diverse children. This qualitative study explores current teacher preparation practices through preservice teachers’ (PT) perspectives and explores how prepared primary-junior PTs are to teach ELLs in southwestern Ontario. Through a structured interview, six certified graduates shared descriptive experiences, knowledge, and beliefs. Findings indicate that although moving toward greater ELL awareness and inclusive mindsets, there is evidence that well-intentioned teachers lack the competence necessary for effective classroom practice
Ethical Dimensions of Shared Ethnicity, Language, and Immigration Experience
No full textIn this article I illustrate how some commonalities that I share with my participants―ethnic background, native language, and immigration experience―create unexpected ethical concerns. I explore how these commonalities facilitate the establishment of rapid intimacy, at the same time creating the temptations of overidentification and blurring the boundaries between researcher and participants. Drawing on three episodes from my ethnographic field work, I demonstrate how the mundane and taken-for-granted encounters with informants (used synonymously with participants) reveal the seeds of ethical dilemmas when put under the powerful and critical lens of reflexivity. Instead of viewing ethics as adherence to a set of codes, I explore reflexivity as ethical practice. Researchers continually make on-the-fly decisions in the field and take corresponding actions without the luxury of careful forethought. I argue that such decisions need to be unpacked after the event to examine if they carry ethical implications with them
A Participatory Photonovel as a Linguistic Tool for Educating ESL-Speaking Immigrant Women About Health Information
No full textIssues such as the linguistic and informational barriers to health care must be addressed if immigrant women are to achieve optimum health status for themselves and their families. This study used a participatory photonovel as a tool to educate ESL-speaking immigrant women about health information. This research illustrates five ESL-speaking immigrant women’s responses to the use of a participatory photonovel as a health literacy tool. The findings reveal the women’s perspectives on the use of culturally relevant visuals and simplified English in the photonovel as being conducive to their understanding of health information
Pronunciation Pegs
No full textAn ESL instructor describes her experience of using pronunciation pegs, a method to foster the self-monitoring and self-correction of pronunciation mistakes with a view to helping university-level students deal with the ongoing challenge of producing target-like pronunciation. The appeal of pegs to students led the instructor to reflect on what makes adopting target pronunciation problematic, how pegs can be adapted to various learning styles, and how cultural differences can have an effect on the appreciation of pegs. Finally, the instructor sought a theoretical explanation for how pegs worked and found this in anchoring and covert rehearsal
An Introspective Study of Arabic and Mandarin-Speakers’ Reading Comprehension Strategies
No full textLittle L2 reading strategy research has explored the effect of linguistic and cross-cultural differences on strategic reading habits. This study attempted to fill this void by examining the reading strategies that Arabic and Mandarin speaking immigrants employed when reading and answering Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment reading comprehension items. A chi-square analysis of their bottom-up and top-down strategy use revealed that the Mandarin-speakers used bottom-up strategies significantly more than expected, whereas the Arabicspeakers used top-down strategies more than expected. The findings of the study are discussed in the light of earlier research, and some preliminary implications for reading strategy instruction, strategy training studies, and test development practices are suggested
On the Relationship of Multiple Intelligences With Listening Proficiency and Attitudes Among Iranian TEFL University Students
No full textGardner’s (1983) Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) has been found to have profound implications in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in that it provides a way for teachers to recognize learners’ individual cognitive and affective differences by providing favorable motivational conditions for learning. However, little investigation has focused on the domains of cognition and affect in a single study. Therefore, this study investigates two facets: the relationship of Multiple Intelligences (MIs) with listening among Iranian TEFL university students and the possible relationship between the type of intelligence the students fall into and their attitudes toward learning English. In this study,
McKenzie’s (1999) MI Inventory was used to identify 60 participants’ preferred intelligences. The participants comprised an intact group randomly assigned to the experiment. A Likert-type questionnaire was employed to elicit data about participants’ levels of personality traits that accounted for their attitudes to language-learning. Also, the participants’ listening comprehension proficiency was measured using the listening section of a retired TOEFL test. Data analysis using Pearson correlation revealed no significant relationship between the score of listening and any of the MIs. Similarly, the results indicated no significant difference between MIs and attitudes