TESL Ontario Webinar

What are the lived experiences of those working in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in Canada? What implications do these findings have for post-secondary policy makers, language teacher educators, and EAP instructors? How can we use further research to highlight the material conditions of oft-marginalized professionals in this growing field?

This webinar will discuss research on EAP professionals' lived experiences. Survey and interviews (n = 481) provide critical perspective into satisfaction and agency among EAP practitioners, with data showing employment precarity as the most salient differentiator of satisfaction between EAP directors and instructors. We conclude with suggestions for policy makers, educators, and instructors, including the importance of further research on material conditions of professionals working in EAP.

Key points to be covered in this webinar are:

• understanding the lived experiences of those working in EAP programs,
• the professional satisfaction and agency of EAP practitioners, and
• the analytically-driven suggestions for post-secondary policy makers, language teacher educators, and EAP instructors to address precarity in the field.

WEBINAR TYPE

Research

CATEGORIES

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Employment/Self-Employment

TEACHING SECTORS

All sectors

PARTICIPANT LEVEL

No previous knowledge required

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

James Corcoran (he/him) is an assistant professor of ESL & Applied Linguistics in the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics at York University.

Julia Williams (she/her) is chair of the Department of Culture & Language Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo.

Kris Johnston (he/him) is a research assistant & 6th-year PhD candidate in the Applied Linguistics graduate program at York University.