Exposing middle school students to characters with disabilities in young adult literature will not only forward an agenda of diversity in literature, but also teach readers about bullying and its repercussions for a vulnerable group of adolescents. The connections created through studying these novels can help build and strengthen a safe,…

In this paper, I describe my theoretical and experience-informed re-conceptualisations of teaching educational leadership within an Australian Masters of Education program. I describe three phases of topic (subject) re-design, across four years, initiated by me, to respond to my discomfort in my first year, with the realisation that I had…

The online environment challenges social work educators in their approach to developing students' cultural awareness and culturally competent skills. To develop student competencies, it is important for accredited social work programs to consider both their explicit and implicit curricula. Although research has focused on the influence of…

It is rare for learners to reach high level of communicative ability from engaging in entirely language form either implicitly or explicitly. Likewise, focusing primarily on content may be a hindrance to embrace target language features. The integration of form-focused instruction in content-based classrooms has been effective because such an…

Needs analysis plays a vital role in developing speaking material and results in a powerful tool that helps teachers to design materials in line with the learners' target needs and learning needs. The aims of this research are to analyse the types of learners' target needs and learning needs for material development in the academic…

Globalization and internationalization have fostered the development of English as a medium of instruction (EMI). EMI is gaining its popularity all over the world. In line with this tendency, various universities in Vietnam introduce EMI to its undergraduate programs in forms of advanced or high-quality training programs. However, little research…

Implementation of reform curricula requires teachers to adopt new approaches to teaching. Research has provided promising results about the influence of educative curriculum on teachers' learning and instruction. However, this approach generally focuses on teachers as isolated learners. Using a design-based research approach, the authors developed…

Criterion referenced tests of second language speaking performance are administered in different institutions using different procedures. The present study reports raters' practices of second language speaking tests, in particular the correspondence between test-takers' grades when assessed individually and in groups. Data derived from…

Social media has quickly become an integral part of day-to-day interaction for many university students. This exploratory study investigated the use of the social media site Instagram for written discussions in three introductory French classes (n= 83). Specifically, student perception on the role of image as a mediational tool (Vygotsky, 1978) to…

Many learners, even those studying at universities in regions where the target language is spoken, lack opportunities for meaningful language use outside of the classroom. One avenue for learners to increase authentic target-language communication is online affinity spaces within social media platforms, where interactions with other users are…

This thesis examines children's thinking, learning and metacognition when designing their own computer games. The study aims to understand more about what kind of learning takes place, and how it emerges whilst children are authoring their own computer games. The aim is to get an insight into the cognitive processes students exercise that…

This study used mixed methods to explore the impact of a university-hosted professional learning community (PLC) on teacher retention in public schools. Recent graduates (1-3 years) and mentor teachers were invited to participate. Via a case study approach, participants were challenged to look critically at their teaching and use data to…

This paper proposes a way of integrating self-directed reading into a collaborative classroom with formative and summative tasks as well as facilitating integration with the target culture, and familiarity with the target language in a variety of settings. Linking to literature on motivation, and drawing on case-study experience, an approach to…

There have been sweeping changes in foreign language education in the United States. As the world is experiencing unprecedented globalization, knowledge of a foreign language and familiarity with other cultures have become increasingly important. Public schools are now implementing dual immersion programs to better prepare students for the…

A comparison study between two different methods of conducting online discussions in an introductory astronomy course was performed to determine if the use of Facebook as an online discussion tool has an impact on student participation as well as student response time. This study shows that students using Facebook for their online discussions…