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The Impact of Instructed Additional Language Learning on ESOL Teaching: Perspectives from New Zealand

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Thesis(3.29 MB)

Date

2023

Authors

Willis, Rohan

Supervisor

Harvey, Sharon
Wohlfart, Irmengard

Item type

Degree name

Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge and teaching practices have attracted considerable interest in the area of teaching English to/for speakers of other languages (TESOL). Some subsequent research has focused on the reported impact of ESOL teachers’ past instructed additional language (AL) learning on their teacher beliefs. However, there remains a paucity of information about how ESOL teachers’ past instructed AL learning informs their knowledge, practices, and perceptions of the profession, particularly in the New Zealand context. This study, therefore, has investigated New Zealand-based ESOL teachers’ perceptions of how their prior experiences as language learners relate to their TESOL knowledge and teaching practices. In particular, the study examines whether or not, and how, such learning experiences have been integrated into teachers’ ESOL teaching practices. Furthermore, this study examines how ESOL teachers perceived their professional stance within the sector, considering their roles as teachers with instructed AL-learning experiences. Framed by theoretical framings of ‘teacher knowledge’ and ‘teacher linguistic identity’, this study employs the qualitative analytical approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) (Smith et al., 2009) to provide an in-depth understanding of participants’ lived experiences. The research has been conducted with 14 ESOL teachers working in New Zealand secondary schools or tertiary institutions in either the public or private TESOL sector. Participants have been purposively chosen for their plurilingual competence, experiences in instructed AL learning and ESOL teaching, and past TESOL training. Focus-group discussions, semi-structured one-on-one interviews, and some follow-up emails were the data collection methods. Recollections of these New Zealand-based ESOL teachers involve the AL teaching practices they experienced as learners, their interpretations of the ways their past AL learning impacted their TESOL knowledge and teaching practices, and descriptions of their practices. The analytical steps within IPA were employed to identify three main themes and subsequent sub-themes, which provide distinctive insights into New Zealand-based ESOL teachers’ perceptions of their lived experiences as former AL learners and current ESOL teachers. Findings suggest that the participants saw their past instructed AL learning as a powerful resource that informs their TESOL knowledge and teaching practices. They emphasize that their lived experiences as former AL learners have enabled them to develop experiential knowledge of the instructed AL-learning process, enhancing their language awareness for ESOL teaching and increasing their empathy for their students. Although the participants reported that their past instructed AL learning had impacts at the individual teacher level, these learning experiences had no impact on their professional standing within the profession or the TESOL profession as a whole. This thesis contributes to the literature on ESOL learning and teaching by arguing for the role of teachers’ instructed AL learning as the source of TESOL knowledge. As an additional contribution, valuable information to stakeholders in the TESOL sectors is offered, suggesting that the focus on employing English language teachers based on their citizenship, accents, and appearances is short-sighted and damaging. More specifically, this thesis argues for a reconceptualization of ESOL teacher identity beyond the NEST/non-NEST dichotomy. Instead, learning and using an AL is a more salient feature of ESOL teachers’ identities than whether they speak English as their L1. It is hoped that the findings can inform educational institutions and potentially improve ESOL teacher education and ESOL education.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/16826

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