Case Analysis Assignment
A Model
Answer is available for this assignment, but it will be released only after you
have submitted, since otherwise your answer could be too similar to
it.
Word length:
750 words
Before you
begin, read Writing your Case Analysis in Thinking
about Writing (in TEXTBOOKS, in the left-hand menu, ). In
the TEXTBOOKS tool, you can also read How to Write Your Case
Study: Step by Step.
Submission: 12-point
font, default margins. When submitting on OWL, submit BOTH as a
WORD attachment AND cut and paste your essay as an inline document.
Topic: students
and the reading requirements of a Year 1 Writing course. (Do NOT do the topic
which was discussed in the Lesson--the Dr. Cohen case on plagiarism.)
Characters: Dr.
Sara Khan, course instructor; and 25 multilingual students who are taking the
Writing course.
Writing 1002
is a half course taken by international students at Erewhon University in
Ontario, Canada. The course’s goal is to help students who use English as
a second language, mainly for academic purposes, master two sets of skills key
to university success in the Canadian context:
- Critical thinking skills as defined by Canadian academics, that are
not only applied to the Writing course tasks, but can also be transferred
to other courses the students are enrolled in.
- Writing skills, which include narrowing down a topic, choosing
reliable academic research sources, making research notes, creating a
strong argument, drafting a well-structured essay, using matter from the
research sources to provide support for the main idea, and revising,
editing, formatting, and submitting the essay on time.
There are
multiple sections of the course. The common course outline given to students in
these sections does not mention the importance of reading, or explain how
reading skills interact with the thinking and writing skills that are put in
the foreground. However, the course has a mandatory textbook with about 40
pages of academic essays, which students are expected to read. Another
mandatory text is a writing handbook that describes the essay writing process,
explains how to do research, how to cite sources in APA style, how to edit and
format essays to prepare them for submission, and so on. The readings are
sequenced to support the writing skill that is being developed in each class:
for example, if the writing is a reflective essay, the reading for that day
provides a model of a reflective essay, and also tells the students how to
brainstorm for their own essay, write a strong outline for it, and format it in
APA style.
Dr. Sara
Khan is in charge of teaching a section of this course. She is a seasoned
instructor who has been teaching classes with multilingual students for over
fifteen years. As she gives the second lecture of the term, and asks questions
about the reading for that day (a short personal reflection essay), she
realizes that more than half the class has not read the assigned reading. This
slows down her lecture, since she has to explain or read out passages from the
textbook that the students would be familiar with if they had done their
reading. She is unable to complete the lesson she had planned for the class.
That
evening, Dr. Khan reads the short written assignments that students
submitted. She realizes that since many students did not read the model
essay, they have done a very poor job on the assignment. For instance, they
have not understood what was meant by “reflection.” Their vocabulary is
limited, and there is no paragraphing. Some sections of the assignment, in the
case of five students, sound very strange; Dr. Khan infers that these students
have done their thinking in their native languages (Hindi, Mandarin, Korean,
and Arabic) and have used electronic translation apps (like Google Translate)
to fill in these sections. Three students have also committed serious
plagiarism: instead of talking about their own experiences, they have described
experiences they could not possibly have had. Dr. Khan feels upset as she
realizes that if she were to give the students the marks they deserved, around
50% of the class would fail the assignment.
Dr. Khan
reflects that in recent years, students in general seem to be more distracted
by electronic media. They are less willing to read the assigned texts. When she
calls on them in class, they don’t seem to feel embarrassed by having to admit
that they haven’t read the textbook. She finally asks the students individually
why they read or didn’t read the textbook. They respond as follows:
- “I find English too hard. The words are difficult to understand.”
- “I enjoyed the readings about international students’ lives! The
stories sound like mine.”
- “I am stressed out because my parents say they cannot pay my second
term fees.”
- “I am on academic probation. I’m worried about my Business courses.
The Writing course is not my priority.”
- “I like to read the essay model that I have to imitate—it is better
than essay instructions.”
- “The textbook is so boring.”
- “I don’t think I need to know how to write an essay.”
- “I am interested in Social Work. I have to write a personal
reflection for that class, so the reading was useful.”
- “I am homesick and just want to talk to my family on Skype. I can’t
concentrate.”
- “Why should I read? I think the teacher’s job is to explain the
textbook during class.”
- “I want to read, but my friends keep visiting me, and I don’t have
time.”
- “I am addicted to video games. I play until 2 AM, and then I’m too
sleepy to read.”
- “I’m going to read the textbook just before the exam, like I always
did in my home country.”
- “In Delhi, I always did my reading with my friends. I have no friends
here.”
The
problem: What should Dr. Khan do, given that she really wants her students
to succeed in the Writing course, and given the Canadian university’s norms for
academic excellence?
There is no
“correct answer” to this question. Your response can discuss measures to change
student attitudes, or measures to change the course, or both.
Resource for
theory: (you
can read this article on OWL, in the
TEXTBOOKS TAB, or simply use the summary below): The article is
also attached below.
Al-Hoorie,
A. H. (2017). Sixty years of language motivation research: Looking back and
looking forward. SAGE Open, 7(1), 1-11.
doi:10.1177/2158244017701976.
Summary of
the research in Al-Hoorie (2017), along with psychological theories of
motivation:
Writing
research shows that motivating students is key to getting
uptake on academic tasks. In general, there are at least four different types
of motivation:
- Intrinsic motivation: when a person does something because they find it
interesting and enjoyable for its own sake. Researchers Boo et al. (2015)
found that a key motivator in learning a new language is the image of the
‘ideal speaker’ in the learner’s head—the person s/he wants to be.
- Extrinsic motivation: when a person responds to an outside incentive
like money or a bonus mark.
- Integrative motivation: when a person seeks the reward of inclusion in a
group or community if they do something. R.C. Gardner observed that
learners found it easier to learn a new language when they liked the
people who spoke it, and wanted to associate with them.
- Instrumental motivation: when a person does something in order to achieve a
goal (graduation, a job, further study, etc.). Dornyei et al. have found
that long-term goals are a key motivating factor for many language
learners.
References
Gardner, R.
C. (2010). Motivation and second language acquisition: The
socio-educational
model. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Boo, Z.,
Dörnyei, Z., Ryan, S. (2015). L2 motivation research 2005–2014:
Understanding a
Publication surge and a changing landscape. System,
55, 145-157.
doi:10.1016/j.system.2015.10.006
Dörnyei, Z.,
Henry, A., Muir, C. (2016). Motivational currents in language learning:
Frameworks for focused interventions. New York, NY: Routledge.
Case Analysis: How to motivate
students to read
Summary of Background
In writing 1002, the first-year course for
international students at Erewhon University in Ontario, more than half of the
students did not complete the assigned reading—the
course’s first assignment. To make students learn writing essays and prepare
for the next class well, Dr. Sara Khan prepared several
materials for students. The first one is a textbook with lots of academic
essays and another one is also a textbook that teaches the students the process
of writing essays. Although Dr. Sara Khan provided
these fodders for students, they were not willing to finish the assigned
homework and they behaved badly in their assignments.
A problem for both students and
the university
Because
the majority of students did not read the model essay, they showed very bad
performance on their assignment. Some students made errors that could be
considered as the poor performance of their assignments because they did not
read a model essay. Others did not aware of the importance of reading and they
also ignored the purpose of this course is to develop critical thinking skills
and writing skills. Dr. Sara Khan could help all
students achieve the course learning outcomes by motivating them. He could
guide students to set their long-term goals, which can make students study
independently (Instrumental motivation, Al-Hoodie,
2017). Moreover, he could prepare a quiz to examine the degree of completion of
assigned reading and count the mark in the final score, which Al-Hoorie (2017)
would describe as Extrinsic motivation. Besides, he could divide the class into
several groups to discuss the assigned reading and make students choose their
partners by themselves, a strategy that motivates students integrally (Al-Hoorie, 2017). The combined responses of
allowing students attach importance to the assigned reading through
Instrumental motivation, Extrinsic motivation, and Integrative motivation, as
it would motivate students to finish their assignments and aware of the importance
of reading among the study.
Integrative motivation
Setting groups would be beneficial, addressing
the following response from one of Dr. Sara Khan’s students: “In Delhi, I
always did my reading with my friends. I have no friends here.” Al-Hoorie (2017) indicated that it is easy to learn a new
language when people talk with a person that they like. If setting the groups, Dr. Sara Khan should make students choose partners by
themselves.
Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic
motivation through bonus marks or money can effectively make students study
independently (Al-Hoorie, 2017), indicated by the response, “ I am going to
read the textbook just before the exam like I always did in my home country.”
Mark is important for students because it is related to their graduation. Thus,
If Dr. Sara Khan uses the mark to motivate students, students are more willing
to learn.
Instrumental
motivation
Dr. Sara Khan
should also have a lesson to guide students to set long-term goals and make
them form their schedules, indicated by the response, “I am addicted to video
games. I play until 2 AM, and then I’m too sleepy to read.” and “ I want to
read, but my friends keep visiting me, and I don’t have time.” According to
Dornyei et al. (2016), “Long-term goals are a key motivating factor for many
language learners.”
Recommended Solutions
Dr. Sara Khan
should combine Instrumental motivation with Integrative motivation. From the
responses of the majority of students, they indicated that they were influenced
by external factors when they want to study and they wanted to communicate with
other people about homework. If Dr. Sara Khan just uses outside incentives like
money or bonus mark, the effect is just temporary. When this course ends,
students will return to the original state. Therefore, students need to make
their own short-term goals and long-term goals and schedule. Additionally,
students should be given a chance to talk with others to express their thought.
Conclusion: Some Notes about Implementation
To implement the solution effectively, Dr. Sara Khan should have a lesson to explain how to set
own schedule and goals by providing examples. After students set their own
goals and schedules, Dr. Sara Khan should paste it on the wall, which can
mention students to implement it. Besides, he also can build a group for
students to share their daily life and progress of learning. Dr. Sara Khan should play the role of supervision and
provide some awards for well-behaved students. Even if it is hard to change the
habit, once changed, students can benefit from the rest of their lives.
Moreover, divide the class into several groups would promote students to
participate in class and finish homework well. Every group should be
responsible for different functions of assigned reading. Then they are allowed
to discuss in the class. When students discuss, Dr. Sara Khan can transfer a
student from one group to another group and make this student explain to the
group. This method can examine if students complete the assigned reading well
and promote students to talk with others.
After discussion,
students can understand the content well, then Dr. Sara Khan
can provide a supplement for students based on their discussion. These ways can
promote students to finish their assigned homework well and participate in the
class actively. The most important thing is that students can aware of the
necessity of reading and form their healthy schedule, which also can apply to
lives and other university courses.
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