Katie Bokan-Smith
|
MA(Calif) PhD candidate |
Email: Phone: +61 2 9351 6358 Fax: Building.Room: A36.405 |
Keywords
English-language learning, second-language motivation, EFL/ESL teaching strategies, Confucian Heritage Cultures, identity
Research project description
RESEARCH STUDY: My study aims to investigate the role of the forieign language teacher in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom. I plan to explore the impact teachers can have on learner motivation and L2 learning. I plan to conduct a mixed-methods study with a quantitative student survey component and qualitative interviews with teachers and students about the different motivational strategies they implement and observe in the classroom.
BIOGRAPHY: After graduating with a double major (English and French) from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008, Katie quickly assumed the role of high school teacher while simultaneously working towards her California teaching credential and TESOL certificate. Her passion for teaching and love of languages fueled her decision to enroll in a higher degree MA program. In 2009, she enrolled in a Master of Arts (TESOL) program and completed her research thesis on the role of motivation in high school French settings with her own students volunteering as participants. In 2010, Katie lived and taught in Japan (through the JET program) and this is where her interest and passion for Asian learners originated. In the future, she hopes to conduct a mixed-methods study investigating the role of motivation in L2 (second language) learning.
Awards
International Postgraduate Research Scholarship 2012
Australian Postgraduate Award 2012
Robert Power Fellowship Recipient 2009
Thesis work
| Project title | Degree | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|
| Theory into practice: An observational investigation of students’ perceptions and teachers’ motivational strategies in adult ESL classrooms in Australia | PhD | Dr Lindy Woodrow |
Selected publications
Other
- Bokan-Smith, K.E. (in press). Teacher Development: Motivating the Unmotivated in the Foreign Language Classroom, ET Professional Magazine.
- Bokan-Smith, K.E. (2010). Motivational factors on enrollment and sustained interest in high school French., Saint Mary's College of California: Masters Thesis.