LINGUIST List 21.4045 Wed Oct 13 2010 Diss: Applied Ling: Cook: 'Outsourcing In-Service Education: The ...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Melodie Cook , Outsourcing In-Service Education: The effects of a Canadian pedagogical programme on Japanese teachers' of English teaching practices Message 1: Outsourcing In-Service Education: The effects of a Canadian pedagogical programme on Japanese teachers' of English teaching practices Date: 12-Oct-2010 From: Melodie Cook <cookmelounii.ac.jp> Subject: Outsourcing In-Service Education: The effects of a Canadian pedagogical programme on Japanese teachers' of English teaching practices E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Macquarie University Program: Department of Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2010 Author: Melodie Lorie Cook Dissertation Title: Outsourcing In-Service Education: The effects of a Canadian pedagogical programme on Japanese teachers' of English teaching practices Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics Dissertation Director: Rachel Varshney Dissertation Abstract: This thesis reports on three studies examining an overseas pedagogical programme of study designed for junior and senior high school Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) and the impact of the programme on their teaching practices. Several years ago, when the researcher was visiting the host university where she used to work as an ESL instructor, a former colleague mentioned that teachers were coming from Japan to learn Communicative Language Teaching methodologies in Canada. Thinking this would be an ideal topic for doctoral research, the researcher visited the Coordinator of Special Programmes, Emma (a pseudonym), to see if she would be willing to have a study of the programme undertaken. Because no such study of the programme had been completed, and because Emma honestly expressed that she didn't know what happened after JTEs returned to Japan, she kindly consented. In order to understand more about the programme's conception, design, and delivery, the first study examined general recommendations for communicative language teaching (CLT) in-service education and training programmes for teachers who teach English as a foreign language and used such recommendations as a yardstick against which to measure the 2007 Canadian programme. In particular, the study examined three dimensions: the programme planning dimension, the programme execution dimension, and the cultural dimension. Three paradigms were used to compare cultural and educational differences between Japan and Canada: the interpretation-based versus transmission-based culture paradigm (Wedell, 2003), the collectionist versus integrationist educational paradigm (Holliday, 1994a), and the routine/uncertain culture versus non-routine certain culture paradigm (Sato, 2002). This qualitative study indicated that while the programme met almost all of the recommended criteria, especially at the programme execution dimension, a more thorough knowledge of Japanese educational culture and a re-examination of some assumptions on which the programme is constructed may be useful to programme planners and trainers in helping JTEs overcome barriers to adopting CLT practices into their lessons. The second and third studies tracked Japanese teachers of English after returning to Japan; the second study examined outcomes six months after completing the Canadian programme, and the third, one year later. Both case studies found that JTEs could effectively incorporate what they had learned overseas if they were not bound by practical constraints, such as grammar or translation-based entrance examination pressures; external influences, such as a perceived need to conform to colleagues' teaching practices, or if they were teaching specifically communication-oriented classes. Overall, findings implied that host programme planners and instructors could benefit from a closer look at constraints faced by third-year public school high school teachers in particular, since this group of teachers faces the greatest number of obstacles incorporating CLT into their regular teaching practice. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 13-Oct-2010       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.