Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-1988
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Major
Curriculum and Instruction
Major Professor
Mark A. Christiansen
Committee Members
Donald J. Dessart, Robert H. Orr, Anand K. Malik, Patricia D. Wiley
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to survey the general status of teaching English to non-English speakers at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This survey was limited to 175 non-native speaking students attending classes for foreign students operated by the English Language Institute, the International House, and the English Department as well as 15 teachers teaching at the three units stated. Ninety-eight per cent, or 188 subjects, responded.
The data were collected during Winter Quarter, 1988. Questionnaires and interviews were the primary instruments used in gathering the data.
The findings of this study were summarized as follows :
1). The objectives of the programs in teaching English to non-English speakers were stated clearly in all three units.
2). The instruction in the three units was geared to the auditory learners.
3). Culture seemed to be the area of neglect in the classes operated by the English Department.
4). Only 30 per cent of participating teachers had their degrees in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language.
5). The majority of participating teachers appeared to be familiar with the development in the field of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language.
6). Grammar was reported to be the course that the teachers in two units—the English Language Institute, and the English Department—enjoyed the least. However, all participating teachers seemed to agree that grammar was to be taught and emphasized in non-English speaking student classes.
7). Chalkboard was the number one teaching aid used most often in class.
8). The majority of students in all three units reported their belief to make use of the English courses they had learned in some form in the future.
9). The number of teachers teaching classes for foreign students operated by the English Department, as compared to the other two units, seemed to be insufficient.
10). The students' TOEFL scores in all three units showed positive correlations with their length of time studying English.
Based upon findings fiom the study, several recommendations were made for improvement of the programs of teaching English to non-English speakers at the surveyed units.
Recommended Citation
U-nakarin, Tamronglak, "A Descriptive analysis of the teaching of English to non-English speakers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1988.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/11980