TESL Ontario is pleased to support research initiatives by giving members a chance to participate. All research initiatives posted here are submitted to an ethics review before they are made available. The final reports will also be made available on this site.
Research Project: Advancing Agency in Language Education
On behalf of the Advancing Agency in Language Education research team, we would like to extend an invitation to participate in a landscape survey which aims to explore language teachers’ experiences with action-oriented, technology-mediated, and plurilingual practices in language education. This research project is coordinated by Dr. Enrica Piccardo (University of Toronto/OISE), in collaboration with Drs. Geoff Lawrence (York University), Angelica Galante (McGill University), and Aline Germain-Rutherford (University of Ottawa).
This survey is directed at educators in Canada who are teaching English, French, and/or German as a second/additional language in K-12, post-secondary, and/or adult settings that may include public, private, governmental, non-governmental or community contexts.
In this survey, you will be asked to reflect on your own experiences and teaching practice as an instructor of English. Your reflection will help the researchers better understand the above-mentioned key areas and will help to inform the development of a professional toolkit facilitating plurilingual, technology-mediated, and action-oriented approaches to language education.
This landscape survey (~15-20 mins) consists of 4 parts:
- demographic questionnaire
- teaching experience questionnaire
- pedagogy questionnaire on your familiarity with and use of action-oriented, technology-mediated, and plurilingual pedagogies
- classroom practices questionnaire on your recent/current classroom practices
Please note that this survey is available in English, French, and German.
Below you will find the survey link and QR code. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact our Research Assistant, Karam Noel, at: karam.noel@mail.utoronto.ca
This study will be available for completion until October 31st, 2023.
Thank you for considering participating in this project!
Kind regards,
Advancing Agency in Language Education Research Team.
Survey Link:
English Version: https://lincdire.limequery.org/922488?lang=en
French Version: https://lincdire.limequery.org/673484?newtest=Y&lang=fr
German version: https://lincdire.limequery.org/122972?newtest=Y&lang=de
Research Project: University Transition of International Students
You are invited to participate in the study “University Transition of International Students” that we, Ridha Ben-Rejeb (researcher) and principal investigator Dr Frank Boers are conducting at Western Education. This study aims to explore the experiences of individual international students as they transitioned from an English language preparatory program in Canada to pursue undergraduate studies at a Canadian university. The inquiry focuses particularly on identifying language skills, strategies and resources that enhanced their university transition and success. The study also solicits your feedback particularly about learning gains, English language readiness skills and coping strategies that are, in your opinion, useful and effective for success in a first-year university academic experience. The interview will take approximately one hour. You may answer questions at your own discretion or not at all. There are no right or wrong answers.
This is a voluntary interview. If you are interested in participating in this study interview, you can opt to either meet with me online over Zoom or complete the interview questions by accessing the project site link: https://owl.uwo.ca/x/H8Gj0E
Please feel free to email me at rbenreje@uwo.ca if you would like to arrange an online interview over the Zoom at a time of your convenience. If you opt for the written responses interview on the OWL project site, you will be asked to provide a preferred email contact to rbenreje@uwo.ca so you can be added to the list of study participants who will have access to the online project site, hosted by the Western OWL Learning site.
To participate in the study, please click here to access the letter of information and consent form.
If you require any further information regarding this research project or your participation in the study, you may contact the investigators: Ridha Ben-Rejeb at rbenreje@uwo.ca
If you have any questions about the conduct of this study or your rights as a research participant, you may contact the Office of Human Research Ethics at 519.661.3036 or ethics@uwo.ca
Research Project: Hiring Criteria and Employability of ESL/EFL Teachers in the TESOL Job Market in Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
You are being invited to participate in a study conducted by Dr. Shelley Taylor, Principal Investigator, and Shaden Attia, co-investigator, about the Hiring Criteria and Employability of ESL/EFL Instructors in the TESOL Job Market in Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Your participation in this study will help us to better understand the main hiring criteria expected from ESL/EFL teachers, the employability of teachers in today’s global market, and the effect of globalization on the TESOL field.
We are recruiting participants from three different groups:
- ESL/EFL instructors who speak English as a second or additional language, with experience in a higher education institute (university or college) in Canada and/or the UAE.
- Recruiters with experience hiring ESL/EFL instructors in a higher education institute in Canada and/or the UAE
- Program administrators with experience managing an ESL/EFL program in a higher education institute in Canada and/or the UAE
For instructors, if you volunteer to participate in the study, you will first fill out a questionnaire, which takes approximately 10 minutes. Then, you will complete a journal reflection, which should take approximately 15-20 minutes, and finally you will be invited to attend an online interview session. The interview will be one-on-one, approximately 30 minutes, and conducted via Zoom.
For Recruiters, if you volunteer to participate in the study, you will first fill out a questionnaire, which takes approximately 10 minutes. Then, you will be invited to attend an online interview session. The interview will be one-on-one, approximately 30 minutes, and conducted via Zoom.
For program administrators, if you volunteer to participate in the study, you will be invited to attend an online interview session. The interview will be one-on-one, approximately 30 minutes, and conducted via Zoom.
Compensation: If you participate in the questionnaire, you will be offered the opportunity to enter a draw to win a 15-dollar e-gift card (Amazon or Tim Hortons). Also, each interview and journal reflection participant will receive a 15-dollar e-gift card each (Amazon or Tim Hortons).
Study Details for ESL/EFL instructor participants: ESLEFL Instructor Participants' Invitation.pdf
Study Details for Recruiter participants: Recruiter Participants' Invitation.pdf
Study Details for Program Administrator participants: Program Administrators' Invitation.pdf
If you would like more information on this study and if you are interested in participating, please contact the co-investigator, Shaden Attia, at sattia2@uwo.ca, or the principal investigator, Shelley Taylor, at taylor@uwo.ca.
Research Project: English Language Teacher (ELT) Self-Directed Teacher Learning (SDTL) in Online Spaces: Case Studies of Teacher Explorers
I am a PhD Candidate at York University, who is looking for participants for my dissertation research project English Language Teacher (ELT) Self-Directed Teacher Learning (SDTL) in Online Spaces: Case Studies of Teacher Explorers. Briefly, I am looking for experienced English language teachers (5 years+) who engage in professional development activities online because of their own interest (i.e., not due to their employer’s requirement, or to fulfill re-certification requirements). I am hoping to learn more about your motivations, learning experiences, and reflections on teaching. Participants will be asked to track their activities over a 3-month period, keep a journal, take part in two 60-minute interviews and one 45-minute webinar. If you are interested, please see a fuller description and consent form on the Call for Participants and contact me at cfretz@yorku.ca
Please download and review the consent letters here.
Research Project: English Language Instructor's/Teacher's approaches to teaching Confucian students
My name is Jessica Portelance and I am a master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Falzone in the Department of Education at Niagara University. As part of my master’s degree, I am conducting a research study on current English Language Instructor's/Teacher's approaches to teaching students who come from Confucian heritage cultures in an online setting. If you have experience as an English language instructor/teacher/professor/professional with students in this demographic, I would like to invite you to participate in this study and offer your insights.
For the purpose of this study, “Confucian heritage culture” will refer to cultures originating in countries categorized as “Confucian Asia'' in the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) project (2020), which categorizes countries based on societal values and behaviours deemed desirable in general. These countries include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Also included in this definition will be Vietnam, as Vietnam is frequently associated with Confucian heritage culture (Weiming, 2019), despite that it is notably missing from GLOBE’s data. This study will not address the debate on whether Taiwan and Hong Kong are truly individual countries separate from China, and will follow GLOBE’s lead in establishing them as separate entities for cultural consideration.
If you decide to volunteer for this study, your participation will consist of a 1-hour focus group consisting of 3-5 participants, which will take place via videoconference (Zoom and/or GoogleMeet). After participating in a focus group, you may be asked to take part in a one-on-one follow-up interview via video conference (Zoom and/or GoogleMeet), and/or submit a previously used lesson plan and/or sample assignment/task given to students as artifacts for review and analysis. During the focus group interview you will be asked questions about your current practices when working in an online learning environment with students who come from Confucian heritage cultures, as well as your views and opinions around the needs of students from Confucian heritage cultures. With your permission, I would like to record these interviews to ensure accurate transcription and analysis. Any information made public will remain anonymous and only my professor and I will have access to the data collected containing any individually identifiable data. All individually identifiable data will be destroyed upon completion of the study.
This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the Institutional Review Board, Niagara University's research ethics board.
If you would like to participate, or you require additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please do not hesitate to contact me at jportelance@mail.niagara.edu. You may also contact my supervisor at eay@niagara.edu.
References
Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness. (2020). Confucian Asia. Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Project. https://globeproject.com/results/clusters/confucian-asia?menu=cluster#cluster
Weiming, T. (2019). Confucianism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confucianism