Browsing by Subject "Curriculum development"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Culture in the English Language Curriculum in Mexico: How English language teaching and learning is conceptualized and exercised by educators in relation to ideas of culture at UVM México
    (2022-05) Butler, Lenise
    In this dissertation, I explore teachers' voices around the integration of culture learning into the English as a foreign language curriculum in a large private university in Mexico. Drawing on interviews and a focus group, as well as reference to the actual curriculum at play, this study offers an exploration of teachers’ perspectives and the realities in action of culture learning in the classroom environment. The study highlights the concerns of a large institution, the aspirations of program leaders, and the voices of teachers charged with making the desired outcomes a reality. It examines the realities behind best intentions in the educational environments of higher education in Mexico, specifically in the EFL sphere. This dissertation contributes to the international literature and knowledge base around culture in English language teaching in two ways. First, by sharing the realities of a contextualized program in Mexico and how the desired skills and competencies are integrated into the program. Second, by exemplifying teachers’ interaction with curriculum design and implementation, and giving voice to their perspective in ways which have never been recorded at UVM before. At the same time, this dissertation provides reference to how action research can make a difference in formal educational settings in Mexico and specifically, how it can and should be used in the element of curriculum design. As such, this research reinforces the need to continually recognize, train and include teachers in program design and curriculum reform. It draws on the realities of in-class teaching and learning to highlight the importance of the teacher in the process of learning culture and language, and shows teachers’ perspectives of the importance of culture as learning objectives for students.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Prevalence of assessment, curriculum and staff development specialists in small school districts of Minnesota.
    (2010-12) Cary, Michael
    Legislative mandates for improving student achievement under the No Child Left Behind Act have increased the need for student assessment, curriculum development and staff development in public schools. In order to meet these demands, schools must have the capacity necessary for improvement. Minnesota's small districts and their schools face resource inequities due to higher per-pupil costs for programs due to economies of scale and a linear funding system that assumes equal cost per student. These inequities result in differential access to assessment, curriculum development and staff development specialists based upon the size of school districts within Minnesota. Identification of these differences may serve as a foundation upon which to discern the impacts, if any, upon district ability to meet federal expectations for student achievement.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Toward global leadership: factors influencing the development of intercultural competence among business students at a Canadian University
    (2014-12) Brand, Ingrid Eva
    The purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing the development of intercultural competence among business students at a Canadian university. A sequential mixed methods methodology is utilized which includes: 1) a survey designed specifically for the current study, the Intercultural Competence among Canadian Business Students survey (ICCBS), 2) the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) (Ang, Van Dyne, Koh, Templer, Tay, & Chandrasekar,2007), and 3) telephone interviews conducted with study participants. The research results indicate that although the university's business program does feature international content, few program components per se raise intercultural awareness. According to participants, program components that explicitly raise their awareness about cultural differences, however, do improve their intercultural competence. The following program variables have the strongest positive association with study participants' self-ranked and reported intercultural competence development: comparisons of business practices in different cultural contexts; textbooks, articles, or videos originating from other countries; and extra-curricular activities. Participants view the university's diverse setting as a valuable natural resource. However, the majority of students interviewed identify other students' attitudes as the key barrier to intercultural competence development. Data gathered in response to open-ended survey items and through interviews illuminate missed opportunities for developing intercultural competence, among business students. The CQS findings underscore the need for including more intercultural learning opportunities. Research findings surprisingly indicate no statistical association between participants' self-ranked intercultural competence and their composite CQ, even though CQ is measured with high reliability and the self-ranked competence seems subject to little social desirability. Together, these research results have important implications for business curriculum and co-curricular development, intercultural competence assessment and development, and future research.