Implementing a Culture of Thinking in Lao EFL Pre-Service Teacher Education: a Case of Reading
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Implementing a Culture of Thinking in Lao EFL Pre-Service Teacher Education: A Case of Reading BY SAY PHONEKEO A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics Victoria University of Wellington 2020 ABSTRACT This study has two phases. Phase 1 aimed at: (1) investigating pre-service teachers’ prior experiences of reading and learning to read in English, (2a) exploring the current state of reading instruction, and (2b) finding out the extent to which a culture of thinking (CoT) was practiced when teaching reading in the Lao EFL pre-service teacher education context. A CoT is defined as “a place where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members” (Ritchhart, Church, & Morrison, 2011, p. 219). In other words, a CoT is a place where a group of teachers, students, or people come together to conduct learning that benefits all group members and every member of the group is encouraged to interact, share ideas, and think about what is learned. To achieve Phase 1’s aims, an exploratory study was employed and a qualitative method was utilized to collect and analyze the data. Phase 1’s findings revealed that the Lao EFL pre-service teachers’ prior experiences of reading and learning to read were mostly a matter of learning discrete language features as opposed to meaning construction. The results also found that teachers paid considerable attention to discrete language items in the course of reading instruction rather than language proficiency and critical reading development. The findings also revealed that the CoT practice was not in place for teaching reading in Lao EFL pre- service education although it was acknowledged and recognized in the education and curriculum policy. The results of Phase 1 were used as baseline data for Phase 2, a classroom-based intervention. Phase 2 aimed at determining the extent to which the CoT implementation improved reading comprehension development, fostered learning engagement, and shaped perceptions of learning reading in Lao EFL pre-service teacher education. In order to accomplish the objectives of this phase, a quasi-experimental design was adopted, meaning that two intact classes of intermediate EFL pre-service teachers were recruited iii to participate in this phase. One of the classes was assigned to an experimental group while the other class was a comparison group. In terms of the intervention, thinking routines (e.g., Chalk Talk, Claim-Support-Question, and Connect-Extend-Challenge) were integrated into the three stages of reading instruction (pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading). The data were collected through a pre-test, immediate post-test, delayed- test, direct classroom observations, a pre-post perception survey, and focus group interviews. They were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. An effect size analysis was also performed to supplement the t tests used in this phase. The findings revealed that the CoT implementation had a strong effect (d = 1.01) on reading comprehension development and there was a statistical significance between the two groups, t(59) = 3.894, p = .00 < .05. It also fostered interactive and meaningful learning engagement, and changed students’ perceptions towards learning reading. Drawing from the findings, it has been suggested that a CoT can be an option for EFL teachers to consider integrating into their classroom practices in order to foster deep and meaningful learning and shape students and teachers’ experiences of and attitudes toward learning and teaching English. iv DEDICATION Dedicated to my beloved parents who endlessly supported me throughout this journey v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand government for its financial support during my PhD journey. Without this support, my project would not have been able to be completed. In addition, I am thankful to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences for the financial support, which allowed me to present my study overseas. Second, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my primary supervisor, Professor John Macalister, for his wisdom, guidance, sense of humor, careful reading, tolerance, valuable direction, and trust along this journey. I would also like to express deep appreciation to my secondary supervisor, Associate Professor Jonathan Newton, for his support, enthusiasm, and energy throughout this investigation. His prompt responses and important suggestions contributed a significant part to this project. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my fellow PhD students, staff in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, and those from whom I received support at Victoria University of Wellington during this project. A heartfelt thank you for my family: my parents and siblings who provided me with love, support, and sympathy along this project. Finally, I would like to express my profound gratitude to all my participants at National University of Laos, Vientiane, who welcomed me and provided useful data and insights into the issues under investigation. Without their cooperation and assistance, this thesis would never have been completed. vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... xvi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ xix A GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ xxi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The research setting ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Rationale for the study ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Purposes and questions ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Organization of the thesis ................................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: THE RESEARCH CONTEXT .................................................................................. 9 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Geographic and demographic snapshots .................................................................................... 9 2.3 The political, economic, social, and religious context .......................................................... 10 2.3.1 The political and institutional context ................................................................................... 10 2.3.2 The economic context ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.3 The socio-cultural context ........................................................................................................... 12 2.3.4 The religious context ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.4 The educational context .................................................................................................................. 14 2.4.1 Lao education structure ............................................................................................................... 14 2.4.2 Education system administration ............................................................................................ 16 2.4.2.1 Macro level .................................................................................................................................... 16 2.4.2.2 Meso-level ...................................................................................................................................... 17 2.4.2.3 Micro level ..................................................................................................................................... 18 2.4.3 Education sector development and reform plan ................................................................ 18 2.5 TEP in focus .......................................................................................................................................... 20 vii 2.5.1 A brief history .................................................................................................................................