International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Over There A Preparation Course For Japanese High School Students Embarking On A Student Exchange Year Abroad, Jonathan Bolick

MA TESOL Collection

This paper explores the course design process for a study-abroad preparation course for Japanese high school students. The design process yielded valuable teacher insights: the importance of understanding one’s teaching beliefs, the vital need for student and teacher feedback, the benefits of strong classroom community, and the need for better understanding students’ cultural and learning contexts. Interviews with ten former exchange students revealed students’ lack of cultural knowledge of their own and target culture, especially the invisible culture, which had led to misunderstanding and conflict. Students’ inability to express their personal identity adequately in L2 had also led to an …

Women’S Literacy In Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, Brianne Carpenter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper will be a look at adult women’s literacy specifically in Ngaoundéré, Adamaoua, Cameroon. I will begin by placing Cameroon’s illiteracy rates into a global context. I will then define what literacy is, why it is essential to development, how it benefits women particularly, and what women are affected and why. This will be done through a combination of scholarly research and interviews with women participants of the project of “Les Femmes Royales du Lamidat.” I hope to create a setting and a face of one of development’s most pressing issues by letting the women’s words speak for themselves. …

Awakening The Muse In The Land Of The Morning Calm: Guidelines For New And Future Teachers Bound For South Korea, Lauren Jennifer Gerken

MA TESOL Collection

How is it to teach English in South Korea? What are the students like? How are the schools? What kind of education system do they have? How proficient are Korean students when speaking English? What types of learning styles do they have? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can a new teacher prepare her/himself best for an English teaching position at a school or university in South Korea? Where is the best place to teach? What methods and strategies work best in the South Korean EFL classroom? Based on my experience of teaching English for thirteen years in the …

Educando Al Hombre Nuevo: La Pedagogía Histórica Y Política De La Cruzada Nacional De Alfabetización, Kevin Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Aprender Sin Educación: El Aprendizaje, La Historia Personal Y El Contexto Comunitario En La Experiencia De La Universidad De La Tierra, Leah Oster-Katz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hace veintidós años nací en un cuarto pequeño que mi papá construyó en Carolina del Norte. Entré al mundo de una manera natural, siendo bienvenida por mi familia, amigos y una partera. Allí crecí con mis padres y mi hermano en una comunidad rural que cuenta con tierras comunales. Todas las familias de la comunidad están conectadas por lazos fuertes de amistad y comparten las responsabilidades del mantenimiento de la tierra comunal. Tengo muchos recuerdos de mi niñez cuando estaba ayudando en el jardín, recogiendo frutas del huerto comunal, y asistiendo a reuniones y fiestas de la comunidad. Desde los …

“To Be A Doctor” The Hopes And Aspirations Of The Children Attending Namu Elementary School, And The Obstacles That Block Their Paths To Obtaining Them., Lauren Burke

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Our village, Namu”. The children, some hesitant, others eager, all proud, bring forth pictures they have drawn of their hometown. In the children’s minds and through the crayons provided them, flowers sprout up next to streams, and birds fly in the sky. Almost every drawing includes a home with semicircle interloping plaster tiles for the roof. Fish swim in the rivers and a few suns contain smiley faces. First impressions of visitors to the town or school , may be similar. The pavement street leading from the village to the larger city abruptly stops and turns into dirt road at …

Enhancing A Student Exchange With A Day-By-Day Activities Folder, Anne Cottagnoud

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reviews the use of a Folder to document series of activities designed to enhance and maximize learning during a student exchange. Swiss high school students visited their American partners and conducted activities before, during and after the exchange. The Folder was a teacher-prepared booklet that engaged students in the four phases of Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle: experience, observation and reflection, abstract thinking and generalizing, and testing learned concepts. It also encouraged the Swiss students to ask questions of American host families and American students in order to learn more about American culture. The Folder made use of …

Don’T Be Afraid To Communicate With Americans: Research About Low Self-Esteem Japanese Students In The United States. How Esl Teachers Can Build Students’ Self-Esteem In The Class., Mami Tanaka

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a research paper about low self-esteem Japanese students who have a hard time communicating with Americans in spite of the fact that their English ability is high enough. It is based on my private teaching experience with one of many Japanese students in Boston. This paper is composed of two sections. The first section shows that low self-esteem can be one of the main obstacles to foreign language acquisition for Japanese students. The second section is about what we can do as ESL teachers.

Inclusion Of Host Culture In International Schools: A Case Study Of The British School Of Cotonou, Alisha L. Jacobsen

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a case study of The British School of Cotonou, an international school located in Benin, West Africa. The case study examines the common claim international schools make about providing international education. A closer look at the composition of the teaching and administrative staff, the curriculum, the teaching methodologies, and parent-teacher attitudes about the importance of learning about one’s host country shows the opposite. International education cannot be attained without including the host culture in the international school’s learning environment. Examples of the parent-teacher survey are included, as well as summaries of survey results.

Reading Your Way Into Culture: A Materials Development Project, Marie Nestingen

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is to help beginning Spanish foreign language students increase and improve their reading skills in the target language while learning about some of the Hispanic culture and customs in Guatemala. In this paper I will combine the two, explaining and giving examples of how students, novice language learners, can learn more about the target language culture while improving their reading skills in the target language.

Comings And Goings: Considerations And Reflections On The English Program In Korea (Epik), Kiama Robinson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines both practical considerations for sojourners who are planning to work overseas in South Korea’s English Program in Korea (EPIK) and reflections on the author’s experiences with this program. The first section of the paper presents pre-departure, arrival and descriptions of what the school and housing might consist of, followed by reflections on the author’s direct experiences through three paradigms: world view, intercultural adjustment, and culture shock. While the main focus of this paper is on native English speakers participating in EPIK, the practical considerations and discussion may also be generally helpful for hosting organization as well as …

Attitude And Perception Differences When Speaking In A Second Language, Keith Douglas Smith

MA TESOL Collection

This paper addresses the issue of how people perceive themselves and others when speaking in a second language (L2). It explores the attitudinal aspects (e.g. sociological, psychological, and emotional) through the use of a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Using the data collected, the paper compares and contrasts native and non-native English-speaking men and women. The results of the data have been illustrated in bar graphs to give the reader an idea of what findings were produced from the research. The research has been analyzed and tentative conclusions have been made. The conclusions, however, allow the reader to be able to …

Living To Learn In Italy, Margo L. Connell

MA TESOL Collection

Living to Learn in Italy is a personal account of the time I spent in Florence and Torino, Italy, and the challenges I faced in adapting to a new environment, as well as the personal issues that surfaced as I moved through major life transitions.

I have organized this paper chronologically in three sections, orientation, adaptation, and elaboration.

The first section, orientation, recounts experiences from my first months in Florence. This was the initial, exploratory phase of my 1ife in a foreign culture, and during which I was not as involved with the people, language and way of life as …

With Assumptions In Mind, Claire Eleanor Creelman

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is an account of a three month teaching assignment in Guatemala in which I examined and tested my assumptions about teaching and learning in light of the techniques I used in the classroom, my lesson preparation and my selection of materials. This is done through the examination of a series of lesson plans which I used in classes of different levels and at different times in the program. I was able to demonstrate through these critiques when my actions supported those assumptions as well as the times when they conflicted or even ignored them. In addition, I was …

“El Puente” An Advanced Spanish Reader For Cultural Exposure, Angela Maria Garcia Mast

MA TESOL Collection

The present work is an advanced reader for adult learners of Spanish. Each of its 21 passages highlights a features of the Hispanic culture or a constrast between North American and Hispanic culture. The author's intent is to present to the reader the struggles, ambiguities and confusion that being between two cultures can bring to bear upon a person whose world view is based upon two separate and distinct realities.

Each passage introduces colloquial expressions as they are used by native speakers. Along with each is a culture capsule which attempts to further explain the point illustrated by the passage, …

Welcome To New York City Community Orientation Programs For International Students, Stacey Klein

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines some of the needs of international students at New York area colleges and universities. Students' relationship with the New York community is introduced as a significant variable in their experience. A comprehensive community orientation program offered by Metro-International during the 1985-1986 academic year is presented and evaluated.

A Teacher Training Program Focusing On Communicative Methodology For Brazilian Teachers Of English As A Foreign Language, Alberto De Paula Santos

MA TESOL Collection

This project is the result of efforts to set up a teacher­ training program for the Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos de Curitiba in Brazil. It is especially designed for teachers who have been using teacher-centered classroom techniques and the traditionally structured approaches to teaching, and who are willing to change to a student-centered communicative approach to teaching English.

In chapter one, I give a general overview of the program Iset up and a short description of the Centro. I also state the reasons why I decided to set up this teacher-training program for the Centro.

In chapter two, I describe …

Guidelines For Prospective Esl Teachers In Saudi Arabia, Constance Boerner Joy

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is intended to be an orientation pamphlet for prospective EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia. It may be useful for teachers in other Middle Eastern countries as well, particularly in the Arab Gulf states. It contains a statement on factors affecting EFL teaching in the classroom, based on the author's five and a half years of experience in Riyadh. It touches on such topics as religion, family, politics, education, English-Arabic Language differences, teaching approaches and the teacher as a representative of his own culture. It also has suggestions for finding a job, including a list of schools and organizations …

Mini-Course In Demystifying American Spelling: An Historical And Comparative Perspective, Ingrid Prouty

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is intended as a practical guide to presenting selected areas o£ spelling problematic £or ESL students and native English speakers. The focus is on the history o£ the English language and comparison with other Indo-European languages as a means of clarifying English spelling "idiosyncrasies”.

The study begins with an explanation of the historical and comparative viewpoint and suggestions for its application. The chapters are presented in lesson format and followed by several activity possibilities. The appendices provide a compendium of background information and classroom materials relating to the individual chapters. The glossary and annotated bibliography are provided for …

The Cultural Entry Process In Japan And Mexico – Cultural Factors To Be Considered, David C. Riggs

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is intended to present a triangular cultural comparison of American, Japanese, and Mexican societies. It is written primarily for Americans who plan to live for extended periods of time in either Japan or Mexico, and is written from an American cultural point of view. Included are descriptions of my cross-cultural experiences in the three countries. The main body of the paper deals with the cross-cultural factors which I consider to be the most important to consider when attempting to successfully adapt oneself to living in either Japanese or Mexican society. It is hoped that in some way my …

Using A Case Study Method To Teach Culture In The Esl Classroom, William Peter Polaski

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

College Life: U.S.A. A Teaching Resource Packet To Prepare Foreign Students For The Social Side Of Attending A College In The United States., Mark Koncewicz

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a teaching resource packet for ESL/EFL teachers who are interested in showing their students what American college life is like. The project is based on twelve situations which were selected because they seem to be the most typical situations that a foreign student would probably interact in while studying and living at an American college. There are two parts to this project: a set of slides with 5-7 consists of units for each of the situations and a text which consists of units for each of the situations. Each of these units is composed of three sections: …

A Study Of The Possible Implications Of Current Institutional Practices On The Future Of International Higher Education And A Broader Higher Education Bubble, Tamer Khadre

Capstone Collection

The hypothesis of a higher education bubble in the United States is one that has been discussed in literature for a number of years, with parallels being drawn to the inflation and deflation of prices of commodities in industries such as housing and the stock market. This study examines the applicability of such a hypothesis to the international education sector of the higher education industry in the United States. The focus of this study is (a) the perceived impact of current institutional practices in the field of international education on the long term viability of the field overall and (b) …