Threshold Concepts in TESOL: A Thematic Analysis of Disciplinary Guiding Principles
The notion of Threshold Concepts has offered a fertile new perspective on the transformative effects of mastery of particular concepts on student understanding of subject matter and their developing identities as inductees into disciplinary discourse communities. Only by successfully traversing essential knowledge thresholds can neophytes achieve the more sophisticated understandings of subject matter possessed by mature members of a discipline. This paper uses thematic analysis of disciplinary guiding principles to identify nine candidate Threshold Concepts that appear to underpin effective TESOL practice. The relationship between these candidate TESOL Threshold Concepts, TESOL principles, and TESOL instructional techniques appears to be amenable to a schematic representation based on superordinate categories of TESOL practitioner concern and, as such, offers an alternative to the view of Threshold Concepts as a privileged subset of disciplinary core concepts. The paper concludes by exploring the potential of a Threshold Concepts framework to productively inform TESOL initial teacher education (ITE) and in-service education and training (INSET).
[1] Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines, in C. Rust (Ed.) Improving Student Learning Theory and Practice – Ten Years On Oxford: OCSLD, 2003, pp. 412-424.
[2] Mezirow, J. “Perspective transformation” Adult Education 28/2 1978, pp. 100-109.
[3] Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (Eds.) Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge Abingdon: Routledge, 2006.
[4] Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010 p. xiii.
[5] Davies, P. ‘Threshold concepts: how can we recognize them?’ in Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (Eds.) Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge Abingdon: Routledge, 2006.
[6] Donald, J. G. ‘Disciplinary Differences in Knowledge Validation’ in Hativa, N. and Marincovich, M. (eds.) Disciplinary Differences in Teaching and Learning: Implications for Practice San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1995, p. 7.
[7] Widdowson, H. G. (2003) Defining Issues in English Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. x.
[8] Marckwardt, A. D. (1972) ‘Changing winds and shifting sands’ MST English Quarterly 21 3-11, p. 5.
[9] Borg, S. ‘Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do’ Language Teaching, 36 81-109, 2003.
[10] Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. ‘Introduction’ in Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[11] Crookes, G. V. Values, Philosophies, and Beliefs in TESOL: Making a Statement Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[12] Mead, J. & Gray, S. ‘Contexts for threshold Concepts: A Conceptual Structure for Localizing Candidates’ in Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010.
[13] Breen, M. P., Hird, B., Milton, M., Oliver, R. & A. Thwaite ‘Making Sense of Language Teaching: Teachers’ Principles and Classroom Practices’ Applied Linguistics 22/4, 2001, pp. 470-501.
[14] Kinchin, I. M., Cabot, L. B. & D. Hay ‘Visualizing Expertise: Revealing the Nature of a Threshold Concept in the Development of an Authentic Pedagogy for Clinical Education’ in Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010.
[15] Johnson, K. ‘Trends in Second Language Teacher Education’ in Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) the Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[16] Richards, J. C. ‘Postscript: The Ideology of TESOL’ in Carter, R. & Nunan, D. (Eds.) the Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
[17] Ellis, R. ‘Principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition’ CAL digest December 2008, Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2008.
[18] Brown, H. D. ‘English Language Teaching in the “Post-Method” Era: Toward Better Diagnosis, Treatment, and Assessment’ in Richards, J. C. & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.) Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
[19] Braun, V. and V. Clarke ‘Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology’ Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, 2006, pp. 77-101.
[20] Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd edition) Macmillan, 2011.
[21] DeKeyser, R. ‘Beyond focus on form: Cognitive perspectives on learning and practicing second language grammar’ In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.) Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition, pp. 42-63, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
[22] Ellis, R. Second language acquisition and the structural syllabus TESOL Quarterly 27, 1993, pp. 91-113.
[23] Widdowson, H. G. Aspects of Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
[24] Andrews, S. Teacher Language Awareness Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
[25] Morgan, N. L. Home Truths from abroad? A TESOL Blueprint for the Mediation of L1/L2 Language Awareness University of Warwick, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, 2012.
[26] Ausubel, D.P. Educational psychology: a cognitive view New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968).
[27] Hammerly, H. Fluency and Accuracy Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 1991.
[28] Breen, M. P. ‘Authenticity in the language classroom’ Applied Linguistics 6/1, 1985.
[29] Lave, J. & Wenger, E. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[30] Graves, K. ‘The Curriculum of Second Language Teacher Education’ In Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[31] Rowbotham, M. The Grip of Death: A Study of Modern Money, Debt Slavery and Destructive Economics Charlbury: Jon Carpenter, 1998.
[32] Keen, S. Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor dethroned? (Revised & Expanded edition) London: Zed Books, 2011.
[1] Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines, in C. Rust (Ed.) Improving Student Learning Theory and Practice – Ten Years On Oxford: OCSLD, 2003, pp. 412-424.
[2] Mezirow, J. “Perspective transformation” Adult Education 28/2 1978, pp. 100-109.
[3] Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (Eds.) Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge Abingdon: Routledge, 2006.
[4] Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010 p. xiii.
[5] Davies, P. ‘Threshold concepts: how can we recognize them?’ in Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (Eds.) Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge Abingdon: Routledge, 2006.
[6] Donald, J. G. ‘Disciplinary Differences in Knowledge Validation’ in Hativa, N. and Marincovich, M. (eds.) Disciplinary Differences in Teaching and Learning: Implications for Practice San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1995, p. 7.
[7] Widdowson, H. G. (2003) Defining Issues in English Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. x.
[8] Marckwardt, A. D. (1972) ‘Changing winds and shifting sands’ MST English Quarterly 21 3-11, p. 5.
[9] Borg, S. ‘Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do’ Language Teaching, 36 81-109, 2003.
[10] Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. ‘Introduction’ in Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[11] Crookes, G. V. Values, Philosophies, and Beliefs in TESOL: Making a Statement Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[12] Mead, J. & Gray, S. ‘Contexts for threshold Concepts: A Conceptual Structure for Localizing Candidates’ in Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010.
[13] Breen, M. P., Hird, B., Milton, M., Oliver, R. & A. Thwaite ‘Making Sense of Language Teaching: Teachers’ Principles and Classroom Practices’ Applied Linguistics 22/4, 2001, pp. 470-501.
[14] Kinchin, I. M., Cabot, L. B. & D. Hay ‘Visualizing Expertise: Revealing the Nature of a Threshold Concept in the Development of an Authentic Pedagogy for Clinical Education’ in Meyer, J. H. F., Land, R. & C. Baillie (Eds.) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010.
[15] Johnson, K. ‘Trends in Second Language Teacher Education’ in Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) the Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[16] Richards, J. C. ‘Postscript: The Ideology of TESOL’ in Carter, R. & Nunan, D. (Eds.) the Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
[17] Ellis, R. ‘Principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition’ CAL digest December 2008, Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2008.
[18] Brown, H. D. ‘English Language Teaching in the “Post-Method” Era: Toward Better Diagnosis, Treatment, and Assessment’ in Richards, J. C. & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.) Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
[19] Braun, V. and V. Clarke ‘Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology’ Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, 2006, pp. 77-101.
[20] Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd edition) Macmillan, 2011.
[21] DeKeyser, R. ‘Beyond focus on form: Cognitive perspectives on learning and practicing second language grammar’ In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.) Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition, pp. 42-63, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
[22] Ellis, R. Second language acquisition and the structural syllabus TESOL Quarterly 27, 1993, pp. 91-113.
[23] Widdowson, H. G. Aspects of Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
[24] Andrews, S. Teacher Language Awareness Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
[25] Morgan, N. L. Home Truths from abroad? A TESOL Blueprint for the Mediation of L1/L2 Language Awareness University of Warwick, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, 2012.
[26] Ausubel, D.P. Educational psychology: a cognitive view New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968).
[27] Hammerly, H. Fluency and Accuracy Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 1991.
[28] Breen, M. P. ‘Authenticity in the language classroom’ Applied Linguistics 6/1, 1985.
[29] Lave, J. & Wenger, E. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[30] Graves, K. ‘The Curriculum of Second Language Teacher Education’ In Burns, A. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.) Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
[31] Rowbotham, M. The Grip of Death: A Study of Modern Money, Debt Slavery and Destructive Economics Charlbury: Jon Carpenter, 1998.
[32] Keen, S. Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor dethroned? (Revised & Expanded edition) London: Zed Books, 2011.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:80454", author = "Neil Morgan", title = "Threshold Concepts in TESOL: A Thematic Analysis of Disciplinary Guiding Principles", abstract = "The notion of Threshold Concepts has offered a fertile new perspective on the transformative effects of mastery of particular concepts on student understanding of subject matter and their developing identities as inductees into disciplinary discourse communities. Only by successfully traversing essential knowledge thresholds can neophytes achieve the more sophisticated understandings of subject matter possessed by mature members of a discipline. This paper uses thematic analysis of disciplinary guiding principles to identify nine candidate Threshold Concepts that appear to underpin effective TESOL practice. The relationship between these candidate TESOL Threshold Concepts, TESOL principles, and TESOL instructional techniques appears to be amenable to a schematic representation based on superordinate categories of TESOL practitioner concern and, as such, offers an alternative to the view of Threshold Concepts as a privileged subset of disciplinary core concepts. The paper concludes by exploring the potential of a Threshold Concepts framework to productively inform TESOL initial teacher education (ITE) and in-service education and training (INSET). ", keywords = "TESOL, threshold concepts, TESOL principles, TESOL ITE/INSET, community of practice.", volume = "15", number = "8", pages = "605-8", }
