Example of a Multicultural Society - Research Proposal Example

?Proposal Introduction In a global setting where people from different countries inevitably get together for different purposes, inter-cultural practices and communication styles must be considered if harmony, growth and development are aimed for. One example of a multicultural society is Canada. Canada has been known as a haven for people from various cultures. Multiculturalism has been included as a strong factor in Canadian national policy since 1971. About a quarter of a million immigrants and refugees are welcomed to the country each year, with the vast majority coming from eastern and southern Asia (Levin, 2008). They bring with them different languages, cultures, races, educational backgrounds, histories, beliefs and traditions. Most natural-born Canadians are bilingual being conversant in both English and French. However, many of the immigrants who come to Canada do not speak English or French as a first language (Levin, 2008). Research Problem Levin (2008) reports in the last decade, immigrants who come to Canada are not as successful as those who arrived before them. Although they may have been well-educated in their home countries, Canada has been more stringent in recognizing their educational and labor-market credentials. In effect, the immigrants become unable to use their professional credentials gained from their countries. One great factor that deters them from being employed is their inability to speak fluently in English or French. The common solution for these immigrants is just to go back to the provinces where they are more comfortable speaking in their first language. If the goal for these immigrants is to progress in their lives in a foreign land, they should be able to adapt to their host country by learning a second language, specifically, English. The problem lies in what methods are effective for these immigrants to learn their second language considering their various cultures. Since the objective of the Canadian government is to integrate these immigrants into society, how would learning as a group, like a microcosm of society, be effective in their integration? This research will attempt to explore what can be done, in terms of second language learning, to facilitate immigrants’ easement into Canadian culture. Rationale of Pursuing the Research Problem When immigrants learn a second language, specifically the language of their host country, they gain access to knowledge and information that benefits the majority of the population. They learn their rights as citizens, understand health benefits and medical privileges, and simply survive better in their new environment. Chiswick & Miller (1999) report that for legal migrants who learn English language skills gain more employment and compensation for those skills. Their earnings increase with both speaking and reading skills whether analyzed separately or jointly. Males earn higher by 8% and females earn higher by 17% if they are proficient in both speaking and reading compared to their contemporaries lacking both skills (Chiswick & Miller, 1999). Second language learning strategies should include group work among the students to encourage interactions and collaboration. Group work would entail working with peers who come from the same culture so they will be able to learn the second language together while using their first language as a basis to understand the second language. Working with people from the same cultural group gives the learners a sense of comfort and familiarity and more confidence to learn something new. Review of Literature Relevant to the Research Problem According to Lev Vygotsky (1962), social interaction stimulated by speech is essential for language development. He also mentions that a supportive interactive environment can help the learner to reach a higher level of knowledge and performance compared to what might be reached through his or her ability to improve independently (Lightbown and Spada, 2006: 23). Lightbrown & Spada (2006) contend that people obtain control and reorganize their thinking processes during mediation as what they learn is internalized during social interactions. This follows Vygotsky’s theory that people learn through socialization because of interaction and collaboration with other speakers. Swain & Lapkin (2000) conclude in their study that the first language is by default, a tool used by students to learn their second language. Collaborating with other students in tasks for learning a second language, students try to make sense of the requirements and content of the task, focusing their attention on language form vocabulary use and overall organization, then turn to their native language to process and discuss before finally getting back to completing the task. Swain and Lapkin point out that without the use of their native language, they might not be able to accomplish the task effectively or it might not be accomplished at all. They argue that the insistence of not being allowed to access their first language in a linguistically and cognitively complex task of decoding a second language task would deprive them of an important cognitive tool. They stress that bilingual programs that allow for the development and maintenance of the first language while learning the second language are successful in both goals. Swain & Lapkin (2000) studied how second language learners co-construct what they learn while doing the production tasks of speaking and writing. This would mean that while producing language, they simultaneously engage in form and meaning. Swain and Lapkin (2000) calls it ‘collaborative dialogue’ where ‘language use - language learning can co-occur. It is language use mediating language learning. It is cognitive activity and it is social activity’ (97). So the sociocultural perspective views that in second language learning, cognitive processes begin externally through socially mediation and eventually become internalized. On the other hand, other interactionist models believe that modified input and interaction bring with them internal cognitive processes. Otto (2010) contend that one of the main challenges posed by the English as a Second Language (ESL) approach is the development, selection and implementation of effective strategies and instructional techniques to suit the diverse learners since they come from various backgrounds. Among the available strategies in teaching and learning a foreign language, those that focus on both content and language are the most effective. Students are more motivated to learn another language if they find the content interesting to them, and the teaching approach more exciting to engage their prolonged attention and retention of concepts. Content-based Instruction (CBI) refers to a range of approaches intended to foster the integration of language and content, viewing "language as a medium for learning content and content as a resource for learning and improving language" (Stoller, 2004). That is why in some ESL classes, the use of one’s home language is necessary when trying to understand content in the foreign language learned. Herrero (2005) agrees that new language is learned more quickly and effectively if it is taught in context by shifting emphasis from the instruction of learning the language to learning the subject matter using the language (Stryker & Leaver, 1997). It is evident from the foregoing that in learning a second language, group learning is effective because of the support the members of the class gets from each other. Wheelan (1994) offers the keys to successful team intervention to include the following elements: “First, an accurate, detailed assessment of a group’s current developmental level is critical. Second, successful intervention is guided by information. That is, educating members about group development, the characteristics of effective teams, and the importance of taking a systemic view of group problems is an important step in the intervention process. If members can take a systemic view, then they can work together to improve the functioning of the team processes and procedures” (187). In this way, the second language learning class may work as a team towards the successful learning of the language. A Description of the Proposed Research Methodology To gather information about the research problem, it is best to consult the people directly concerned with the issue of second language learning of immigrants. Qualitative methods such as survey questionnaires on what second language learning teachers and students perceive to be effective strategies in teaching/learning the language; interviews –both with individuals (second language teachers; government officials, etc.) and focus groups (immigrant students enrolled in second language learning classes) as well as content analysis of available literature are the research methods proposed for this study. White and March (2006) contended that in place of hypotheses associated with quantitative research, open questions that guide the flow of research and the gathering of data are used in qualitative research. The researcher reads through the data and analyzes and codes responses to identify themes and patterns. The researcher may discover patterns and themes that emerge that were not foreshadowed but are nevertheless important to consider and report. Using various data-collection methods is one way to add trustworthiness to the derived data. Such a strategy is known as triangulation, a concept borrowed from surveying and navigation. Cresswell and Miller (2000) defined triangulation as “a validity procedure where researchers search for convergence among multiple and different sources of information to form themes or categories in a study” (p. 126). Triangulation is not simply combining different kinds of data; rather, its value lies in relating the data to each other to counteract possible threats to validity (Bergman, 1995). Although the use of multiple data-collection methods is the most common form of triangulation in qualitative research, in order to increase confidence in research findings, the study may also involve the incorporation of multiple kinds of data sources and multiple theoretical perspectives (Denizen, 1988). Incorporating multiple data sources and theoretical perspectives improves the validity and reliability of the research (Golafshani, 2003). How the Research Findings Will be Used and/or Disseminated Findings from this research will be highly beneficial to immigrants in search of a better life in their host country. Information gathered on the effective teaching/learning strategies in second language learning may be recommended to existing Language Schools or non-government organizations in charge of aiding immigrants ease into the culture and lifestyle of the host country. Specifically, Canadian immigrants living in big cities such as Montreal, Quebec or Toronto. Time Frame of the Research First Two Months: Research on the Literature and Sources of Information Seek Language Schools/ Government and Non-Government Organizations tending to immigrants / immigrants learning a second language who will agree to be part of this research. Crafting and Piloting of a survey questionnaire/ interview questions Third Month: Sending out necessary documents/ letters of consent to secure permissions to conduct research Data gathering with the dissemination of survey questionnaires; interviews; focus group interviews (recorded) Fourth Month: Transcription of interviews Analysis of data Fifth and Sixth Months: Writing of the dissertation Editing Seventh Month: Dissertation Defense Distribution of Bound Copies of Dissertation to Participating Agencies Dissemination of Information to the Public and encouragement of an action plan Works Cited Bergman, B. , Qualitative research methods for social sciences. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 1995 Chiswick, B.R. & Miller, P.W., Language skills and earnings among legalized aliens, Journal of Population Economics, 12: 63-89, 1999 Creswell, J. W. & Miller, D. L., Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39 (3), 124-131. 2000 Denizen, D. Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994 Golafshani, N., Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report. 8 (4), 597-607. 2003 Herrero, A.H., Content-Based Instruction in an English Oral Communication Course at the University of Costa Rica, Actual Investigations in Education, Vol.5, No. 4, 2005 Levin, B., How Much Diversity In Our Schools?, Phi Delta Kappan, January, 2008. Otto, B. Language development in early childhood. (3rd edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 2010 Stoller, E., Promoting the acquisition of knowledge in a content based course, In J. Crandall & D. Kaufman (Eds.), Content-based instruction in higher education settings (pp. 109-123). Alexandria, VA: TESOL. 2004. Stryker, S.N. & Leaver, B.L. Content-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. 1997. Swain, M. & Lapkin, S. Task-based second language learning: the uses of the first language. Language Teaching Research 4,3 pp. 251–274, 2000. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962) Thought and Language (E. Hanfmann and G. Vaker, Eds & Trans.) Cambridge, M.A.: MIT Press Wheelan, S., Group processes: A developmental perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1994 White, M.D. and Marsh, E.E., Content Analysis: A Flexible Methodology Library Trends, Vol. 55, No. 1, Summer 2006 Suggested Bibliography Cook, V. (2008) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching. Hodder Education Cohen, E.G.,1994, Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom, Teachers College Press Collins, L., Halter, R. H., Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (1998, decembre).  L'enseignement intensif de l'anglais, langue seconde, au Quebec: Modeles et resultats. Rapport soumis au Ministere de l'education du Quebec et a la Societe pour la promotion de l'enseignement de l'anglais langue seconde, au Quebec (SPEAQ). Collins, L., Halter, R. H., Spada, N., & Lightbown, P. M. (1999). Intensive ESL in Quebec: Models and outcomes. SPEAQ Out, 27(2), 7-13. Debbie, G.E., 2006, Classroom Talk; Exploring the Sociocultural structure of formal ESL Learning, Peter Lang Denzin, K. N. & Lincoln S. Y. (2008) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials, Sage Publications INC Dornyei, Z. and Murphey, T. (2003). Group Dynamics In the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Gardner R.C & Lambert W.E (1972). Attitudes and Motivation: second language learning. Newbury House Gardner, R, C (1982). Language Attitudes and language learning. Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language learning:The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. Edward Arnold Genesee, F., & Cloud, N. (1998). Multilingualism is basic. Educational Leadership, 55(6), 62-65 Hawkins, E. (1984), Awareness of Language: An introduction Cambridge University Press Krashen, S. D. 1982. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon. Lambert, W. E. (1990). Persistent issues in bilingualism. In B. Harely, P. Allen, J. Cummins & M. Swain. (Eds.), The development of second language proficiency (pp. Cambridge: CUP. Louis, C and Lawrence, M. (1994): Research Methods in Education, Routledge Luk and Angel, 2007, Classroom Interactions as Cross-Cultural Encounter; Native Speakers in EFL Lessons, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, London Pica, T. 1983. 'Adult acquisition of English as a second language under different conditions of exposure.' Language Learning Read More