A Descriptive Study of a Teacher's and Students' Perspectives in a Course of English for Academic Purposes
| Autor: | Yue-Rung Ho, 何玥蓉 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 99 The purpose of this study was to describe and explain a teacher’s teaching beliefs in a course of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and EFL learners’ perspectives toward the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. By using the qualitative method of purposeful sampling, selected participants were one teacher participant and eight students from the departments of engineering and applied foreign language in Technical English Course offered in a national university of science and technology in central Taiwan. To acquire holistic understanding of the EAP teacher’s beliefs, multiple qualitative data collection were employed including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document collection. The analysis of multiple sources of data was conducted through content analysis and constant comparative method. The qualitative analysis mainly focuses on (1) the major elements that constituted the teacher participant’s beliefs in the EAP course, (2) the contextual variables that influence students’ perspectives on EFL classroom interaction in the EAP course, and (3) the teacher participant’s and student participants’ interpretations of academic growth in the EAP course. The major findings of this study were discussed. First, seven major complements were identified to describe and explain the contextual framework of the EAP teaching practices including analysis of students’ academic weakness, instructional goals, teaching materials, teaching approaches, learning activities, teacher roles, and evaluation. Second, three major factors that influencing students’ perspectives on classroom interaction in the EAP course were identified including the teacher’s professional traits, learning atmosphere, and constraints. Third, four major factors were identified about the teacher participant’s and students’ interpretations of students’ academic growth in the EAP course including knowledge construction, reading, presentation skills, and comprehensible input. Finally, a theoretical model entitled “A Theoretical Model of Instruction in a Course of English for Academic Purposes” was constructed on the basis of the major features and integrated components relevant to the EAP teacher participant’s beliefs and students’ interpretations. Overall, the findings shed more light on future EAP teachers. Therefore, recommendations of this study focus on (1) selection of teaching materials adjusted in accordance with different departments, (2) traditional evaluation decrease students’ learning motivation, (3) an EAP teacher’s expertise in subjects assist to defeat the challenges in subject knowledge, (4) flexible teacher roles, comprehensible input, and productive learning atmosphere enhance classroom interaction and learning efficiency. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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