Henriette van Rensburg

Improving English Language and Computer Literacy Skills in an Adult Refugee Program

Abstract With a focus on ways of improving English language and computer literacy skills of adult refugees in Australia, the study reported in this article examines the usefulness of a community program offered for five female Sudanese refugees who had very limited English language proficiency and very little or no computer experience. Main teaching strategies used for this group were repetition, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and computer-assisted language learning (CALL). By analysing data collected from questionnaires, interviews and tests, the study looks at and discusses the possibility and opportunity of using the computer as an educational tool during contact sessions and the participants’ experience with Web-based language learning (WBLL) activities. The results of the study indicate that the computer can be used to encourage learners in a refugee program to engage with their learning and online activities are helpful for them in improving their English language and computer literacy skills.

Is regional government-governance nexus delivering on social sustainability promises? Empirical evidence from Moranbah in Australia

ABSTRACT Social sustainability, in theory, should result in responsiveness to change, a durable sense of community trust and interdependent institutional structures. However, recent studies indicate that current sustainability efforts of regional local government are not yielding anticipated outcomes. Drawing on two social theories of Henri Lefebvre, this paper offers an empirical analysis of the ability of the government–governance nexus to deliver on social sustainability promises in Moranbah in regional Australia. Study findings revealed that the Moranbah government–governance nexus suffers from adversarial relationships between key actors that result in a distrust of politics and power, the absence of a defined governance system, community alienation, and State Government dominance and intervention. These experiences of the government–governance nexus have rendered social sustainability a distant hope for Moranbah’s residents. This paper suggests a reform in sustainability policies to improve the current situation in the case region, and theoretical propositions for future research.

Teachers’ Use of Facebook Motivating Vietnamese Students to Improve Their English Language Learning

At the Ho Chi Minh University of Foreign Languages – Information Technology (HUFLIT) in Vietnam – students must enrol in eight intensive compulsory English courses (two credits, equal to 30 h per course) as required by their program. The National Language Project (2012–2020) uses the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) as a framework of reference and also requires all English second language teachers in Vietnam to reach an English level proficiency of B2 as indicated by the CEFR for primary and lower secondary school teachers and CEFR C1 for upper secondary, high school teachers. As part of the National Language Project, blended learning was introduced to modernising language teaching, but unfortunately, the learning outcomes were not as positive as expected. The researchers introduced a social networking site, Facebook, for language learning in an effort to improve learning motivation through mobile learning. This study is underpinned by Malcolm Knowles’ (The adult learner: a neglected species, 3rd ed. Gulf Publishing, Houston, 1984) principles of andragogy as the science of adult learning. During the course, the researcher observed and examined participants’ learning participation and attitude using data collected by both qualitative and quantitative methods. This case study demonstrated that learning connections made through mobile learning and virtual learning environments could have a positive effect on learning outcomes and also increase students’ motivation as well as a sense of community.

Working Together: An International Collaborative Learning Project for Pre-service Teachers

Julie and her husband have a dream of moving from Australia to a country in South-East Asia, a dream fuelled both by a love of the culture of that region and by a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of at least some people who are less fortunate than themselves. Julie enrols in a teacher education programme in Australia, with a view to gaining a teaching position somewhere in South-East Asia. In this four-year programme, she learns about pedagogy and curriculum; she takes content courses in her subject areas; she explores learning theories, classroom management skills, assessment principles and professional development strategies. She completes 100 days of professional experience placements in Australian schools. She meets all the requirements of teacher registration. But is she ready to do the job that she really wants to do? Is she prepared to teach in a classroom in South-East Asia?

Empowering educators: Promoting enabling teaching and learning in research and practice

An abiding ambivalence attends the work and identities of contemporary educators. On the one hand, few informed and well-disposed commentators would doubt the importance of teaching and its transformative potential, encapsulated in representations of the teaching profession both in films (Ellsmore, 2005) and in novels (Carr, 1984). On the other hand, teachers are seen as increasingly pressured and under threat, including through (albeit often reluctant) complicity with high-stakes standardised testing (Au, 2011), responding to individual accountability and school league tables (Perryman, Ball, Maguire, & Braun, 2011), engaging with school leaders who have varying degrees of competency (Tschannen-Moran, 2014) and sometimes experiencing feelings of not belonging at school and of emotional exhaustion (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011).

Come in spinner! Opportunities and meanings emerging through distance study for professional educators

Abstract This paper reports on emergent meanings, professional dilemmas and the students’ need to negotiate workplace commitments while balancing off-campus study with family and personal responsibilities. By examining data from a participant-orientated study, we explore the burning issue of student retention within their complex and evolving contexts. Our research investigates the reasons why students take a break from their study and then resume. As one student explains, “I actually find this break experience rejuvenating because I am savouring the learning journey. I don’t feel obliged to race through the MET [Master of Education Technology]. I want the time to learn in a course and then take the time to apply what I have learned on the job” Through the data we observe ‘in practice’ opportunities and meanings that emerge from these students’ contexts, cognisant of the complementary imperatives of retention and progression typical concerns of educational providers. Three relevant themes were identified from survey data to be elucidated through focus groups: students’ jobs, university administration processes, and personal or life dilemmas. The demands of the job appear to be an important factor why people take a break. University protocols may contribute to, or compromise retention. Personal circumstances, related to family and health issues, might influence students’ ability to continue studying. Our students, postgraduates, face the challenge of fine-tuning competing demands. Thrust into novel situations and sometimes unexpectedly caught off balance, students pool their ‘war time’ stories and share pragmatics - playing the game.