Motivating English for Academic Purposes Learners in a Community College: A Participatory Action Research Project

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Multilingual Languaging and Identities

Abstract

This study proposes the use of participatory action research as a means of increasing the motivation of EAP learners. The researcher formed a research community with a higher-intermediate EAP class (n=18) and their teacher in a community college in Toronto, Canada. The learners took the role of action researchers and reported their findings in a public forum. The results indicated that the learners’ classroom engagement increased significantly, and they were able to form a more elaborate ideal L2 self as a result of participating in social activities outside the classroom. Positive changes occurred in the EAP program due to the learners’ recommendations in the forum. The details of the findings along with recommendations for improving EAP programs will be discussed.

Author

• Alireza Sobhanmanesh, University of Ottawa