ERIC Number: EJ1429190
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0826-435X
EISSN: EISSN-1925-8917
EAP Practitioners in Canada: Professional Dedication, Satisfaction, and Precarity
TESL Canada Journal, v40 n2 p19-40 2023
A wide range of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs provide important support for international students enrolled in Canadian post-secondary contexts. While there has been a recent uptick in academic interest and research surrounding EAP programs in Canada, there has been relatively little work focused on understanding the practitioners working therein. In this article, we present and discuss data from the second phase of a sequential mixed-methods investigation of Canadian EAP programs and practitioners. Some 481 EAP practitioners from across Canadian universities, colleges, and English language institutes participated in the survey, leading to semi-structured interviews with 18 representative EAP directors and instructors. Building on quantitative results from the Phase I survey that revealed practitioners' differentially perceived professional satisfaction and agency, systematic analysis of Phase II interview data supported and expanded upon the Phase I results. Drawing on a critical conceptual lens, we interpret mixed-methods findings that highlight employment precarity as the most salient differentiator of professional satisfaction, concluding with analytically driven suggestions for post-secondary policy makers, language teacher educators, and EAP instructors, including a call for further research elevating voices of professionals working in this burgeoning field.
Descriptors: English for Academic Purposes, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Language Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Students, College Second Language Programs, Administrator Attitudes, Job Satisfaction, Professional Autonomy, Foreign Countries, Work Attitudes, Collegiality, Professional Recognition, Work Environment, Faculty Development
TESL Canada Federation. 408-4370 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7, Canada. Tel: 604-298-0312; Fax: 604-298-0372; e-mail: admin@tesl.ca; Web site: https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A