The experiences of South Asian university students in the British education system and in their search for work

This research aimed to provide a comparative analysis of South Asian and White British students in their academic attainment at school and university and in their search for employment. Data were gathered by using a variety of methodological techniques. Completed postal questionnaires were received from 301 South Asian and White British undergraduates from 12 British universities, who were in their final year of study in 1985. In depth interviews were also conducted with 49 graduates who were a self selected group from the original sample. Additional information was also collected by using diary report forms and by administering a second postal questionnaire to selected South Asian and White British participants. It was found that while the pre-university qualifications of the White British and South Asian undergraduates did not differ considerably, many members in the latter group had travelled a more arduous path to academic success. For some South Asians, school experiences included the confrontation of racist attitudes and behaviour, both from teachers and peers. The South Asian respondents in this study were more likely than their White British counterparts, to have attempted some C.S.E. examinations, obtained some of their `O' levels in the Sixth Form and retaken their `A' levels. As a result the South Asians were on average older than their White British peers when entering university. A small sample of South Asians also found that the effects of racism were perpetuated in higher education where they faced difficulty both academically and socially. Overall, however, since going to university most South Asians felt further drawn towards their `cultural background', this often being their own unique view of `Asianess'. Regarding their plans after graduation, it was found that South Asians were more likely to opt for further study, believing that they needed to be better qualified than their White British counterparts. For those South Asians who were searching for work, it was noted that they were better qualified, willing to accept a lower minimum salary, had made more job applications and had started searching for work earlier than the comparable White British participants. Also, although generally they were not having difficulty in obtaining interviews, South Asian applicants were less likely to receive an offer of employment. In the final analysis examining their future plans, it was found that a large proportion of South Asian graduates were aspiring towards self employment.

The operation of repair in L2 learner conversation, group work and classroom discourse

The present study is an empirical investigation into repair in spoken discourse, specifically focusing on L2 learner conversation, group work and teacher-fronted classroom interaction. The core of the investigation concentrates on identification of the problem type, classification of repair strategies and examination of interaction in the repair process. A comparison between Conversation (CS), Group Work (GW), and Teacher-fronted classroom interaction (CR) suggests that more repair is undertaken in CS. The results of the study suggest that the fundamental differences between CS, GW and CR are of two types: in the frequency of repair and in the nature of the repair itself. It has been found that other-initiation for production problem repair occurs mainly in CR, other-completion is characteristic of GW and self-repair is most frequent in CS. Factors affecting the occurrence of repair in CS, GW and CR are related to content and social and communicative features of context. Importantly, the study shows the frequency of repair in GW falls between that of CS and CR in most of repair strategies. This result lends support to the argument that group work can assist L2 learners to develop their communicative competence. It is suggested that the analysis of the repair process in CS, GW and CR can be useful in throwing light on the intricacies of spoken discourse in general and can be exploited by applied linguists for both theoretical and pedagogical purposes.

Teacher logs and interactive decision-making:a case study of contingencies in an EFL organizational culture and the implications for teacher development for part-time teachers

This is a case study of a program of native speaker part-time EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in a junior college in Japan. It has grown out of a curiosity to ascertain how the teachers have formed and continue to maintain a coordinated program in what would seem to be a disadvantageous national context where as part-time foreign teachers they are expected to do little more than just teach a few classes of mainly oral English. This study investigates the organizational culture the teachers have formed for themselves within their staffroom, and looks at the implications of this for part-time teachers in such an environment. More specifically, the study highlights that central to the program is an interactive decision-making function engaged in by all the teachers which has not only created but also continually enables an identifiable staffroom culture. This organizational culture is contingent on college and staffroom conditions, program affordances such as shared class logs and curriculum sharing, and on the interactive decision-making itself. It is postulated that the contingencies formed in this created and continually creating shared world not only offer the teachers a proficient way to work in their severely time-constricted environment, but also provide them with fertile ground for the self-regulation of a thus created zone of covert staffroom ‘on-the-job’ teacher development.

Doctoral work in translation studies as an interdisciplinary mutual learning process:how a translator, teacher educator and linguistic typologist worked together

The focus of this paper is on the doctoral research training experienced by one of the authors and the ways in which the diverse linguistic and disciplinary perspectives of her two supervisors (co-authors of this paper) mediated the completion of her study. The doctoral candidate is a professional translator/interpreter and translation teacher. The paper describes why and how she identified her research area and then focused on the major research questions in collaboration with her two supervisors, who brought their differing perspectives from the field of linguistics to this translation research, even though they are not translators by profession or disciplinary background and do not speak Korean. In addition, the discussion considers the focus, purpose and theoretical orientation of the research itself (which addressed questions of readability in translated English-Korean texts through detailed analysis of a corpus and implications for professional translator training) as well as the supervisory and conceptual processes and practices involved. The authors contend that doctoral research of this kind can be seen as a mutual learning process and that inter-disciplinary research can make a contribution not only to the development of rigorous research in the field of translation studies but also to the other disciplinary fields involved.

Teacher use of personal narratives in the Japanese university english language classroom

While storytelling in conversation has been extensively investigated, much less is known about storytelling in the English language classroom, particularly teachers telling their personal experience stories, termed teacher personal narratives in this study. Teacher personal narratives, a combination of the ancient art of human storytelling and the current practices of teaching, offer an innovative approach to language teaching and learning. This thesis examines teacher personal narrative use in Japanese university English language classrooms and is of relevance to both practicing classroom teachers and teacher educators because it explores the role, significance, and effectiveness of personal stories told by teachers. The pedagogical implications which the findings may have for language teaching and learning as well as for teacher education programs are also discussed. Four research questions were posed: 1. What are the characteristics of teacher personal narratives? 2. When, how, and why do language teachers use personal narratives in the classroom? 3. What is the reaction of learners to teacher personal narratives? 4. How do teacher personal narratives provide opportunities for student learning? A mixed methods approach using the tradition of multiple case studies provided an in-depth exploration of the personal narratives of four teachers. Data collection consisted of classroom observations and audio recordings, teacher and student semi-structured interviews, student diaries, and Japan-wide teacher questionnaires. Ninety-seven teacher personal narratives were analyzed for their structural and linguistic features. The findings showed that the narrative elements of orientation, complication, and evaluation are almost always present in these stories, and that discourse and tense markers may aid in student noticing of the input which can lead to eventual student output. The data also demonstrated that reasons for telling narratives mainly fall into two categories: affectiveoriented and pedagogical-oriented purposes. This study has shown that there are significant differences between conversational storytelling and educational storytelling.

Miami-Dade Health Department to Move to Florida International University , Model Clinic to Work with Medical, Public Health and Nursing Faculty

Press Release from Florida International University 's Office of Media Relations on the Miami-Dade Health Department's agreement with Florida International University to relocate its department to Florida International University 's University Park campus.

The relationship between the teacher's experience, the teacher's college major, and the teacher's level of education in predicting classroom attitudes in high school science students

A review of the literature reveals few research has attempted to demonstrate if a relationship exists between the type of teacher training a science teacher has received and the perceived attitudes of his/her students. Considering that a great deal of time and energy has been devoted by university colleges, school districts, and educators towards refining the teacher education process, it would be more efficient for all parties involved, if research were available that could discern if certain pathways in achieving that education, would promote the tendency towards certain teacher behaviors occurring in the classroom, while other pathways would lead towards different behaviors. Some of the teacher preparation factors examined in this study include the college major chosen by the science teacher, the highest degree earned, the number of years of teaching experience, the type of science course taught, and the grade level taught by the teacher. This study examined how the various factors mentioned, could influence the behaviors which are characteristic of the teacher, and how these behaviors could be reflective in the classroom environment experienced by the students. The instrument used in the study was the Classroom Environment Scale (CES), Real Form. The measured classroom environment was broken down into three separate dimensions, with three components within each dimension in the CES. Multiple Regression statistical analyses examined how components of the teachers' education influenced the perceived dimensions of the classroom environment from the students. The study occurred in Miami-Dade County Florida, with a predominantly urban high school student population. There were 40 secondary science teachers involved, each with an average of 30 students. The total number of students sampled in the study was 1200. The teachers who participated in the study taught the entire range of secondary science courses offered at this large school district. All teachers were selected by the researcher so that a balance would occur in the sample between teachers who were education major versus science major. Additionally, the researcher selected teachers so that a balance occurred in regards to the different levels of college degrees earned among those involved in the study. Several research questions sought to determine if there was significant difference between the type of the educational background obtained by secondary science teachers and the students' perception of the classroom environment. Other research questions sought to determine if there were significant differences in the students' perceptions of the classroom environment for secondary science teachers who taught biological content, or non-biological content sciences. An additional research question sought to evaluate if the grade level taught would affect the students' perception of the classroom environment. Analysis of the multiple regression were run for each of four scores from the CES, Real Form. For score 1, involvement of students, the results showed that teachers with the highest number of years of experience, with masters or masters plus degrees, who were education majors, and who taught twelfth grade students, had greater amounts of students being attentive and interested in class activities, participating in discussions, and doing additional work on their own, as compared with teachers who had lower experience, a bachelors degree, were science majors, and who taught a grade lower than twelfth. For score 2, task orientation, which emphasized completing the required activities and staying on-task, the results showed that teachers with the highest and intermediate experience, a science major, and with the highest college degree, showed higher scores as compared with the teachers indicating lower experiences, education major and a bachelors degree. For Score 3, competition, which indicated how difficult it was to achieve high grades in the class, the results showed that teachers who taught non-biology content subjects had the greatest effect on the regression. Teachers with a masters degree, low levels of experience, and who taught twelfth grade students were also factored into the regression equation. For Score 4, innovation, which indicated the extent in which the teachers used new and innovative techniques to encourage diverse and creative thinking included teachers with an education major as the first entry into the regression equation. Teachers with the least experience (0 to 3 years), and teachers who taught twelfth and eleventh grade students were also included into the regression equation.

An investigation of the perceptions of foreign ESL teachers in China towards teacher accountability: a comparison between Chinese ESL teachers and foreign ESL teachers in China

This study investigated external and internal accountability of foreign ESL teachers in China through a comparison with Chinese local ESL teachers. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Two research questions were developed from a literature review to examine foreign ESL teachers' perceptions toward external accountability and internal accountability. Questionnaires from forty-five ESL teachers and eighty-one Chinese local ESL teachers were collected through an on-line survey. Data of teachers' perceptions towards four constructs: external accountability (outside expectations), external accountability (school management), internal accountability (professional duty), and internal accountability (feelings about work), were analyzed. The findings showed that foreign teachers perceived that they were held externally accountable with regard to outside expectations, and they were not held externally accountable for school management. In terms of internal accountability, foreign teachers perceived that they held themselves highly accountable in both the construct of professional duty and the construct of feelings about work.

Good practices and inclusive Art at the University: the image of the Artist/Teacher and Innovative Pedagogies

The aim of art, as transformer of the individual, has numerous sides which give the human beings a sense of enhancement and growth. It is considered by university the need for our students to take part of this process of social transformation in which they feel the need of helping the community when its members are at risk of social exclusion. Art is considered to be a means, a tool and a purpose for an artis-pedagogue to be used as a guide for the renewal. And the university is also considered as a focus of commitment by means of the development of good practices as well as adopting an open and innovative attitude to any changes aimed at living harmoniously within a more just society.

‘Do you want to see my hornpipe?’: the traditional Irish dancing body at play in the work of Jean Butler and Colin Dunne’, in Anthony Shay and Barbara Sellers-Young (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Ethnicity, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, pp.41-65.

This chapter considers the radical reimaginings of traditional Irish step dance in the recent works of Jean Butler and Colin Dunne, in which the Irish step-dancing body is separated from its historical roots in nationalism, from the exhibitionism required by the competitive form, and from the spectacularization of the commercialized theatrical format. In these works the traditional form undergoes a critical interrogation in which the dancers attempt to depart from the determinacy of the traditional technique, while acknowledging its formation of their corporealities; the Irish step-dance technique becomes a springboard for creative experimentation. To consider the importance of the creative potential revealed by these works, this chapter contextualizes them within the dance background from which they emerged, outlining the history of competitive step dancing in Ireland, the “modernization” of traditional Irish dance with the emergence of Riverdance (1994), and the experiments of Ireland’s national folk theater, Siamsa Tíre.

“It’s the People That Drive It”: Motivating and Supporting Collaborative Data Use Practices in Three Teacher Education Programs

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

"You have to reach before you can teach": A study of teacher candidates' journeys of community teaching

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Towards guidelines for curriculum design and development in English language teacher education in Cambodian higher education institutions

In the current Cambodian higher education sector, there is little regulation of standards in curriculum design of undergraduate degrees in English language teacher education. The researcher, in the course of his professional work in the Curriculum and Policy Office at the Department of Higher Education, has seen evidence that most universities tend to copy their curriculum from one source, the curriculum of the Institute of Foreign Languages, the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Their programs fail to impose any entry standards, accepting students who pass the high school exam without any entrance examination. It is possible for a student to enter university with satisfactory scores in all subjects but English. Therefore, not many graduates are able to fulfil the professional requirements of the roles they are supposed to take. Neau (2010) claims that many Cambodian EFL teachers do not reach a high performance standard due to their low English language proficiency and poor background in teacher education. The main purpose of this study is to establish key guidelines for developing curricula for English language teacher education for all the universities across the country. It examines the content of the Bachelor‘s degree of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (B Ed in TEFL) and Bachelor‘s degree of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BA in TESOL) curricula adopted in Cambodian universities on the basis of criteria proposed in current curriculum research. It also investigates the perspectives of Cambodian EFL teachers on the areas of knowledge and skill they need in order to perform their English teaching duties in Cambodia today. The areas of knowledge and skill offered in the current curricula at Cambodian higher education institutions (HEIs), the framework of the knowledge base for EFL teacher education and general higher education, and the areas of knowledge and skill Cambodian EFL teachers perceive to be important, are compared so as to identify any gaps in the current English language teacher education curricula in the Cambodian HEIs. The existence of gaps show what domains of knowledge and skill need to be included in the English language teacher education curricula at Cambodian HEIs. These domains are those identified by previous curriculum researchers in both general and English language teacher education at tertiary level. Therefore, the present study provides useful insights into the importance of including appropriate content in English language teacher education curricula. Mixed methods are employed in this study. The course syllabi and the descriptions within the curricula in five Cambodian HEIs are analysed qualitatively based on the framework of knowledge and skills for EFL teachers, which is formed by looking at the knowledge base for second language teachers suggested by the methodologists and curriculum specialists whose work is elaborated on the review of literature. A quantitative method is applied to analyse the perspectives of 120 Cambodian EFL teachers on areas of knowledge and skills they should possess. The fieldwork was conducted between June and August, 2014. The analysis reveals that the following areas are included in the curricula at the five universities: communication skills, general knowledge, knowledge of teaching theories, teaching skills, pedagogical reasoning and decision making skills, subject matter knowledge, contextual knowledge, cognitive abilities, and knowledge of social issues. Additionally, research skills are included in three curricula while society and community involvement is in only one. Further, information and communication technology, which is outlined in the Education Strategies Plan (2006-2010), forms part of four curricula while leadership skills form part of two. This study demonstrates ultimately that most domains that are directly and indirectly related to language teaching competence are not sufficiently represented in the current curricula. On the basis of its findings, the study concludes with a set of guidelines that should inform the design and development of TESOL and TEFL curricula in Cambodia.