English in Context: A Qualitative Inquiry of an English Program for International Teaching Assistants

English in Context: A Qualitative Inquiry of an English Program for International Teaching Assistants

  This is a qualitative inquiry that examines the effectiveness of an English language program designed for prospective international teaching assistants (ITAs) in a research university in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to investigate key factors that influence the program effectiveness at a practice level. First, on the basis of the sociolinguistic framework of ITA learning and teaching (Hoekje & Williams, 1994), the suitability of the curriculum and instructional methods of the program is examined. In addition, a semester-long class observations and interviews with the students and the instructor are conducted to understand the actual learning contexts and processes. Overall, it is a highly tasked-based and student-centered program that focuses on teaching strategies and cultural awareness of students as well as linguistic improvement. In particular, the well-structured daily objectives and adequate resources are indispensable to run this task-oriented curriculum smoothly. Most of all, observations and interviews reveal that the positive attitude and skillful classroom management of the instructor, as a role-model, and students’ self-practice and reflection on their own learning processes are critical to make it a constructive training program. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed later.