TESOL Quarterly publishes brief commentaries on aspects of qualitative and quantitative research. For this issue, we asked two researchers to discuss narrative research in TESOL.
This paper explores ways in which the wholesale transfer of assumptions from L1 literacy can sometimes complicate the process of acquiring L2 literacy. Using the methods of narrative inquiry, I describe my attempts to reach a deeper understanding of L2 literacy via an autobiographical study of Chinese literacy acquisition. The article describes the ways in which my prior English language literacy experiences affected my progress in the L2 and outlines the very complex set of unconscious assumptions about literacy which were held by my Chinese tutor and myself. Some of the key areas in which my tutor and I held different assumptions about literacy included: the qualities of self which literacy skills display; the value of analytic approaches to learning literacy versus holistic ones; the relationship between form and content; and the signs of a good learner. The article also touches on the emotional impact of this experience and suggests that teachers need to reach a fuller understanding of their unconscious assumptions about literacy if they are to help L2 literacy learners.
A trend in education has been the move toward competency or outcomes-based programs of study (e.g., Kuhlich, 1991). This trend seems to be a global initiative, as research investigating and discussing competency-based education comes from all regions of the world (e.g., Fretwell & Pritz, 1994;Grootings 1994;Hargraves, 1995;Stennet, 1984Stevenson, 1992. For the purpose of this study, competency-based education is defined as or characterized by a program of study with clearly defined, concrete, measurable objectives of which every student participating in the program must have demonstrated mastery upon program completion. Often these programs also involve students working at their own rate and structuring their own method of learning in order to meet these objectives. For example, in Ontario, Canada, in 1998 the provincial government introduced a new curriculum for elementary school students. This curriculum focuses on measurable competencies that are evaluated for each student in the language arts, mathematics, and science and technology and are consistent at every school throughout the p rovince (Ontario Ministry of Education and Training, 1998). A A A A ABSTRACT BSTRACT BSTRACT BSTRACT BSTRACTAs part of a participant-observation study investigating technical education in Canada, students enrolled in pre-apprenticeship refrigeration mechanics courses at the community college level were interviewed. The responses of students enrolled in a 1-year, competency-based program were compared with the responses of students enrolled in a 36-week, traditionally-delivered, cohort-based p rogram. The results suggest that the different curricula lead to different student experiences of the content. Most notable was a distinctly perceived split between the "theory" and the "practical" aspects of refrigeration mechanics by students in the traditional cohortbased program, whereas students in the competency-based program did not seem to perceive theory and practice as 2 distinct entities. Additionally, although students in both samples described histories of language and literacy difficulties, the competency-based program participants seemed less adversely affected by these weaknesses. However, students in both types of programs viewed patience and supportiveness as crucial aspects of good teachers.
This paper describes a study carried out in a pre-apprenticeship job-training program held at a community college in central Canada, in which learners from a variety of language backgrounds were enrolled. Through a combination of student questionnaires, learner interviews, and participant observation in the classroom, information was gathered on factors affecting progress in such programs. The article describes the language and literacy challenges encountered by the learners in relation to the Luke and Freebody (1997) four-tier model of literate competency. Discussion outlines the preferred teaching characteristics which learners identified as helpful and explores the possible long-term impact of learning initial literacy in a second language.
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