483-234 School-Related Project (LOTE)

Note:

Credit Points:

Prerequisite/s:

Corequisite/s:

Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• identify an issue or problem related to LOTE teaching practice or school policy which warrants investigation and undertake a related project;

• conduct a literature review and use it to inform and refine the investigation;

• select and develop an appropriate research methodology;

• collect and analyse the data and present the results in a scholarly form;

• draw implications from the study and make recommendations for practice from the investigation; and

• demonstrate an understanding of the nature of research in education and of the complex relationship between the results of educational research and the implications it has for practice.

Content:

Study of selected problems in design, implementation and evaluation of LOTE teaching programs. The course will involve use of relevant literature on second language learning and on development of second language teaching programs. With this background and in conjunction with school and University staff, the student will develop a proposal for a small-scale project. Following approval of the proposal, the student will complete a review of relevant literature, conduct the investigation and report the results in both a scholarly report and also in an appropriate form for users of the project findings.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

Selected research papers from current journals. Texts applicable to the focus of the project and the investigative methods used.

• Brown JD, Understanding Research in Second Language Learning: A teachers guide to statistics and research design, CUP 1988.