First Advisor

Kimberly Brown

Term of Graduation

Summer 2001

Date of Publication

7-12-2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Department

Applied Linguistics

Language

English

Subjects

English teachers -- Training of -- Diaries, English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, Intercultural communication, Carol Rasmussen Schramm -- Diaries

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 159 pages)

Abstract

The teaching experiences of an American ESL teacher, recorded in a critically reflective diary, for the basis for this study. Through analysis of the diary, the culturally formed and framed attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions of the teacher are explored in an attempt to understand the dialectic relationship between the diarist's culture and the cultures of her students. The researcher believes that increases in awareness in these areas can lead to improved teaching practice. Thus, one goal of this study is the professional development of its author.

The literature in the field of TESOL does not adequately address the impact of a teacher's culture on classroom practice. The usefulness of the diary as a technique for bringing cultural issues into awareness has been overlooked, and there is very little information that looks at how reflective practice can increase cultural awareness. The second goal of the thesis is to address this deficiency by providing an example of how critical reflection can be used to improve teachers' understanding of what drives their practice.

Through analysis, a number of themes were identified and categorized: My Assumptions about the Students and their Cultures, Comparisons Involving the Students and their Cultures, The Students' Roles and Responsibilities, My Role and Responsibilities, Teaching Culture as Content, Concern for Students and their Intercultural Learning, Students' Expectations and Opinions of Me, and Feelings of Inadequacy as a Teacher. These are discussed, along with some common American cultural values, whose strong impact on the author's teaching practice was evident in the diary. The researcher found that while keeping a teaching diary is useful, it was in the analysis and discussion of the diary entries that the real learning and growth took place.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44940

Download

Share

COinS