Education Commons^™

Teacher Anxiety And Resilience As Socio-Ecological Experience: A Critical Ethnography Of Early-Career English As An Additional Language Teachers In Post-Pandemic Ontario, Canada, Aide Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This critical ethnographic study investigated the anxiety and resilience experiences of English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers in Ontario, Canada during their early careers after the pandemic. The study drew on literature regarding the TESOL profession’s precarious nature, resilience and anxiety concepts, pandemic impacts on language education, and debates on native-speakerism. It employed four-level theoretical frameworks, including the theories of critical praxis (Freire, 1970), reflexivity (Byrd Clark, 2020), ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner,1979), and the community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) for its design and implementation. Four pre-service and three in-service English language teachers participated, providing weekly reflective journals for …

Learning To Teach For Equity, Diversity, And Social Justice: A Mixed Methods Case Study Of Initial Teacher Education In Ontario, Canada, Kate Paterson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing on critical race theory, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy, and ecological systems theory, this mixed methods case study explored the integration of equity, diversity, and social justice across one initial teacher education program in Ontario, Canada. Survey data (n=272) provided insight into prospective teachers’ endorsement of social-justice-related beliefs at program entry and exit. Demographic data were collected to obtain a current snapshot of initial teacher education representation rates, addressing a dearth of such data in the Ontario context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teacher candidates (n=15) and key stakeholders (n=4) to gain an understanding of how equity was conceptualized …

Teachers’ Work: Communicating On Difficult Knowledge In Ontario Schools, Zsofia Agoston Villalba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative …

English Literacy Curricula In A Sino-Canadian Transnational Education Program: Teachers’ Implemented Curriculum, Rong Hai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This case study explored the English literacy curricula in a Sino-Canadian Transnational Education Program that is accredited by British Columbia (BC). Underpinned by nested pedagogical orientations and critical multimodal literacies, this study focuses on how the BC English literacy curricula were implemented in three English literacy teachers’ classes. Data show that two pedagogical orientations (i.e., transmission and social constructivist) were used by English literacy teachers in the transnational education program. This study also found little evidence of transformative pedagogy in all three teachers’ English literacy teaching. The implications include missed opportunities to engage students to critically analyze and evaluate the …

The Use Of Digital Storytelling In Bilingual/Multilingual Students' Meaning-Making: A Systematic Literature Review, Qianhui Ma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a systematic literature review of 24 empirical studies on using digital storytelling for bilingual/multilingual students’ meaning-making. Through thematic and scientific analyses, this review identifies the contextual backgrounds of the reviewed studies; for example, most of them were conducted in secondary schools in America. The strength analysis reveals that more than half of the papers lack sufficient details in analyzing and presenting data, and this may impact the trustworthiness of the claimed results. The reported uses of digital storytelling for bilingual/multilingual students include supporting learners as designers, promoting education equity, and incorporating multiliteracies pedagogy. The review also reported …

The Effects Of Song Use On Vocabulary Learning: Studies Of Distribution Of Practice, Modes Of Input, Retrieval, And The Input-Output-Input Sequence Of Exposure, Niousha Pavia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigates the effects of the distribution of practice, modes of input, retrieval, and the input-output-input sequence of exposure on incidental vocabulary learning from songs. This thesis takes an integrated article format, organized into five chapters, including an introduction, articles one, two, and three, and a conclusion. The participants (N=225) across all three studies involved Thai students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Thailand. All three studies measured vocabulary learning gains by comparing participants' scores on the vocabulary knowledge tests used for pretests, immediate posttests, and two weeks delayed posttests. Study one partially replicated and …

Learning Verb-Noun Collocations Through Multiple-Choice Exercises: Do Distractors Benefit Or Hinder Later Recall?, Mengxue (Alyssa) Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aimed to investigate under what conditions multiple-choice exercises benefit second language learners’ acquisition of lexical phrases. Of particular interest was the question whether the distractors in the multiple-choice items create interference when learners’ later try to recall the lexical phrases. Twenty advanced ESL (English as a Second Language) learners were given 20 multiple-choice items on verb-noun collocations (e.g., run a business, take a toll, speak volumes) followed by feedback. They were then tested on the same collocations two weeks later by means of gap-fill items. The participants were invited to verbalize their thoughts during the exercise and …

Exploring Translanguaging And Identity Among Jordanian Graduate Students In Ontario, Mohamad Almashour

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the use of translanguaging strategies by Jordanian graduate students in Ontario, Canada, as a means of adjusting to the local language and culture. It further scrutinizes the influence of these practices on their identities. The study also probes into the potential opportunities and impediments that these students may encounter in higher educational establishments in Ontario.

Data collection was accomplished through semi-structured online interviews, which were subject to qualitative analysis to respond to the research queries. The analytical process was grounded in a theoretical framework combining sociocultural theory, critical literacy, and language ecology, thereby offering a profound understanding …

Uncovering The Myths Of Shared Reading English Picture Books For Chinese Families: A Narrative Inquiry, Yijuan Ge

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This doctoral research explored the experiences of Chinese parents in parent-child shared reading on English picture books (EPBs). It was unique in its approach, taking the perspective and standpoint of the parents as the research stance, and was one of the few studies in the existing literature to do so. The Narrative Inquiry proposed by Polkinghorne (1995) was adopted to explore Chinese parents' voices, especially the unspoken ones. The study aimed to learn from Chinese parents' experiences, provided valuable insights into their reflections and expectations of their family literacy activities, and contributed to the limited research on English family literacy …

Systematic Literature Review: Literacy Practices In Chinese Immigrant Families, Qingning Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Family literacy is important for Chinese immigrant families who are concerned for their children's English and Chinese biliteracy development. This systematic literature review uses multiliteracies as the theoretical lens to analyze 17 studies from the ERIC database. The review aims to synthesize reported family literacy practices (including both English- and Chinese-related literacy practices) in English-dominated countries and analyze how literacy is perceived in the literature. Findings suggest that Chinese immigrant families use various materials, blended situated practices, and overt instruction as the main pedagogical approaches to support children's biliteracy development in family contexts. Most researchers and parents conceptualize literacy as …