The Language Demands of Immersion Teaching from the Teacher's Perspective in German-Speaking Switzerland

Masterarbeit , 2012 , 90 Seiten , Note: A

Sprachwissenschaft / Sprachforschung (fachübergreifend)

The English immersion programme in the German-speaking part of Switzerland sees various school subjects being taught at upper secondary school level through the medium of English. The aim of this study was to ascertain how the language needs of teachers are currently being met, what language problems teachers have and how future teachers could become more proficient before starting to teach immersively.
The aim of this study was to ascertain how the language needs of teachers are currently being met, what language problems teachers have and how future teachers could become more proficient before starting to teach immersively. A qualitative action research study in the form of lesson observations and semi-structured interviews with eight purposefully selected immersion teachers from four different schools produced the following results. Teachers were more or less compelled to decide for themselves what action was required to advance their level and stressed the inadequacy of the Cambridge Proficiency Exam when it came to improving subject-specific and classroom English. The most common language problems cited by immersion teachers encompassed speaking spontaneously and using classroom English. Even though these experienced teachers were now comfortable with their language level, they stressed the need for the following in order to improve teachers' language proficiency before joining the programme: language support not only at the start but also throughout the programme, shadow-teaching opportunities in the Anglosphere, attending specific courses on classroom English, and going on their own immersive language stay extending over several months. Thus, I propose that the educational authorities should adopt a more structured evaluation, testing both general and classroom English and provide consequent training recommendations. In addition, teachers should have access to an English teacher or assistant whom they can contact primarily for proofreading and receiving feedback on lessons.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 IMMERSION EDUCATION
  • 2.1 BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS
    • 2.1.1 CLIL VERSUS IMMERSION
    • 2.1.2 ORIGINS OF IMMERSION PROGRAMMES IN CANADA
    • 2.1.3 TYPES OF IMMERSION
    • 2.1.4 THE SPREAD OF IMMERSION INTO SWITZERLAND
  • 2.2 APPROACHES TO TEACHING IN IMMERSION SETTINGS
    • 2.2.1 CORE FEATURES OF IMMERSION
    • 2.2.2 RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF IMMERSION
  • 2.3 CHALLENGES OF IMMERSION TEACHING
    • 2.3.1 SHORTCOMINGS IN STUDENTS' PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
    • 2.3.2 LACK OF IMMERSION TEACHERS
    • 2.3.3 IMMERSION TEACHER TRAINING
    • 2.3.4 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR IMMERSION TEACHERS
    • 2.3.5 LANGUAGE DEMANDS OF ENGLISH IMMERSION TEACHING IN SWITZERLAND
  • 2.4 SUMMARY
• 3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY
  • 3.1 METHODS AND METHODOLOGY
    • 3.1.1 QUALITATIVE ACTION RESEARCH
    • 3.1.2 LESSON OBSERVATIONS
    • 3.1.3 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
  • 3.2 PURPOSIVE SAMPLING
    • 3.2.1 SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
    • 3.2.2 SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANTS
  • 3.3 DATA COLLECTION
    • 3.3.1 PREPARATION
    • 3.3.2 LESSON OBSERVATIONS
    • 3.3.3 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
  • 3.4 DATA ANALYSIS
    • 3.4.1 LESSON OBSERVATIONS
    • 3.4.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
• 4 FINDINGS
  • 4.1 LESSON OBSERVATIONS
  • 4.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
    • 4.2.1 LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE
    • 4.2.2 OBSERVED LESSON
    • 4.2.3 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHING IMMERSIVELY
    • 4.2.4 LANGUAGE SUPPORT TOWARDS THE START OF THE PROGRAMME
    • 4.2.5 PRESENT DAY SUPPORT AND TRAINING
    • 4.2.6 CURRENT LANGUAGE DEMANDS
    • 4.2.7 RECOMMENDATIONS
• 5 DISCUSSION
  • 5.1 LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING PRE-IMMERSION
  • 5.2 OBSERVED LESSONS
  • 5.3 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS, CONCERNS AND SUPPORT
    • 5.3.1 REQUIREMENTS
    • 5.3.2 CONCERNS
    • 5.3.3 SUPPORT
  • 5.4 TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 5.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
  • 5.6 TRUSTWORTHINESS AND LIMITATIONS OF DATA
  • 5.7 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
• 6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• APPENDICES
  • APPENDIX 1: Description of English immersion assistant role
  • APPENDIX 2: Sample immersion timetables
  • APPENDIX 3: List for evaluating questions in interviews by Ulrich (1999) in Flick (2006)
  • APPENDIX 4: Interview guide
  • APPENDIX 5: Teacher briefing
  • APPENDIX 6: Interview documentation sheet
  • APPENDIX 7: Sample feedback from lesson observations
  • APPENDIX 8: Teachers' language background before starting to teach immersively
  • APPENDIX 9: Attendance of other courses
  • APPENDIX 10: Most beneficial preparation
  • APPENDIX 11: Pressure during lesson
  • APPENDIX 12: Main concerns at start
  • APPENDIX 13: Teachers' reputations
  • APPENDIX 14: Biggest language challenges
  • APPENDIX 15: Actions to maintain or advance language level
  • APPENDIX 16: Dealing with native/near-native students
  • APPENDIX 17: Teachers' recommendations for addressing language demands

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This dissertation examines the language demands of English immersion teaching in German-speaking Switzerland from the perspective of teachers. It aims to understand how the language needs of teachers are currently being met, what language problems they face, and how future teachers can become more proficient before starting to teach immersively.

• Language demands of English immersion teaching in Switzerland
• Language needs and challenges faced by immersion teachers
• Teacher training and support for immersion teachers
• Recommendations for improving language proficiency and support for immersion teachers
• The role of the Cambridge Proficiency Exam in immersion teacher training

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study, outlining its purpose and research questions. Chapter 2 delves into the concept of immersion education, exploring its background, definitions, and various approaches. It examines the challenges of immersion teaching, including the shortcomings in students' productive skills, the lack of immersion teachers, and the language demands placed on teachers. Chapter 3 details the design of the study, including the methods and methodology used, the purposive sampling technique, and the data collection and analysis procedures. Chapter 4 presents the findings of the study, based on lesson observations and semi-structured interviews with immersion teachers. It explores the teachers' language experience, observed lessons, language requirements, support, and recommendations. Chapter 5 discusses the findings, addressing the research questions and considering the trustworthiness and limitations of the data. It also provides suggestions for further study. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation, summarizing the key findings and providing recommendations for improving the language proficiency and support of immersion teachers in Switzerland.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The keywords and focus themes of the text include English immersion, teacher training, language demands, language support, classroom English, Switzerland, Cambridge Proficiency Exam, qualitative action research, lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, teacher perspectives, and recommendations for improvement.

• Hochschule: University of London (Institute of Education)
• Veranstaltung: MA TESOL
• Note: A
• Autor: Colin Browne (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2012
• Seiten: 90
• Katalognummer: V282454
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656822844
• ISBN (Buch): 9783656822851
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: language, demands, immersion, teaching, teacher, perspective, german-speaking, switzerland