Browsing by Author "Dressler, Roswita Aleida Helene"

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    Exploring the Intercultural and Holistic Transformative Learning Experiences of Professional Colombian Immigrants in Canada
    (2023-06-13) Jardine, Lyliam Janeth; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Dressler, Roswita Aleida Helene; Sewell, H. Douglas
    Colombians who acquire a university degree in Colombia may still face challenges finding employment. They may choose to immigrate to Canada because the opportunities that this country offers. However, these immigrants may have to apply various strategies to overcome obstacles in their path to success. So, when they immigrate permanently to their host country (Canada as their country of settlement), they may have to overcome barriers, such as discrimination (Quillian et al., 2019) while finding a place in their professional field and integrating into their host communities (community of settlement). As a result, immigrants may find that having a career and speaking the target language is not enough to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections in their host communities. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study with narrative inquiry methodology was to explore the journeys of eight professional Colombian immigrants who felt successful in Canada and had two or more years of adaptation and integration to answer the following question: To what extent did professional Colombian immigrants experience holistic Transformative Learning (TL) and enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) after living in Canada for two or more years, in their path to professional success? In this study, I explored how the eight participants were able to enhance their ICC through various strategies that fostered interpersonal connections. These connections allowed them to become more confident with their target language(s); they also became stronger, humbler, and more flexible, and open-minded. In turn, they enhanced their communication skills and their ICC in their host communities. Their positive attributes and interpersonal connections helped them reflect on changes in their identities and frames of reference experiencing holistic TL. The study findings have the potential to inform the professional field of adult learning on how to incorporate learning spaces that promote interpersonal connections and learning through relationships to foster ICC and holistic TL.
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    Exploring the Relationship between Mindfulness and Second Language Teaching
    (2024-01-15) Fano-Trabanco, Alba; George, Angela; O'Brien, Mary Grantham; Bohac-Clarke, Veronika; Dressler, Roswita Aleida Helene; Aukerman, Maren Songmy; Davin, Kristin
    Previous research on mindfulness in the second language (L2) context took root in the mid-2010s (e.g., Fallah, 2016) with the focus of study primarily on the benefits of mindfulness on L2 learners. However, only since the early 2020s has research started to focus on how mindfulness affects the L2 teacher, with some theoretical studies addressing its positive influence on the learner-teacher relationship (Song & He, 2021) and on teachers’ identity and motivation (Zhu, 2022). Emerging experimental research relates teachers’ mindfulness levels to their well-being (Pan & Liu, 2022) and to job sustainability (Yuan et al., 2020). Using novel approaches, the current project aims to shed light on the views and experiences that teachers have regarding mindfulness in L2 teaching. This thesis consists of three studies. In the first, a survey was developed to gather the views of 98 teachers, primarily located in the USA and Canada, on the integration of mindfulness in L2 teaching and the mindfulness practices that some of them bring to the classroom. The findings showed a preference for breathing practices. Teachers’ disapproval of mindfulness integration mainly stemmed from their considering mindfulness to be either inappropriate or an impediment to teaching and learning. In the second study, mindfulness practices in and out of the classroom of two L2 university professors in the USA are analyzed. The framework used to examine the mindfulness experiences as related to their well-being resulted in several similarities between both professors’ use of mindfulness to enhance their well-being. In the third and final study, an 11-week mindfulness intervention on the mindfulness levels and teaching practice of seven university L2 instructors located in Canada resulted in an increase in the mindfulness levels of the L2 instructors after the intervention. This thesis has implications for L2 teachers, L2 learners, and administrators.