Authors:Scott Roy Douglas Pages: i - iii Abstract: The BC TEAL Journal continues to strengthen the field of English as an additional language (EAL) teaching and learning as a space for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to come together in ways that underscore the knowledge creation, theory building, and educational innovation taking place in EAL teaching and learning in British Columbia and the wider world. Taking the time to define epistemology as it relates to EAL teaching and learning, this editorial outlines how the articles in the current issue of the journal support that space. There are five articles in this issue spanning post-secondary and adult contexts. With topics related to testing, teaching methods, lesson planning, comparative education, and literacy education, the value of the journal as a venue for the dissemination of new knowledge is much in evidence. PubDate: 2022-12-31 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.513 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)
Authors:Jane Steiger Pages: 1 - 22 Abstract: While previous research on student success has focused on disciplinary academic classes and programs with varying results regarding the predictive validity of English proficiency tests, namely the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), none have studied student success within the non-program-specific context of an English for academic purposes (EAP) program in which the cut scores set by the university align with the IELTS guidance. Using data collected during the intake of new international students and at the completion of each semester, this study primarily sought to determine how students placed via IELTS fared compared to those placed via other tests, including the in-house English placement test (EPT), and whether they were more likely to fail EAP courses during their first semester. Across six semesters, success data for 663 English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in EAP courses during their first semester at the university were collected and compared on the basis of the placement test used, students’ test scores, and their final course grades. Logistic regression analysis results revealed that the EPT performed significantly better in placing students into level-appropriate courses than IELTS. The findings indicate the predictive value of the in-house EPT process and suggest further research into semester-to-semester variations, emergent placement methods, and the probability of seeking services to mitigate academic challenges. PubDate: 2022-05-02 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.451 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)
Authors:Kelly Shoecraft, Jodie L. Martin, Greta Perris Pages: 23 - 41 Abstract: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) aims to equip multilingual students with the tools to effectively engage in disciplinary academic communication, especially writing. An ongoing challenge is how to transfer students’ knowledge of language from the EAP classroom into their current and future disciplines (Monbec, 2018) and how to empower them as independent learners and collaborators in their knowledge development. This paper reports on an EAP curriculum project in which first-year international science students in British Columbia were scaffolded to conduct independent comparative discourse analysis to develop their academic literacy abilities. We demonstrate how students not only improved their understanding of specific language features, but also were empowered with the critical knowledge and skills to become apprentice scholars and active members in the science community. The students were therefore legitimized as academic apprentices, rather than framed as deficient in language or victims of circumstance (Gallagher & Haan, 2017). We therefore present evidence of non-linguist language students successfully conducting independent discourse analysis to further their own language and learning goals. PubDate: 2022-06-06 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.452 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)
Authors:Li-Shih Huang Pages: 42 - 54 Abstract: This classroom practice oriented article provides the instructional framework and procedures for one of the sample field-tested lessons from the oral narrative units derived from the Syrian Learners of English for Employment in Canada (SLEEC) project (Huang, 2021, 2022). This sharing is intended to provide a ready-to-use lesson plan and materials for implementation in the classroom, as well as to inform the work of practitioners supporting learners with refugee experiences. PubDate: 2022-07-05 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.459 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)
Authors:James N. Corcoran, Julia Williams, Kris Pierre Johnston Pages: 55 - 84 Abstract: The growing trend of internationalization at Canadian institutions of higher education has led to increased need to support plurilingual students using English as an additional language (EAL). This support, often embedded in English for academic purposes (EAP) programs, is offered in a wide range of contexts across Canadian institutions of higher education. However, relatively little is known about this sector or those who work within it. In this article, we seek to delineate the Canadian EAP landscape by providing findings from the first phase of a mixed methods investigation into EAP programs and practitioners across Canada. We surveyed EAP programs and practitioners across three types of Canadian institutions involved in the provision of EAP support (n = 481). Findings point to a diversity of program models and practitioner profiles across Canadian regions and institutions, as well as significant differences in practitioners’ professional satisfaction based on role and institution type. Further findings point to substantial concern among EAP practitioners regarding job security, collaboration with other institutional stakeholders, and professional development opportunities. Adopting a critical pragmatic lens, we discuss findings, raising questions for consideration for EAP administrators, instructors, and post-secondary institutional policy makers, and conclude with a call for greater research into Canadian EAP programs and practitioners. PubDate: 2022-07-21 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.498 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)
Authors:Tara L. Penner, Marilyn L. Abbott, Kent K. Lee Pages: 85 - 97 Abstract: Emergent multilingual English as an additional language literacy learners (EALLs) have unique learning needs as they are learning to read and write for the first time in any language while they are also beginning to develop formal learning strategies that support successful school-based learning. Consequently, EALLs require specialized instruction in how to regulate the metacognitive, cognitive, behavioural, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning in formal classroom environments. Theories of self-regulated learning can inform English as an additional language (EAL) literacy programming and guide instructors in the development of EALLs’ formal learning strategies. The effective use of formal self-regulated learning strategies for planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning is essential for successful school-based learning. In this paper, we review three models of self-regulation (Dörnyei, 2005; Oxford, 2017; Zimmerman, 2013) that inform an instructional sequence designed to support EALLs’ self-regulated learning in the classroom. We describe our research-informed instructional sequence and provide examples of how instructors can encourage EALLs’ use of self-regulatory strategies including commitment, metacognitive, satiation, emotional, and environment control strategies, as well as the development of metastrategies that support self-regulated learning. In summary, we demonstrate how research on self-regulated learning can inform instructional practices for EALLs in EAL literacy classes. PubDate: 2022-08-25 DOI: 10.14288/bctj.v7i1.469 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022)