Browsing by Subject "EAP"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Developing an ESL tutoring center and expanding operations online
    (TESOL, 2021) Ene, Estela; Sadri, Raeeka
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    International Students and Autonomy in Service-Learning English for Academic Purposes Courses
    (2022-11-08) Ene, Estela; Orlando, Honnor
    Learner autonomy, defined most frequently as the “ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (Holec, 1981, p. 3), plays an important role in learning generally speaking and language acquisition in particular (Thomas & Rose, 2019). Enabling learners to function independently is an important, if not the ultimate, goal of teaching. In Service Learning (SL), learners can operate autonomously, and likely become more autonomous as a result of practicing autonomy. Thus, autonomy can be a means as well as a goal. Studies, however, have not paid sufficient attention to the role that learner autonomy may play, especially when it comes to SL performed by international students. An important theoretical and practical question is whether increasing learners’ autonomy leads to better learning outcomes than other-/teacher-directed SL. If students learned as much or more when given more autonomy, teachers could better use the time they invest in the logistical overload that comes with coordinating every aspect of SL (as also noted by Kwenani & Yu, 2018); for example, teachers could focus on designing tasks that would benefit students and community partners alike and preparing their students for operating autonomously without losing focus or doing harm (Tryon et al., 2008). Thus, it is important to finetune our understanding of whether learner autonomy supports learning, and which aspects of learning it can support most productively.
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    A Model for Developing Law Lecture Comprehension Lessons for Non-Native Speakers of English from Video-taped Authentic Materials
    (2007-06-26T19:15:11Z) Martin, Lynne Rohmerien; Upton, Thomas A. (Thomas Albin)
    The goal of this thesis was to create a model of how video-taped law lectures (authentic materials) can be used in designing individual lessons which will, in general, incorporate current EAP practices and standards in aiding the LL.M. students to improve their lecture listening comprehension skills. More specifically, my model will show how within each lesson the video-taped law lectures can be used to target either a particular linguistic form or lecture construct feature for which studies have shown to be problematic in L2 lecture comprehension. Moreover, this model will further demonstrate how these lessons should address lecture organization specific to the study of law, as well as show how general lecture listening strategies can be presented as an integral part of every lesson.
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    Understanding the EAP writing and online learning needs of Chinese university students: A multiple-method needs assessment case study
    (2015) Ene, Estela; Department of English, School of Liberal Arts
    The development of educational partnerships between U.S. and Chinese universities looking to internationalize is leading to a growing demand for online English language courses for students seeking to improve their English prior to U.S. arrival. The purpose of this study was to identify the current English for Academic Purposes writing (EAPW) and online learning needs of the students from a major Chinese university. A multiple-source/multiple-method approach to data collection was implemented. The results showed that half of the participating Chinese students were ready for basic EAPW and the other half for first-year EAPW courses. Although most of the students in the study were already exposed to (mostly passive) online learning practices, they would need to be taught interactive and collaborative online learning techniques in order to perform well in an online EAPW course. The study found that the Chinese participants have good command over some important EAPW features, especially when these occur in familiar tasks. Overall, the study suggests that EAPW course designers do not need to overhaul their EAPW curricula, but rather shift their focus to incorporating and scaffolding culturally-sensitive assignments, interaction, and technical support.