This paper discusses findings from a small-scale scoping study that was part of a larger collaborative
research project between staff of Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa‘e (UNTL), Timor-Leste, and the
University of Waikato, New Zealand. It is an expanded and updated version of an earlier short report by
the authors (Amaral, Field, McLellan & Barnard 2009). The paper also considers the possibilities
afforded by open-source language learning software applications in the context of UNTL.
The aim of the wider project is to develop a context-sensitive English language curriculum for
students at UNTL undergoing pre-service training to teach English as a foreign language in Timor-Leste
secondary schools. According to Norton (2000: 165-166), learner investment is a key factor in the
successful implementation of a new curriculum: =if learners invest in a second language, they do so with
the understanding that they will acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources, which will
increase their value in the social world‘. Thus, when designing the curriculum, it is important to ensure
that the students will not only understand how to accomplish specific learning tasks but that the
curriculum also expands their repertoire of skills and knowledge for application in their subsequent
professional and social lives.
Following a brief review of studies of the role of English in the highly multilingual context of
Timor-Leste, the paper outlines the history and objectives of the project and the specific questions posed
for the scoping study. The participants‘ attitudes to the teaching of writing in their specific context are
presented, citing some of their responses to an open-ended questionnaire. Findings are discussed in terms
of how they might lead to the design of a curriculum and teaching materials which are internationallyframed
and contextually appropriate in terms both of content and implementation. The pap