Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemVietnamese readers and English reading : a survey of students' beliefs about and attitudes towards English reading( 2000)This thesis deals with the beliefs about, and attitudes to, English reading of Vietnamese students in their first year at Australian universities. Data were collected using a questionnaire, based on a review of research on second language reading in relation to affective factors, and on the concept of attitudes as a multidimensional construct. Attitude in general or attitudes to English reading in particular cannot be directly observed or measured but can only be inferred from the manner in which a reader responds to questions related to beliefs, feelings and attention regarding English reading. The theoretical background on which this study was based regards second language (L2) reading as a socially situated process. Regarding the students in this study, their English may have been influenced (i) by the first language reading instruction they had received, (ii) by their own social and cultural background, (iii) by their attitudes to the target language, its culture and its native speakers, and (iv) by previous experiences of learning to read in a new language. The findings of the questionnaire reveal that most of the 27 respondents to the questionnaire chose the culture of the target language (English) as the main factor making them want to read in it. Three other hypothesized factors - Vietnamese language reading experiences, previous experiences of learning English in Vietnam, the target language and its native speakers - did not appear as important factors in their beliefs about English reading and attitudes to it. The most interesting findings were about their attention to English reading. Although on the whole they possessed positive attitudes regarding the English academic reading process, they showed only a low level of endeavor to improve their English reading. The fact that the number of participants was so small was one of the main drawbacks with the study. However, since affective factors have not gained as much attention as other areas in L2 reading, in a way this study was a first experience. From its results some recommendations have been made regarding current practices of English teaching and learning in Vietnam in the EFL context. Further research could be built on this study.
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ItemSlave, master, tool, stalking horse or silver bullet? : the transformational potential of computers in English teaching( 2000)The study that follows is a 'down the track' case study of the impact on one teacher of the English/LOTE Unit of the professional development program Computers Across the Secondary Curriculum (CASC). Its aim was to examine the effect of learning technology on the teacher's pedagogic beliefs and practices. This was achieved by examination of the teacher's selection, planning, staging and scaffolding of learning and her metaphors for teaching and for technology. The effect of the introduction of the computer in the classroom on teacher student relationships was explored from the teacher's perspective. As the study developed it came also to examine the psychological relationship between teacher and computer, the potential of learning technologies to re-imagine the English curriculum and the role of human agency in transforming the structures and icons of the discipline. Data was collected through in-depth conversations and augmented by classroom observation, analysis of teacher curriculum materials, and teacher reflection. The study is highly situated. It does not seek to offer epistemic claims beyond its own setting. In this context it transfers focus from descriptive to normative research. It aims to add to the dialogue about what constitutes good English teaching through computers, and to advocate the importance of dialogic practitioner research within this quest. Finally it seeks to open a conversation to which others may choose to connect.