Master of Arts in English Language Education
(Thesis Program, MELED)
This program aims to develop competence in the teaching of English at the secondary and tertiary levels. Specifically, the courses in the program are geared towards the development of competence in:
- The various methodological approaches to English instruction,
- Curriculum design and materials development, and
- Language testing and program evaluation.
It balances the technical and utilitarian thrust of teaching English under an ESL approach with courses in Literature and other areas in Education, as well as a good grounding on the basics of research and the English Language.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
| Program Learning Outcomes | ELGA | |||
| CCT | EC | RLL | SDC | |
| 1. Discuss the contributions of Applied Linguistics to more effective English language learning, teaching and assessment; | x | x | ||
| 2. Exhibit greater awareness of the contemporary issues in the discipline; | x | |||
| 3. Initiate research that can lead to the improvement of theory and practice in ELT; | x | x | ||
| 4. Reflect on the role of teachers in enriching knowledge about the effective, efficient, and enlightened ways of teaching English; | x | |||
| 5. Actualize specific ELT approaches through teaching demonstrations | x | |||
| 6. Present sound research proposals and be open to questions, comments, and suggestions from peers; | x | |||
| 7. Demonstrate ability to write scholarly papers for dissemination in local and international academic gatherings; | x | x | x | x |
| 8. Conduct thorough needs analysis to inform policy-making and curriculum and materials design; | x | x | x | |
| 9. Create and evaluate assessment tools for the macro skills | x | x | x | x |
ELGA- Expected Lasallian Graduate Attributes, CCT – Critical and creative thinker, EC – Effective communicator, RLL – Reflective Lifelong Learner, SDC – Service-driven citizen
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In general, admission to the program is granted to those who hold a degree in English, Linguistics, Language Teaching, Communication, or other related fields from an accredited college or university. In addition, the applicant must:
- Have a grade point average of B or 2.5 in the DLSU grading system,
- Pass an admission test, and an interview with the department chair, and
- Submit a favorable recommendation from a school administrator, employer, and former teacher (three letters of recommendation).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
| Core Courses | 12 units |
| Major Courses | 15 units |
| Cognates/Electives | 6 units |
| Thesis | 6 units |
| Total | 39 units |
Note: An additional of six (6) units of Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 1&2 will be required for applicants with a low score in the essay part of the entrance examination.
Written Comprehensive Examination
Students are required to take a Written Comprehensive Examination which focuses on four core areas: Linguistic Foundations, Language Teaching Methodology, Curriculum Development and Language Assessment, and Discourse Analysis
Research Publication
Students are required to publish in a peer reviewed journal as part of their scholarly requirement for the degree program.
CORE COURSES (12 units)
Statistics in Language Studies (ENG503M) 3 units
The application of statistical tools in research on English language education.
Foundations of Language Education (ENG535M) 3 units
This course introduces students to phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics and pragmatics, and other fields of study involving language
Introduction to Research in ELT and Applied Linguistics (ENG711M) 3 units
This course teaches students how to understand, evaluate and carry out research. This includes being able to determine the adequacy of research, setting up the rationale for a research project , creating a competent methodology, collecting data, analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and then communicating the results.
Psychology of Language Learning/Second Language Acquisition (ENG713M) 3 units
This course discusses the basic concepts and principles related to language learning, development and acquisition. It covers issues on both first and second language acquisitions theories, as well as their implications to the teaching of English as a second language to young and adult language learners. The course touches on the various cognitive processes necessary in the learning, development and acquisitions of both first and second languages in a bilingual linguistic setting, as well as major concepts in second language acquisitions such as maturational constraints, cross linguistics influence input and interaction, social factors and individual differences.
MAJOR COURSES (15 units)
Curriculum and Materials Design (ENG604M) 3 units
It deals with the principles of materials development with practice in the design and development of instructional materials
Discourse Analysis (ENG625M) 3 units
It introduces principles and models used to analyze language in use. It also demonstrates the practical relevance of these principles to language teaching and learning.
Language Testing and Evaluation (ENG640M) 3 units
It deals with principles and practice of language testing and language program evaluation
Methodology of Language Teaching (ENG712M) 3 units
Focuses on the concept of “methods” of language teaching (or systematic set of teaching practices) based on particular theories of language and language teaching, as well as language teaching philosophies. The course will provide language teachers and applied linguist a historical overview of significant trends language teaching in the 20th century, with emphasis on the link between instructional design features of these trends (such as objectives, activities and roles of teachers and students) and the observed teaching practices in the language teaching environment of teachers and graduate students taking the course.
New Trends in Teaching Grammar (ENG717M) 3 units
This course introduces the state-of-the-art approach to the teaching of English grammar that is, using corpora in describing and explaining various linguistics phenomena, including the changes happening in the English language in the 20th century. Students will analyze the structures of authentic texts coming from existing English corpora; from both the descriptivist point of view and the prescriptivism.
COGNATES/ELECTIVES (6 units)
Literature-based Teaching of Languages (ENG621M) 3 units
This course is an introduction to the strategies, methods and techniques in teaching language in the secondary and tertiary levels using literary texts.
Genre Analysis and Genre-based Approaches to Language Teaching (ENG654M) 3 units
A course that introduces the principles of genre analysis following the models of John Swales and Jim Martin. It also acquaints students with the process of teaching genre following the ESP and Australian models.
Issues in ELT (ENG671M) 3 units
The course critically examines essential issues that influence pedagogy and professional development. Since students in the master’s level are expected to be leaders in the field, engagement with the essential issues that shape the profession will hopefully lead to a better understanding of current developments in the field.
Psychology of Reading (RDG636M) 3 units
Topics include analysis of reading theories, with emphasis on reading as a neuro-physiological process, and the review and conduct of research on the psychosocial factors affecting reading performance.