Dr Noparat Suaysuwan, English language textbooks in Thailand 1960-1997: Constructing postwar, industrial and global iterations of Thai society through and for the child language learner , PhD
Supervisor Dr Cushla Kapitzke (School of Education, University of Queensland) & Professor Allan Luke (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)

This study provides a critical analysis of English language textbooks for Thai primary school students from 1960 to 1997. As an international lingua franca, English is a compulsory subject in Thailand across all school year levels. English language teachers depend heavily on textbooks as resources for lesson planning and pedagogical practice. Textbooks nonetheless are neither neutral nor value free. This study entails the application of critical discourse analysis to unmask the ideologies and politics that underpin the simple and seemingly innocuous narratives of three English language textbooks used in Thai schools. These are The Oxford English Course for Thailand, English Is Fun, and On the Springboard. The study begins with an historical overview of the sociocultural context of Thai education and the political economies of textbook production and distribution. Methods of data analysis include critical discourse analysis, pictorial and visual analysis, and story grammar. These analyses disclose the social and ideological construction of the texts as instruments of educational hegemony across three decades during which time the agrarian and industrial Thai economy became increasingly globalized. Choices about vocabulary, the visual representation of ideas through image, and layout and formatting are shown as reflecting and constructing particular social ideologies and versions of knowledge and childhood for Thai children who learned from and through them. The study indicates the need for more critical approaches in English language learning so that students can better understand how text functions as selective traditions of cultural values and social knowledges, which potentially shape student identities and civic capacities.

Dr Marilyn Fay Kell, Learning by experience: Reconstructing the literacy engagement of nine men who self-report literacy difficulties, PhD , University of Western Sydney

This thesis, a qualitative study, examined the literacy practices of nine workers who self-report literacy difficulties. Through a series of interviews it specifically investigated how, in the course of their daily work, their mediated behaviour resulted in development of literacy competence. Through analysis of the workers' experiences this thesis explored sociocultural themes deriving from Vygotskian traditions such as the central mediational role of psychological tools and signs and the importance of activity taking place in social settings. It took the theoretical position that literacy is an increasingly complex construct that extends beyond functional connotations such as reading, writing and spelling. It focused on the kinds of literacy skills that individuals require in a world characterised by rapid and frequent changes. In doing so this thesis recognised the diverse modalities in literacy performance that emphasise ways of knowing and ways of doing or designing as well as reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking and comprehending across a range of modalities. Using Communication, Collaboration and Culture: the National Framework of Adult English Language, Literacy and Numeracy Competence (Cope, Kalantzis, Luke, McCormack, Morgan, Slade, Solomon and Veal, 1995) as a tool for analysing data revealed an array of literacy skills practised in the workplace. This thesis argues that sociocultural concepts are applicable to adult learners. In particular it concludes that adult learners in the course of their jobs demonstrate a repertoire of literacy competence through engagement in meaningful literacy practices. While tasks involved in this engagement may seem to be beyond the individual worker's current perceived capabilities, workers utilise psychological tools and signs to assist them in meeting these demands. This thesis reports that a significant indicator of the reported broadening in literacy competence is the support structures available in the workplace and in particular the specific characteristics of mentors.

Dr Ian Simpson