BC TEAL Journal

Raising Awareness, Providing Professional Development, and Sharing Expertise: Nine Years of the BC TEAL Journal

Scott Roy Douglas — 2024-12-31

This editorial for the 2024 issue of the BC TEAL Journal reiterates BC TEAL’s mission to raise awareness, provide professional development, and share expertise related to English as an additional language teaching and learning in British Columbia and the wider world. With a reminder of the journal’s commitment to open access, the most read articles from all issues of the journal during the past year are shared with readers. An overview of the current issue is then provided to highlight topics related to general English for academic purposes, service learning, digital literacy, learners with refugee experiences, online learning, and materials development. This overview is followed by an invitation to contribute to the journal with citations, submissions, and peer reviews.

An Apology for EGAP: The Benefits of a General Approach to English for Academic Purposes in Canadian Post-Secondary Contexts

Paul Anthony Marshall — 2024-11-08

A wide range of English for academic purposes (EAP) programs are offered in British Columbia and across Canada. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of an English for general academic purposes (EGAP) approach can provide important insights into how students might most benefit from their EAP program experiences. The insights in this article are based on a review of the literature related to EGAP in the Canadian context, with nine key sources informing an argument in favour of the general academic and holistic benefits that are often the focus of EGAP programs. It argues that that the benefits provided by discipline-specific input, terminology, and tasks characteristic of an English for specific academic purposes (ESAP) approach, while useful, should not take priority over student wellbeing. In Canadian post-secondary settings, overall student wellbeing should be a key priority, and this priority can be achieved much more holistically by providing support of a cultural-, community-, campus-, and socio-emotional- nature. These are components typically present in many EGAP courses, but less typically emphasized in an ESAP approach.

Service Learning, Cultural Humility, and Language Instruction: Being in Community

Katie Crossman — 2024-11-18

To address linguistic, social, and settlement needs among professional and highly educated newcomer language learners in Canada, a Service Learning program was established at an urban community college. It incorporated field-specific language instruction, cultural humility and intercultural communication training, and meaningful Service Learning placements with local organizations. Using a participatory action research approach, co-design, and developmental evaluation, a case study of the course’s development, delivery, and short-term impacts was conducted. This paper highlights key findings from that case study. Data were collected from surveys, focus groups, and reflections over the course of two pilot offerings with 27 learners. Using an inductive approach to qualitative data analysis, broad themes were identified. In this paper, the findings are grouped into four main themes: language development, settlement needs, cultural humility, and personal transformation. To conclude, barriers, facilitators, and recommendations are discussed with the goal of highlighting the challenges and celebrations of Service Learning for newcomer language learners.

Supporting EAL Secondary Students in Thinking Critically about Online Information

Kim McDonough — 2024-11-20

Evaluating the credibility of online information, a key component of digital literacy, is challenging for secondary students because they often rely on superficial strategies that do little to help them differentiate between information and disinformation. For example, our research has shown that students are prone to believe sites that appear professional but are in fact of a more nefarious nature (e.g., fake news sites designed to intentionally deceive). For this Description of Classroom Practices report, we describe a series of six lessons that we designed with secondary EAL teachers that help students think critically about online information while supporting their growth as additional language learners. We found that the lessons helped students evaluate the credibility of online sources holistically by evaluating within and across content, source, and context. After reporting the students’ overall positive comments about the materials, we describe their favourite activity in more detail with scaffolding suggestions.

A Care Ethics Approach to Digital Literacies: Supporting Language Acquisition, Identity, and Overall Well-being of Adult EAL Learners with Refugee Experiences in Canada

Shanna Baslee — 2024-12-15

Academics around the globe have examined the ethics of care theory and its application across various educational contexts; however, little research has focused on this approach within the adult English as an additional language (EAL) context. Additionally, educational research on digital literacies has examined the competencies necessary to be digitally literate today, yet only recently has research in EAL contexts shed light on the digital needs and goals of adult newcomers with refugee status in Canada. This review provides insight into the pairing of a care ethics approach with digital literacies instruction for learners with refugee experiences in the EAL classroom. Through current research and classroom practices, I argue that this approach can support language acquisition, identity, and overall well-being for this growing population of adult learners in Canada. Synthesizing research on a care ethics approach in education and the digital literacy needs and goals of adult English language learners, the first section focuses on the role of a care ethics approach in EAL contexts. The second section discusses the digital landscape in Canada and summarizes research on digital literacy practices in EAL contexts. The final section brings forth the discussion, strategies, and implications of integrating a caring, empathetic, and inclusive approach to digital literacies.

Leveraging Asynchronous Online Learning to Deliver Intercultural Learning Outcomes in an EAP Program: Lessons for Future Practice

Michael Henry Landry — 2024-12-19

Having the intercultural communication skills required to navigate diverse communities is imperative, especially for international students. English for academic purposes (EAP) programs are one support offered in a wide range of contexts across post-secondary institutions in Canada to help students use English as an additional language (EAL) with their socialization into their new communities. However, there has been a lacuna in the research regarding how to meaningfully deliver intercultural communication outcomes in crowded EAP curricula. Drawing on a theoretical framework involving literature on EAP in Canada, additional language socialization, and intercultural communicative competence, this qualitative study presented the pedagogical strategies and implications of using online asynchronous intercultural learning outcomes in an EAP program in British Columbia, Canada. Data were generated from online questionnaires, student e-portfolios, focus groups, and individual interviews with students and graduate teaching assistant participants. Identified meaningful units of text in the data were coded, and the codes were gathered together into overarching and supporting themes. The findings point to the benefits of leveraging online platforms to find space for intercultural learning outcomes in EAP and key imperatives for delivery.

Principled Benefits: Student Perceptions of Teacher-Developed English for Academic Purposes Materials

Ronan Scott — 2024-12-20

While there are a wide range of English for academic purposes (EAP) programs and plentiful teaching materials published for the EAP classroom, teachers still are faced with the task of developing their own materials as well as adapting materials created by others. Limited research has been carried out on the development and use of EAP materials, particularly in the Canadian context. This study was carried out to investigate student perceptions related to a set of EAP listening and speaking materials developed according to a set of principles grounded in research and theory related to how additional languages are taught and learned. EAP students used the materials as part of their regular classroom activities, and were then invited to take part in an online questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The data were coded and the codes gathered into themes related to students’ perceptions of the materials. The results point to improved listening skills, autonomy, interactions, speaking skills, motivation, video learning, cognitive skills, and relevance as key themes related to principle-informed and teacher-developed EAP materials. These themes underscore the importance of principles in materials development and provide a basis for future research related to writing materials for EAP students.