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Individual and Social-Contextual Factors Affecting the Learning and Use of ESL: A Case Study of a Visiting Korean Physician
No full textThis case study examined factors that affected a Korean physician's learning and use of ESL in an English-speaking country, using data from interviews, observations, notebook memos and e-mails. The findings indicated that individual factors- personality (perfectionism and extroversion), occupation, beliefs, and motivation-and social-contextual factors-lack of contact with native speakers and insecurity about speaking English in the presence of other Koreans-influenced the participant's learning and use of ESL. The findings also revealed that the participant's motivation and extroversion played a role in overcoming the social-contextual obstacles limiting learning opportunities, which illustrates interactions between individual and social-contextual factors
Book Reviews
No full textReviews of: 'Dimensions of Literacy: A Conceptual Base for Teaching Reading and Writing in School Settngs,' (2nd ed.) by Stephen B. Kucer; 'Language Learning: A Lifelong Process,' by Joseph Foley and Linda Thompson; 'Second Language Writing Research: Perspectives on the Process of Knowledge Construction,' edited by Paul Kei Matsuda and Tony Silva
Reflective Practice in Action: A Case Study of a Writing Teacher’s Reflections on Practice
No full textReflective practice, a popular item in current second-language teacher education and development programs, can help bridge the gap between a teacher’s beliefs and classroom practices. This article outlines a case study, highlighting how one teacher of academic writing initiated the exploration of her teaching and how she used classroom observations and oral recall to help her reflect on her practice. Specifically, the exploration sought to outline the teacher’s beliefs about, and classroom practices in, teaching academic writing. It is suggested that oral recall and classroom observations may be effective methods for helping language teachers discover the relationship between their beliefs and classroom practices
I Meant to Say That: How Adult Language Learners Construct Positive Identities Through Nonstandard Language Use
No full textThe aim of this article is to raise awareness in L2 education about the relationship between second-language learners' linguistic choices in the L2 and their identities. The author reviews empirical research and language-learning narratives that show that L2 learners may purposely use nonstandard L2 forms. Using a poststructuralist framework to conceptualize identity, the author argues that these second-language learners use nonstandard language in the L2 in order to create positive identities, and in some cases to resist social inequalities, in the L2 community. The implications of this research for second-language teachers are discussed and suggestions for classroom practice are offered
Professionalism and High-Stakes Tests: Teachers’ Perspectives When Dealing With Educational Change Introduced Through Provincial Exams
No full textThe effect of high-stakes tests on classroom activity (commonly called washback) is an issue that is receiving heightened attention in the literature. It is yet one more element that teachers need to deal with in their professional contexts. This article focuses on the perspectives of ESL secondary teachers as they experience curriculum innovations introduced into the educational system via provincial exams. Survey results from 153 teachers are reported. The survey is part of a larger washback study that also triangulated classroom observation and teachers’ and students’ perception data in a longitudinal study. The survey results suggest that teachers would like to do their part in moving the system into a position where curriculum, their teaching and assessment, and the system’s high-stakes exam correspond. They achieve this, however, according to their beliefs and professional stances, which may not present a unified performance across teachers
A Word from the Editor
No full textoai:teslcanadajournal.ca:article/24Editorial Policy, Table of Contents and a word from the Editor
Why Didn't They Show Up? Rethinking ESL Parent Involvement in K-12 Education
No full textWhen I visited Canadian elementary and secondary schools over the past 10 years, many teachers told me that it was difficult to get English-as-a-second language (ESL) parents involved in K-12 education. I was often asked by teachers, "Why don't they show up at school?" The absence of ESL parents from school is often misinterpreted as parents' lack of concern about their children's education. However, many ESL parents indicated that they cared passionately. Instead of assuming that ESL parents do not care, educators need to understand the barriers that hinder some parents from participating in their children's education. This article explores the barriers affecting ESL parent-teacher communication based on relevant literature and the author's reflections. It goes on to identify parents' and teachers' varying perspectives on ESL learning, followed by indication of successful strategies to improve ESL parents' participation. The article concludes that schools and teachers must take the initiative itthe resource of ESL parent participation is to be fully utilized
Feedback on Writing:Changing EFL Students' Attitudes
No full textExtensive research has been conducted about feedback on writing in both L1 and L2 classrooms. Although much of the research suggests that correcting grammar does not help students make long-term improvements, many teachers continue to believe that they must correct all errors. In addition, students report that they want teachers to mark errors. This article reports on the attitude of students of English as a foreign language when presented with feedback that that gives motivating, positive comments coupled with suggestions for improvement. Many students learned to accept this feedback, but many wanted the addition of correction of every grammatical error
Teachers as Learners in the ESL Classroom: It's old news, but it's news to me
No full textIn this article, an ESL instructor reflects on her preconceptions of power and control in the classroom. In the community-based program described, learners determined not only when and where classes would take place, but also the aims, curriculum, and content of the program. The challenges of this setting required the instructor to redefine her role in the classroom. After pursuing a more thorough review of the literture, the author hegan to realize that she had come upon a model that is not new and is part of a well-established tradition of participatory learning