Rachel Berk
DARE Project: Equipping students with critical intercultural competence and global citizenship in an EAP communication course
Program(s) of Study: Speech and Language Sciences
Project Supervisor: Jacqueline Ng, Heejin Song
I hope that the student feedback collected from this study will provide numerous instructors with crucial and innovative suggestions and ideas that they can implement into the pedagogical design of their own courses.
Project Description:
This research project investigates the effectiveness of a specific English for Academic Purpose (EAP) communication course taught at York that attempts to equip students with critical intercultural competence and global citizenship. The study aims to highlight effective instructional design and practice in the following areas: students’ development of critical literacies and intercultural competence in academic and social contexts, students’ increased engagement in oral communication and improved productivity in their second language (L2) use, and students’ strong connectedness to L2 language ownership and global citizenship by respecting the value of translanguaging and cultural diversity in a shared learning space. The project consists of two phases, the first of which took place in the 2022-23 school year. This year, the aim is to create an advanced analysis of students’ sample work and interview responses pertaining to several key areas: what activities/topics students enjoyed and found useful, factors that influence students’ increased engagement in intercultural exchange and global citizenship learning activities, and possible challenges that emerged throughout the course. Student feedback will be used to create positive changes to course delivery that will enhance student experience and learning in future years. As the DARE assistant, my job is to transcribe interview data, which I will then import into Dedoose and code according to certain categories of interest.The Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) – Undergraduate enables our students to meaningfully engage in research projects supervised by LA&PS faculty members. Find out more about DARE.