Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

The impact of oral anxiety (OA) in the context of a second language learning (SLL) environment cannot be overemphasised. Understanding the experiences of teachers from diverse cultural and geographic contexts can help in shedding light on this especially important phenomenon. This researcher seeks to gain a better understanding of teachers' experiences with OA, and their perceptions about effective ways to reduce OA in second language (SL) classrooms. Through a qualitative comparative methodology and case study design, data was gathered utilising semi-structured interview instruments, and teachers' journals. A purposeful sample of participants was obtained from secondary school SL teachers, in Guyana and the US, through a snowball sampling method. Subsequently, the data was analysed first through open coding, then closed coding, and finally, through cross themes analysis. Cross-case analysis was used to examine the data gathered. Implications for SL teaching and culturally responsive teaching may be garnered and promoted through this research. In the context of this dissertation, second language learning and foreign language learning are used interchangeably.

Committee: Lisa Harrison Dr. (Advisor); Danielle Dani Dr. (Advisor); Dwan Robinson Dr. (Committee Member); Emilia Aloñso Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; Education; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Instructional Technology (Education)

Learner autonomy as a necessary concept in foreign language learning is one that has evolved with time especially considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational landscape. In this qualitative study, the experiences of Spanish language instructors and nonnative learners were collected and further analyzed to determine how learner autonomy was fostered and demonstrated in a computer-mediated environment. Instructors in this study the autonomy of their learners by revolutionizing their course preparation approaches, remodifying their course delivery methods and experimenting with technological tools. They achieved these by taking action steps such as brainstorming, asking questions within communities of practice, allowing flexible general accommodations, trying out different applications among many others. Students on the other hand demonstrated their autonomy by exploring social media spaces, engaging in peer and collaborative learning and directly interacting with teaching agents. All these strategies employed by students contributed to them remaining autonomous in the period of brief academic hiatus across the globe. This study expounds on possible recommendations and implications for future research in the area of learner autonomy and foreign language pedagogy.

Committee: David Moore (Committee Chair); Yuchun Zhou (Committee Member); Greg Kessler (Committee Member); Emilia Alonso- Sameño (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Instructional Design

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2006, English (as a Second Language)

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is the current trend of second/foreign language learning. CLT has contributed to moving the focus from the forms of language to communication. However, it only changes the context and contents of lessons, focusing still on teaching “language” rather than teaching how to communicate. Language exists only in our mental domain; it does not exist in the physical domain (Yngve, 1996). Thus, our focus should be on learning/teaching how to communicate in a target speech community. This research re-examines the general notion of CLT and comprehensible input within a real-world perspective based on Yngve's (1996) theory of Hard Science Linguistics. The main discussion of this research is the use of simulations in classrooms concerning learning/teaching how to communicate in the target speech community. Simulations can offer efficient and effective learning in the classrooms while providing naturalistic environments, which maximize the opportunities of creating real communication in EFL classrooms. The discussion presented here about simulations in language learning/teaching is based on Jones' (1982) view. The research presented here explores the use of simulations in the classrooms with the aim of helping learners of EFL to improve their communicative ability.

Committee: Douglas Coleman (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Teaching and Learning

L2 learners strategically and actively engage in their writing tasks while interacting with various available resources, including their learning goals and histories. The current study examined mediated actions in the writing of college-level Korean as a foreign language (KFL) students and re-conceptualized L2 writing strategies from a socio-cognitive perspective, particularly drawing on Engestrom's (1999) Activity Theory, and the notions of mediation and agency. An important frame of reference was Lei's study (2008) that examined English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' writing strategies from the activity theoretical perspective. That study motivated me to explore similar issues in a different context, the KFL context. This qualitative comparative case study looked at the writing engagement of five KFL students taking an intermediate-level Korean course for an entire academic quarter running 10 weeks. Using various sources of data (e.g., interviews, stimulated recall protocols, process logs, observations, writing autobiography, and students' writing assignments), I categorized mediated strategies into four broad types and thirteen smaller ones: (1) artifact-mediated (the Internet-, native language (L1)-, and target language (L2)-mediated), (2) rule-mediated (self-constructed rules-, good writing criteria-, plagiarism rule-, and time-mediated), (3) community-mediated (native speaker-, prior experience- (foreign language learning, study-abroad, & L1 writing experiences), classroom community-, and imagined community-mediated), and (4) role-mediated (author- and language learner-mediated) strategies. The findings corroborated the claim that L2 writing is a mediated activity occurring from interactions of learners and environment: the learners' interactions with the environmental mediators were themselves an important component of L2 writing processes. Also, the study found that the KFL learners' strategic and agentive selection of the resources was strongly rel (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alan Hirvela PhD (Advisor); Leslie Moore PhD (Committee Member); Chan Park PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Foreign Language

MA, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Learners can study foreign language-English vocabulary (e.g., denken – to think) both receptively and productively. Receptive learning involves being cued with a foreign language word (e.g., denken) and trying to translate it (i.e., to think). Productive learning involves being cued with an English word (e.g., to think) and trying to produce the translation. When students use retrieval practice to learn foreign-language translations in one direction (e.g., receptively) until they correctly recall the translation, do they demonstrate transfer in the other direction (i.e., productively)? Across three experiments, we answered this question by manipulating the order of learning schedule (reception first followed by production or vice versa). For a given schedule, participants continued to practice retrieving translations (with feedback) using the dropout method until they correctly recalled each translation three times; they then proceeded to practice the pairs in the opposite direction until they correctly recalled each translation three times. Across all experiments, each schedule led to transfer. In particular, participants who first started with receptive practice subsequently required fewer trials to reach criterion during productive practice as compared to participants who began with productive practice. Similarly, participants who first started with productive practice subsequently required fewer trials to reach criterion during receptive practice as compared to participants who began with receptive practice. Thus, although transfer was partial (learning in one direction did not entirely eliminate the need to practice in the other), transfer occurred no matter which schedule of learning students began with.

Committee: John Dunlosky (Advisor) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, EDU Teaching and Learning

This longitudinal, qualitative multiple-case study explored four MA students' second language (L2) academic writing anxiety in coursework for a TESOL program. The participants in this study came from China, Uyghur in China, Vietnam, and Mexico. They were culturally and linguistically diverse. Employing a social cognitive theoretical framework (Bandura, 1986) and a complex dynamic approach (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008), this study investigated the many facets of L2 writing anxiety. Viewing writing through the lens of the process writing approach (Flower & Hayes, 1981), this study examined the sources, intensity, and fluctuations of L2 writing anxiety during each phase of writing academic papers as well as at different times during one academic semester. Given the nature of assignments in the TESOL MA program, another lens through which the participants' engagement with writing anxiety was investigated was reading for writing. Major sources of data included semi-structured interviews, participants' responses to anxiety self-evaluation scales, recall protocols, course syllabi, field notes, and writing samples. Findings are reported first through four separate case studies and then through cross-case analysis in response to the study's research questions. At a broader level, the study found that the TESOL MA students' L2 academic writing anxiety was multi-faceted, situation specific, and individually driven. In more specific terms, and with respect to the writing process, the highest level of L2 writing anxiety occurred during the pre-writing stage. As for major anxiety sources, this varied for each individual. For some it was writing topic and task representation, while for others it was new learning context, language use (grammar and vocabulary), or teacher evaluation of their writing. With regard to movement across the semester, anxiety levels were high at the beginning of the semester due to fear of unfamiliar assignments, and then, after a long period of rel (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alan Hirvela (Advisor); Youngjoo Yi (Committee Member); George Newell (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language; Higher Education; Language

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study explores how 5th grade EFL learners learn and use English in the primary EFL classroom in the complex sociocultural context of Korea. By exploring students' language learning and practices in their school setting triangulated with interviews about their out-of-school language as well as parents' perspective on English, the study highlights the interplay of in- and out-of-school language learning in EFL settings. This qualitative study consisted of semester-long persistent classrooms conducted along with audio-recordings of class sessions and interviews designed to target the complex realities of English education in this setting. Classroom observation focused on moment-to-moment teacher-student and student-student interactions as well as on the nature of language use by teachers and students, including the distribution of roles, rights, and duties closely examined using discourse analysis and triangulated with interviews. In addition, the macro-level values and beliefs prevalent in Korean English education were also examined. In this classroom, a Korean co-teacher (KT) and a native English-speaking co-teacher (NT) try to overcome their students' lack of exposure to the target language by providing meaningful contexts so that the students can learn and practice useful expressions with a variety of materials and modes of teaching and learning. The teachers' educational beliefs and interests thus influenced and constructed the students' language learning environment in the EFL classroom. For one semester, the students were socialized into new frames of teacher-controlled classroom routines through modelling, repetition, visual aids, and praise.In addition, this study reveals how the macro-level values and beliefs of Korean English education influences one local EFL classroom. The practice of teaching and learning in this local context has thus ecologically influenced by official themes promoted in the upper reaches of the national educational system. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leslie Moore (Advisor); Keiko Samimy (Committee Member); Francis Troyan (Committee Member) Subjects: Elementary Education; English As A Second Language

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2016, Educational Administration (Education)

Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) programs in the United States are not flourishing, nor are their middle- and high-school counterparts. The current global recession has imposed marginal decreases on school funding and has thus influenced curriculum decisions to cut back on such perceived frills as foreign language (FL) instruction. Since FL is not part of high-stakes testing, it remains as an extra on the periphery of curriculum, no matter how crucial it might be culturally, intellectually, and perhaps therefore politically and economically. Kindergarten through twelfth grade administrators appear to be in a unique position to shed light on the American foreign language dilemma, as they are in trenches daily with students and teachers and are involved in curriculum and policy decisions. A survey instrument was sent to all of the public school elementary principals in Ohio. Surveys were successfully delivered to 1427 principals. Although 103 survey responses were received, only 95 were complete and used for data analysis, resulting in a 6.66% response rate. The first step in examining the data involved calculating descriptive statistics for each item in the instrument. Next, a regression analysis was used to determine if there was a relationship between the independent variables (personal and contextual) and the dependent variable, principals' attitudes toward FLES. The regression analysis included nine independent and covariate variables. They are the value of FL and the importance of FL when compared against the covariates of gender, ethnicity, number of years as a principal, number of years as a teacher, the participants' status as being bilingual or multilingual, the number of FLs studied by the participants, and whether the participants' schools have a FLES program. The study's findings indicated that Ohio elementary principals do perceive FLES programs favorably. None of the demographic information individually proved to be important to the p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Willilam Larson Ph.D. (Advisor); Robert Robison Ph.D. (Committee Member); Emilia Alonso-Sameno Ph.D. (Committee Member); Charles Lowery Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Education; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Foreign Language; Language; Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Traditional approaches to teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) are based on a reductionist view of communication. In the reductionist view, communication is construed as a matter of arriving at understanding through the use of semiotics (verbal and non-verbal behavior). The semiotics is seen as the means to understanding instead of the consequences of understanding. Literacy is construed as an endpoint ability achieved through reading and writing. Constrained by the reductionist view of communication, the constructive nature of conversation has not been appropriately taken advantage of by CFL programs. This dissertation proposes a conversation-driven approach based on a complex, systemic view of communication, which has been informed by an extensive literature in related disciplines, such as biology, developmental psychology, linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, neuroscience, information theory, systems theory, media studies, phenomenology, and philosophy of mind. In the systemic view, communication is construed as complex and dynamic processes that are embodied as coordinated behaviors among the participants. Behavior is not something a person does by himself. Rather, it is constituted by the changes of a participant's position or attitude, which an observer describes as movements or actions in relation to a certain environment. Therefore, communication is irreducible to the physical sum of verbal and non-verbal behaviors that we observe. We conclude that learning to communicate in Chinese is not reducible to “mastering” isolated verbal and non-verbal behaviors we observe from acts of communication. Rather, learning to communicate is to orient one's behavior toward Chinese-speaking contexts. This can only be done through personally enacting processes of communication over a sufficient period of time. Complex, dynamic processes of communication constitute an ecology of literacy (EOL) – a system that sustains itself by the diverse and interrelate (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Galal Walker (Advisor); Charles Quinn (Committee Member); Mari Noda (Committee Member); Xiaobin Jian (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Curriculum Development; Ecology; Education Philosophy; Foreign Language; Literacy; Pedagogy; Sustainability; Teacher Education; Teaching

BA, Oberlin College, 2015, Psychology

Many people enjoy listening to music while they study, but others find music distracting. Research about the effect of music on performance during a cognitive task mirrors the equivocal nature of this subjective debate. Across 3 experiments, music, either in the background or as an active encoding device, was found to have no effect on foreign language learning. In Experiment 1, participants studied foreign language vocabulary in silence, while listening to instrumental music, or while listening to music with lyrics. There was no effect of music on recall at immediate (p = .52) or delayed testing (p = .80). Participants in Experiments 2 and 3 listened to and then repeated foreign language phrases by speaking or singing them aloud. No significant differences were found in recall for phrases learned by singing and for phrases learned by speaking (p = .827). Experiment 3 assessed whether using a self-composed melody as a musical mnemonic device was more effective than singing a given melody in learning foreign language phrases. Recall for foreign language phrases sung to given melodies was not significantly different than recall for phrases sung to self-composed melodies at any retention interval (all p-values > .50). Despite finding only null results, this research sheds light on the question of when music may be successfully employed to enhance learning and suggests that familiarity of the music and difficulty of the learning task may be important factors.

Committee: Patricia deWinstanley (Advisor); Nancy Darling (Advisor); Paul Thibodeau (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Educational Psychology; Experimental Psychology; Foreign Language; Language; Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Psychology; Teaching

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Study abroad experiences play a key role in the language socialization process of second language learners. Yet there is a need for more empirical studies on how to bridge the gap between classroom and community learning environments in the study abroad context. This thesis examines the question of what reporting on a weekly Performance Watch during a Chinese study abroad program reveals about students' language socialization processes. A Performance Watch consists of observing and analyzing a culturally-situated communicative event in terms of how contextual factors such as time, place, and the social roles of speakers and audience contribute to the meaning that is established by the verbal and non-verbal communication. This study establishes a theoretical framework for Performance Watch based on Galal Walker and Mari Noda's model of second-culture worldview construction, Elinor Ochs' Indexicality Principle and David Kolb's experiential learning cycle. The study also analyzes empirical data drawn from the incorporation of Performance Watch into a Chinese study abroad program and on the basis of these results makes specific suggestions regarding the future implementation of Performance Watch. This study examines 21 video-recorded oral Performance Watch reports presented by ten advanced-level students during an eight-week Chinese study abroad program for evidence of language socialization. Data was also collected from student surveys and teacher interviews from this and one other smaller study abroad program using the same curriculum. The results of the study show that reporting on a weekly Performance Watch creates opportunities for language learners to be socialized by native speakers with regard to native indexical practices and that Performance Watch facilitates deep learning by taking learners through all four stages of an experiential learning cycle. Results from the study also indicate that there may be a correlation between students' ability to identif (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Galal Walker (Advisor); Mari Noda (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Foreign Language

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Curriculum and Instruction

The proliferation of online simulation games across the globe in many different languages offers Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) researchers an opportunity to examine how language learning occurs in such virtual environments. While there has recently been an increase in the number of exploratory studies involving learning experiences of predominantly English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) participants in these environments, the context of a Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) classrooms has rarely been examined. To address this, this study investigates a Second Language Acquisition-theory driven instantiation of CALL within the context of a JFL classroom. Through a mixed-method case study approach, participants' natural acquisition of Japanese in a 3D virtual environment was examined. Data detailing participants' communicative capacities in several modalities were collected, as were their attitudes toward participation in a massively multiplayer online (MMO)-based virtual world of Tokyo. In the present study, eight sources of data from eleven university-level JFL students (n=11) were collected and analyzed to evaluate the learning outcomes from an integrative CALL framework (Warschauer, 2004; Yamazaki, 2014). Based on both interpretative and statistical analyses of data, the major finding of the present study was that the participants, when immersed in the 3D virtual world of Tokyo, acquired contextualized communicative competence. More specifically, quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvement in the participants' acquisition of incidentally encountered vocabulary, in particular, kanji pronunciation and vocabulary interpretation. Qualitative analyses revealed participants' acquisition of various communicative competencies specific to the context, including persuasive talk, concept of audience, collaborative communication, and colloquial expressions. Data from a post-hoc reflection survey provided strong evidence (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Susanna Hapgood (Committee Chair); Leigh Chiarelott (Committee Member); Douglas Coleman (Committee Member); Florian Feucht (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Educational Technology; Instructional Design; Language

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2014, Speech Pathology and Audiology

This paper examines the arguments for American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language and the development of a complete ASL curriculum to fulfill a foreign language requirement at Miami University. The development of a curriculum grounded in evidence of second language learning pedagogy is essential for the fulfillment of Miami University foreign language requirements. This paper used primary sources from peer-reviewed literature, books, and current organizational websites to examine the importance of ASL instruction at institutions of higher learning and establish a complete curriculum based on language learning pedagogy and foreign language proficiency standards.

Committee: Kathleen Hutchinson- Marron Ph.D. (Advisor); Shelly Bromberg Ph.D. (Committee Member); Amber Franklin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Megan Gross (Committee Member) Subjects: Foreign Language; Speech Therapy

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2006, English (as a Second Language)

This thesis presents a historical overview of conceptions of language and language teaching and discusses the incompatibility of these conceptions with the reality of human communication. Emphasis is put on the work of Noam Chomsky and his followers, and assumptions on which they based their research are refuted. The thesis discusses the domain confusions on which traditional linguistics relies and reviews Victor H. Yngve's framework for human linguistics. Based on human linguistics theory, a change in focus is suggested, from language teaching to communication learning; research in neurobiology that supports the proposed change is presented. An experiment (previously reported at TESOL 2006) is described that looks at what constitutes input in real-world communication. The results of the experiment indicate the role of mental imagery in generating input for communication learning; the concept of mental imagery is discussed. New terminology is suggested as well as a number of ways to improve the outcomes of communication learning in classroom settings. Simulation in the classroom is reviewed from the perspective of human linguistics and retained as the most appropriate practical application for communication learning.

Committee: Douglas Coleman (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Education, University of Toledo, 2005, Education and Spanish

In this project ten middle school foreign language cooperative learning activities were researched to determine which strategy would be the most successful in a classroom setting. In this project: Group Investigation, Simulations, Role-Plays, Conversation Cards, Jigsaw activities, Peer-Tutoring, Teams-Games-Tournaments (Without Tournaments), Information Gap, Think-Pair-Share, and Interactive Homework with parents were researched with varying degrees of success. Problems were encountered while attempting to incorporate cooperative learning strategies in a classroom of twelve, thirteen, or fourteen year-olds. The main problems were that students were not motivated to finish the work, they gave up before even starting the task, and they forgot project information at home or in lockers or lost paperwork. The CL activity failures resulted in the desire to conduct research on how to improve CL activities in the middle school classroom. After conducting action research, the successful cooperative learning activities in this middle school nine-week FLEX (Foreign Language Exploratory Experience) program were highly structured, provided clear objectives, and were shorter in duration. Activities that required research or were longer in duration were not as successful. In the middle school classroom, cooperative learning activities required patience, trial-and-error, adaptations to fit each group dynamic, and persistence.

Committee: Dwayne DeMedio (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Language and Literature

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Students' language learning motivation has typically been researched in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic sources of influence. Instructors strive to discover which classroom learning activities or what grading system will produce the greatest increase in the student's willingness to engage. In programs focusing on less commonly taught foreign languages, such as Chinese, this issue seems to be even more apparent due to the large time investment necessary to learn such languages and to reach a certain level of proficiency. This study focuses on ascertaining the factors that motivate Chinese language learners through beginning to advanced levels. Furthermore, it suggests how program administrators can design learning experiences from the learner's perspective that enhance these motivating factors. The data in this study were collected in the United States and China. Class observation, along with follow-up interviews, both of which were based upon above research questions, were conducted among a total of eighty-seven Chinese language learners, all full-time students at The Ohio State University. Ten classes of different levels given at The Ohio State University were observed, with each class lasting forty-eight minutes. To enhance the understanding of advanced-level students' learning motivation, a survey consisting of sixteen open-ended questions was administered to students who attended the advanced-level summer program in Qingdao, PRC, in 2011. The study finds that Chinese language students at different levels are very likely motivated by different factors because of their diverse experiences in learning and using Chinese. Students at beginning level are mostly limited in using their Chinese in the classroom setting. Therefore, the motivation to continue learning and the pleasure of using the language are mainly created by instructor and class activities. When students' language proficiency reaches to intermediate level, their learning opportunities are largely exp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Galal Walker PhD (Advisor); Mari Noda PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, East Asian Languages and Literatures

This dissertation is an historical ethnographic study of the Shandong kuaishu (E½¶«¿iEe) storytelling tradition and an ethnographic account of the folk pedagogy of Wu Yanguo, one professional practitioner of the tradition. At times, the intention is to record, describe and analyze the oral tradition of Shandong kuaishu, which has not been recorded in detail in English language scholarly literature. At other times, the purpose is to develop a pedagogical model informed by the experiences and transmission techniques of the community of study. The ultimate goal is to use the knowledge and experience gained in this study to advance our understanding of and ability to achieve advanced levels of Chinese language proficiency and cultural competence. Through a combination of the knowledge gained from written sources, participant observation, and first-hand performance of Shandong kuaishu, this dissertation shows that complex performances of segments of Chinese culture drawn from everyday life can be constructed through a regimen of performance based training. It is intended to serve as one training model that leads to the development of sophisticated cultural competence.

Committee: Galal Walker (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Spanish and Portuguese

Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) is a multidisciplinary area of research that combines Natural Language Processing (NLP), Intelligent Tutoring System development, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. So far, most of the work done in ICALL has primarily focused on the development of NLP technology for error diagnosis, and very few systems have been fully implemented to the point where they could be used in an existing foreign language program. The work presented here proposes to develop an ICALL system focusing primarily on the needs of foreign language students and instructors. The research project started with a survey with foreign language instructors on how ICALL could support their everyday practice. The survey was followed by an analysis of the capabilities of NLP technology, and a study on how some of the NLP tools could be used to produce a system that presented activities which could be incorporated into actual language programs. The final step was to develop a system that provides intelligent feedback following the pedagogical principles outlined. The specific context of the study was the Portuguese Individualized Instruction Program (IIP) at the Ohio State University. The main research contribution of the project is to show one way NLP technology can be used to cope with the real needs of language learners following precise pedagogical specifications. The concrete contribution of this research is an intelligent electronic workbook that is currently being used by IIP students. The overall contribution of the project is to take a concrete step in the direction of bridging the gap between the development of NLP technology for ICALL and the actual use of such technology in real life foreign language programs.

Committee: John Grinstead (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

This study is aimed at understanding English teaching and learning as a foreign language at the higher education level in Vietnam through the perspectives and experiences of Vietnamese teachers and students of English at Nha Trang University. Vietnam is currently faced with the challenge of seeking international integration and socio-economic enhancement in an English dominant environment with a workforce that does not speak English or speaks English poorly. Former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine (2007) comments that one of the challenges that Vietnam has to cope with is raising English proficiency levels of the workforce since this has been a major impediment for foreign cooperation. Lee Kwan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore indicated in a visit to Vietnam that success depends on the ability to comprehend the language used in the latest textbooks, and that language is English. Guided by critical theory and framed in a qualitative case study design relying on data from document analysis, observations and interviews of 22 participants, this study shed light on Nha Trang University as a higher education institution in Vietnam. A thematic approach was employed to analyze the data. Implications from critical theory yielded productive discussions of various problems identified in the study. Among these were: the issues of power relations especially between teachers and students; the traditional teaching model that prevailed in English classrooms; the imposition of pedagogical approaches, traditional educational ideologies, the lack of participation or the marginalization of teachers and students in the policy making and curriculum development process. The findings among others unearthed the reasons why teaching and learning English in Vietnam, especially at the higher education level, has not been successful. These should aid foreign language policy makers, curriculum designers, teachers and students of English in understanding the problem to make appro (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Francis Godwyll PhD (Committee Chair); Adah Ward-Randolph PhD (Committee Member); Ludmila Marchenkova PhD (Committee Member); Larry Burmeister PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; English As A Second Language; Language; Linguistics; Multilingual Education; Sociolinguistics; Teacher Education; Teaching