EAP essentials : a teacher's guide to principles and practice

Book review - Ancient scholars once journeyed across the Alps to study Italian law while some sailed the Mediterranean to learn Greek philosophy or examine Arabic scripts on science, medicine and mathematics. Devotees of philosophical and religious thought migrated to the Orient in search of transcendental wisdom. Today, the quest for knowledge has not changed as English-medium universities experience unprecedented internationalisation. This book is a publication for such a time as this. The authors invite readers to "join the tribe" (Becher, 1998) and learn the specific academic discourse and culture of English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

Assessment of oral proficiency in EAP programs : a case for pair interaction

Reliability and validity in the testing of spoken language are essential in order to assess learners' English language proficiency as evidence of their readiness to begin courses in tertiary institutions. Research has indicated that the task chosen to elicit language samples can have a marked effect on both the nature of the interaction, including the power differential, and assessment, raising the issue of ethics. This exploratory studey, with a group of 32 students from the Peoples's Republic of China preparing for tertiary study in Singapore, compares test-takers' reactions to the use of an oral proficiency interview and a pair interaction.

Queen's EAP Steering Committee Annual Report, 2007/2008

The 2007/2008 annual report of the Queen's EAP Steering Committee.

Philosophies, traditional pedagogy, and new technologies: a report on a case study of EAP teachers' integration of technology into traditional practice

This chapter reports on a study of teachers in transition, developing their practice and their cognitions regarding the integration of learning technologies with traditional approaches to the teaching of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Taking a case study approach, it examines developments in the practice of three teachers during and after a teacher education programme on the use of technology in the EAP classroom. This is a study of cognition, teaching philosophy, and the relationship between pedagogy, technology, and content, and how teachers situate these within their own practice. The setting is the rapidly changing UK higher education environment, where the speed of change is such that today's latest fashions and gadgets may well be yesterday's news tomorrow. Thus, this is not a tale of individual technologies or tools to make teachers' lives better. This is a story of people, of pedagogy's traditional values intersecting with technology, and the issues arising from this, alongside the evolution of strategies for dealing with these issues.

Portal web d'eines psicopedagògiques d'ús per a psicopedagogs dels EAP i docents. 'Portal de herramientas psicopedagógicas de uso para psicopedagogos de los EAP y docentes'.

Resumen basado en el de la autora. http://www.xtec.es/~mjulia/

Elaboració d'un model d'avaluació dels EAP i la seva aplicació al pla estratègic de l'EAP Sants-Montjuïc de Barcelona. 'Elaboración de un modelo de evaluación de los EAP y su aplicación en el plan estratégico del EAP Sants-Montjuïc de Barcelona'.

Se propone un modelo de evaluación para los EAP (Equipos de Asesoramiento Pedagógico), orientado a su mejora, basado en la autorreflexión colegiada sistemática de sus miembros, validado a partir de la razón dialógica y con una perspectiva holística de la realidad del asesoramiento. La intención es ofrecer un modelo que aporte un conocimiento relevante sobre el trabajo de los EAP más allá de las evaluaciones cuantitativas y de las valoraciones asistemáticas. El modelo incluye dos propuestas de herramientas para ayudar a la autoevaluación: una propuesta de ámbitos de decisión/evaluación para situar las acciones de revisión y mejora y un sistema abierto de criterios de calidad para orientar el trabajo de autoevaluación. Las dos propuestas son abiertas y permiten su adaptación a las características y necesidades de cada equipo. También se hace una recomendación de procedimientos con el fin de desarrollar la evaluación. Las propuestas que configuran el modelo de evaluación se han formulado a partir de una investigación en que se ha consultado a los profesionales que están implicados en la tarea del asesoramiento.

Participació de l'EAP en la implementació d'un programa per a la convivència en un centre de secundària : desaprendre la indefensió i aprendre la resolució pactada dels conflictes. 'Participación del EAP en la implementación de un programa para la convivencia en un centro de secundaria : desaprender la indefensión y aprender la resolución pactada de los conflictos'.

Resumen de la autora

La superdotació als centres d'educació infantil i primària dels Serveis Territorials d'Educació de Girona: creences dels professionals de l'educació, mestres i Equips d'Assessorament i Orientació Psicopedagògica (EAP), sobre la detecció d'aquests alumnes i les mesures d'intervenció educativa

En aquesta tesi es fa una valoració dels elements que incideixen en les creences dels mestres d'educació infantil i primària i dels professionals dels EAP respecte la detecció dels alumnes amb altes capacitats i les principals mesures d'intervenció educativa. Els instruments utilitzats són els propis de les metodologies naturalistes i quasi experimentals. L'anàlisi de resultats obtinguts llarg de tres cursos escolars recull les creences dels mestres i EAP a partir de diferents fonts d'informació: entrevistes, descripció de casos, anàlisi de dades, valoració de normativa i dos qüestionaris, un per a mestres i l'altre per a EAP. Els resultats posen en evidència una molt baixa detecció, insuficiència de regulació legal, eines de diagnòstic febles, dispersió documental i falta de formació. Es detecten contradiccions entre les creences i les pràctiques. Finalment es proposa una redefinició del concepte Altes Capacitats-superdotació des dels àmbits de l'eficàcia, del perfil i del rendiment escolar.

Review of recent research (1998-2012) in German for Academic Purposes (GAP) in comparison with English for Academic Purposes (EAP): cross-influences, synergies and implications for further research

This state-of-the-art review reports on the major studies conducted in the field of Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache (academic German) since the late 1990s. To begin with, the current position of German as a language of academic communication nationally and internationally will be discussed, focusing especially on the challenges posed by the status of English as a lingua franca. Subsequently, the major research undertaken since the late 1990s will be reviewed and its contribution to the development of teaching materials evaluated. Since studies on academic German have been influenced, to some extent, by research in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), this paper also attempts to dovetail developments in EAP in order to highlight commonalties and differences. The final sections will discuss some potential synergies and implications for further research in both fields.

A case study exploring the sociocultural characteristics of adult Japanese ESL learners in Australian EAP programs

Research findings show that the poor level of English accomplishment amongst Japanese students in English as Second Language (ESL) settings continues to be an issue of concern. This interpretative study adopted an ethnographic case method to explore and advance reader’s understanding of Japanese learner’s sociocultural characteristics and, also, to investigate how cross-cultural similarities/ differences between the sociocultural heritage of Japanese learners and the contextual factors of Australian English for Academic Purposes (EAP) study abroad programs interact. This study aims to interpret the problems surrounding the poor performance of Japanese students in Australian ESL contexts and identify issues not present in the literature that warrant further investigation. Interviews, structured by a thematic reporting framework, were used as the interpretive instrument for data collection. Data, supported by the reporting framework, was analysed using a constant comparative method. The exploratory nature of this report led to the following conclusions. Firstly, Japanese students’ past educational experience interferes with Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in Australian EAP study abroad programs. Secondly, Japanese students have a predisposition towards integrative motivation. Thirdly, significant others influence Japanese learners’ ability to cope with transition issues, such as managing academic and social problems. Finally, contextual factors of Australian EAP programs (e.g. course materials, teaching and learning methodology and assessment) negatively impact English language learning. This study raises questions about the difficulties experienced by Japanese learners in Australian EAP study aboard programs.