Social Construction of Meaning by English Language Learners- Learning Cultural Backgrounds and its Impact on Students

ISBN-13: 9783836424660 / Angielski / Miękka / 2007 / 236 str.

Yildiz Turgut

Opis

While juggling to teach English, as language teachers are we aware of theimportance of learning students cultural backgrounds and its impact on studentsparticipation to the activities and reflections of what they havelearned? This qualitative study describes the meaning making process ofEnglish language learners with different cultural backgrounds during readingand writing activities based on a social constructionism theoretical framework.Six participants are from Venezuela, Honduras, Poland, Switzerland,South Korea and Japan. As a researcher, I was a participant with a Turkishcultural background. A particular focus is set on the impact of talking onreading and writing. The analysis should help to answer the questions: -Canreading and writing discussions unite participants despite cultural and linguisticsdifferences? - What are the differences in Asian, European andHispanic participants perception of classroom talk? -How does it influencetheir contribution to the meaning making process? - Through reading thewriting of other participants, how does awareness of an audience develop intheir writing? -How do peer corrections and suggestions occur in thisculturally and linguistically diverse group? -How does the participants culturaland previous experiences contribute to their meaning making process in agroup? -Is peer-teaching really effective? This book is addressed to ESL/EFLteachers, instructors working at English Language Institutes, adult Englishlanguage learners and researchers in education, specifically ESOL andLiteracy.