Browsing by Author "Tweedie, M. Gregory"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Dialogue Journals in Short-Term Study Abroad: “Today I Wrote My Mind”
    (2016-01) Dressler, Roswita; Tweedie, M. Gregory
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    EAP Curriculum Alignment and Social Acculturation: Student Perceptions
    (TESL Canada, 2015) Tweedie, M. Gregory; Kim, Marcia
    The role of English as a second language (ESL) teachers and instruction as fac- tors in student social and psychological acculturation is widely acknowledged. However, the function of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is less well known in this regard, because research has focused largely on academic acculturation. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of curriculum alignment with undergraduate study by post-EAP learners (students who had successfully completed EAP and were registered in mainstream university programs). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 7 former EAP students from a range of faculties at a large Canadian university. Analysis of interview data highlighted social acculturation as a perceived need in EAP curriculum, as participants remarked on linguistic and cultural barriers faced while participating in university life post-EAP. The researchers argue that social acculturation is typically underrepresented in EAP curriculum, and may be inadvertently overlooked by instructors, curriculum planners, and program providers.
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    Engagement in Learning: Supporting Female Students at a UAE University
    (2020-06-29) Davison, Christina Jean; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Bhomik, Subrata Kumar; Sewell, H. Douglas; Tweedie, M. Gregory; Gaad, Eman
    Student engagement is widely seen as positively influencing learning in higher education. The purpose of this study was to investigate female Emirati student perspectives regarding factors that affected their engagement or disengagement in learning during their undergraduate programs at a public federal university in the United Arab Emirates. The aim of the study was to suggest how to improve support and cultivate student engagement in learning in the specific cultural context. The study used a qualitative approach and critical incident technique within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm. Interviews were conducted with 21 female undergraduate students across all years and many programs in one university. Participants were asked to recount two critical incidents: a time they were particularly engaged in learning, and a time they were particularly disengaged. Data was analyzed in three phases, resulting in main themes connected to both personal and social factors, as well as substantial wish lists for future improvement. A cross-comparison of themes suggested antecedents and impacts of the critical incidents. A contextualized model is proposed with four environmental levers that participants perceived might affect their engagement. The levers are: (a) accessible language, (b) positive instructor-student relationships, (c) a balance of independence, and (d) personal development and relevance.
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    English for 21st-Century Global Citizenship: An Investigation of an Introductory Online Professional Development Course
    (2020-11-03) Hazard, Russell; Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Dressler, Roswita; Tweedie, M. Gregory; Guo-Brennan, Linyuan; Oddone-Paolucci, Elizabeth
    The purpose of this research is to build understanding of professional development for twenty-first century Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for international English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers. The research is significant because a variety of international education organizations, policy experts, and researchers in the field of EAL have noted that Global Citizenship Education should be embedded into all subject areas, and because such implementation is enabled by teacher training relating to the content and pedagogies involved. A group of (N=12) international English language professionals were recruited for a two-week online professional development course. The participants were surveyed for pre-existing knowledge and attitudes toward GCED. The research used qualitative analysis of discussion boards, post-course questionnaires, and post-course interviews. Participants noted high congruence between GCED themes and the needs of their content-based programs. Explicit teaching of GCED frameworks and sub-initiatives was noted as a valuable linguistic and cognitive strategy. Active, learner-centered, and some transformative workflows were developed and supported by visible thinking and thinking routines for efficient language production and formative assessment. Project Based Learning linking the classroom to the real world was noted as a valuable teaching approach. EAL research and experience in teaching for intercultural communicative competence, analogue and digital rhetoric and media awareness, and Critical Language Awareness were noted as areas of Pedagogical Content Knowledge to be aware of.
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    Experiences and Impacts of a Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program from the Perspective of Chinese Visiting Scholars
    (2018-04-20) Fedoruk, Lisa Margaret; Kawalilak, Colleen A.; Groen, Janet; Roy, Sylvie; Tweedie, M. Gregory; Benjamin, Amanda D.
    Visiting scholar programs as a practice of internationalization in higher education are an increasingly common form of cross-cultural professional development in the era of globalization. Visiting scholars from China are among the largest group of academics and researchers in the world to engage in international programs and activities; however, scholarship on their experiences is limited. The purpose of this study was to better understand how a group of Chinese visiting scholars made meaning of their experiences, having participated in a 3-month professional development program in Canada, and if these experiences influenced and impacted their teaching practices upon returning to China. I employed a qualitative, descriptive case study to examine the real-life situations that the participants’ experiences were rooted in. I conducted semistructured interviews with 10 participants and constantly compared the data with participant reflective documents and researcher reflective notes to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Guided by a transformative learning theoretical framework, I examined the motivations of the Chinese visiting scholars to partake in the program, what constituted significant learning moments and how they were experienced and interpreted, and the resulting impact on participants’ perspectives and teaching practices upon returning to their home higher education institutions. The findings revealed that a fundamental motivation for participants to sojourn abroad was to fulfil an international requirement within their teaching positions and for eventual job advancement. Participants were also motivated to attain cross-cultural professional development by enhancing their teaching practices and English proficiency. An additional finding pertaining to significant learning moments encompassed the challenges surrounding English language proficiency and cultural adjustments within higher education contexts, including student-centred instructional strategies and teaching theories. Through an organically developed community of practice and continuous reflection and dialogue, participants were able to overcome challenges and implement their knowledge upon returning to their home institutions. This qualitative study contributes to the scholarship on international practices in higher education and includes valuable strategies for all stakeholders to incorporate to enhance future cross-cultural professional development programs and prepare future scholars to embark on a similar journey.
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    Foregrounding the Voice of Prospective Host Community Stakeholders in International Service Learning
    (2019-01-14) George, Merlene A.; Kawalilak, Colleen; Andreotti, Vanessa; Lund, Darren E.; Simmons, Marlon; Tweedie, M. Gregory
    While there is a growing body of research within the area of International Service Learning (ISL), research is skewed towards an interest in Western concerns and representation. Service learning that involves stakeholders from host countries in the global South is often predicated on relationships between stakeholders that are inherently inequitable. While there is ample research on ISL, most has been concerned with the stakeholders from the global North, with little critical insight coming from the host communities. This lack of community voice only serves to uphold a cultural hegemony, negating claims by proponents of service learning of mutual benefit and reciprocity. Therefore, this collective case study sought out the perspectives of six community leaders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to determine how they might envision a meaningful ISL initiative. The research participants’ concerns with the unequal distribution of wealth, the moral condescension exhibited by foreigners, and the lack of community voice within the global arena, made embracing ISL ventures a tenuous proposition. Evident from the findings was a Western hegemonic ethnocentrism that impacted how the participants perceived service, reciprocity, and partnership within ISL.
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    Motivation Through Student-Made Video Projects: A Qualitative Case Study
    (2020-07-07) Jung, Christina Dahee; Boz, Umit; Roy, Sylvie; Tweedie, M. Gregory; Kim, Beaumie; Spiliotopoulos, Valia
    While motivation can arise from both intrinsic and extrinsic sources, educators have long sought different ways to motivate students in the language classroom. One way to accomplish this is to engage students in technology-enhanced learning through video projects whereby they plan, organize, collaborate, communicate, and record their end product such as an oral presentation of a topic or a short film. This case study explored how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students perceived the impact of video projects on their motivation for language learning in a medium-sized private university in the Republic of Korea. Utilizing semi-structured interviews, student artifacts, and researcher field notes/reflection journal, the study investigated eight students’ perceptions and experiences in relation to creating infomercial video projects and how this process interacted with their language learning motivation. Data was analysed, coded, and organized into themes and subthemes. Findings revealed that motivational orientations of the students were based on a series of factors such as family, classroom influences, and future goals and opportunities. Students, in general, reported positive perceptions in relation to the creation of video projects based on their collaborative and technology-enhanced learning experiences. Additionally, findings also point to the role of sociocognitive constructs of motivation, including self-efficacy, task value, and affect in the perceived influence of video projects on learner motivation. By providing a rich understanding of the dynamic and fluid nature of language learning motivation during video projects, the study presents new insights as to the role of learner-centred and technology-enhanced approaches to promoting motivation in the post-secondary EFL classrooms.