An Evaluation of a Curriculum for Basic Training in TESOL

• Main Author: Wilson, Gordon Travis
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2009
• Subjects: TESOL; English as a Second Language; English as a Foreign Language; volunteer; teacher training; novice; international internship; basic training; minimal training; Linguistics
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1912; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2911&context=etd

A formal evaluation of BYU's Basic Training in TESOL course shows the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum of this course. Interns take this course in preparation for international internships where they may be asked to teach English. However, the interns are generally not seeking majors or even minors in TESOL. Furthermore, most interns are not seeking any teaching major. Internship locations vary throughout the world and include, but are not limited to the following regions: Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. This MA curriculum evaluation project reports findings of a formal evaluation of BYU's Linguistics 377, Basic Training in TESOL, a course designed to provide interns with minimal teacher training in preparation for international internships. It specifically looks at how effectively the basic training course prepares the interns and to what extent it helps increase the confidence of the interns. This report presents quantitative and qualitative data collected from the interns enrolled during the Winter 2008 semester course, via interviews and questionnaires. The evaluation also offers recommendations for the course and other volunteer programs, as well as future research recommendations.