Faculty of Training and Education Dissertations

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Browsing Faculty of Training and Education Dissertations by Author "Harvey, Angela"

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    Intercultural Communicative Competence in Multinational Language Colleges in Ireland: An Investigation of Language Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Culture and Language Learning
    (Griffith College, 2022) Morrison, Julie
    The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers towards cultural teaching in the language classroom. Globalisation has highlighted the need for ESL learners to acquire intercultural communicative competence (ICC): the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people from various cultures in a shared language (Byram, 2021). This study looks into the materials and activities used by ESL teachers in Ireland to integrate culture into lessons. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on intercultural communicative competence and adds to the discussion through insights from ESL teachers about attitudes towards cultural teaching and the incorporation of culture into lessons. The resulting research objectives are as follows: 1. To investigate ESL teachers’ attitudes to the impact of teaching culture on students’ ICC. 2. To establish what teaching materials are used by ESL teachers to integrate culture into language lessons. 3. To explore which activities ESL teachers utilise to incorporate culture in language lessons. A mixed methods approach was undertaken for the purpose of gathering primary data. The quantitative data was collected by way of an online survey and the qualitative data by semistructured interviews. Through adopting an explanatory two-phase approach, initial results from the quantitative phase were explained and explored in the qualitative phase effectuating corroboration and denotation of findings, and exploring conceptual gaps (Kimmons, 2022). The research revealed that whilst ESL teachers believe culture impacts students’ ICC and educators perceive culture to be integral in communication, ESL teachers have disparities in attitudes towards the meaning of ‘culture teaching’ and the learning outcomes sought. The primary research and the literature also found communicative language activities to be essential in attaining ICC. Based on the research undertaken, the study makes several recommendations for language schools and teacher training which include the incorporation of intercultural communication skills in basic ESL training courses, and collaboration within language institutions.
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    The Effectiveness of Hospitality Education in Developing Graduate Competencies.
    (Griffith College, 2018) Harvey, Angela
    The purpose of this paper is to establish the effectiveness of hospitality education in developing the competencies that graduates need to be successful in industry. With the rise in global tourism, the need for highly skilled and well-trained employees has never been greater. According to the Irish Hospitality Institute (2016) attracting skilled employees continues to be a challenge for many businesses, despite the growth in availability of hospitality management courses over the past twenty years. This study builds on existing research and brings new insights into the perceptions of both hospitality managers and lecturers on graduate competencies and how pedagogical practice can develop these. There is a need to examine the teaching approaches used in hospitality and their ability to shape practice as academia does not operate in isolation and the labour needs for the industry into the future will be more diverse (Lugosi et al., 2009). The research objectives for this study follow three strands of enquiry: 1) To establish the graduate skills most sought by hospitality employers. 2) To ascertain hospitality lecturers’ perceptions about these skills for employability in the sector. 3) To understand to what extent lecturers adapt their pedagogy to deliver on the desired skills and competencies. The research methodology undertaken for this study follows an interpretivist/constructivist approach using qualitative research. The data collection methods involve both unstructured and semi-structured interviews which were chosen to gather the necessary information and insights to assist in answering the objectives. The research reveals that traditional skills such as teamwork and problem-solving are still highly valued in the hospitality industry. Other outcomes encompass more modern day skills to include greater emphasis on the importance of grooming and the lucrative art of upselling. Disclosed also are new insights into teaching strategies where group case studiesand the discussion method appear to enhance greater communication and internships help to develop critical thinkers. Finally, the study makes recommendations for higher institutions to address these findings which include the deployment of those teaching strategies which develop graduate skills and more support for lecturers in their implementation. Areas worthy of further study are highlighted to include more research on smaller class sizes and the contribution technology makes to education.