scholarly journals EAP Curriculum Alignment and Social Acculturation: Student Perceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gregory Tweedie ◽  
Marcia Kim
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Curriculum Alignment ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
University Life ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
Langue Seconde

The role of English as a second language (ESL) teachers and instruction as fac- tors in student social and psychological acculturation is widely acknowledged. However, the function of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is less well known in this regard, because research has focused largely on academic acculturation. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of curriculum alignment with undergraduate study by post-EAP learners (students who had successfully completed EAP and were registered in mainstream university programs). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 7 former EAP students from a range of faculties at a large Canadian university. Analysis of interview data highlighted social acculturation as a perceived need in EAP curriculum, as participants remarked on linguistic and cultural barriers faced while participating in university life post-EAP. The researchers argue that social acculturation is typically underrepresented in EAP curriculum, and may be inadvertently overlooked by instructors, curriculum planners, and program providers. Il est largement reconnu que les enseignants d’anglais langue seconde et l’enseignement linguistique représentent des facteurs importants dans l’acculturation sociale et psychologique des étudiants. Toutefois, on connait moins bien le rôle de l’anglais académique (EAP) dans ce contexte, la recherche ayant surtout visé l’acculturation académique. Ce e étude qualitative a interrogé des nissants d’un programme d’anglais académique qui suivaient des cours réguliers à l’université pour connaitre leurs perceptions de l’harmonisation du programme EAP avec les cours réguliers du premier cycle à l’université. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont eu lieu auprès de 7 nissants du programme EAP actuellement inscrits dans di érentes facultés d’une grande université canadienne. L’analyse des données d’entrevue a indiqué que les nissants trouvaient que le programme EAP devait toucher l’acculturation sociale car ils a rontaient des barrières linguistiques et culturelles lors de leur participation à la vie universitaire après avoir terminé le programme. Les chercheurs affirment que l’acculturation sociale est généralement sous-représentée dans le curriculum EAP et que ce e composante peut, par mégarde, être négligée par les enseignants et par les planificateurs et fournisseurs du programme. 

scholarly journals Does the Quality of Source Notes Matter? An Exploratory Study of Source-based Academic Writing

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Neumann ◽  
Sarah Leu ◽  
Kim McDonough ◽  
Leslie Gil ◽  
Bonnie Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Source Information ◽  
Source Language ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Langue Seconde ◽  
The Relationship

Integrated writing tasks have increased in popularity in second language writing classrooms. Extensive research on these tasks has examined the challenges that students face when completing such tasks. One significant challenge is the transformation of source language use when students integrate source information into their own essays. However, little is known about the relationship between students’ source notes and the quality of the essays that they produce. This exploratory study examined this issue by investigating the relationship between characteristics of English for academic purposes (EAP) students’ notes (N = 24) and their essay scores. The students’ notes were coded in terms of how they appropriated information from the source texts using four categories: copied, copied with changes, copied with gaps, and paraphrased. A multiple linear regression revealed that essay scores were predicted by the degree to which the students transformed source language and avoided copying. The implications of these findings for second language (L2) writing pedagogy and assessment are discussed. Les tâches de rédaction intégrée deviennent de plus en plus populaires dans les classes de rédaction en seconde langue. Ces tâches ont fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches qui ont étudié les défis auxquels font face les étudiants lorsqu’ils les exécutent. Un défi de taille est la transformation de l’utilisation de la langue source lorsque les étudiants intègrent l’information tirée des sources dans leurs rédactions. Cependant, on ne sait pas grand chose sur la relation entre les notes des étudiants provenant des sources et la qualité des rédactions qu’ils produisent. Cette étude exploratoire s’est intéressée à ce problème étudiant la relation entre les caractéris- tiques des notes des étudiants dans les cours d’anglais académique (N = 24) et les notes obtenues pour leurs rédactions. Les notes des étudiants ont été classées en quatre catégories selon la façon dont ils s’appropriaient l’information des textes sources : copiées, copiées avec des changements, copiées avec des lacunes et para- phrasées. Une régression multiple linéaire a révélé que les notes obtenues pour les rédactions étaient prédites par le degré auquel les étudiants avaient transformé la langue source et avaient évité de copier. On discute des implications de ces résultats pour la pédagogie et l’évaluation de la rédaction en langue seconde (L 2).

Liminal spaces, resources and networks: Facebook as a shaping force for students’ transitions into higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-65
Author(s):  
Sally Baker ◽  
Eve Stirling
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
First Year ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Liminal Spaces ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
University Life ◽  
Technological Developments

As technological developments accelerate, and neoliberal ideologies shift the ways that universities ‘do business’, higher education is facing radical changes. Within this context, students’ need to ‘succeed’ at university is more important than ever. Consequently, understanding students’ transitions within this shifting higher education landscape has become a key focus for universities. It is now pertinent to explore how social-networking sites (SNS) influence students’ experiences as they transition into university. In this article, we offer two ethnographic case studies of how students use one SNS (Facebook) as they travel through their first year of undergraduate study. We suggest that Facebook is used not only for dynamic participation in the social fabric of university life, Facebook is the go-to space to organise their academic and social lives, using it as a hybrid space to negotiate between home and university. As such, Facebook offers student-users a ‘liminal tool’ for negotiating and facilitating resources and networks within the first year at university.

scholarly journals Using Prewriting Tasks in L2 Writing Classes: Insights from Three Experiments

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim McDonough ◽  
Heike Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Task Design ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Langue Seconde ◽  
The Impact

Even though collaborative prewriting tasks are frequently used in second language (L2) writing classes (Fernández Dobao, 2012; Storch, 2005), they have not been as widely researched as other tasks, such as collaborative writing and peer review. This article examines the effectiveness of collaborative prewriting tasks at encouraging English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students to engage in critical reflection while brainstorming the content and organization of written texts. Drawing upon data from three experiments (Neumann & McDonough, 2014a, 2014b), the impact of task design and students’ perceptions about collaboration on their prewriting discussions are explored. Suggestions for instructors with an interest in using collaborative prewriting tasks are provided.Les tâches collaboratives de préparation à la rédaction sont communes dans les cours de rédaction en langue seconde (Fernández Dobao, 2012; Storch, 2005); par contre, elles n’ont pas aussi souvent fait l’objet de recherche que d’autres tâches comme la rédaction collaborative et l’examen par les pairs. Cet article examine dans quelle mesure les tâches collaboratives de préparation à la rédaction encouragent les étudiants en anglais académique à réfléchir de façon critique pendant les séances de remue-méninges sur le contenu et l’organisation de textes écrits. Puisant dans des données découlant de trois expériences (Neumann & McDonough, 2014a, 2014b), nous explorons l’impact qu’ont l’élaboration de la tâche et les perceptions des étudiants quant à la collaboration sur leurs discussions pendant la préparation à la rédaction. En fin d’article, nous présentons des suggestions qui visent les enseignants intéressés à employer des tâches collaboratives de préparation à la rédaction.

Culturally Responsive School Counseling for Hispanic/Latino Students and Families: The Need for Bilingual School Counselors

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X0601000
Author(s):  
Sondra Smith-Adcock ◽  
M. Harry Daniels ◽  
Sang Min Lee ◽  
Jose Arley Villalba ◽  
Natalie Arce Indelicato
Keyword(s):  
School Counselors ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Latino Students ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Bilingual School

Hispanic/Latino students are the largest minority school-age population (Pew Hispanic Center, 2005). In this study, pupil services administrators in Florida identified concerns about Hispanic/Latino children and families and the need for bilingual school counselors for growing numbers of Hispanic/Latino students. Administrators' perceptions of cultural barriers, which isolate students from the school environment, were strongly related to their perceived need for Spanish-speaking school counselors. School programs more often provided for Hispanic/Latino students were those that specifically addressed language barriers rather than counseling services that specifically addressed cultural barriers of Hispanic/Latino students.

scholarly journals Preparing Students for Education, Work, and Community: Activity Theory in Task-Based Curriculum Design

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Campbell ◽  
Seonaigh MacPherson ◽  
Tanis Sawkins
Keyword(s):  
Activity Theory ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Participation Communautaire ◽  
Langue Seconde ◽  
And Task

This case study describes how sociocultural and activity theory were applied in the design of a publicly funded, Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)-based English as a Second Language (ESL) credential program and curriculum for immigrant and international students in postsecondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada. The ESL Pathways Project was conceived to prepare immigrant students to navigate the multiple pathways in the settlement process from postsecondary education to the workplace, community participation, and citizenship. The innovation in curriculum design resulted from the systematic reinterpretation of situated cognition and task-based design using activity theory. Given that both situated and task-based learning share intersecting theoretical lineages with activity theory, this reinterpretation was more a deepening and improvement than a reconceptualization process. The ensuing units were defined by the real-world activities and contexts of target communities of practice, with relevant instructional topics, tasks, genres, skills, and outcomes presented in a systematic manner to support learners to participate, ultimately, in those target communities. This process contrasts with traditional ad hoc forms of task-based curriculum design in ESL and EAP (English for Academic Purposes).Cette étude de cas décrit dans quelle mesure la théorie socioculturelle et la théorie de l’activité ont joué un rôle dans la conception d’un programme d’étude à crédits pour l’anglais langue seconde reposant sur les niveaux de compétence canadiens et visant les immigrants et les étudiants internationaux dans les institutions postsecondaires en Colombie britannique au Canada. Le projet « ESL Pathways » (Parcours en anglais langue seconde) a été conçu pour aider les étudiants immigrants à naviguer les divers parcours que présente le processus d’établissement, depuis les études postsecondaires à la citoyenneté en passant par le milieu du travail et la participation communautaire. Le programme novateur résulte d’une réinterprétation systématique, par le biais de la théorie de l’activité, de la conception située et centrée sur les tâches. Puisque la cognition située et l’apprentissage basé sur les tâches partagent des éléments de la théorie de l’activité, cette réinterprétation représente plutôt un approfondissement et une amélioration qu’une reconceptualisation. Les unités qui en découlent reposent sur des activités réelles et des communautés de pratiques cibles, et elles présentent des thèmes, des tâches, des genres, des habiletés et des résultats de façon systématique de sorte à favoriser la participation des apprenants à ces communautés. Ce processus se distingue des formes traditionnelles et ad hoc de conception des programmes d’étude en anglais langue seconde et en anglais académique.

scholarly journals In-class Film-viewing for Empathy Development in Higher Education | Visionnement de films en classe aux fins de développement de l’empathie en éducation supérieure

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
Amélie Lemieux
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Formation Initiale ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
Langue Seconde ◽  
Film Viewing

Abstract: In the 2016 winter term, I taught a course on French communication for English as a Second Language pre-service teachers (PST) in the Department of Education of a Canadian university. In this narrative autoethnography, I present the perspectives emerging from a university teaching experience of “teaching through film”, with undergraduate students enrolled in my French communication course. In-class discussions gravitated towards values and morals—notably empathy and caring—in relation to the significance of being or embodying a “good teacher”, following the viewing of Monsieur Lazhar (2011). Drawing on William Ayers’ philosophy of good teaching, among others, I present the implications of these discussions for teacher education and their significance for teacher training programs.Keywords: Film; Empathy; Artwork; Higher Education; Narrative AutoethnographyRésumé : J’ai donné, au cours de la session d’hiver 2016, un cours de communication française à des enseignants de formation initiale en anglais langue seconde, au sein du département d’éducation d’une université canadienne. Je présente donc dans cette auto-ethnographie narrative les diverses perspectives émanant d’une expérience pédagogique universitaire « d’enseignement par le film », auprès d’étudiants du premier cycle inscrits à mon cours de communication française. Les discussions en classe ont tourné autour des valeurs et des questions morales, notamment l’empathie et la sollicitude, relativement à la signification de ce qui fait un « bon enseignant », après avoir vu le film Monsieur Lazhar (2011). M’inspirant entre autre de la philosophie du bon enseignement de William Ayers (2011), j’aborde les implications de ces discussions au regard de la formation des enseignants et leur importance vis-à-vis des programmes de formation des enseignants.Mots-clés : film ; empathie ; œuvres d’art ; formation des enseignants ; auto-ethnographie narrative 

scholarly journals Collective Approaches to ePortfolio Adoption: Barriers and Opportunities in a Large Canadian University

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elan N Paulson ◽  
Nicole Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Program Leaders ◽  
Mise En Œuvre ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
Professional Fields

University programs that prepare graduates for professional fields are adopting ePortfolios to achieve program learning goals and promote lifelong learning. However, various structural and cultural barriers exist to implementing ePortfolios, particularly in large universities. Members of a community of practice (CoP) that participate in collaborative inquiry into the adoption of ePortfolios, using and producing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in their “collective working,” create shared knowledge and pooled resources for assessing adoption challenges and developing strategies to overcome them. In this reflective practice inquiry, two academics who provide leadership and instruction in education and medical science programs in a large Canadian university consider the learning and administrative value of using ePortfolios in blended undergraduate and online graduate programs, as well as the challenges that face their implementation. The inquiry provides a literature review, force field analysis, and reflective dialogue to identify key barriers and opportunities to adopting ePortfolios in programs that provide job-ready and job-embedded learners. Inquiry findings propose that CoPs and SoTL are mutually beneficial for how they foster opportunities for program leaders to build experience and evidence-based cases for the institutional and program-based support ePortfolio implementation and assessment. Les programmes qui préparent les étudiants à une carrière professionnelle adoptent les ePortfolios pour atteindre les objectifs d’apprentissage de ces programmes et encourager l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie. Toutefois, il existe divers obstacles structurels et culturels à l’emploi des ePortfolios, en particulier dans les grandes universités. Les membres d’une communauté de pratique (CoP) qui participent à une enquête en collaboration sur l’adoption des ePortfolios ont créé un partage des connaissances et ont rassemblé leurs ressources pour évaluer les défis présentés par l’adoption des ePortfolios et développer des stratégies pour les surmonter, faisant usage de l’Avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA) dans leur travail en collaboration. Dans cette enquête réflexive sur la pratique, deux professeurs qui offrent du leadership et qui enseignent dans des programmes d’éducation et de sciences médicales dans une grande université canadienne examinent l’apprentissage et la valeur administrative présentés par les ePortfolios dans des programmes hybrides en ligne de premier cycle et de cycles supérieurs, ainsi que les défis qui surviennent lors de leur mise en oeuvre. L’enquête fournit un examen des publications, une analyse des forces et un dialogue de réflexion afin d’identifier les obstacles principaux ainsi que les opportunités présentés par l’adoption des ePortfolios dans des programmes qui produisent des étudiants prêts à l’emploi et incorporés à l’emploi. Les résultats de l’enquête suggèrent que les CoP et l’ACEA sont mutuellement bénéfiques dans la manière dont ces groupes favorisent les opportunités pour les dirigeants des programmes et les aident à mettre sur pied des expériences et des cas fondés sur des faits pour favoriser le soutien institutionnel des programmes et pour la mise en oeuvre et l’évaluation des ePortfolios.

‘Maybe complicated is a better word’: Second-language English graduate student responses to syntactic complexity in a genre-based academic writing course

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (Spring) ◽  
pp. 95-114
Author(s):  
J. Elliott Casal ◽  
Xiaofei Lu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Research Writing ◽  
Targeted Instruction ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Learner Perception ◽  
Potential Benefits

This practice-oriented exploratory study reports student perceptions and potential benefits of introducing syntactic complexity-focused activities in an advanced English for Academic Purposes writing course. Syntactic complexity, seen by many as a multidimensional construct and generally defined as the range and sophistication of structures used, is here operationalized through four approaches. The pedagogical site was a six-week mixed-discipline writing course with an emphasis on second-language English research writing. Attention to syntactic complexity was integrated into a previously established corpus- and genre-analysis based pedagogy, and data is comprised of a learner-perception survey and interview and instructor observational journals. Emphasis was placed on reflection on complexity in academic writing, rather than the production of complex structures. The findings suggest benefits for targeted instruction of syntactic complexity in all four categories, with particular benefits to student writer confidence and intentionality resulting from increased awareness of the affordances and appropriateness of complexity overall.

A Blended Learning Approach to Academic Writing and Presentation Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satu Tuomainen
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Common Learning ◽  
Learning Options ◽  
Blended Course

AbstractBlended learning is a common learning mode in higher education which combines the use of online and face-to-face classroom learning. The use of blended learning for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) with non-native university students, however, can pose challenges from the methods and materials to the student perceptions. This article describes the blended learning implementation of an EAP course for academic writing and presentation skills and how the students perceived the blended course mode, methods, workload, learning atmosphere and challenges. Results indicate that non-native university students appreciated blended learning for the EAP course and found the flexibility and convenience of blended learning beneficial to their EAP learning. This encourages the further development of blended learning options for EAP writing and presentation skills as students no longer require the extensive classroom teaching context but instead adapt well to self-regulated and reflective learning of EAP.

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